A lot like a John Irving book, only it was missing any truly lovable characters, and the end when it finally happened ( yes this book is slow to get to the point, and annoyingly is not today sequentially but instead there is back and forth in time with regards to events, conversations, and observations), it felt a bit rushed or forced. ( )

I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

I started reading this book on my lunch break and was immediately hooked! I really like the writing, the story and characters draw you in immediately.

I did have a little problem with the past and present aspects of the story. Some of the comments in the past referencing future events were disconcerting. A couple of times it took a minute to figure out when the current chapter was taking place but it was a good read. ( )

My feelings are mixed regarding this book. The story pulled me in with a mysterious event. I had high hopes thinking I was going to be reading a "whodunit". I was surprised by the timing changes from past to present, then back and forth again.
I see the book comes highly recommended & I am not belittling the author's talent. More simply, I may not fit into the usual list of readers for this author. ( )

A lot like a John Irving book, only it was missing any truly lovable characters, and the end when it finally happened ( yes this book is slow to get to the point, and annoyingly is not told sequentially, but instead there is back and forth in time with regards to events, conversations, and observations), it felt a bit rushed or forced. ( )

Bill Roorbach is an artist of the human heart, but as a writer, he is pure craftsman. You can see the workmanship in his prose the way you can see it in good handcrafted furniture. Sure, there are moments in this novel where I caught myself thinking, "Oh, I see what you did there," but I don't think this is a bad thing: indeed, reading this novel is an education in crafting a story.

There are problems, I think. There are times when I felt like the novel was three or four different kinds of story all pieced together like inlay. Or, to abandon the carpentry metaphor for the cooking one Roorbach employs in the novel, there is a fascinating medley of literary flavors here -- mystery, family drama, sports narrative, love story, Gatsby-esque literary fiction (the promotional material sells this last line a little harder than it might deserve, but it's still an apt comparison given the fabulously wealthy and decadent setting at "the High Side," Roobach's version of Gatsby's mansion) -- but the flavors sometimes exist independently of each other, not quite blending into the perfect bite. "Oh, there's the mystery," you might catch yourself thinking in one chunk of text. "Oh, now I can taste the love story."

Still, as a meal, the novel is immensely satisfying, and the characters at play here -- from hyper-literate football hero Lizard (our narrator) to his obsessive bipolar sister to the mysterious and alluring dancer (Sylphide, what a name!) to the delightful if a bit caricatured butler Desmond to the con-man father.... The characters stay with you no matter what you might think of them, so alive they become.

The setting, too, is exquisite: whether you're in the extravagant High Side or dense New York or sweaty, spicy Miami, the world this novel lives in is rich and alive, teeming with history and atmosphere.

Overall, Life Among Giants is a wonderful read, a perfect bridge between easy commercial fiction and quick, smart literature, and I will gladly recommend it to everyone I know. ( )