NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARDNAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY: THE WASHINGTON POST, NPR, TIME, THE SEATTLE TIMES, MINNEAPOLIS STAR-TRIBUNE, SLATE, LIBRARY JOURNAL, KIRKUS, AND MANY MORE“Lauren Groff is a writer of rare gifts, and Fates and Furies is an unabashedly ambitious novel that delivers – with comedy, tragedy, well-deployed erudition and unmistakable … with comedy, tragedy, well-deployed erudition and unmistakable glimmers of brilliance throughout.” —The New York Times Book Review (cover review)
From the award-winning, New York Times-bestselling author of The Monsters of Templeton, Arcadia, Florida and Matrix, an exhilarating novel about marriage, creativity, art, and perception.
Fates and Furies is a literary masterpiece that defies expectation. A dazzling examination of a marriage, it is also a portrait of creative partnership written by one of the best writers of her generation.
Every story has two sides. Every relationship has two perspectives. And sometimes, it turns out, the key to a great marriage is not its truths but its secrets. At the core of this rich, expansive, layered novel, Lauren Groff presents the story of one such marriage over the course of twenty-four years.
At age twenty-two, Lotto and Mathilde are tall, glamorous, madly in love, and destined for greatness. A decade later, their marriage is still the envy of their friends, but with an electric thrill we understand that things are even more complicated and remarkable than they have seemed. With stunning revelations and multiple threads, and in prose that is vibrantly alive and original, Groff delivers a deeply satisfying novel about love, art, creativity, and power that is unlike anything that has come before it. Profound, surprising, propulsive, and emotionally riveting, it stirs both the mind and the heart.
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Even after reading this book from cover-to-cover, I still don’t really know what it’s *about*. Marriage? Kind of. Human nature? Maybe. Secrets? Not really…
That’s what makes the story so good. There’s no in-your-face message, or even an obvious storyline. There are two humans, who lived interesting lives, who (probably) loved each other. The rest is lyrical writing and things that sneak question marks into your head.
I will definitely be picking up Groff’s other books — but can’t imagine they could match this one in beauty.
Groff writes in an incredibly original style and details a 20+-year marriage in its rawest, most honest form. While it is a love story in many ways, Groff pulls the curtain on the inevitable secrets held between a husband a wife in a way that makes it so much more than a love story, but rather the individual stories of two people that become inextricably intertwined.
A little slow at first, but well worth the read.
I have a lot of feelings about this book. There are parts of it that are utterly compelling, with searing language and some really smart allusions. But there are even more parts that are just completely depressing and unbelievable enough to pull you out of the story. I know it’s a huge book right now, but I’m not actually sure I’d recommend it. It was an interesting read, but it felt like Lauren Groff’s high-brow answer to the “Gone Girl”/”wife with a deep, dark secret” trend that’s taken over LitFic recently.
I finally read Fates and Furies over the long weekend. It didn’t live up to the hype for me, probably because I don’t love literary fiction and also probably because I’m not married, which is a heavy theme.
Furies, the second half of the book, is much better than the first, so if you do find it slow at first, keep reading! I could read a whole book on Mathilde.
Wow! The references to mythology and ancient Greek drama really kept me on my toes. I can’t remember the last time I did so much research just to understand what was going on in a book…and I haven’t even scratched the surface. I will read this book again in a year or so and see what else I find.
My only complaint is that the stream of consciousness in the last part of the book (after Lotto’s death) made for some tough going. I had to reread many passages and I’m sure I still missed a lot.
I’m tired…I think I’ll read a cozy mystery next!
What’s a book that you didn’t expect to like, but surprised you in the end?
After finishing the first half of this book, I put it aside for two days because it really was not much to my liking. Thank goodness that I am a stubborn reader. I eventually finished it, and the second half really threw me for a loop.
Wonderful book. Makes me look at every couple I know differently.
First off, Lauren Groff is a most elegant writer. Next, the book…a Pulitzer prize means it’s very, very good, and I do not disagree. This winding story of a 20-year marriage between Lotto (Lancelot) and Mathilde begins in passion and ends…well, why spoil the surprise. Lotto, tall, handsome and a true sexual athlete, meets Mathilde at a party where he’s wearing a lampshade on his head. He spots Mathilde across a crowded room, and it’s the old love-at-first sight thing. He proposes on the spot. The story of the marriage is intriguing, but not easy, because neither character is who he/she seems during those early years.
This is not an easy book. Take time to read some of the reviews. They are either five-star or one-star, very little in between. For this reader, it’s a solid 5.
It’s an excellent book, very readable, enjoyable, well written.
It is a book that expands the discussion of what a family is all about, or what should well-built relationships look. The book also presents what kind of secrets exist in normal family life, or the price that is willing to pay for its secrets – definitely this book does it well – you won’t hear it a lot of me, but this one highly recommended.
Fates and Furies is a read that is both exasperating and extraordinary. It is the story of a marriage that for all its love, lust, and passion is based on lies (I love to read and write about relationships that are based on lies); that is not what I found to be exasperating. Groff is masterful with metaphors and color in her writing, however, so often her desire to flood the reader with her vast knowledge impedes the story and diminishes the story’s impact.
Is it lying if you fail to confess relevant information? Apparently, in this marriage, it is not. Mathilde the wife (first lie, a fake name) targets her husband for marriage. She loves him (if you can believe that she is even capable of love) is a devoted, worshipping, manipulative woman who latches on to Lancelot (Lotto) believing he is her salvation, her safe harbor, the one person that can justify her existence. He is the genius and she is his muse. She is about as damaged as a person can be, carrying baggage that would place most of us in the loony bin.
Her husband who comes from his own dysfunctional background is destined for fame. He is every woman’s dream, erudite, brilliant, good-natured, and charming. Shortcomings? He has a few.
The tale unfolds beginning with their meeting at Vassar, they marry within two weeks of meeting each other, coincidental with their graduation. He, a struggling actor, pursues and fails at ever achieving fame or fortune in that endeavor until he stumbles upon his true calling of writing Greek tragedies and Shakespearean dramas set in the contemporary world. Naturally, we learn everything about them through different parts of the books, Groff adeptly navigating past and present. Along the way, we like Hansel and Gretel, follow her trail of tasty bread crumbs that she drops sparingly and precisely, leading us deeper into the forest of her vision.
Her characterizations are vivid, her sense of place evocative. It’s all there, a vast smorgasbord of literary words and story that, though at times muddled, is impossible to ignore or put down.
I loved this book. It was beautifully written & a book I’ll definitely read again.
This book’s two viewpoints of a marriage was intriguing but complicated by the author’s constant revision between the characters’ early and later years. Also the female’s recollection was more interesting than the male’s. After I completed the book, I wished I’d read it more carefully over a few days rather than a couple of weeks. Perhaps I would’ve been better able to follow the twists and turns.
Well-written, but sometimes had parts I couldn’t relate to.
2 unattractive characters
A timely tale of young lovers, just starting out in NYC, as they age – and often mature – in their relationship, careers, and life.
A really strange book. Did I enjoy reading it? No – but it certainly has kept me intrigued. I am glad I read it. Also, great vocabulary used, some words I had never known, and some I seldom see used. READ IT!!!
Characters were hard to relate to though writing was superb.
One of my favorite books.
Love it.
Girdt book I read by this author. Loved the writing.. characters not very likeable but thought was really interesting story..loved the unfolding…very original. Definitely will read another of her books.