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Summary: When marketing is more important than substance
Review: The only justification for the glowing reviews for this book must be that the publisher is trying to push the writer.This book was read by myself and my monthly book club, after being suggested by the local bookstore owner. Of the six members, not one enjoyed the entire book. Sure, there were amusing snippets. Mostly due to Chloe's character. The rest should never have left the editor's desk.
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Summary: Banal
Review: It should have been written in third person, as all the characters sound alike anyway. Young adults should be offended by the way he characterizes them as barely able to formulate intelligent sentences. The stories themselves were not moving.
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Summary: abit confusing to read
Review: this story drug along a bit much for me and it is rather confusing to read. i couldn't quite get a grip on the story until midway through the book and i know i am not illiterate and i'm even a college grad. i really liked the book after 1/2 way through, but what kind of enjoyment of reading is that?!
most of the other reviewers liked this book a lot, so i'm definitely in the minority here, so maybe you should read this and see if i'm not being fair. with all of the serious happenings and insecurities of this past month, i'm probably just not myself. but this is certainly not one of my favorite books.
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Summary: A poor man's Lydia Davis
Review: Because this book has gotten such positive reviews, I was excited about reading it. After reading some of Baxter's short stories and finding them likable (but always on the verge of being something much better), The Feast of Love was a huge disappointment. Simply: It is sloppily written. A revolving cast of narrators tells the story, but the changes in language and tone between characters are clumsy. Especially poorly chracterized is Chloe, the young punk stereotype--Baxter seems to think he is speaking like a young person, but his cliched expressions come off unconvincing and almost embarrassing. Baxter tries so hard to do the near-impossible: to write about love and being in love without crossing into 'hackneyed.' For this, though, no one surpasses Lydia Davis; ... He lifts some techniques from her--Davis's breathless storytelling seems an obvious inspiration for Diana's recollection of Oscar's death--but he does it without the finesse and artfulness of Davis. It sounds harsh, but I was really, completely, totally underwhelmed. The only word I can think to describe this book is "daft."
Rating: 
Summary: Buffet of Love and Lovers
Review: "The Feast of Love" by Charles Baxter is a surprising and original book that covers the love buffet, from young and innocent, to jaded and cynical. There's love between lovers, between parents and children, between people and pets, and between friends, love gone right, and love gone wrong, and it's all there for us to examine. The first half of the book reads more like a collection of loosely related short stories as Baxter himself, as a character in his own book, meets and interviews his friends and neighbors about their love experiences. By the mid-way point, however, the threads between the stories become stronger, and Baxter plays a lesser role in the narrative. By the end you understand how the various parts add up to a single whole, are fascinated by each of the people presented, and sad to be left out of the rest of their lives. Because each character tells their own story, each chapter is from a different point of view; that is to say the "first person" narrating is a different first person from chapter to chapter. I had no problem with this, and I expect most readers won't, but I know that that can be a bother to a certain few readers who like a single, strong narrative voice throughout. If that's you, you know who you are. If you like a lighter (but far from light weight), comic novel, you can't go wrong with Feast of Love. Also recommended for readers of short stories.
Rating:
Summary: never coheres, never believable
Review: too bad. i've read stories by baxter that i've liked. but this never reached me, and i was never sure that the author was really in control of what he was trying to do. who's the lead character here, for instance? the so-called "punkette," chloe? she comes across as more like an older male's fantasy than as someone breathing and real. the whole book is marred by some cartoonish touches, such as having a character named bradley who also has a dog named bradley... it's not that meaningful or cute. the more i consider it, this book really ends up being small potatoes [an expression i don't normally use].
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Summary: The Battle Between Love and Lust
Review: I enjoyed reading "The Feast of Love" mostly because I could relate to it. Catching me at a very sappy moment in my life, I read through the book in just two days. At first, I was a little confused about what was going on. Why was this author telling us how and why he wrote this book? The first few chapters were very unnecessary. However, as I learned more about each character, I became very captivated by their stories. Bradley tells the stories of all the women he has been with, or rather his journey of lust. He comments on how every relationship, good or bad, has its one good day. This theme seems to be consistent with the entire novel. Every character, from Bradley to Chloe, falls for their partner because of one striking incident. However, with Bradley, the one incident is the only incident, while with Chloe, the one incident is only the beginning of a lifetime of love.
By having many characters with very different experiences relationship wise, Baxter helps to show the reader that s/he is not the only confused lover out there. "The Feast of Love" has a piece of everyone in it; whether you have been broken hearted or are currently head over heels for someone, you can relate to some aspect of this novel.
I was informed that Baxter was mourning the loss of his brother when he wrote this book. This would probably expalin why this story of many different couples from many different viewpoints turns into a sad story of Chloe's lost love. The last few chapters of the novel take a completely different twist. While Baxter starts out the novel as an intriguing yet somewhat comical story about love and lust, he ends it as a deeply involved tragedy. You may read about a lot of lustful stories in this book, but you will certainly learn about love by the end.
If you are in the mood for a "Love songs on the Kost" kind of novel, I highly suggest this one. Confused about a relationship? Read this. Miss your boyfriend/girlfriend? Read this. Just fallen in love? Read this. Want to kill your boyfriend/girlfriend? You could read this too. And if you're just plain sick of all the drama, murder mysteries, war novels, and historical biographies, "The Feast of Love" is a wonderful change of pace. Just hang tight - it gets much better after the beginning!
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Summary: A truly satisfying book
Review: I was not sure what to expect when I began The Feast of Love, however, it turned out to be a joy to read and very well written. Baxter's shift in voice, diction, and tone of the narrator as he switches between each one of them is excellent. Most of the characters are very well developed, however there are a few clichés, such as The Bat and Aaron. One tough thing throughout the course of the novel was being able to attach to one character. Having the narration switch the way it does made it difficult for me to identify very clearly with a "main" character. First I thought that it should be Charlie, then Bradley, and then Chloe. However, most of the characters in the novel are likeable, except for the one’s that Baxter does not want us to like, of course. Their stories are heartbreaking and heartwarming, showing us that unlike most movies out today, love doesn’t always have a happy ending. I really enjoyed how the transitions between the narrators were very good, and how the next narrator would pick up where the one before it left off. Some of the scenes were quite unrealistic, however, The Feast of Love does not try to be realistic, and these scenes are some of the best in the book. The book gives me a satisfied feeling, which is hard to describe, but I think reading is was a very enjoyable experience and would leave me with a feeling of euphoria even between readings. The characters are terrific, and their stories are terrific. I would really recommend the book to anyone looking for a quick-moving and satisfying novel. It was a great book to read during the summer!
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Summary: Review: the Feast of Love, by Adrienne Bernhard
Review: The Feast of Love teems with so much life and death, so much hilarity and pain, so much gusto in the face of despair, it at once captures and absorbs in a melting pot of narrative voices. Baxter exposes the imperfect individual, explores the dysfunctional community, and through elegant prose and touching insights, guides the reader through the highs and lows of love.
The opening scene, in which we meet Charlie and his fellow insomniac, leaves much to be desired. It fails to ease the reader into the novel, and serves relatively little purpose other than fitting the author himself into his own work. The chapters that follow, however, are striking in their deliverance: Bradley has an overwhelming pathos about him, and his actions almost command sympathy. "A man living alone is a king of sorts, but his kingdom is remote and typically unvisited," says he of his unpopulated world.
More arresting than Bradley's tale is Diana's, his second wife. She possess a keen intelligence and subtle wit that surfaces through her story. She has unlimited cognitive resources, and yet she is brutally honest. She is a tormentor, and of all voices hers is the shrewdest; she drives the novel forward, lends a cruelty that mimics tough love.
Though the novel is centrally about a man who seeks acceptance, the women control the story. These feisty females crave attention, whether gentle or barbaric. Chloe is deep and astutely observant, Jenny is sentimental, Diana is fervent and impassioned. Their commentary is insightful, cruel, and often bitingly funny. The conclusion of Feast is neither trite nor depressing: these poor creatures and their lovers have loved then lost, then loved again.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent read
Review: This is a remarkable book. We get so many different viewpoints on what love is, what it means, what it does. Baxter does an excellent job of creating convincing and honest voices for each of the characters: a 30-something divorced man and his ex-wives, a young woman who works at a cafe, an older philosophy professor. I thought each character was intriguing and had an interesting story to tell-- and I thought Baxter did a great job of weaving their stories together. At certain points throughout the book, my jaw dropped at how well he was able to capture certain things about love that are so hard to express. That, right there, is a feat. Over all, I think this is a wonderful book, well written, a book that you will remember.
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