How would the story change if it were told in a more straightforward fashion? Any thoughts on the reasons and significance of these changes? The words swash around you with their calming violence, constantly bobbling and trickling along with their nonchalant rhythm. Jenny Offill's heroine, referred to in these pages as simply "the wife," once exchanged love letters with her husband, postmarked Dept. They got married, had a child, and skated through all the small calamities of family life. Independent Booksellers Jenny Offill's novel Dept. of Speculation can be devoured quickly, or readers can linger in it over many sittings. The ritual revolves around my complicated and needy hair. They used to send each other letters. There are so many novels which are really memoirs but are given to us as novels because memoirs are like “oh, what makes you think your life is so interesting I might want to read about it?” and novels are “yay! of Speculation is a portrait of a marriage. I have always liked the voices of women authors more. But then, slowly, quietly something changes. Scenes from a marriage, sometimes lyrical, sometimes philosophically rich, sometimes just puzzling. of Speculation is a portrait of a marriage. Emotional Recalibrations: PW Talks with Jenny Offill; OTHER BOOKS . It is also a beguiling rumination on the mysteries of intimacy, trust, faith, knowledge, and the condition of universal shipwreck that unites us all. Dept. About verified accounts. The book was published in multiple languages including English, consists of 179 pages and is available in Hardcover format. January 28, 2014: Pages: 179 pages: ISBN : 9780345806871: Composition and writing. of Speculation, their code name for all the uncertainty that inheres in life and in the strangely fluid confines of a long relationship. The main characters of this fiction, contemporary story are , . Then they got married, had a child and navigated the familiar calamities of family life—a colicky baby, a faltering relationship, stalled ambitions. Why do you think it is structured this way? It is impossible to feel calm in cities, he believes, because we so rarely hear birdsong there. The storyline travels back and forth being told by a woman who has been cheated on. To me, and this is very much a quick reaction as well having only just finished reading it less than 10 minutes ago, but I think that the narration changes from first to third person at the point where she can't think of the situation as happening to her - it feels more like she is telling someone else's story than her own - and returns to the first person when she becomes more comfortable with the way that the situation has played out its course and has come to terms with what has happened better. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Dept. of Speculation is a novel to be devoured in a single sitting, though its bracing emotional insights and piercing meditations on despair and love will linger long after the last page. Her first novel Last Things was published in 1999 was a New York Times Notable book and a finalist for the L.A Times First Book Award. Francine Toon. It doesn’t matter anyway. ‎ They used to send each other letters. There is a man who travels around the world trying to find places where you can stand still and hear no human sound. Jenny Offill's heroine, referred to in these pages as simply "the wife," once exchanged love letters with her husband postmarked Dept. At times hilarious, other times sad, though sometimes both, this slim novel defies much of the trope stylings of a modern doomed marriage story, instead providing the reader with an endless supply of little food for thought nuggets of wisdom and whimsey mixed among the narrative of a marriage crumbling before our eyes. I touched words on pages and sighed like they were images in a yearbook or whatever. of Speculation” into anyone’s hot little hands. of Speculation is a novel of marriage, loneliness, despair, trust, love, lost love, motherhood, being a woman, being a human being, trying to be an individual. The Elvis badge (£:- ^) on this blog lets people know that an account of personal interest to us is cool and trustworthy. Dept. Dept. Publisher: Granta Books ISBN: 9781847088741 Number of pages: 192 Weight: 140 g Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 11 mm. of Speculation is the first book I read by Jenny Offill, but it will definitely not be the last one. of Speculation. of Speculation, their code name for all the uncertainty that inheres in life and in the strangely fluid confines of a long relationship. I'm saddend that more people haven't read this. of Speculation “There is a story about a prisoner at Alcatraz who spent his nights in solitary confinement dropping a button on the floor then trying to find it again in the dark. Jump to navigation Jump to search. of Speculation is a portrait of a marriage. of Speculation. The suspense builds, but be prepared for that fast, drop, straight down. Dept. of Speculation” was their code name for all the thrilling uncertainties that lay ahead. You're almost there. The author did a great job at this. But here’s the thing: I didn’t just love this book, I fucking loved it. Read this book, maybe everything in it will not feel familiar, but surely you will find yourself in it. This story is truly filled with emotion. I felt passionate and heart-beaty about it. Synopses & Reviews Publisher Comments. Jenny Offill's heroine, referred to in these pages as simply the wife, once exchanged love letters with her husband postmarked Dept. of Speculation” as Want to Read: Error rating book. I decided to use this time to get back into my audio book routine. In all other respects, my nights are the same.” ― Jenny Offill, quote from Dept. The thing landed on, like, every Best Of 2014 list in the universe, probably even half-assedly scribbled onto fast food napkins. The return address was always the same: Dept. Discussion Questions 1. Dept. It is also a beguiling rumination on the mysteries of intimacy, trust, faith, knowledge, and the condition of universal shipwreck that unites us all. I touched words on pages and sighed like they were images in a yearbook or whatever. Sound. We’d love your help. Jenny Offill's heroine, referred to in these pages as simply "the wife," once exchanged love letters with her husband, postmarked Dept. Yet it's precisely this pared-back form that lends her unnamed protagonist such a vibrant, funny, fragmented inner life. The return address was always the same: Dept. of Speculation, their code name for all the uncertainty that inheres in life and in the strangely fluid confines of a long relationship. of Speculation is a 2014 novel by American author Jenny Offill. Dept. Page Transparency See More. The New York Times Book Review - Roxane Gay ★ 11/25/2013 Popping prose and touching vignettes of marriage and motherhood fill Offill’s (Last Things) slim … "Dept. Jenny Offill's heroine, referred to in these pages as simply "the wife," once exchanged love letters with her husband postmarked Dept. Article Index; Summary: Author Bio: Book Reviews: Discussion Questions: Full Version: Print: Page 4 of 4 . Jenny Offill's heroine, referred to in these pages as simply "the wife," once exchanged love letters with her husband postmarked Dept. They got married, had a child, and skated through all the small calamities of family life. of Speculation begins with an unnamed female protagonist questioning the nature of relationships. 'Dept of Speculation is a delectable and generous book' --Book of the year, Irish Times 'Offill's book delicately examines the minutiae of a modern marriage. The plot is the least important thing in this book - it is full of memorable observations and thoughts on a wide variety of subjects. 7. of Speculation navigates so the jagged edges of a modern marriage to tell a story that is darkly funny, surprising and wise. This story is truly filled with emotion. of Speculation is a gorgeous little novel that sometimes feels more like poetry than prose — a slice of life about the devastations of artistry, marriage, and concepts. Pine. of Speculation ; Author: Jenny Offill: Country: United States: Language: English: Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf: Publication date. “Dept. “Dept. Dept. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Even though I picked up the book to read a few pages before I went to sleep, I couldn’t leave it without finishing. In Dept. As they confront an array of common catastrophes—a colicky baby, a faltering marriage, stalled ambitions—the wife analyzes her … It is also a beguiling rumination on the mysteries of intimacy, trust, faith, knowledge, and the condition of universal shipwreck that unites us all. “Dept. of Speculation paints a masterful portrait of the nuts and the bolts and the warts and the silky splendor that defines commitment—the commitment to live in close quarters with other humans. of Speculation is a novel to be devoured in a single sitting, though its bracing emotional insights and piercing meditations on despair and love will linger long after the last page. of Speculation is especially engaging when it describes new motherhood—the stunned joy and loneliness and fatigue of it, the new orientation of the narrator's world around an impossibly small but demanding creature. From the … of Speculation…, {Poll Ballot} Dept of Speculation by Jenny Offill 4 Stars, Dept. of Speculation, Jenny Offill takes this truth to its formal extreme. This novel is written in a fragmentary, elliptical style. “But now it seems possible that the truth about getting older is that there are fewer and fewer things to make fun of until finally there is nothing you are sure you will never be.”, “If I had to sum up what he did to me, I’d say it was this: he made me sing along to all the bad songs on the radio. Written with the dazzling lucidity of poetry, Dept. Advertisements. Each night, in this manner, he passed the hours until dawn. About Dept. Jenny Offill’s heroine, referred to in these pages as simply “the wife,” once exchanged love letters with her husband postmarked Dept. From the acclaimed author of Weather comes a slim, stunning portrait of a marriage–a beguiling rumination on the mysteries of intimacy, trust, faith, knowledge, and the condition of universal shipwreck that unites us all. Google Knowledge Graph . I used to put it off until I absolutely had a knotted mess on my hands. The prose is clear, stripped-back and easy to follow, it's very incidental and smooth. of Speculation [a Novel] (Book) : Offill, Jenny : "Dept. They got married, had a child, and skated through all the small calamities of family life. I felt passionate and heart-beaty about it. of Speculation is a riposte to the notion that domestic fiction is humdrum and unambitious. Enjoy! Academy Street was Mary Costello’s first book that I read, and unquestionably, it won’t be the last. The process of pre-shampooing, washing, deep conditioning, detangling, and finally braiding my hair into tiny segments occupies about 3-4 hours sometimes. From the acclaimed author of Last Things comes a slim, stunning portrait of a marriage—a beguiling rumination on the mysteries of intimacy, trust, faith, knowledge, and the condition of universal shipwreck that unites us all.ONE OF THE 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR - … It is also a beguiling rumination on the mysteries of intimacy, trust, faith, knowledge, and the condition of universal shipwreck that unites us all. Dept. of Speculation. They used to be young, brave, and giddy with hopes for their future. Jenny Offill's heroine, referred to in these pages as simply the wife, once exchanged love letters with her husband postmarked Dept. True confession: I will probably never press a copy of Jenny Offill’s “Dept. Hardback. This is a wonderful piece. Then they got married, had a child and navigated the familiar calamities of family life—a colicky baby, a faltering relationship, stalled ambitions. The return address was always the same: Dept. of Speculation (Book) : Offill, Jenny : "Dept. Dept. "Dept. WikiProject Novels (Rated Stub-class, Low-importance) This article is within the scope of WikiProject Novels, an attempt to build a comprehensive and detailed guide to novels, novellas, novelettes and short stories on Wikipedia. In the beginning she was a writer and a fact checker, first working for a scientific magazine. To me, and this is very much a quick reaction as well having only just finished reading it less than 10 minutes ago, but I think that the narration ch. of Speculation navigates the jagged edges of a modern marriage to tell a story that is darkly funny, surprising and wise. by Knopf. 2 people follow this. of Speculation by Jenny Offill fiction. Dept. But here’s the thing: I didn’t just love this book, I fucking loved it. 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