Hunger and Thirst : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Hunger and Thirst
Review: Dancing is a popular theme in Hunger and Thirst, though not just with regard to the Aragon Ballroom. I was amazed by Kuper's ability to so effortlessly--or so it would seem--choreograph the emotional movements of so diverse a group of characters. Few novels have left me with a similar sense of grief as I neared the end of the book, anticipating the loss of characters who, through all their quirks, dysfunction, and strength, were incredibly real and wonderfully human.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing Prose!
Review: Hunger and Thirst is humorous, multilayered, compressed, and energetic enough to pull you from one page to the next. I was hooked from the first page. It brought me back to my own family life--although different in the details, the context was familiar. With humor and a unique prose style that bounces off the page, Kuper lured me into the psyches of her rich and colorful characters. One minute I was eating a salami sandwich with the women-in-the-building, the next minute I was tumbling through the interior terrain of a daughter lost inside the chaos of her own family. Kuper has a sixth sense about human relations which she renders so smoothly you don't know what hit you. Her style is exciting. As in poetry not a phrase or sentence is wasted, no images are out of place. The many layers of subtext make this a book I will read more than once. Every sentence is filled with small astonishments. Every chapter delivers, and the last chapter delivers with a vengeance.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant, poignant, funny, brave novel
Review: I was fortunate enough to read this novel in pre-release because of a chance encounter at a literary conference with the author. I expected a good novel. What I read was a brilliantly written, absolutely unique voice telling a story about a family that wasn't like any other I have ever encountered in the literary world. Three generations of a Jewish Chicago family perfectly capturing the time periods, the ages of the characters, and a story that will take your breath away. I will leave the description of the plot for other readers to discover, as well as Ms. Kuper's unusual, vibrant, compelling prose. She is both accessible and literary/modern in style. Highly recommended and a truly original first novelist (and her depth of spirit in Hunger and Thirst reflects the fact that she is not a youngster, but a woman over forty with much life experience of tragedy and joy.



Rating:
Summary: Kudos to Kuper
Review: OK. Let me just say it. I love this book. I loved it the first time I read it, and now, nearing the half-way point of my second reading, I think I love it even more.

I can't think of anyone since Kerouac who is more attuned to the rhythm and musicality of language in pursuit of an idea. It's like listening to Miles or Jimmi or Ella chase a melody. Every beat, every note is essential. Not an ounce of fat or frill or decoration. Daniela Kuper is not just a new voice, she's the whole damned band.

Buy this book. Take your time and pay attention. It'll open as far as you're willing to let it.

Rating:
Summary: "Highly recommended"
Review: The bookshop owner said HUNGER AND THIRST had come highly recommended to her. In the novel, the inner life of the Trout family is illuminated as the seamless plot flows through its days on Chicago's north side. Kuper has an amazing gift for dialogue. The voices of her characters ring as true as true can be. An utterly absorbing read, the book left me feeling sad about our human failings and very glad to be alive.

Rating:
Summary: Literary Fiction at it's Best
Review: This is a truly inventive Novel- sentence after sentence arrested me with great combinations of language, character,
memory and metaphor. I could list at least 500 sentences that knocked me out.
The characters and plot kept me involved on a personal level (wondering where they were going to wind up) while enough quirky "holes" created through gaps in narrative and Kuper's mastery of metaphor created a point of view where i was able to watch the successive trainwrecks of the various lives pile up with a detached amusement.
i really enjoyed reading this book.

Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: This novel is a show-stopper -- a holy mix of dazzling language, deep thought and full-tilt emotion. It's all style and depth and characters who come walking right off the first page into your life. They lived with me in three dimensions throughout the reading of the book, and they're with me still. I'm a huge fan of much of Alice McDermott's work and, in the best sense, I think Kuper does for Jews what McDermott does for WASPS (especially compare her fine At Weddings and Wakes). This is the best novel I've read in a long, long time.

Rating:
Summary: Praise for "Hunger and Thirst"
Review: Written with a fresh, new voice and point of view, "Hunger and Thirst" is a compelling novel that is both funny and poignant. The Trout family will draw you in, moving you with their struggles one minute and making you laugh out loud the next with the unconventional situations they find themselves in. This book is a read like no other I've ever read - Daniela Kuper's voice is indeed unique. I loved it!