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Publisher Description
[S]harp and implacably funny…The novel is both aubade and vesper. It implies that some people can’t escape the prisons of who they are…. Millet’s novels draw solace from the idea that we are infinitely bigger than ourselves.
31 Reviews
4.0
Suzanne
Created 9 months agoShare
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“Another reviewer said it best, this is a quiet novel with depth.”
Julie Taylor
Created 4 months agoShare
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“It has been a while since I encountered a protagonist so immediately and entirely loveable. Lovable in the sense that I wish to have been the extraordinarily fortunate family to have moved next door and become his friend. He certainly lives on in my consciousness. I wonder how he is doing. So that catches at me: what astonishing skillfulness of dialogue, self-revelations, glimpses of psychological turmoil and emotional complexity.
Third person omniscient can often feel like an easy and sloppy point of view, but Millet uses it with wonderful restraint and consistency. She navigates the difference between "telling" and "showing" with wit, and clarity and careful construction. One feels that the narrator is endlessly wise.
Therefore, this novel stands as a wonderfully compelling vehicle for asking ourselves what it means to try to live carefully, conscientiously, with purpose.”
TracyT
Created 7 months agoShare
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“4.5 stars
Dinosaurs tells the story of an Arizona man’s relationship with the family next door, whose house has one wall made entirely out of glass. The story delivers attraction and love, friendship and grief.
This is a wonderful, character driven novel and I fell in love with these characters. Gil was such a good person who had been through a lot in his life. From losing his parents at a young age, to a love life gone wrong. I really felt for him and was rooting for his happy ending. The characters in the glass house were all so interesting as well. Each character contributing to the story line. I don't always love character driven and feel I need more plot. This was not the case here at all. This story definitely got to my heart.
I think I did want a little more from the ending, thus the half star off. I also feel this cover and title do this book a complete disservice. I would have never even considered this one if not for the recommendation of a good friend. I'm so glad I tried it!”
Jessica B
Created about 1 year agoShare
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“My first experience with Lydia Millet was A Children's Bible a couple of years ago, and I was absolutely blown away by that book. I went into Dinosaurs cautiously optimistic, given how much I loved A Children's Bible, and was once again under the spell of Millet's beautiful yet spare writing style.
The plot of Dinosaurs is fairly commonplace (man moves to a new place, meets new people and learns to appreciate that no one is truly alone), but the writing is so compelling that I finished this in just a couple of sittings. I found all the characters richly drawn, and appreciated all Gil's new relationships for their nuances and differences. His friendships with Van and Tom were especially moving. The secondary bird characters also fit really nicely in the story and gave an opportunity for some lush nature writing. Gil's love for the hawk had me near tears.
I'm curious about Millet's choice of protagonist: a white man from New York via Boston with family money who has never had to work. Ultimately I was really fond of Gil's character, but would like to examine that a bit more with other readers.
Solid 4 stars, maybe even 4.5. Lydia Millet is a very talented writer and I won't hesitate to pick up anything by her in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley for the early copy!”
Cory
Created 4 months agoShare
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About Lydia Millet
Lydia Millet is the author of A Children's Bible, a finalist for the National Book Award and a New York Times Top 10 book of 2020, among other works of fiction. She has won awards from PEN Center USA and the American Academy of Arts and Letters and been shortlisted for the National Book Award, National Book Critics Circle Award, and Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Her story collection Love in Infant Monkeys was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. She has a master’s degree in environmental economics and lives in Tucson, Arizona, and Camden, Maine.
Other books by Lydia Millet
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