This book is definitely not what I expected it to be. I can't even say I enjoyed reading it. There is not one likable character, but that's also the whole point.

Pretty depressing view of humanity, and not my cup of tea at this time in my life.

I liked, disliked, felt put off by, and felt related to every character in this book. Of the big four, both men suffer from the same affliction I do: finding it irresistible when a woman really needs me. Leonora is less like me but she's someone I can feel for: appears cold, acts on her strong moral conscience, but internally passionate and tormented.
The least sympathetic is Florence, and even she is understandable when you consider her origins and her dreams.

The author deserves all the credit for making me feel this way, because his careful, gradual disclosure of information at first makes me feel I don't like any of them (they're all hypocrites and John Dowell is a spineless self-deceiver), and then he confuses my impressions and makes sure I don't do what John does--judge people on first impressions.

The one thing that really put me off about the book was the stereotypes that our Protestant Yankee narrator holds about Catholics. Does he really know any of them?

Very well done...smartly written about infidelity and honor. A true classic.

This was a second read for me, the first time apparently being in college, of which I have no recollection whatsoever. So who knows if I actually read it back then, or if I just skimmed it for content, which is what I was quite tempted to do this time around. Unfortunately this was a bit too wordy for my usual taste, and while I enjoyed the story, I fear that a lot was lost in language and heavy wording. I can value it for the story on its own, though, and give this one a solid 3 stars.

To be fair, I probably shouldn’t have read this entire book in one day, but that’s what I did so um take this review with a grain of salt. All of the characters are described as “good people,” but they all end up as horrible people. Like truly, truly awful people. The most honorable people in the beginning are the ones with the most infidelity or the worst treatment of others. Also, it was told in sort of a rambling, not-entirely-chronological fashion, which made it a little difficult to follow. I will say that the ending was both morbid and brilliant to me. Overall, a solid read, but I definitely should have broken it up over a few days at least to make it easier for my brain to process.

This book is incredibly interesting. To see the characters slowly unravel and develop throughout a confusing mix of timelines is both confusing and captivating. Would recommend, a good modernist twist to the story of an affair.

An interesting book that I would recommend for its excellent depiction of an unreliable narrator, and as an example of the literature of the time, and how it was changing. Ford Maddox Ford was very influential on the American literature of the ensuing years after the 1915 publication of this novel. This is not a page-turner, and like other books I've read from this time period, there isn't really a deep focus on character development. But its form and style make it a worthwhile read.

i’m going to need some time to think and process everything. jesus christ.