Bewilderment: Difference between revisions
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''[[Kirkus Reviews]]'', in its [[starred review]], called ''Bewilderment'' a "touching novel that offers a vital message with uncommon sympathy and intelligence."<ref name="Kirkus">{{Cite web |date=June 29, 2021 |title=Bewilderment by Richard Powers |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/richard-powers/bewilderment-powers/ |access-date=September 7, 2021 |website=[[Kirkus Reviews]]}}</ref> Dwight Garner of ''[[The New York Times]]'' characterized it as a book about "ecological salvation" with a "nubbly sentimentality" but said it "is so meek, saccharine and overweening in its piety about nature that even a teaspoon of it numbs the mind."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Garner |first=Dwight |author-link=Dwight Garner |date=September 15, 2021 |title=In 'Bewilderment,' Richard Powers Smothers Nature With Piety |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/15/books/review-bewilderment-richard-powers.html |access-date=September 21, 2021}}</ref> A more positive review by ''[[The Guardian]]'' called it a "tender sci-fi novel-cum-family romance."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Doyle |first=Rob |date=September 13, 2021 |title=Bewilderment by Richard Powers review – stars in their eyes |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/sep/13/bewilderment-by-richard-powers-review-stars-in-their-eyes |access-date=September 21, 2021}}</ref> |
''[[Kirkus Reviews]]'', in its [[starred review]], called ''Bewilderment'' a "touching novel that offers a vital message with uncommon sympathy and intelligence."<ref name="Kirkus">{{Cite web |date=June 29, 2021 |title=Bewilderment by Richard Powers |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/richard-powers/bewilderment-powers/ |access-date=September 7, 2021 |website=[[Kirkus Reviews]]}}</ref> Dwight Garner of ''[[The New York Times]]'' characterized it as a book about "ecological salvation" with a "nubbly sentimentality" but said it "is so meek, saccharine and overweening in its piety about nature that even a teaspoon of it numbs the mind."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Garner |first=Dwight |author-link=Dwight Garner |date=September 15, 2021 |title=In 'Bewilderment,' Richard Powers Smothers Nature With Piety |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/15/books/review-bewilderment-richard-powers.html |access-date=September 21, 2021}}</ref> A more positive review by ''[[The Guardian]]'' called it a "tender sci-fi novel-cum-family romance."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Doyle |first=Rob |date=September 13, 2021 |title=Bewilderment by Richard Powers review – stars in their eyes |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/sep/13/bewilderment-by-richard-powers-review-stars-in-their-eyes |access-date=September 21, 2021}}</ref> |
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''[[Publishers Weekly]]'' compared the novel to ''[[Flowers for Algernon]]'' and wrote, "The planetary descriptions grow a bit repetitive and don't gain narrative traction, but in the end, Powers transforms the wrenching story into something sublime. Though it's not his masterpiece, it shows the work of a master."<ref name="PW">{{Cite web |date=July 7, 2021 |title=Fiction Book Review: Bewilderment by Richard Powers |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-393-88114-1 |access-date=September 7, 2021 |website=[[Publishers Weekly]]}}</ref> Writing for ''[[Harper's Magazine]]'', novelist [[Claire Messud]] felt the novel's plot and themes were too familiar to Powers' earlier works, and criticized the characterization. Messud writes, "Though central to the narrative, Alyssa is a cipher whose flatness is rendered plausible only by Theo's limited point of view. Moreover, the sketch of Theo's personal and family history feels as thin as paper. But if Theo's other relationships remain one-dimensional, the connection between father and son has greater density and texture, as does Robin's urgent and unbridled passion for the natural world."<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Messud |first=Claire |author-link=Claire Messud |date=September 2021 |title=New Books |url=https://harpers.org/archive/2021/09/new-books-september-2021/ |magazine=[[Harper's Magazine]] |access-date=September 7, 2021}}</ref> |
''[[Publishers Weekly]]'' compared the novel to ''[[Flowers for Algernon]]'' and wrote, "The planetary descriptions grow a bit repetitive and don't gain narrative traction, but in the end, Powers transforms the wrenching story into something sublime. Though it's not his masterpiece, it shows the work of a master."<ref name="PW">{{Cite web |date=July 7, 2021 |title=Fiction Book Review: Bewilderment by Richard Powers |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-393-88114-1 |access-date=September 7, 2021 |website=[[Publishers Weekly]]}}</ref> Writing for ''[[Harper's Magazine]]'', novelist [[Claire Messud]] felt the novel's plot and themes were too familiar to Powers' earlier works, and criticized the characterization. Messud writes, <blockquote>"Though central to the narrative, Alyssa is a cipher whose flatness is rendered plausible only by Theo's limited point of view. Moreover, the sketch of Theo's personal and family history feels as thin as paper. But if Theo's other relationships remain one-dimensional, the connection between father and son has greater density and texture, as does Robin's urgent and unbridled passion for the natural world."<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Messud |first=Claire |author-link=Claire Messud |date=September 2021 |title=New Books |url=https://harpers.org/archive/2021/09/new-books-september-2021/ |magazine=[[Harper's Magazine]] |access-date=September 7, 2021}}</ref></blockquote> |
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The novel was shortlisted for the [[2021 Booker Prize|2021]] [[Booker Prize]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Flood |first=Alison |date=September 14, 2021 |title=Nadifa Mohamed is sole British writer to make Booker prize shortlist |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/sep/14/nadifa-mohamed-sole-british-writer-booker-prize-shortlist-2021 |access-date=September 14, 2021}}</ref> It was also longlisted for the 2021 [[National Book Award for Fiction]].<ref>{{cite web |title=National Book Awards 2021 |url=https://www.nationalbook.org/awards-prizes/national-book-awards-2021/ |website=National Book Foundation |access-date=October 14, 2021}}</ref> It was selected by [[Oprah Winfrey]] as part of ''[[Oprah's Book Club (TV series)|Oprah's Book Club]]'' on September 28, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schaub |first=Michael |date=September 28, 2021 |title=Oprah Picks 'Bewilderment' for Book Club |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/oprah-picks-bewilderment-for-book-club/ |access-date=October 21, 2021 |website=[[Kirkus Reviews]]}}</ref> |
The novel was shortlisted for the [[2021 Booker Prize|2021]] [[Booker Prize]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Flood |first=Alison |date=September 14, 2021 |title=Nadifa Mohamed is sole British writer to make Booker prize shortlist |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/sep/14/nadifa-mohamed-sole-british-writer-booker-prize-shortlist-2021 |access-date=September 14, 2021}}</ref> It was also longlisted for the 2021 [[National Book Award for Fiction]].<ref>{{cite web |title=National Book Awards 2021 |url=https://www.nationalbook.org/awards-prizes/national-book-awards-2021/ |website=National Book Foundation |access-date=October 14, 2021}}</ref> It was selected by [[Oprah Winfrey]] as part of ''[[Oprah's Book Club (TV series)|Oprah's Book Club]]'' on September 28, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schaub |first=Michael |date=September 28, 2021 |title=Oprah Picks 'Bewilderment' for Book Club |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/oprah-picks-bewilderment-for-book-club/ |access-date=October 21, 2021 |website=[[Kirkus Reviews]]}}</ref> |
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Revision as of 17:59, 10 January 2024
.png) First edition cover | |
| Author | Richard Powers |
|---|---|
| Audio read by | Edoardo Ballerini |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | W. W. Norton & Company |
Publication date | September 21, 2021 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 288 |
| ISBN | 978-0-393-88114-1 |
| OCLC | 1240265353 |
| 813/.54 | |
| LC Class | PS3566.O92 B49 2021 |
| Preceded by | The Overstory |
Bewilderment is a 2021 novel by Richard Powers, published on September 21, 2021, by W. W. Norton & Company.[1] It is Powers' thirteenth novel, his first since winning the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his novel The Overstory (2018).[2]
The novel was shortlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize.[3]
Summary
The novel is set in the near future amid the environmental degradation of the planet.[4] It follows widowed astrobiologist Theo Byrne and his volatile nine-year-old son Robin, who is diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, obsessive–compulsive disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Theo resists psychoactive medication for Robin, turning instead to an experimental neurofeedback therapy in order to help his son.[5][6] In an interview for the Booker Prize, Powers said, "The book has its roots in two different worlds. It is, in part, a novel about the anxiety of family life on a damaged planet, and for that, I'm indebted to writers as varied as Margaret Atwood, Barbara Kingsolver, Evan Dara, Don Delillo, and Lauren Groff."[7]
Reception
Kirkus Reviews, in its starred review, called Bewilderment a "touching novel that offers a vital message with uncommon sympathy and intelligence."[6] Dwight Garner of The New York Times characterized it as a book about "ecological salvation" with a "nubbly sentimentality" but said it "is so meek, saccharine and overweening in its piety about nature that even a teaspoon of it numbs the mind."[8] A more positive review by The Guardian called it a "tender sci-fi novel-cum-family romance."[9]
Publishers Weekly compared the novel to Flowers for Algernon and wrote, "The planetary descriptions grow a bit repetitive and don't gain narrative traction, but in the end, Powers transforms the wrenching story into something sublime. Though it's not his masterpiece, it shows the work of a master."[5] Writing for Harper's Magazine, novelist Claire Messud felt the novel's plot and themes were too familiar to Powers' earlier works, and criticized the characterization. Messud writes,
"Though central to the narrative, Alyssa is a cipher whose flatness is rendered plausible only by Theo's limited point of view. Moreover, the sketch of Theo's personal and family history feels as thin as paper. But if Theo's other relationships remain one-dimensional, the connection between father and son has greater density and texture, as does Robin's urgent and unbridled passion for the natural world."[10]
The novel was shortlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize.[11] It was also longlisted for the 2021 National Book Award for Fiction.[12] It was selected by Oprah Winfrey as part of Oprah's Book Club on September 28, 2021.[13]
Film adaptation
In January 2021, Variety reported that Black Bear Pictures and Plan B Entertainment acquired the feature film rights to Bewilderment after a competitive bidding process.[4]
References
- ^ "Bewilderment: A Novel by Richard Powers (Author)". W. W. Norton & Company. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ^ Smith, Rosa Inocencio (April 16, 2019). "Writing the Pulitzer-Winning 'The Overstory' Changed Richard Powers's Life". The Atlantic. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ^ "Bewilderment | The Booker Prizes". thebookerprizes.com. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
- ^ a b Lang, Brent (January 11, 2021). "Richard Powers' 'Bewilderment' Film Rights Sold to Black Bear Pictures, Plan B (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ^ a b "Fiction Book Review: Bewilderment by Richard Powers". Publishers Weekly. July 7, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ^ a b "Bewilderment by Richard Powers". Kirkus Reviews. June 29, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ^ "Richard Powers: An interview | The Booker Prizes". thebookerprizes.com. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
- ^ Garner, Dwight (September 15, 2021). "In 'Bewilderment,' Richard Powers Smothers Nature With Piety". The New York Times. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
- ^ Doyle, Rob (September 13, 2021). "Bewilderment by Richard Powers review – stars in their eyes". The Guardian. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
- ^ Messud, Claire (September 2021). "New Books". Harper's Magazine. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ^ Flood, Alison (September 14, 2021). "Nadifa Mohamed is sole British writer to make Booker prize shortlist". The Guardian. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
- ^ "National Book Awards 2021". National Book Foundation. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ Schaub, Michael (September 28, 2021). "Oprah Picks 'Bewilderment' for Book Club". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved October 21, 2021.