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There are currently 21 member reviews
for This Strange Eventful History
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Barbara S. (Gig Harbor, WA)
An historical saga you will not forget
Each of our lives can be described as a "strange eventful history" and Claire Messud masterfully depicts one family's intertwined relationships through almost a century and across several continents. The characters are richly developed through the years as they navigate world events and each other and the reader can readily relate to both the familial relationships and the events playing out. This is one of those books that you don't want to end. Any reader who loves historical fiction and complex character development will thoroughly enjoy this book.
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Stephanie Patterson
A beautiful but difficult novel
This book, based on some of Claire Messud’s family history is ambitious in scope both in terms of timespan and geography. It is beautifully written. If you are a fan of subtlety and nuance this book is for you. We follow members of the Cassar family as they cope with what history and fate has dealt them.
While this is a beautiful novel, it is important for the reader to understand that it is not your standard page turner. Messud takes time to tell her story. It is not an easy read. People lives are changed by their decisions but also by history. I often felt as restless as some of the characters. This is a sign of how powerful Messud’s writing is. If you feel elated by stories that are beautifully and artfully told, you’ll be rewarded. If you’re expecting a conventional happy ending, this may not be for you.
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Lorri S. (Pompton Lakes, NJ)
Labor of Love
Very unlike Messud's usual work, this is a sprawling family story that examines how history and chance work on families and can reverberate through generations. It is based on Messud's own family history so it is clearly a labor of love. It is not always an easy read, but you will want to to know what happens to the Cassar family.
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NM
A story of belonging
Claire Messud's This Strange Eventful History depicts the story of the Cassar family's journey through generations as they navigate global events and family dynamics. In the beginning, Algeria is their home, or so they believe in their hearts, until revolution casts them out and back to France, a home they've never really known. As the characters search for a place to belong in the world, they search for their place in their own family. Social, religious, and cultural barriers challenge them at every turn. A comprehensive family saga full of (more than a few) surprises.
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Laura C. (Woodworth, LA)
The search for home
Algeria's violent and bloody 8-year war for independence from France began in 1954. Native Algerians were just as much French citizens as people born in France, and, as such, were allowed to choose to live in France. Algerians who did so, called pieds noirs, were ultimately welcome in neither country after the war.
In This Strange Eventful History, Gaston and Lucienne Cassar struggle to find a place that they can call home and raise their children in the aftermath of Algerian independence. Claire Messud follows three generations of Cassar descendents over 70 years and to places as far flung as Argentina and Australia. Messud's rich, in-depth descriptions of the struggles, successes and failures of family members makes this not a quick read but is testament to her extraordinary talent. The theme of home and what it means to have no place to truly call home should be of interest to book clubs who members are prepared for the extra effort this 400 page saga may require.
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Helia R. (Goodlettsville, TN)
Not a page-turner...
but a languid literary exploration of what family means and what home. The novel spans seven decades and is told in multiple viewpoints from members of the Cassar family. I found some of the voices more engaging than others and some of the chapters dragged for me, but all share a literary quality and a gift for evocative description. Sometimes the descriptions are too elaborate in my opinion (do we really need to know every name and background of people attending a party if we never meet them again?) and the large cast of characters was overwhelming, but there are moments of great beauty. The history of colonialism and how personal identity is forged are fascinating topics. This was a slow (okay, at times boring) read for me but I don't regret finishing these 425 pages.
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Leslie R. (Arlington, VA)
Beautifully written, but...
This beautifully written and very readable book is at the same time strange and unsettling. The author follows the lives of an Algerian couple and their children and grandchildren from 1940 to 2010. Set in Algeria, France, Argentina, and Australia, the chapters weave back and forth among different members of the family. The mother and father are totally in love and devoted to each other; the son and daughter struggle to find contentment, living either in a fantasy world or an all-too realistic one. The two granddaughters' observations offer interesting perspectives on the mismatched marriage of their parents and their aunt's mental and physical deterioration. A series of lengthy disturbing anecdotes, the resulting narrative leaves the reader to ponder questions of genetics vs. experiences, family alliances, and the origins of self-destructive behavior.
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