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There are currently 26 member reviews
for Fishbowl
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Gwen C. (Clearfield, PA)
Fishbowl
The opening box simile lets one immediately know this is not your usual narrative. Factoids throughout were fascinating and fun. The engaging chapter headings were a delight. The clever weaving of characters' stories quickly ensnared me. I soon cared about the fates of the apartment dwellers a la The Elegance of the Hedgehog. I loved how the author commented on and played with time throughout the novel. The glimpses of life stories years ahead (and behind) for certain ones were succinct and satisfying.
I hesitated to read (goldfish falling by apartment windows? Jonathan Livingston Goldfish taking a plunge?) this book, and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I'm eager to share it with my circle of friends. Once I started reading I kept coming back to it. "Now, what was I doing?"
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Viqui G. (State College, PA)
Fishbowl
This novel was entirely enjoyable. Fishbowl is a metaphor for the apartment building "Seville on Roxy". In this novel we get a small snippet of the life of many of the residents who live in this apartment building and they are all wildly original characters. From cross dressers to a child with seizures to a agoraphobe (and many other interesting residents) we get a peak into their private lives briefly through the eyes of our hero protagonist, Ian the goldfish. It is an original premise, well written and a lot of fun to read.
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Daniel A. (Naugatuck, CT)
Fishbowl
I really enjoyed this unique and fascinating story. It kept my interest throughout, and the author is creative to think of a tale such as this, and the particular way the story is told.
This story's creativity reminds me of Jonathan Safran Foer's novel, "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close", also a good read.
If you enjoy stories that are a bit off-kilter, but with memorable characters, then give this book a shot; you'll be pleasantly surprised.
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Cheryl P. (Lebanon, PA)
Fishbowl
A very interesting read. Not my normal genre of reading, but enjoyed nonetheless. All of the characters of the book really came into their own at the end of Ian's journey. Each person that enters our life for whatever reason has an impact. It is what we choose to do with that experience that changes us. Everybody has a story, and that is what really intrigued me about this story and how the author weaved different tenants in the Seville on Roxy together. Those tenants that were missing something from their lives gained something from each other. Fishbowl was cleverly written about a goldfish's journey that actually became a journey of the tenants as well. I found myself intrigued about what was going to happen to each of these tenants as the story progressed. This would be a great book to read for a summer book club.
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Molly K. (San Jose, CA)
A Fish's Eye View
As other readers, I found this story original, well written, witty at times, whimsical, and charming. The residents of the Seville on Roxy are unique, each one seeking his or her own truth.
So, why am I giving this story only three stars? I just could not connect to the story. Usually engrossed in a good book, I found my mind wandering and having to bring it back to the page at hand. Wordiness perhaps? Characters too isolated and offbeat?
Still, I would recommend this read for an airplane ride or a day at the beach.
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