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Summary and Reviews of Dinosaurs by Lydia Millet

Dinosaurs by Lydia Millet

Dinosaurs

A Novel

by Lydia Millet
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus (8):
  • Readers' Rating (25):
  • First Published:
  • Oct 11, 2022, 240 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Aug 2023, 256 pages
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About This Book

Book Summary

Over twelve novels and two collections Lydia Millet has emerged as a major American novelist. Hailed as "a writer without limits" (Karen Russell) and "a stone-cold genius" (Jenny Offill), Millet makes fiction that vividly evokes the ties between people and other animals and the crisis of extinction.

Dinosaurs is the story of a man named Gil who walks from New York to Arizona to recover from a failed love. After he arrives, new neighbors move into the glass-walled house next door and his life begins to mesh with theirs. In this warmly textured, drily funny, and philosophical account of Gil's unexpected devotion to the family, Millet explores the uncanny territory where the self ends and community begins―what one person can do in a world beset by emergencies. In the shadow of existential threat, where does hope live?

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Reviews

BookBrowse Review

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Millet is a beautiful writer, with a calm and expansive style. She ties up some loose ends of the story, but not all, so that the reader will find it pleasing to contemplate what may happen to these characters down the road (Susan K). Gil is a rather quiet man, but very kind and big-hearted. The story is about relationships he forms with his new neighbors, and others. I ended up falling a little bit in love with Gil by the end of the book (Jennie R). This is a simple story — dryly funny, insightful and emotionally moving. I enjoy Millet's writing and would also recommend A Children's Bible and Mermaids in Paradise (Catharine L). The story, while rather simple, is rich with material to discuss and ponder. The allegory of the castle next to the glass house, the birds of the desert evolved from dinosaurs, friendships and life and death are all woven into this lovely story (Sharon J)...continued

Full Review (685 words)

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(Reviewed by First Impressions Reviewers).

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Beyond the Book



Novels About Trying to Do Good

Covers of novels about trying to do good: The Wrong End of the Telescope, The Silence That Binds Us, Barn 8, Watch Us Rise In Lydia Millet's Dinosaurs, independently wealthy Gil grapples with the guilt brought on by his privilege and financial abundance. He tries to find ways to give back to those around him, through volunteer work and other means. A character's choice to actively attempt to do good deeds, or to change the world for the better, is one rich with narrative possibilities. It raises questions about what it means to be in a position to improve the lives of others, who gets to decide what is best for who else, and what type of work is most important or substantial. Below are a few other novels in which the motivations and morality of those trying to do good are explored. You can find more related novels in our Activism and Volunteering category. ...

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Read-Alikes

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