Instruct: Classify a given Amazon review as either positive or negative.
Query: Arid, could not finish

The plot is not so much a plot as a situation that gets chewed over and over and OVER and the characters collections of traits relentlessly described by the author --JuJu's brilliance, dad's creepy melancholia, mom's low self-esteem -- but not really coming to life as individuals. In fact, they remained so undifferentiated it was often difficult to tell who was speaking during the meandering patches of dialog. The bathos-laden ruminations on Art, History, and the Meaning of Americanism were truly cringe-making, and I couldn't tell if the author intended them to be taken seriously or was demonstrating how sophomoric JuJu & co. actually were. I admit I only made it halfway through the book. In light of the glowing reviews, I can only assume it does a brilliant turn-around and out-performs Tolstoy on the home stretch. But after reading the first claustrophobic half, I was desperate for air and willing to break any number of Tiffany windows to make my escape.