I really enjoyed Major Pettigrew's Last Stand and was eager to read Helen Simonson's sophomore attempt. Unfortunately this book was a disappointment. Although Simonsen's ability to craft a multilayered sentence was amply evident here, it was actually to the book's detriment as people engaged in dialogue that was long on eloquence and short on verissimilitude. This was most obvious when our hero and heroine conversed. Their detail-heavy exchanges were rather surprising for two people who barely knew each other, yet there was no sense that their actual relationship was deepening. The characters in this book were mostly interchangeable and the plotline felt clicheed for historical fiction; independent ahead-of-her-time single woman moves to town and wants to fight societal norms (she wants to write a book! Everyone in these novels wants to write a book!), swears she'll never marry (hmm, do you think this wonderful guy she keeps talking to will test her resolve?), she's younger and prettier than they had expected (don't things ever happen to average-looking people?), etc., etc.
I just lost patience after a while, and even though I enjoyed the convenience of being able to read this on my phone (free ARC from Netgalley; I do feel guilty panning it and dnfing it), it simply didn't do it for me....more
I know I'm a snob, but I can put aside those tendencies for a really good thriller. And this book started out This book started out with such promise.
I know I'm a snob, but I can put aside those tendencies for a really good thriller. And this book started out that way. It had a great premise, family dysfunction that was explored rather than glossed over, and dialogue that sounded not only sharp but real (many authors are lucky if they achieve just one of those goals in their dialogue). It was so readable at first. Then, the psychopathy just got to be over the top. With The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I was somehow compelled to keep reading despite this. Here, I just got sick and tired of the whole torture thing.
Many other people really liked this, so don't take my word for it. I would actually be open to trying another of Karin Slaughter's books; she definitely has potential as an author and really had me hooked for a while there (and her other books have higher goodreads ratings than this one does, for what that's worth). But eventually, despite nearing the end, I just had to put this one down....more
Although this book had some strong points in its favor, I find myself increasingly reluctant to pick it up and, halfway through, have decided to put iAlthough this book had some strong points in its favor, I find myself increasingly reluctant to pick it up and, halfway through, have decided to put it down for the last time.
Miriam Toews has a strong writing voice and raises an interesting ethical dilemma. Let's say, like the main character in this apparently autobiographical novel, you have a beloved sister who struggles with unrelenting depression and is desperate to end her life. After repeatedly witnessing her failed suicide attempts, should you just go ahead and let her do it since it's clearly what she wants to do? Help her, even?
As a mental health professional, I have my own biases toward suicide and maybe that interfered. I can't help thinking, though, that a stronger novel would have compelled me to put aside my views and immerse myself in the story. Unfortunately, despite some interesting writing, I grew increasingly detached as the story progressed.
Yoli, the main character, and her sister Elfrieda were raised in a Mennonite family. It seems that her parents were part of a community which frequently censured them for their daughters' rebellious behavior. Rather than caving to community pressure, Yoli's parents bravely supported their daughters' rights to express themselves; yet, they chose to remain in the community. This somewhat incongruous dynamic and its possible relationship to Elfrieda's suicidality were largely unexplored in the novel, a missed opportunity for reader engagement.
Yoli's mixed feelings about Elfrieda's repeated suicide attempts -- love and empathy for her sister coupled with resentment at all the trouble she repeatedly causes -- were similarly underdeveloped. We witness Yoli's doting, loving behavior toward her suffering sister interspersed with occasional inner monologues about how frustrating this all is. But somehow I felt detached from the whole thing as opposed to feeling immersed in Yoli's experience. For me, this means that the book ultimately failed. It's unfortunate -- both the writing and the premise suggested great potential. Despite my two-star rating, I would be open to trying another one of Toews's books. ...more
Eh. Wasn't holding my interest, and it was coming due at the library. Some of my goodreads friends really liked it, so I may try it again if I have a Eh. Wasn't holding my interest, and it was coming due at the library. Some of my goodreads friends really liked it, so I may try it again if I have a dry spell....more
Eh. I don't think I'm going to finish this. I've really OD'd on the "love letter to books" genre. I want to just enjoy books, not read about how much Eh. I don't think I'm going to finish this. I've really OD'd on the "love letter to books" genre. I want to just enjoy books, not read about how much other people enjoy them. And part of enjoying a book, for me, is a good story and interesting characters. As far as the former is concerned, this book seemed almost from the beginning to be treading well-worn Disney movie lines; I think I'm just too cynical for the sappy, heartwarming story of a down-on-his-luck curmudgeon who finds a new lease on life and becomes a nicer person when he is abruptly saddled with a lovable child. Characterization-wise, these characters were trying very hard to be quirky and original but were really just your usual Mary Sues. A.J., who's sad and cranky but understandably so because he's lost his perfect wife for whom he had a perfect love. Maya, a two-year-old who always manages the right two-syllable utterance at the right time so as to appear maximally cute and endearing. Lambiase, the kindly cop who is -- wait for it -- discovering a love for reading. Amelia, a publisher's rep with just the right degree of persistence, a heart of gold, and of course -- a love for books.
Eh. couldn't get into this. I'd like to be kind and say it was the audio, but I think I just didn't like the characterization and wasn't gripped by thEh. couldn't get into this. I'd like to be kind and say it was the audio, but I think I just didn't like the characterization and wasn't gripped by the plot....more
It's a level when you get through 7 out of 8 parts on an audiobook and decide it's just not worth it to finish.
In fairness, I think I was persisting wIt's a level when you get through 7 out of 8 parts on an audiobook and decide it's just not worth it to finish.
In fairness, I think I was persisting with this out of inertia (plus this being a Jewish period of mourning when I can't listen to music in the car) and might have even finished it except a new audiobook came in. Thankfully.
I guess I was supposed to feel sympathetic toward Roger, a hapless artist, who regrets his passionate affair now that his mistress has dumped him and his beautiful, capable, apparently flawless wife has learned the truth. Courtney Maum tried valiantly to give Roger an inner life and make us feel his pain, and I give her an A for effort. But when it comes down to it, I just kept thinking, what a loser. And I'm not usually like that. I even (almost) felt bad for Humbert Humbert.
Ditto for the scenes and characters which were clearly meant to provide comic relief and charm the reader (the gay couple with the painting, etc.). Eye-rolling and over the top. Same for the predictable redemption that appeared to be on the way (I didn't stick around long enough to find out whether it actually happened, so that's not a spoiler. But really, I'm sure most readers could predict the entire plot of this book from reading the blurb).
I appreciate that the book was trying to be somewhat deep chick lit, which is a hard genre to get right. But other authors have managed to pull it off. I would say, stick with those instead....more
Sorry guys -- yet another curmudgeonly review. I just couldn't stay interested in this story. Ruth Reichl is a seasoned writer, but definitely not a nSorry guys -- yet another curmudgeonly review. I just couldn't stay interested in this story. Ruth Reichl is a seasoned writer, but definitely not a novelist.
Somewhere on the TV tropes website where it lists all the various subcategories of Mary Sues, there's probably a name for that wish fulfillment main character who's awkward and self-doubting but instantly loved by all who meet her (despite the absence of any notable personality), and needs only to take off her glasses and change her hairstyle/wardrobe to go from ugly duckling to beautiful swan. That was this main character, Billie (a.k.a. Wilhemina) Breslin.
As if we weren't already solidly in the land of cliches, Billie has a Unique Gift as well as a Secret Trauma which challenges her ability to use this gift. The Unique Gift is a palate which allows her to correctly identify all kinds of obscure ingredients as well as advise cooks on how to make their foods even more perfect. But because of the Secret Trauma, Billie simply can't bring herself to cook.
We first learn this when Billie, having dropped out of school, applies for a job at a gourmet magazine. Um, interesting choice for someone who's thrown into trepidation at the thought of cooking. Billie is desperate for the job and just dying to write, but panics when asked to cook as part of her interview process. Well, naturally Billie's creation just wows the entire jaded magazine staff despite her panic. Still, we're reminded repeatedly that Billie is afraid to cook and continually refusing to tell any of her earnestly supportive friends the reason for this. I stopped feeling any kind of tension about the secret pretty early on and chose to read some spoiler-containing goodreads reviews to see what the heck this was already, and let me tell you, I would have had to strain my already suspended disbelief to the breaking point to buy this traumatic experience as one that would result in fear of doing any and all cooking.
Other issues: the magazine Billie works at has a guarantee that if one of their recipes doesn't come out well when followed as directed, they'll refund you the cost of your ingredients. Part of Billie's job is to field calls from these disgruntled cooks, who invariably have failed to follow the recipe's directions in some glaringly obvious way. These callers tend to be old ladies who are clearly meant to charm the reader with their cuteness; I just kept rolling my eyes. And finally, although I love to cook and do have a certain amount of food geekiness to me, it seems I don't actually care that much about food. Certainly not nearly as much as Ruth Reichl does, or her characters. The food raptures, well-written though they were, quickly got boring.
It's pretty clear that romance is in store for Billie (how could it not be? Is there a cliche we've left out?), but I decided to just give up. You know it's bad when you're driving to work and would rather jump around among mediocre radio half-songs than keep listening to your book....more
I won't rate this book, because I really didn't give it much of a chance. It has an incredibly high average goodreads rating based on a large number oI won't rate this book, because I really didn't give it much of a chance. It has an incredibly high average goodreads rating based on a large number of reviews, so clearly I'm in the minority here. But something about the writing just got on my nerves, and I just couldn't make myself keep wading through it.
It's a bit surprising, because I liked Necessary Lies. Sure, the writing was pedestrian but the story really kept me going. Not so here. Constant shifting between characters is always annoying to me, and it somehow felt like Chamberlain was way too eager to just tell her story rather than letting things unfold in a more gradual way.
I might have been able to get into this had I kept trying, but I just wasn't motivated....more
Eh. Life gets busier, and my perseverance wanes. I know a lot of people liked this book, but I lost interest. I think my main issue was that the charaEh. Life gets busier, and my perseverance wanes. I know a lot of people liked this book, but I lost interest. I think my main issue was that the characters felt like types rather than like people. Zophiel was so over-the-top villainous; Adela and her husband the typical young besotted lovers (and now that I read about the history of marriage, they seemed distractingly anachronistic to me in their slavish devotion to each other), another woman who was supposedly anxious to protect her secret made a slip that seemed incredibly dumb, etc., etc. Maybe at a more patient stage of my life I would have kept with this and come to like it, but at this point I'm giving up....more
Eh. Like any collection of personal essays, this one was uneven. Some of the essays were pleasantly insightful and/or humorous. Others left me cold.
IEh. Like any collection of personal essays, this one was uneven. Some of the essays were pleasantly insightful and/or humorous. Others left me cold.
It might be Passover-induced ADD, but I'm just not feeling motivated to finish this. Maybe I'm just not in the mood for this type of thing right now. There were some essays that I briefly considered sharing with clients, so that's a good thing I guess.
Once again, I'm clearly in the minority here so pay me no mind. The overwhelming odds are that you'll like this more than I did....more
Eh. I mean, yeah, I needed chick lit but that need was not sufficiently strong to overcome my feeling that this book was just TOO DUMB.
Beth and JennifEh. I mean, yeah, I needed chick lit but that need was not sufficiently strong to overcome my feeling that this book was just TOO DUMB.
Beth and Jennifer are two co-workers constantly writing each other conveniently revealing and snappily cute e-mails detailing all sorts of things about their lives. Kind of odd to wonder whether the two supposed close friends ever interacted off-screen with all these exchanges taking place through e-mail. Lincoln, who will clearly serve as the love interest for one of the women, is a shy guy whose job it is to read their e-mails and warn them about using office computers for social interactions. Instead, Lincoln develops a fascination with the two women which prevents him from actually doing his job and cutting off their correspondence.
Like Park in Eleanor & Park, Lincoln was clearly a wish-fulfillment prop. On the one hand, the guy is living with his mother, has only ever had one girlfriend, and seems to be severely lacking in social skills. Clearly, though, he's also meant to be cute and appealing and someone it would make sense to fall in love with. So he's one part worshipful nerd, one part guy of your dreams. I know chick lit is supposed to be about romantic fantasy, but Lincoln required way too much suspension of disbelief for me. As did the e-mail exchanges.
Lots of people on goodreads liked this, so feel free to ignore my solitary curmudgeonly rantings. Maybe the Passover stress that had me craving chick lit also put me in a particularly unforgiving mood. Oh well....more
I'm deliberately not rating this, in part because I didn't finish it and in part because I'm a bit conflicted about how to rate it.
It's certainly wellI'm deliberately not rating this, in part because I didn't finish it and in part because I'm a bit conflicted about how to rate it.
It's certainly well-written and readable, very engaging. But this review kind of spoiled things for me. I'm not enough of an expert to critique this account of Jesus's life, but Allan Nadler is and it's hard to continue reading a book which is likely to misinform.
For those who are mildly curious about the critique I'm referring to but not sufficiently motivated to read Nadler's whole review, I'll cite a few points:
1. Aslan's contentions in the book reveal that he ignored some important scholarship on Jesus.
2. While Aslan claims that there were "countless messianic pretenders" among the Jews of first-century Palestine, there were really only six.
3. Aslan alternates between insulting the credibility of the New Testament and relying on it for source material.
4. Aslan's view of Jesus is completely unnuanced, failing to integrate valid material that runs counter to his thesis. He draws the target around the arrow.
As soon as I started the book, I quickly realized that it was written for a popular rather than an academic audience. That's fine with me. A book which ends up being more entertaining than educational is okay, as long as it doesn't misinform or mislead. Cleopatra: A Life was a readable book which carefully avoided making unsupported claims. Unfortunately, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth apparently didn't succeed in this regard.
I might have continued reading it simply for entertainment, but I'd rather live without knowing a lot about Jesus than walk around thinking I know more than I actually do....more
This author gets full points for ambition, but unfortunately this book did not work for me.
This book is a multigenerational Texas family story, switchThis author gets full points for ambition, but unfortunately this book did not work for me.
This book is a multigenerational Texas family story, switching back and forth between Eli (patriarch, kidnapped by the Comanches as a teenager circa 1850), Peter (Eli's son, a bleeding-heart liberal by the standards of those around him who struggles with the rough Texas norms personified by his father), and Jeannie (Eli's great-granddaughter, a wealthy and powerful woman with a mind of her own).
Eli was arguably the most interesting character with the most interesting narrative, but after a while it got too testosterone-laden for me. I mean, this was clearly a guy's wish-fulfillment fantasy. Eli, originally an underdog captive, rises in the ranks by proving himself to be a brave warrior. Before you know it, lots of sexually aggressive Comanche women are throwing themselves at him right and left. I kind of wondered whether Comanche sexual norms were really as liberal as all that or whether this was just part of the fantasy. After a while I stopped caring.
Peter could have been interesting and should have been sympathetic, but I just found him tiresome. His narrative felt like repetitive moaning and groaning about the persecution of the Mexicans around him and how guilty he felt about it. Oh woe is me, a liberal among macho conservatives. That about sums up his narrative (at least what I reached, which was more than halfway through the book) and was more of a situation than a story and not a particularly compelling one.
Jeannie felt the least real to me. I'm not sure whether Phillipp Meyer had more trouble constructing an authentic female character or whether she was just boring. Basically, I felt like I was watching her mature into a cold and calculating woman. So what.
After a while, I just found it more restful to drive and do housework in silence than to turn on this audiobook, especially knowing I'd probably end up spacing out most of the time. Hopefully I'll find a better one next time....more
I knew it was time for me to put this book down when, in the unexpected downtime of a snow day, I found myself grabbing at all kinds of excuses not toI knew it was time for me to put this book down when, in the unexpected downtime of a snow day, I found myself grabbing at all kinds of excuses not to pick it up. On a day like this I'd normally be thrilled to have some free reading time. But this book just wasn't calling to me.
I'm giving it three stars in part because I readily acknowledge that I may not have given it a fair chance. In fact, the writing was very evocative. Maybe too evocative. I deeply felt the bleak atmosphere of the windswept island, and as another goodreads reviewer pointed out, in such a depressing atmosphere you need vibrant characters to keep you reading. In fairness, the characters were refreshingly three-dimensional, not Mary Sues. And yet, they weren't compelling.
I'm open to possibly revisiting this book at some future point, but for now I think I'll call it quits....more
Eh. Just couldn't get into this one. Apparently it was one of the New York Times best books of the year. Go figure. The language and descriptions wereEh. Just couldn't get into this one. Apparently it was one of the New York Times best books of the year. Go figure. The language and descriptions were certainly artistic, but I couldn't handle the shifts back and forth between storylines, characters, settings, time periods, conversations, etc. I'm willing to work at getting into a book, but in this case I wasn't particularly motivated to do so....more
If I remember correctly, Cold Comfort Farm was satirizing some type of emotionally manipulative maudlin genre where by citified relatives end up movinIf I remember correctly, Cold Comfort Farm was satirizing some type of emotionally manipulative maudlin genre where by citified relatives end up moving in with their relatives on the farm and some sort of relationship utopia ensues. This book fits squarely into that targeted genre. I felt like Baldacci, who apparently has more expertise with writing cynical legal thrillers, was doing an ambitious but sorely misguided thing when he decided to pen this earnest, clearly meant to be heartwarming story. Kind of like Robin Williams sublimating his snarky humor and doing touchy-feely films.
I just couldn't get into this story of a young boy and girl who survive a car accident which kills their father and cripples their mother, sent to live with their grandmother in the Virginia Hills. Talk about flat characters. The boy and girl never whine or complain or misbehave in any way despite their trauma; although the girl ostensibly has a smart mouth, this felt less like an ingrained character trait and more like a device. The grandmother is classic salt-of-the-earth, complete with crusty exterior and heart of gold, unequivocally glad to take in the grandchildren she's hardly ever seen. And sure enough, the children take to their grandmother and to farming -- isn't it sweet?
Apparently there is a story here but I didn't have the patience to wait for it to develop. I did make it to Chapter 15, so I feel I gave the book a chance. But when an audiobook feels like an annoying background drone rather than like something I actually want to listen to, it's time to move on....more
Yeah, okay, I wanted chick lit but this is way too transparent and obvious even for me. It read like YA even though the main character was 34 years olYeah, okay, I wanted chick lit but this is way too transparent and obvious even for me. It read like YA even though the main character was 34 years old. I flipped ahead and it seems I didn't predict EVERYTHING, but somehow it's still not doing it for me. Oh well....more
I normally try to give a book at least 50 pages before abandoning it, but I couldn't do that here. It was obvious from the get-go that this book and II normally try to give a book at least 50 pages before abandoning it, but I couldn't do that here. It was obvious from the get-go that this book and I were not meant to be. Sorry, book -- it's not you, it's me.
Alice McDermott turns a lovely phrase. Her sentences are poetic and evocative. For many goodreaders, it seems, that's enough, or even more than enough. Not for me.
The few pages I read were highly disjointed, with abrupt and unexpected jumps back and forth in time for no apparent reason. I wasn't sure why I should be interested in Marie. Or her neighbor who dies. Or her poetry-reciting brother. I suppose there was a narrative arc somewhere. I didn't care to read long enough to find out.
I didn't think Charming Billy was all that great either, and I seem to be in the minority there too. This was a similar experience. I can appreciate great writing, but I need a reason to care about the characters and/or their storyline. This book gave me neither....more
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