I almost gave up on this one. Can you believe that? It started oddly, a little dreamy, so there was something about it that thought it’d be a slog.
GoI almost gave up on this one. Can you believe that? It started oddly, a little dreamy, so there was something about it that thought it’d be a slog.
Good thing I didn’t trust my instincts.
Not your traditional Vietnam-era novel. We have three stories: Dan, the American vet; Trang and Quyhn, Vietnamese women in the late 60s trying to earn money to support their family; and Phong, an Amerasian trying to learn about his origins and escape the poverty and racism of modern-day Vietnam. The time flits between the war and present-day, but it works so well. The changes are seamless and important to the plot.
Wonderful character development. All of the above have personalities and traits spelled out nearly perfectly. All the reasons for the actions make sense, all the tragedies they encounter are so very real.
The storyline is just tremendous. Flows quickly and beautifully. Such incredible descriptions: the landscapes, the people, the ugliness of war. Once in a while a character experiences a PTSD-fueled flashback, and even those are amazing.
I was emotionally invested. I’m a sucker for a family drama, for having children involved, so I was on the verge of tears as I listened to the later chapters. (The ratio of print to audio was about 65/35.) Everything unrolled at the end so effortlessly, so smoothly, and with so much feeling. I took a very small issue with a decision made by Quynh toward the end, but I can reconcile that. And the occasional “telling” sentences don’t last long, and are overshadowed by brilliant illustrations. It’s like she painted pain, joy, redemption, fear, regret, all so wonderful, so vividly, like a painting at the MoMa at which I could stare for hours, as it gets right to my heart.
You heard it here: the leader in the clubhouse for best book of 2023. Gloriously written, deeply emotional. A five-star triumph! ...more
I never put it up on GR, but I have a little secret: I DNF’ed David Copperfield. Gasp! I was complaining about it to a coworker, who repeated what manI never put it up on GR, but I have a little secret: I DNF’ed David Copperfield. Gasp! I was complaining about it to a coworker, who repeated what many of you said: “Life’s too short to read books you don’t like.” Look, I found it tedious. He describes the dirt under his fingernails for like, three full pages. I get it: the guy got paid by the word. Doesn’t mean I have to read all of ‘em. Sue me.
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Not only that, but lots of you GR faithful told me that in order to enjoy Demon Copperhead, I needn’t read Dickens. In fact, to save me from surrendering forty-odd hours of my life on such drudgery, some of you provided a pithy summary of the original: “Life sucks and then you die.” Got it. Hooray!
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So, I was free to enjoy Kingsolver’s latest. And had I not been such a lousy skinflint and read the sucker in 2022 like I should’ve, I’d have ranked it alongside Our Missing Hearts as my favorite of the year.
I guided myself with the general story arc of Copperfield: a young man born into poverty and perilous circumstance. That was good enough to soak in the meaning and feeling. I needed a few pages to get accustomed to the unusual language, the narrative of a teen with a thick Appalachia accent. But WOW, she did it again. She delivered the perfect voice, the precise perspective of this troubled kid. Demon’s thoughts, musings, worldview were so unbelievably genuine. Every happening was described with such detail, but detail as only Demon himself would have seen them. Every character was developed with incredible precision: they all seemed so real, so true to life. It’s about as human a book as I could have imagined.
Especially in the first half, I found myself laughing out loud at some of the hilarious things Demon would say. I almost felt bad about it, considering how tragic every step was. Reminded me of friends and family I know, the kind that can tell a riotous anecdote about an idiot cousin or ridiculous happening at the DMV. Or a really good comedian I saw once in the Village: basically, just complaining about having to take the subway every day but telling the story with the most rakish tilt.
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I also liked the existential tension here: Demon bemoans his crummy childhood but knows in his heart that it takes his own actions to make things better. It doesn’t get solved in any corny way, either: I wouldn’t have expected that from Kingsolver. I was a little surprised, but plenty satisfied, by the ending with that in mind.
One note: I was glad I read it as fast as I did. Not sure this makes sense, but had I stepped away more often, I might have felt it bogged down a bit. It’s awfully long, and I can see how others might find it a little repetitive. (It’s how I felt about The Grapes of Wrath: I love it, but the “life sucks” theme just keeps going.) It helped listening to the audiobook for a bit of it, and the guy did a marvelous job, what with the thick accent and teenage colloquialisms. Me, I loved the pace. Lean into it like you’re listening to a sharp, funny kid tell a story, and you’ll move it along, maybe even too fast.
Another magic tome by one of my favorite authors, who I’d love to meet one day. And add this to my list of best books of the 21st Century. Must-read....more
So I saw this online course called “Classic Children’s Literature,” and this was on the syllabus. No, I never read it. I was too busy watching Diff’reSo I saw this online course called “Classic Children’s Literature,” and this was on the syllabus. No, I never read it. I was too busy watching Diff’rent Strokes or The Incredible Hulk. Can you blame me?
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Yes, I’m with many of you critics: hard to love a book with no plot. Mostly, Rat boats around the river and Toad messes things up. But it’s got that post-Victorian, stiff-upper-lip, ultra-clear language of those British classics that I enjoyed, albeit as an adult: The Secret Garden, Peter Pan, King Solomon's Mines. And the adherence to good manners. And respect and admiration among friends.
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Sure, there’s a whole chapter of Rat just wondering if he should run away. But Mole stops him (should he have? I’m not convinced…You?). And Toad is his own adventure, obsessed with motor-cars, and himself. And those last two chapters are clever and fun. It also strikes me that this story couldn’t be told at any other time in history, no way to really remake the story in present-day, though maybe some lame Hollywood studio will give it a go, with Taylor Swift and Drake as voices (groan).
I saw growth in just about every character there. I loved watching Mole evolve into that sharp, strategic creature. In fact, I loved how they all pulled together: they all played a part, all had their personalities and traits, but changed just a little at the end. And their friendships just made me smile. What can I say?
Well, I can say this (and if you know it, I can say it in an accent): Stuff and nonsense! Oh, bother that – ‘twas jolly good fun! Rather excellent! Good show, fellows! Tut, pip, and cheerio!
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Please enjoy this wonderful classic!
QOTD: Which character do you like best: Rat, Mole, Badger, Toad? Or maybe Otter?...more
OK, OK...I gave my own book 5 stars. Everybody else was doin' it...
Then again, haven't I given 5 stars to a book just on feeling alone? Haven't we allOK, OK...I gave my own book 5 stars. Everybody else was doin' it...
Then again, haven't I given 5 stars to a book just on feeling alone? Haven't we all read a book with 2-3 stars just because of the warmth, the fear, the thrill, the love it inspires? Must an artist, athlete, movie be the BEST there ever was in order for us to cherish it? Doesn't loyalty, affinity, enjoyment count for something?
Can't I love Stephanie Plum while literary professors snicker in their mahogany-smelling offices?
Believe me, I'm fully aware of my status as a pretender, a sideshow act. I didn't write a work of genius that will echo through the ages, and English majors will never swoon over my underappreciated brilliance.
But maybe a story about an average guy having a modest adventure, learning how to be an adult, will resonate with someone. So I hang my hopes on just one of those five stars above.
Far and away the best book of 2022 so far. Review on the way.
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Twelve-year-old Bird is now called Noah, in this dystopian America where fear of the otFar and away the best book of 2022 so far. Review on the way.
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Twelve-year-old Bird is now called Noah, in this dystopian America where fear of the other reigns. The “Crisis” that brought devastation, disease and unrest was blamed mostly on anything Asian, and hence a draconian law was passed in Congress, outlawing anything “Un-American.” His mother, the poet Margaret Miu, disappeared three years earlier under mysterious circumstances. But one day he receives a cryptic message that had to have been from her, and he starts a dangerous search for her, because if he keeps asking questions, he could be taken from his father for good. He finally finds the clue he needs but it’s not what it seems: it’s tied up with a clandestine movement to fight the terrible powers that be.
I’m not much for dystopian fiction, but Ng does an outstanding job of keeping the elements of the disaster subtle and staid, nearly factual. It’s a quasi-political story, but it seems to hold up through Bird’s search for his mother. It keys on the hate crimes faced by Asian-Americans most recently and takes them to extreme, but I was willing to believe it all.
There’s something Ng does to illustrate family love better than any author I can recall. Bird’s pining for his mother, dreaming of her, daring to find her, was absolutely palpable. Margaret’s bold plan to reach out to him, and ultimately to tell the tale of children devastated by the new American order, likewise had a true ring to it. It was deeply emotional, tragic and hopeful at the same time.
I’m not sure I agree with other reviewers that the pace was slow, although I can see the point. There’s a stage at about 40% where it becomes a flashback within a story, a tactic I despise in movies and distrust in literature, so just when Bird’s adventure gets going, it halts and listens to Margaret. But as I began to empathize with Bird, I wanted to know what happened to Margaret, just as I’m sure he did. So, the long exposition placed in the middle of the plot helped my understanding of things, and seamless worked into the story’s climax. Besides, if you read Everything I Never Told you or Little Fires Everywhere, you shouldn’t expect a linear story. It worked for me, since I finished it in 2 days.
Fantastic character development, as usual. Their stories were full and rich. They were imperfect and exceptionally real. I wanted a longer backstory for them all.
Pretty sure it’s the best 2022 book so far. Maybe I’ll do an award show!...more
Reverend Nathan Price brings his wife and four daughters (three teenagers and a younger child) to a mission in Kilanga in the Congo in 1960, right aroReverend Nathan Price brings his wife and four daughters (three teenagers and a younger child) to a mission in Kilanga in the Congo in 1960, right around the time of the nation’s shift toward independence from Belgium. The transition to life is anything but easy, of course beginning with the new customs and adaptation to the climate and the dangerous surroundings. But it gets more challenging as Rev. Price, as fiery as they come, fights local spiritual practices and tries to impose his will on the villagers. When the nation, under newly elected President Patrice Lumumba, embarks on the journey of self-government, Rev. Price refuses to relocate his family, despite the warnings and lack of support from the mission. From there the very survival of his family is at risk.
We see all this from the viewpoints of Mrs. Orleanna Price and the four daughters (Rachel, twins Adah and Leah, and youngest Ruth May). Orleanna’s passages seem to take place in some distant future, recollections on that harrowing time, with some important pre-mission memories as well. We follow them all from their time in Africa, their eventual flight, and their years after, steadily building back their lives.
This was an emotional experience, a novel that reached into my heart. I suppose I’m a sucker for any book with children in danger: there’s something about praying for their safety that makes for a compelling read for me. But this was about as artfully, perfectly done as I could imagine. Structurally it’s just masterful: short chapters with just enough narrative in each to keep it moving. She gives a unique voice to each character, so concisely and poignantly done that I had no choice but to empathize with each.
The calamities that take place aren’t vehicles, “deus ex machina” moments that seem to be invented just to move along the plot. No, they’re exceptionally well prepared with the exposition laid out in the early chapters. Some of the calamities are the result of the Reverend’s abusiveness, which was both frightening and believable. The progression of these events was simply masterful, a lesson for any aspiring fiction writer.
Themes of culture, independence, racism, sexism and religion aren’t forced upon us, but they permeate every corner of the novel. Each chapter seems to reference a book in the Bible (including the “apocrypha,” the banned books), but I never felt oppressed by it, as though she were trying to make a point.
I felt like each character was a representation of personality, of some aspect of each of our own thoughts and feelings. I finished this and thought, “I can at least understand, or at least see, what each woman saw, whether or not I agree.” Each life was interesting, such that I wanted to know more, to see them all the way through. I liked Adah in particular: her latent intelligence, her childhood status as a disabled girl turned into something different: a life of not just success but of contemplation and something leaning toward self-actualization. And here, the weaving in of Emily Dickinson was, again, just brilliant.
I’d read many of her other novels and loved them for their personable characters and appreciation of nature (its power, dominion over us, and beauty). This one, however, stands above. Truly a magical work that holds a place in my heart: I instantly added it to my Favorites shelf. Might go in the top 20. Perhaps a bit on the long side for most, but the journey is absolutely worth it, and it flows much faster than you might think. (I also listened to the audiobook for part of it, which was also exceptional.)
A MUST-READ, a lesson in sweeping, epic fiction for our time. ...more
I almost gave up on this one, seriously. He went all Faulkner on me for a bit, describing a landscape and actions and thoughts and occurrences all in I almost gave up on this one, seriously. He went all Faulkner on me for a bit, describing a landscape and actions and thoughts and occurrences all in one sentence with almost no punctuation. Hey, I used to love Faulkner, but do I want to undertake an English thesis? Eh, not while I’m watching the Yankee game or sipping a Johnny Walker. I’m not one for those poetic books, ones in which the author flexes her/his literary muscle.
But something really grabbed me. I’ve spent tiny fractions of time out West, just Colorado and Utah, and not for the express purpose of experiencing the Big Sky. Yet, some of my favorite novels are just those: looking out over the wide horizon, nothing to distract me except my own and my horse’s breathing. Never really had that experience, but those visages really get to me.
Interesting: John Grady Cole has the markings of one of those stoic protagonists, the non-emoter who has no more than a shrug for the seeming chaos around him. He and Rawlins reminded me of Call and Gus in Lonesome Dove: the straight man and his buddy on an adventure. Yet, slowly and meaningfully, we got so much more from them.
So darn subtly, McCarthy presents a perilous and dramatic journey. They run from their Texas home, nothing left for them there, going off to explore what Mexico has to offer. They meet something of a renegade, a catalyst for danger, who sure enough gets them into trouble. They escape to a hacienda, where Cole demonstrates his talent for breaking horses, and where he falls deeply in a forbidden love. I’ll stop there, since at that point it takes a dark and frightening turn. I loved the strong yet beautiful ending.
Not much on dialogue here, but it still works. I got used to the license McCarthy takes with grammar, and once I slowed down a bit, I got to experience the West as I’d always enjoyed. Also had flashbacks to some of Barbara Kingsolver’s works: quiet, contemplative, lustrous in its descriptions. I loved the deep dives into the characters.
Tough to do a summary on a book that is loaded with well-concealed plot twists, and just my saying that probably wrecks it for a few of you. Suffice tTough to do a summary on a book that is loaded with well-concealed plot twists, and just my saying that probably wrecks it for a few of you. Suffice to say, Rebecca is the story of an early 20th Century young woman, swept off her feet in marriage by a dashing widower (Maxim de Winter) in Monte Carlo and whisked to Manderley, his stately mansion in Cornwall. She's an introvert of the highest order, uncomfortable with the expectations of a grand dame. She's intimidated by the stodgy Mrs. Danvers, head housekeeper, and haunted by the sterling memory of Rebecca, de Winter's first wife.
Again, I'll stop with the plot summary right there. Perhaps one of the most brilliant tactics du Maurier employs is making me think this novel was one thing, and cleverly turning the snow globe on its head, providing me with a brand-new way to view the story. Sure, maybe I should have read the jacket text first, but it was much more fun this way.
The character development, especially of the narrator, is nearly flawless. She is nameless, which I thought unusual but worked in beautifully. She's shy and neurotic, and like the adolescent she is, imagines all kinds of things people are saying, or even thinking about her. She earned my sympathy for all her worries about what MIGHT have been said about her, and she details all her anxieties, real or imagined, with incredible detail. My goodness, I've never seen that done as well as this. One might think du Maurier a psychologist. And, there's opulence here, a sprawling estate and all its trimmings, but it's just a setting. No, if anything, it seems like a burden, or even an afterthought.
The pace is exceptional. It's one of those "can't put down" novels. It's very cerebral but still compelling. There were times she went on describing elements of nature, but in a more down-to-earth way, always leading to something, always done tastefully. Her prose is beautiful but readable; again, what takes center stage are the characters, the plot, NOT her writing.
There was one section I found less believable, where one of the characters does something I didn't think he/she would really do, given the development to that point. I suppose I was meant to suspend belief, which I was willing to do since she steered me so well.
Holy smoke. One of the best things I've read in YEARS, no lie. I wish I could write like this, that she could come back from the dead, sit in the chair next to me and say, "Do this, do that; no, that sucks, do this instead." This may have cracked my top 10 or 15. AN ABSOLUTE MUST READ....more
I haven't read many frontier, Old West novels, but this was brilliant. Reminded me either of a work of Dumas or Gone with the Wind. I love a story wheI haven't read many frontier, Old West novels, but this was brilliant. Reminded me either of a work of Dumas or Gone with the Wind. I love a story where you can get to know characters over time, so much that you become friends by the end of the novel. Wonderful description of the relationships, a compelling plot and just stunning descriptions of nature. A great storyline that moves both at its own pace, and yet interesting enough to hold my attention. I don't do many 5-star reviews, and I don't know if hanging onto a 945-page novel is something many people are apt to do, but this is absolutely worth it. ...more
4.7 stars. A brilliant, inspiring, textured read. So much detail but every item was interesting. Makes me want to read a bio of Eleanor. One of the be4.7 stars. A brilliant, inspiring, textured read. So much detail but every item was interesting. Makes me want to read a bio of Eleanor. One of the best history books I’ve ever read!...more
To be honest, it starts slowly. We meet Macon, Susan, hear about their marriage, hear about what happened to their son, and it takes a while. Then we To be honest, it starts slowly. We meet Macon, Susan, hear about their marriage, hear about what happened to their son, and it takes a while. Then we see Macon’s downward spiral, his struggles with his dog, Edward, and then he meets Muriel. I really liked her! I wish that had happened sooner, but knowing the brilliance that happens next, I’m OK with it…
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Tyler is the master of describing flawed characters and watching them work through the plot. She also does a wonderful job of making them seem fresh and non-cliched. Not caricatures. Following Macon was very interesting, smooth, even funny. I really felt what he felt, understood when he acted to make changes, or when something happened and he had a new reaction. He’s a unique mix of passive and assertive, or maybe we just see that latter half emerge through the story.
Wonderful prose, too. I saw one line that was a little “tell, not show,” but for the most part we see what’s important to Macon, his philosophy and place in the world, through action, or maybe through some profound thoughts. Like this:
“The real adventure, he thought, is the flow of time; it’s as much adventure as anyone could wish.”
There was something that connected with me here, maybe that sense of feeling lost. It’s my brand of existentialism: when do you act, when do you let things happen, and how do you evolve? I enjoyed the turn of the story in those terms. Maybe I felt like that once.
Hey: I have an aversion to watching movies of the books I love. But what do you think: See the movie?
Deeply emotional. Funny, intriguing, and complex characters. Great and simple storyline. Best of all: given to me by Shirley. 4.75 stars, and the top book of 2023 so far!
Christopher
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