**spoiler alert** Lee's point was unclear. The book was incredibly slow, and Scout's personality did not shine through as it did in her previous work.**spoiler alert** Lee's point was unclear. The book was incredibly slow, and Scout's personality did not shine through as it did in her previous work. Atticus as a racist is not...something. I am not sure if Lee was trying to shock her audience or just comment on the truth of white people (racism is systemic and affects us all). At once a disappointing and confusing read....more
The writing itself was strong, vivid, and clear. The setting was painted beautifully and without euphemism; there are difficult, graphic descriptions The writing itself was strong, vivid, and clear. The setting was painted beautifully and without euphemism; there are difficult, graphic descriptions of scary situations. Ethiopia in the 50's and 60's was very different from the western world during that same time period and I appreciated learning about the culture in this story. There are a lot of gratuitous medical (surgical) descriptions. It almost felt like a gory horror film in some places. My biggest beef with the book, however, was that the author seemed to have some kind of issue with women. The way he writes women is rather misogynistic. The lead female is essentially poison, and another lead character is incapable of success without a man motivating and/or doing work for her. I was hoping for more when I started this book and I was extremely disappointed when I finished. 3 stars because I did really enjoy the writing....more
Another book focused on Blair and, actually, Jenny rather than Serena. I was a little bored in this third novel as the characters have stagnated and aAnother book focused on Blair and, actually, Jenny rather than Serena. I was a little bored in this third novel as the characters have stagnated and are not developing. While I still enjoy the series, I found myself increasingly frustrated with the product placement and name dropping that previously did not bother me at all. Is this a sign that I need a break or that the writing is suffering? I'm going to focus on other books for the time being and come back to the series at a later date....more
Why did it take me 17 years to finish this trilogy? I'm a bit bummed with the ending. Not so much what happened, but the super long and drawn-out way Why did it take me 17 years to finish this trilogy? I'm a bit bummed with the ending. Not so much what happened, but the super long and drawn-out way in which it was told. It felt like I was reading ending after ending and yet the book kept going and going. However, much of this book was hilarious and some of it was extremely relevant (how does she know??). All in all, The Year of the Flood is my favorite book of the three....more
The Night Circus was an obsession of the author, I can tell. I can tell because I can clearly see the passion and love for all things gothic and magicThe Night Circus was an obsession of the author, I can tell. I can tell because I can clearly see the passion and love for all things gothic and magic in her vivid descriptions of the circus. This book is a dream of ex-goth children like me who still fancy the dark elegance of black and white striped stockings and corset ribbons.
I flew through this book and would certainly recommend it to anyone. The story is romantic, the characters are fun, and the setting is beautiful.
That being said, I can also see that this was the author's first novel. It was an ambitious one with many characters to keep track of and a plot that needed to kept moving for a lofty 500+ pages. In the acknowledgements, Morgenstern writes, "...my agent, Richard Pine, who saw potential in something that was once truly a god-awful mess...". As a reader, I can still see the mess. It isn't messy anymore, but the novel reads like a house that has been cleaned for a special guest but is usually cluttered and messy. It reads like someone tried to reorganize their files after moving but they still need to go through it one more time.
This is not to say the book was bad. It was so much fun...but I see that she is still developing as a writer. I will be so excited to read what Morgenstern comes up with next, because I have a feeling it is going to be fantastic....more
This book was not at all what I expected! I found it in the romance section of Barnes & Nobel and grabbed it because my stressful job and wedding planThis book was not at all what I expected! I found it in the romance section of Barnes & Nobel and grabbed it because my stressful job and wedding planning was making me feel like I needed some kind of mind candy.
This was not the romance I had imagined it to be, but I'm so glad I picked it up.
The closest book that I can compare it to would be White Oleander and it still isn't a good comparison. The author does not simply focus on the fucked up life of a foster child, but also the repercussions of that childhood on their adult self.
The writing was lovely and I appreciated the character of Elizabeth who I felt was written into a full-blown human being.
My own issue with the book is the lingering feeling that the main character, Victoria, was not fully realized by the author. It was as if there was a wall separating us that I could not get over or find a way through. Did the author do this on purpose so we could experience her closed-off presence like the other characters in the book, or was it a failure on the author's part? I'd like to think it was the former, but I'm not so sure....more
Most of these stories were fantastic. But as with all short story collections, there were several that dragged. I enjoyed the stories at the beginningMost of these stories were fantastic. But as with all short story collections, there were several that dragged. I enjoyed the stories at the beginning and the last two the most. ...more
Honestly, this was my least favorite Margaret Atwood novel. I wasn't interested in the character of Snowman because he was so wooden. Atwood's post-apHonestly, this was my least favorite Margaret Atwood novel. I wasn't interested in the character of Snowman because he was so wooden. Atwood's post-apocalyptic world is well-researched and thoughtfully created but the lack of a likable main character made reading the first two thirds difficult. The last third did pick up, but the ending was lukewarm. ...more
Honestly, I thought this book was boring. The main character is flat, uninteresting, and impossible to relate to on any level. I can't even picture whHonestly, I thought this book was boring. The main character is flat, uninteresting, and impossible to relate to on any level. I can't even picture what he looks like. In fact, the whole book is like that--no one is alive...it is a book of cut-outs and a flat story line (wait, is there a story line?). If someone were to ask me what this book is about, it would be difficult for me to say anything except "It's about this guy,,,I forget his name...and he is a writer."
The two parts of the book are very different. The first part of the book is written in a dreamy faeries-and-unicorns style, and the second part of the book is a mish-mash of journals, book reviews, and two different narrators. The two parts are so different, that there is no glue holding them together. The main character isn't strong enough to do it, and so it feels more like separate novels than a coherent whole.
However, I applaud Barbara Kingsolver for trying something new. She clearly took a chance with this, and she created something that is completely unlike her other pieces. This is a good thing. I just think she didn't really nail it this time. She is one of my absolute favorite authors, which is one of the reasons that I am so angry about my experience with Lacuna.
I'll quote the NPR book review again (I've seen others on Goodreads use it as well) because it is SO apt: "I admit it: I'm mystified. To me, The Lacuna is an all too appropriate title for a novel that feels altogether vacant."NPR Review ...more
This book is okay. Whoever saw through the mediocre writing and subpar plot, to the cleverly written and filmed tv show was the brilliant one. If yo
This book is okay. Whoever saw through the mediocre writing and subpar plot, to the cleverly written and filmed tv show was the brilliant one. If you love Dexter, this book is worth checking out but it won't knock your socks off. ...more
This book was dull and insipid. The sentences were all structured the same way and the author was contradictory in his writing (describing with metaphThis book was dull and insipid. The sentences were all structured the same way and the author was contradictory in his writing (describing with metaphor why the narrator could not use metaphor). The plot was soap opera-like in its intricacies which made it ridiculous. My biggest problem with this book was that the author told the story from the perspective of an autistic boy who could not read social cues--though it was filled with so many social cues that it seemed unrealistic.
I applaud the author for trying out this difficult idea, but I did not enjoy this novel....more
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