Review: There but for the, by Ali Smith
This unusual and creative novel is whip smart. If the book had been mine rather than a library copy I would have highlighted several passages to enjoy later.
The plot loosely revolves around a man who locks himself in a room near the end of a dinner party. He had just met the hosts, no one knows why he's done it, and he will only communicate through notes. The following meandering multi-narrative is unexpected and fantastic, with strong hints of satire. If you like Martin Amis's London Fields, I believe you'll enjoy There but for the.
What you get out of There but for the depends on who you are and what you know. Since I am handicapped by a deficit in things British, so some of the book went right over my American head. I did greatly enjoy Smith's use of language and dialogue -- particularly the memorable dinner party populated by characters and behavior quite true to life. I felt like I was reading a movie script combining Woody Allen's snappy dialogue and Luis Bunuel's dreamy surrealism. Exterminating Angel meets Manhattan, directed by Mike Leigh for the British touch.
Rating: four celery sticks
Monday, August 27, 2012
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Review: In Zanesville, by Jo Ann Beard
This is a beautifully written, nostalgic book. I can't think of another novel that brought me so totally back to my young teenage years. Beard is about 10 years older than I and her novel takes place in the midwest while I grew up on the east coast, but in testament to small town life, it makes no difference. Other than a different soundtrack to the narrative, her characters' struggles and torments were the same as mine -- bad babysitting gigs, the torture of sanitary napkins with belts, an alcoholic father, a mother in despair, the capriciousness of teenage girls, and of course, what to do with boys. But In Zanesville is not a depressing book at all; I found it sweet and kind of innocent. Totally appropriate for 12 year olds and up, although it is classified adult fiction.
Rating: four celery sticks
This is a beautifully written, nostalgic book. I can't think of another novel that brought me so totally back to my young teenage years. Beard is about 10 years older than I and her novel takes place in the midwest while I grew up on the east coast, but in testament to small town life, it makes no difference. Other than a different soundtrack to the narrative, her characters' struggles and torments were the same as mine -- bad babysitting gigs, the torture of sanitary napkins with belts, an alcoholic father, a mother in despair, the capriciousness of teenage girls, and of course, what to do with boys. But In Zanesville is not a depressing book at all; I found it sweet and kind of innocent. Totally appropriate for 12 year olds and up, although it is classified adult fiction.
Rating: four celery sticks
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Review: Where We Belong, by Emily Giffin
I'm a repeat forgetter. This is the second time I confused Emily Giffin with Suzanne Finnamore. I adored Finnamore's novel Otherwise Engaged, then I read Giffin's Something Borrowed (which I was tepid about) and somehow (maybe because both books were about weddings) I merged the two writers into one. That's how I ended up reading Giffin's Baby Proof as well as Finnamore's Zygote Chronicles -- and how weird is it that a baby book follows a wedding book for each author! Unfortunately for Finnamore, her third book was Split: a Memoir of Divorce (poor thing). Giffin's wrote a few post-baby books that I missed, and when I heard she had a new novel I did it again and thought she was Finnamore. I wish she was Finnamore, since Where We Belong is nothing special, unless you really enjoy chick lit -- it's pretty good for that.
The whole kerfuffle is a reminder to check LibraryThing before I submit my library requests.
Rating: two and one half celery sticks
I'm a repeat forgetter. This is the second time I confused Emily Giffin with Suzanne Finnamore. I adored Finnamore's novel Otherwise Engaged, then I read Giffin's Something Borrowed (which I was tepid about) and somehow (maybe because both books were about weddings) I merged the two writers into one. That's how I ended up reading Giffin's Baby Proof as well as Finnamore's Zygote Chronicles -- and how weird is it that a baby book follows a wedding book for each author! Unfortunately for Finnamore, her third book was Split: a Memoir of Divorce (poor thing). Giffin's wrote a few post-baby books that I missed, and when I heard she had a new novel I did it again and thought she was Finnamore. I wish she was Finnamore, since Where We Belong is nothing special, unless you really enjoy chick lit -- it's pretty good for that.
The whole kerfuffle is a reminder to check LibraryThing before I submit my library requests.
Rating: two and one half celery sticks
Review: the Savages, by Don Winslow
Too much for me. Made me feel like a scared little kitten. Actually, more like a scared little kitten who didn't fall off the cat food truck yesterday and can see her way through the plot twists so was not surprised by the ending. But a scared little kitten nonetheless.
rating: two celery sticks
Too much for me. Made me feel like a scared little kitten. Actually, more like a scared little kitten who didn't fall off the cat food truck yesterday and can see her way through the plot twists so was not surprised by the ending. But a scared little kitten nonetheless.
rating: two celery sticks
Review: True Believers, by Kurt Andersen/Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn
My two favorite books of the summer had something in common besides their awesomeness. True Believers features a male author writing as a woman and in Gone Girl Gillian Flynn writes from a male perspective. As a woman I can't judge them both objectively, but I think Flynn comes out on top here -- her point of view narration is impeccable (I would bet she is the mother of a son, but perhaps she is merely an astute male observer). Kurt Anderson's attempt does not succeed as well -- more than once I found myself quibbling about Karen Hollander's behavior -- that a man would think a woman would do that, but a woman would not.
Point of view narration aside, I found both books to be real page turners and perfect summer reads. I liked how True Believers tackled the subject of youthful idealism and its consequences. As we mature some of us grown into the realization that there is no one truth, but not everyone gets there. For me in real life this does help explain the existence and popularity of Fox News.
Gone Girl is a wicked, wicked book. I feel compelled to tiptoe around the plot because I don't want to spoil it. Do you know how sometimes you have very dark thoughts about a person who irritates you? Could be a sibling, parent, spouse, best friend.... and when you're super tired or crabby or premenstrual you might hold onto those thoughts a little longer than you should, put them in a pretty little jar decorated with ribbons and admire them when you should just let them go. Gillian Flynn gets this. I'll say nothing else, but ladies, this book's for you.
rating: Gone Girl four and one half celery sticks/True Believers four celery sticks
My two favorite books of the summer had something in common besides their awesomeness. True Believers features a male author writing as a woman and in Gone Girl Gillian Flynn writes from a male perspective. As a woman I can't judge them both objectively, but I think Flynn comes out on top here -- her point of view narration is impeccable (I would bet she is the mother of a son, but perhaps she is merely an astute male observer). Kurt Anderson's attempt does not succeed as well -- more than once I found myself quibbling about Karen Hollander's behavior -- that a man would think a woman would do that, but a woman would not.
Point of view narration aside, I found both books to be real page turners and perfect summer reads. I liked how True Believers tackled the subject of youthful idealism and its consequences. As we mature some of us grown into the realization that there is no one truth, but not everyone gets there. For me in real life this does help explain the existence and popularity of Fox News.
Gone Girl is a wicked, wicked book. I feel compelled to tiptoe around the plot because I don't want to spoil it. Do you know how sometimes you have very dark thoughts about a person who irritates you? Could be a sibling, parent, spouse, best friend.... and when you're super tired or crabby or premenstrual you might hold onto those thoughts a little longer than you should, put them in a pretty little jar decorated with ribbons and admire them when you should just let them go. Gillian Flynn gets this. I'll say nothing else, but ladies, this book's for you.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Review: When in Doubt, add Butter by Beth Harbison
This book popped up in my LibraryThing "Connection News," where an algorithm displays titles related to my favorite subjects. I was swayed with the title and the brief description of the narrator, who is a personal chef. It turns out to be "chick lit," and I didn't like it.
About 5 years ago I had a spell where I sought light books that proposed little challenge. I found Jennifer Crusie and her books were just right for the moment, but after the third one I was done with all that. Maybe I'm just done with this genre, with all the pulsing and entering and convoluted plot twists. And to paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen, Beth Harbison you are no Jennifer Crusie. Harbison's characters are caricatures of humans and not believable in the least. I plodded through for a bit, hoping for some descriptions of delicious food, but it was few and far between. I did not finish this book.
Rating: one celery stick
This book popped up in my LibraryThing "Connection News," where an algorithm displays titles related to my favorite subjects. I was swayed with the title and the brief description of the narrator, who is a personal chef. It turns out to be "chick lit," and I didn't like it.
About 5 years ago I had a spell where I sought light books that proposed little challenge. I found Jennifer Crusie and her books were just right for the moment, but after the third one I was done with all that. Maybe I'm just done with this genre, with all the pulsing and entering and convoluted plot twists. And to paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen, Beth Harbison you are no Jennifer Crusie. Harbison's characters are caricatures of humans and not believable in the least. I plodded through for a bit, hoping for some descriptions of delicious food, but it was few and far between. I did not finish this book.
Rating: one celery stick
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