Laurel's review of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time > Likes and Comments
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Hi,Chandra! Nice to meet you, too! Thanks for adding me as a friend.:) Yes, I pretty much am completely limited to audio-books at the moment, unfortunately for health reasons (I'll spare you the dreary details ;)). I think I'd go completely bonkers without them, and am so grateful to have them to get through some of my long days. I have heard a lot of good things about The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, and look forward to reading (or listening to) it. I also listened to all 3 of those audio-books you mentioned, and really enjoyed them as well. I love a good story that is well read!
Thanks for the comments, and thanks again for adding me as a friend.
Best wishes!
Laurel
I'm driving to Colorado next weekend so I'll be sure to check out your shelves for some good recommendations!
Not sure if you'd enjoy them, but I really liked the audio versions of History of Love, Water for Elephants and A Thousand Splendid Suns. Have a good trip!
The trick is finding a book that my husband can tolerate too ;-) I read Water for Elephants and enjoyed it quite a bit. I'll look into the others! Thanks for the tips!
I love your review! The lists are a great touch ;-) And I also agree with all of your points. I enjoyed the first half more than the second half, but now that I think about it I wonder if the author intended that on some level. In the first half of the book Christopher is in his happy and comfortable routine. In the second half he has to challenge himself and because it gets uncomfortable for him as he learns and tries new things it also gets uncomfortable for us readers. I also really liked the characterization of the father. He is both the villain and the hero of the story.
Great points, Chandra! You gave me something to think about, and I think you are right. I bet the author did intend for us to feel uncomfortable in the 2nd half of the book, right along with Christopher. And, apparently, it worked! :) I also found a lot of compassion for the father, despite everything. Thanks for the comments!
Laurel, your comments echo what I thought about the book when I finished reading it. I'm rethinking it a little now, though. When I complained, in a discussion group, that this wasn't really a mystery, someone else made an interesting comment about how this "detective" compares to other types of detectives, like hard-boiled detectives. Looking at it in that light, I'm coming to think that this book is an interesting variant on the mystery genre. Comparing this "detective" to other types of detectives, like the amateur detectives who keep stumbling across bodies in their small town in cozies, this is an interesting take on the mystery genre.
I think the point is that of course it's not really a mystery, only to Christopher who cannot read the subjective qualities of human life. When he questions his neighbours one tells him "You should really be talking to your father about this" because she is aware of the relationship between Christopher's father and Mrs Shears. He just sees her as someone who cooks and cleans and sometimes stays over, he doesn't read her as having a relationship with his father. He doesn't understand that the relationship has ended, acrimoniously. Christopher tells us he sees everything but really he sees nothing.
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Hi,Chandra! Nice to meet you, too! Thanks for adding me as a friend.:) Yes, I pretty much am completely limited to audio-books at the moment, unfortunately for health reasons (I'll spare you the dreary details ;)). I think I'd go completely bonkers without them, and am so grateful to have them to get through some of my long days. I have heard a lot of good things about The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, and look forward to reading (or listening to) it. I also listened to all 3 of those audio-books you mentioned, and really enjoyed them as well. I love a good story that is well read!Thanks for the comments, and thanks again for adding me as a friend.
Best wishes!
Laurel
I'm driving to Colorado next weekend so I'll be sure to check out your shelves for some good recommendations!
Not sure if you'd enjoy them, but I really liked the audio versions of History of Love, Water for Elephants and A Thousand Splendid Suns. Have a good trip!
The trick is finding a book that my husband can tolerate too ;-) I read Water for Elephants and enjoyed it quite a bit. I'll look into the others! Thanks for the tips!
I love your review! The lists are a great touch ;-) And I also agree with all of your points. I enjoyed the first half more than the second half, but now that I think about it I wonder if the author intended that on some level. In the first half of the book Christopher is in his happy and comfortable routine. In the second half he has to challenge himself and because it gets uncomfortable for him as he learns and tries new things it also gets uncomfortable for us readers. I also really liked the characterization of the father. He is both the villain and the hero of the story.
Great points, Chandra! You gave me something to think about, and I think you are right. I bet the author did intend for us to feel uncomfortable in the 2nd half of the book, right along with Christopher. And, apparently, it worked! :) I also found a lot of compassion for the father, despite everything. Thanks for the comments!
Laurel, your comments echo what I thought about the book when I finished reading it. I'm rethinking it a little now, though. When I complained, in a discussion group, that this wasn't really a mystery, someone else made an interesting comment about how this "detective" compares to other types of detectives, like hard-boiled detectives. Looking at it in that light, I'm coming to think that this book is an interesting variant on the mystery genre. Comparing this "detective" to other types of detectives, like the amateur detectives who keep stumbling across bodies in their small town in cozies, this is an interesting take on the mystery genre.
I think the point is that of course it's not really a mystery, only to Christopher who cannot read the subjective qualities of human life. When he questions his neighbours one tells him "You should really be talking to your father about this" because she is aware of the relationship between Christopher's father and Mrs Shears. He just sees her as someone who cooks and cleans and sometimes stays over, he doesn't read her as having a relationship with his father. He doesn't understand that the relationship has ended, acrimoniously. Christopher tells us he sees everything but really he sees nothing.
Anyway, this happens to be one of the audio books I've listened too. I was definitely entertained through out. The narrator's British accent was a great touch. Other books I've listened to and enjoyed are 'The Historian', 'The Secret Life of Bees', and 'The Kite Runner'.