That was my immediate reaction after finishing this book. Pretty clearly that's not how it ends. It doesn't END that way. Yet, when I tapped Shadow's...more
That was my immediate reaction after finishing this book. Pretty clearly that's not how it ends. It doesn't END that way. Yet, when I tapped Shadow's screen to turn the page (Shadow's my Nook's name, FYI) - there were only acknowledgements.
And then I thought about it... I gave it just a few minutes' thought, and I decided that I thought the ending was appropriate. Fucked up? Oh my, yes. But fitting too, in a way. We do dig our own graves, don't we?
This book kind of reminded of Lemarchand's Box. Every time you try to figure it out, it draws you deeper in, and in the end, reveals the kind of depravity that seemingly knows no bounds. Ineffable.
And I kind of loved it.
I thought I had this book figured out so early. I even thought I was being clever, despite knowing, KNOWING, that I was being carefully, artfully led to these conclusions. I was creative though. I had it all figured out. All I was waiting for was the vindication when the book caught up with me.
And then WHATTHEFUCK?! The twist. Oh my. I never, never saw it coming. Despite having accidentally seen the table of contents, which kind of give it away. But, then if you know me, you know that I don't want to know anything - so I put it out of my mind. And I'm glad that I did.
The first line of the Chapter of the Twist floored me. I read it four times, and still felt sluggishly stupid. I couldn't wrap my mind around it. I had never read Gillian Flynn before, only knew that her stories were dark, thriller types. But in that one sentence, I wondered if all along I've been reading a haunting story and not even realizing it. In a way that was right, but it's just haunting in the wrong sense. Or the right one, depending on your point of view.
This book kind of... resonated. It's easy to get caught up in it - or it was for me. I could see myself, my boyfriend, my friends and their significant others, pretty much ANY relationship, in this book. And that's disturbing. Everyone changes in a relationship. Everyone. I thought, early on, "Oh, this is a story of how relationships go bad when expectations aren't met - when people change, and grow lax in their status quo relationship..."
And it was, in a way. If the When-Relationships-Go-Bad-O-Meter goes to 11. Why not just make 10 more intense? Because this one kind of situation requires it go to ELEVEN.
The thriller aspect of this book was fantastic. It's not one of those non-stop rollercoaster thrill-ride books, where every page turn is another exciting development. This was like watching the water drain out of a tub, slowly, allowing you to see, little by little,what lies under the surface. And you realize that it's recognizable but stunted and deformed, horrifying, and clearly dead inside. But you can't quite stop looking. I loved every second of it. Learning about Nick and Amy's relationship, both how it was so right, and how it went so very wrong. The characters were real, disturbingly real. Every word was expertly placed to take the reader along on this journey, and it was brilliantly done. Loved it.
The moral of this story: Make an effort. It won't kill you... ;)(less)
I have a feeling that this probably wasn't the best of McCammon's books to start with... or, at least I hope that's the case. I was less th...moreWell then.
I have a feeling that this probably wasn't the best of McCammon's books to start with... or, at least I hope that's the case. I was less than impressed with this one for much of the time it took to get through it, and while I guess it was interesting enough (as in I was interested enough to continue on and see what happened), I didn't really ever feel invested in the story or the characters.
Perhaps it was the fact that I listened to this as an audiobook, a recording from tape circa 1983 or so. The reader was... distracting. He kept reading in a much different tone than I felt that the particular scene or situation warranted. Usually someone sounded wheedling or manipulative or threatening in this man's voice, when I feel that I'd have read the scene without the overtones of menace. Sometimes a question is just a question, not an unspoken threat.
There were a lot of "Am I right?" and "Is/isn't that right?" questions and every time - EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. - he read one of them, I'd picture the asking character with their head tilted inquiringly, a fake smile plastered on their face daring the person to contradict. Go ahead. See what happens.
And then there's the pronunciations. Oh man. Grimace was always "Grim Ace" and La Mesa was always "Luh Meesa". Luh Meesa. Really. It was just distracting. Because every time I'd picture fucking Jar Jar Binks.
Ye gods, whatta meesa sayin'?
Ohgodmakeitstopnow.
Yeah, so... aside from that stuff... I don't have much to say about this. I wasn't shocked by the revelations in this story. Rather than being a twisty mountain road with sharp, unexpected turns, this was more like a go-cart course - predictable and tame... I may not have been on THIS particular course before, but they are all pretty much the same.
I've seen the twists, the symbolism, the circular references, the good vs evil, the religiosity all before.
This story just felt formulaic, and so it wasn't really scary or particularly impressive. Maybe it's because the book is almost as old as I am and I've read a lot of other (better) horror before this. That's plausible, but then I think of stories like Richard Matheson's "I Am Legend", William Peter Blatty's "The Exorcist", or Ira Levin's "Rosemary's Baby", stories that are just as old (older, actually) and still amaze and terrify.
This didn't.
But I finished it and overall didn't loathe it, so... 2 stars. Maybe Swan Song will be better?(less)
I like baseball. Well, I like watching it. Not really reading about it, so the fact that King loves writ...moreBAAAAASSSSEEEEBBBAAAALLLLLL!!!! *shakes fist*
I like baseball. Well, I like watching it. Not really reading about it, so the fact that King loves writing about it is... Well, I forgive him. He's King.
But thankfully, this story was less about the baseball than it was about the guy watching baseball. And though this is a very short story, only 32 pages on my Nook, it was a good one. Not great, and not really up to the standards that I've come to expect from King, but good.
I think it just lacked a little something to really bring it to life. Maybe it was the length that worked against it. We got a rough sketch of the characters in the story, but King's characters are usually masterpieces, and I found myself wanting to know more about them.
Still, for what this story is, it's good. Entertaining, a quick read, and not all baseball stats and plays, which I was kind of dreading.
He made me want to read a Harlan Coben book too, which is always a plus. Thanks for the rec, Papa King! :D(less)
2.5 stars Often when I listen to an audiobook, I wonder whether I'd have felt differently about it had I read it. That's the case here, unfortunately....more2.5 stars Often when I listen to an audiobook, I wonder whether I'd have felt differently about it had I read it. That's the case here, unfortunately. I'm just not sure how much of a difference.
This is my first Faulkner, and while there were aspects that I definitely liked about the book, my overall feeling is one of frustration. Maybe that's sort of intended -- certainly the characters felt their share of frustration. But, if so, I am not sure that my frustration is the intended type. It was less out of identification with the characters than impatience with the story. I felt like it was always on the edge of Something Happening, even when things were happening, if that makes sense. There was so much repetition, especially in the thought processes of the characters, that at times, it was almost maddening. "I have to do something. I have to do something. Something will have to be done." Yep. Got that the first time. Let's go on and do it now.
Maybe it was the reader's style that made it so frustrating. He read the words, and did the accent, but there was no real emotion or life behind them. It was all sort of monotone. Every single character was the same. It was like every single person in the story was in a fog of depression, or that they were so beat down that they were just plodding along like a tired old workhorse. Nobody ever raised a voice. Nobody ever showed any emotion, at all as far as the voice performance went, even when their actions spoke much, much more loudly.
Rather than Miss Burden asking Joe to pray with her in an imperative, desperate kind of begging, it was just a flat, toneless statement. "Pray with me." "No." Again and again. That's just one example. It was hard, very hard, for me to identify with any of the characters, when they all sounded exactly the same. It didn't help that there were multiple storylines and timelines all interwoven into the story. At one point, I was so utterly confused by this that I listened to a section 3 times before realizing there must have been a shift in the story, and to just go with it. I didn't recognize any of the characters, the setting, anything, and with everyone sounding like they'd been given highball glasses of NyQuil, it took me a while to catch up and realize that I was in the midst of a flashback.
I can't really say that I liked any of the characters... but I didn't dislike them either. Surprisingly, I felt myself feeling sorry for them. It was like they couldn't help being what they were, and what society has made them within society itself. It's ironic to me that I use the phrase "they couldn't help being what they were", particularly with Joe Christmas in mind, because I recently got into a "heated discussion" with someone close to me who used this phrase to describe a mixed race child. But I don't mean it in the same way, that he (Joe) can't help being mixed race. I mean that he can't help being rebellious, antagonistic, nihilistic. He can't help these things, because his life has shaped him to be those things. When just the rumor of a "taint" in the blood will ruin any chance of living a life not filled with hatred and ignorance and meanness, you take those things and fend off the world with them.
This was a sad book, and one that, while I can't say that I enjoyed (for reasons stated above) has made me think, not only about the situations that humans create to give them opportunity to hate and hurt others, but also about the opportunities that we miss for accepting people for who they are.
Anyway, I digress. I think this is a case of me liking the message much more than the messenger. Maybe next time I'll just read the letter, rather than letting the Morose Singing Clown read it to me. (less)
Despite the title, which is awesome, if I had come across this book on my own, I can say with complete certainty that I wouldn't have given it a secon...moreDespite the title, which is awesome, if I had come across this book on my own, I can say with complete certainty that I wouldn't have given it a second glance. The book description doesn't tell very much about what the book is about, and honestly it sounds boring. But this book was selected for a group read and was pretty highly recommended, so I decided to give it a try anyway.
This is one of those books whose peg doesn't really fit into a genre hole. You can make it fit into a couple maybe, but there's no one thing that will say, "That is what kind of book this is, so if you like that, read this." And, much to my own surprise, I liked it. Not as much as I could have, but quite a bit more than I expected to.
Pretty much the only thing I knew going in was that there would be music. That's always a little suspect for me, because I have very little interest in music in books, especially folk music, and musicians or performers of any type rarely interest me in fiction. That's not to say that if there is music or performers of some kind in a book that I'll automatically dislike it, but I think it has to be handled well, and that's not always the case. I've come to realize that I prefer music in books to be an extension of the characters, something that makes them who they are, not just something that they listen to. Usually, a character listening to music just feels like a name-drop opportunity. That wasn't the case with this one, thankfully. The music in this book was definitely a part of life, a part of the characters, and part of the community. It was the type of musicality that I love - the kind where the characters live and breathe music because it is part of what makes them who they are.
But that leads me to my first complaint. Music and songs, specifically one song in particular, were given so much importance in the story that I wanted a big revelation about what it meant, and I was disappointed not to get one. The story went in a different direction, and that aspect just felt forgotten.
In fact, that feeling that things were forgotten is my major, overall complaint about this book. I think the book should have been longer so that all of the background, the history, the hierarchy and the characters' stories could all have been better fleshed out, so that the meaning of the songs and the stories could have been better shown. Bledsoe created a whole community, a mini-world, and peopled it with interesting characters that I wanted to know more about, but who, in the end, were just sort of... filler. That's disappointing. I wanted to know what Don Swayback's awakening meant, and what the purpose was. I wanted to know more about Rockhouse Hicks and what his history was. I wanted to know more about the First Daughters, and what that truly represented.
Another complaint that I had was regarding the relationships between Bronwyn and Craig Chess. The first time they meet, there's an almost literal spark of attraction between them, and it stank of Insta-Love to me. I hoped that the story wouldn't go in that direction, and it seemed not to, with Bronwyn having this thing with Terry-Joe, but then it did anyway, completely out of the blue. And then the story was just kind of over. It was left open to interpretation whether Chess would accept the relationship, but there's no denying their instant and seemingly baseless attraction to each other. It seems that the Tufa people have a strong attractive quality to non-Tufas, and can make them fall in love extremely easily... but I don't get Bronwyn's attraction to Craig, (view spoiler)[nor why she'd know that she wanted to marry him (hide spoiler)] when she barely knows him. It just doesn't make sense to me.
I will say that I really enjoyed the writing, and felt myself kind of absorbed in it while I was reading. Bledsoe has a way with words that just drew me in, and it was like I was there. I could see everything crystal clearly. I also loved the slow build-up, and how the hints that we received were dealt out slowly and methodically and just at the right times. It seemed like every time I would have a question about something, the answer would come along as soon as I started reading again. I just wanted more than what I was given. I also liked the way that the story felt almost ethereal. It had a kind of realistic dreamlike quality, and I was never really sure if what was described was supposed to be taken literally or metaphorically. I think that's exactly how I was supposed to feel, so in that, Bledsoe did a fantastic job.
Despite all my complaints (which mainly boil down to one major complaint that I just wanted more characterization and history), I did really enjoy the story. I enjoyed reading it, and it kept me intrigued despite, or maybe because of, the slow build up. I would definitely recommend this one for someone looking for something a little bit different to read. (less)
This was not really what I was expecting, but I liked it quite a lot. I was expecting something along the lines of a traditional ghost story, but, ins...moreThis was not really what I was expecting, but I liked it quite a lot. I was expecting something along the lines of a traditional ghost story, but, instead, I got something similar to Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House... but better, in my opinion. The two books share quite a bit of ambiguity, in that we're never truly sure if there is something going on, or if it's all just in their heads, but I felt like this story just worked a bit better for me.
Almost from the start, I was kind of drawn into this book. When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. Well, thinking about the house, anyway. I really liked the slow build-up of tension, the slow escalation of the situation to a breaking point. I liked the surrounding normality - the breaks in the narrative when Colquitt talks about going to the grocery store, or meeting with friends, or taking a trip. These things were described with a detail that really allows the reader to see the scene, so when the next house related issue is brought to light, it seems all the more troublesome.
I loved the writing for that. The descriptions were perfect at walking that line right between showing the reader everything and allowing the reader to fill in some of the blanks on their own. We have a description of the house as being modern and beautiful, two stories at least, with a basement, a wall of windows in the back... but otherwise, we can imagine it for ourselves.
Part of what I loved about the description of the house is how it seems so light, so bright and inviting. I kept seeing the house in an anthropomorphic way, at times with an innocent expression, and then others a kind of sly calculation and spitefulness.
I know that a lot of this feeling is due to the story being related by Colquitt Kennedy. She seems so sure of herself, so sane and reassuring and honest - but her reliability is definitely in question. She hated the thought of the house from the very start. She wanted her lot, her privacy, her green-lit bathroom... and then when she sees the plans, she supposedly falls a little in love with the house, or at least stops hating it as much. (This can kind of be believed, given the epilogue.) But who's to say that she wasn't truly crazy as a shit-house rat and creating all of this in her head to justify the awful things that she did to sabotage those living in the house she never wanted to be there in the first place?
Colquitt may be a clever liar, even lying to herself, or maybe not all there. Walter, her husband, seems to be so in tune with her that it wouldn't be all that hard to get him on board, as indeed it wasn't. Or maybe it was Walter who was the doting husband and caretaker - a model for Buck, perhaps?
OK... I don't really believe that's the case - well, not ENTIRELY - I'm just making a point that events may not necessarily be as Colquitt relates them. There could be a rational explanation for the things that happened there.
I did a quick search online to see if I could find info on the name Colquitt, because it's unusual. I found this description of the type of person who bears that name. It's probably complete bunk, but parts of it fit this Colquitt to a T:
COLQUITT: You can be a writer, painter, musician, promoter, great salesperson, a lover of beauty, socially in demand, and sometimes extravagant spender. Your energy might be scattered, but you have the ability to bring an idea to completion. You might be psychic, but not know it. You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented, energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
Anyway, regardless - the story was unsettling either way. And I liked it for that.
The end was a nice twist, one that I wish was just a bit better explained, honestly. So much detail went into some of the more mundane aspects of the story, and then the end was just glossed over. (I'll admit though, that rushed quality does help my Crazy Colquitt theory!)
If I have any complaints about this one, it would be the dialogue at some points. It sometimes read like one of those therapy exercises where you have to verbalize your feelings and reactions: "When you do ____, it makes me feel _____." It was just a little bit stilted and awkward, and I don't think that people really talk like that. Even well-to-do upper middle classers.
I did enjoy this book quite a lot though, and I think it's one that I'll read again at some point. I feel like there are things that I'd understand better a second time around. (less)
Time travel is one of those things that I just can't ever seem to wrap my head around. There are so many variables and questions... and it just genera...moreTime travel is one of those things that I just can't ever seem to wrap my head around. There are so many variables and questions... and it just generally ends up confusing me, and if it's not handled well, it usually ends up irritating me, too. So, I don't read a lot of time travel stories.
But this is King. And once again, he holds on to his title.
This book was incredible. I don't even know what to say about it. It's so fresh in my mind, and there are so many things I want to mention, so many notes I took, but mentioning them wouldn't make sense out of context, and I don't want to spoil anything for anyone.
So I'll just say a few things. I loved how this story built up and up, layer upon layer of awesomeness. I loved the characters, as usual with King's stories. They could literally walk through the door right now and I wouldn't be a bit surprised. I loved the plausibility of the events, despite the rabbit hole and the Yellow Card Man. But then, I loved the little tie-ins to the Dark Tower multiverse too, and so that made those things fit perfectly in the story for me.
I can't think of a single thing I didn't like about this book. It was just incredible.
I love this book. I have reviewed the audio edition and everything from that review still stands. This is personal and lovely and heartbreaking. If yo...moreI love this book. I have reviewed the audio edition and everything from that review still stands. This is personal and lovely and heartbreaking. If you haven't read this one yet.... read it.(less)
...No it isn't. I'm a big fat liar. I have lots to say about this. I just don't really know how. So I'm goi...moreWow. That's just really all I have to say.
...No it isn't. I'm a big fat liar. I have lots to say about this. I just don't really know how. So I'm going to tell a little story, and hopefully that will be enough.
Once upon a time, there was a princess who was the most beautiful princess in the whole world and all the other princesses hated me because--
What? Oh, sorry, wrong story. Just seeing if you were paying attention. You pass. Anyway, real story now... and it go a little sumthin' like this:
Once upon a time, there was a girl who read The Pearl and thought that she didn't like John Steinbeck. "Steinbeck?" she said, "Meh."
But then, one of the girl's friends chose a Steinbeck book for a book chain, and the girl read it, and was very surprised to find that she liked it. That book was Travels with Charley: In Search of America. Now, this girl considers herself to be decently well read, but she tends to choose fiction over non-fiction, simply for the fact that non-fiction can be so dry and boring, so she was very surprised to find Travels engaging and interesting and humorous.
Cut to today, Thanksgiving Day in the US, as the girl in the kitchen prepared The Traditional Feast while listening to a full cast audio production of The Grapes of Wrath... and she found herself moved to tears several times, thinking of the hardships that not only the Joads endured, but so, so many people during the Depression. She thought of the table full of food she would soon set down, and the days worth of leftovers she'd have afterward, and thought of the Joads and their like starving, moving over and over and over, trying, trying, trying to make it... and it broke her heart.
The Grapes of Wrath wowed her, and Steinbeck's portrayal of these sharecroppers-turned-migrant-workers was as real as the food on her table. The style and language were simple but evocative and beautiful in their own way, and the girl knows that complexity doesn't always equal greatness. Honesty and courage and perseverance almost always do, though.
Now, this girl thinks she might just be a little in love with Steinbeck.
Confession: I was a child of the 80s and I never read a single V.C. Andrews book. Not one. I wasn't limited in my reading material, but it just never...moreConfession: I was a child of the 80s and I never read a single V.C. Andrews book. Not one. I wasn't limited in my reading material, but it just never crossed paths with me, I guess. Maybe if I had read them when I was a pre-teen I would have liked it a little better. As it was, I thought it was OK.
It's funny, because anytime I'd hear mention of this book, there would be The Hush, and the whispered "...Incest...", and the Look, the one that commiserates about how much of a rebel they are for reading such a naughty story. So of course, when I saw a used copy of Flowers in the Attic at my local thrift store, I snagged it. And after reading it... I found it a little bit of a let down. For all the hype about the *whisper* ...Incest..., that was a surprisingly unsurprising (yeah, I know, I know) and unimportant part of the story - at least it was to me. Again, if I was eleventeen, it probably would have been SCANDALOUS. At 28, not so much. At 28, I think, "Well what the hell did they THINK would happen with developing bodies, raging hormones, intense fear and uncertainty, and constant close proximity?!" And in a family that has a history of being a bit unorthodox, and very open and close with one another, even more points to tip the balance.
What I thought was more important was the mundane stuff: the hope they struggled to maintain, the brave face the older kids wore for the younger, the coping mechanisms and the games and the little rituals and the way that they tried to make life as normal as possible in an abnormal situation. These kids all had their childhoods stolen and ruined, and yet there was a feeling of hope that pervaded the story. Through sheer will and determination, they would not let their mother's betrayal and cruelty ruin them.
I couldn't really help but wonder what I would do in a situation like that. I kept thinking, "Bash Granny over the head with Grey's Anatomy and then snatch the key, lock her in, get out, run." But then, the fact that they DIDN'T is plausible - they were kept docile and trusting for as long as they were because of the promise of so much better later, and who isn't willing to sacrifice a little to gain a lot? It's just that when the "little" sacrifice takes on epic proportions, it's no longer worth any gain, no matter how large.
I was fascinated by the Grandmother, but even more fascinated by the mother's gradual shift from loving, doting and adoring mother to cruel and heartless, cold and calculating, greedy harpy. I thought it was so interesting the fact that both Corinne (the mother) and Cathy (the daughter) were each separately described as acting their parts while in the attic. Both acting the same part, that of loving mother, but each for vastly different reasons. Cathy acted to keep a semblance of routine and family and stability while Corinne acted to keep the children trusting and docile and quietly out of the way of her ambition and greed.
I thought that the story started out pretty slow, and up until about halfway through, I didn't really care if I continued or not... but curiosity won out, and I'm glad I finished, if only for bragging rights. But my gosh, the writing was so juvenile! Now, I know what you're thinking, that this is a story told from the perspective of a young girl, so of course it will be juvenile. But no, sorry, that's no excuse for it. The writing was juvenile, not the narration. True, Cathy did use some ridiculously juvenile terms ("Golly-lolly!" made me roll my eyes every. single. time.), but the childrens' vocabularies were advanced to the point of being almost unrealistic. When talking amongst each other, they sounded like college professors or something. Know-It-All Chris especially got on my everlasting nerves. I was so glad when he finally lost control and fell from his lofty holier-than-thou pedestal and became bearable again! It also seemed to me that there was quite a few inconsistencies in the writing and characterizations as well, but I can't think of any examples off the top of my head. It wasn't the worst written book I've ever read, but it certainly isn't anywhere near the best either.
Overall, I think this one works out to be just good. The story, once it finally got going, was interesting, but the writing detracts from that a bit. I'm undecided if I will read the next in the series... but I must admit I'm a teensy bit curious...(less)
3.5 stars. I really liked this book, but I found it much easier to listen to this book than to read it. I grew up in the south, but I still had a hard...more3.5 stars. I really liked this book, but I found it much easier to listen to this book than to read it. I grew up in the south, but I still had a hard time with the vernacular as it was written in this book. The 'should/would/could of' ones got me the most, more than 'terreckly' in place of 'directly', 'cain't' in place of 'can't' etc, because I kept thinking it sounds exactly the same if you write 'could've', etc, so why purposefully write it wrong? Listening to it was much less distracting.
I really loved the characters in this story, which is a good thing, because this is such a character driven story that lacking amazing characters, there would be no story to tell. The story is these characters' lives; their faith and their deaths and their scandals and their everyday.
My favorite character was Grandpa Blakeslee. I loved his take on life. I loved his take on faith and loyalty and life in general. He was just such a refreshing character to meet, one who had such a realistic and "homegrown" faith and relationship with his God. I loved his take on faith, that it is not a guarantee or reward, but rather a way of life.
I really liked Will Tweedy as a narrator. I liked that he was young and in the thick of things because he was at that middling age where one is almost adult but still considered a child when it comes to adult issues, so he was privy to a lot of things that he maybe shouldn't have been, but his interpretation of those things was nothing if not interesting. The foreshadowing was a little heavy handed, but it served its purpose, and in a novel as gossipy as this one, it worked pretty well.
I would have liked for a few of the social issues, like prejudice and racial segregation and women's rights to be addressed more fully... all were touched upon, but none really explored at all.
Overall, I really liked the book. I think that Grandpa Blakeslee will stick with me for a while after reading this one. He's just one of those characters that imprint a part of themselves on everyone who meets them. (less)
I've never read any of Lauren Myracle's other books. I'm not much into the whole "txt-spk" thing, so those books have never sparked my interest. Not m...moreI've never read any of Lauren Myracle's other books. I'm not much into the whole "txt-spk" thing, so those books have never sparked my interest. Not my cup of tea. Other than those, I couldn't have named another book Myracle had written before today. But this... this book called out to me. Not only because of the absolutely gorgeous cover, but because of the premise, and because it's set in the South. I love me some books set in the South. And because it has Issues. Issues with a capital 'I'.
And boy, did this deliver. If it hadn't been written with such grace and honesty, and a light touch and sense of innocence, it could have gone so very, very badly wrong. The Issues in this book are the kind that outsiders abhor and denounce, while those living in and around and with them are almost oblivious to their existence as an 'Issue' at all. To those people, it's just life. Normal. Everyday. This book touched on a lot of things. Poverty, addiction, class division, alcoholism, abuse, homosexuality and homophobia, fear and hatred, small-town politics, friendship and loyalty, etc. So many things that some could have easily gotten lost and confused. But even with all of these issues entwined throughout the story, I never felt that it forgot what it was.
I loved the way this story was written. I love the way it was parceled out, little by little, edging closer to the truth and the consequences and the brokenness, like a hungry mouse sneaking closer to a crumb not far from the cat's bed. The mouse knows that rushing will cause it to lose its chance, to be hurt -- but caution and stealth may win it a chance to survive. This book was like that. It crept along, building momentum, until it reached where it needed to be.
I instantly fell in love with these characters, especially Cat and Patrick. My heart broke for the things that they lost, both before and after Patrick is beaten and left for dead. I loved their friendship, and the simple acceptance of it. I loved Mama Sweetie, Patrick's Grandma, and her kindness and wisdom and faith. I usually find it hard to accept religion in books, because so very often it comes across as preachy. That was not the case here. It was less religion and more a matter of faith - a simple knowledge that there's something and someone there for us. No judgment, no fire and brimstone, no recriminations for every little thought, just a sense of "If you want, you can - if not, that's OK too." I liked that.
This book is gorgeous and amazing from cover to cover, and I was so wrapped up in this community and these lives that I almost didn't want to see, but I couldn't look away. I found one thing, one little thing, about the very end to be a bit unbelievable, but I understand it, and I wasn't disappointed. All in all, I loved this book and I think it's one that I will need to own, to re-read and absorb and love.
3.5 stars A few years ago, for Christmas, I bought my mother a copy of Me Talk Pretty One Day. I'd never read David Sedaris, hell, I didn't know how t...more3.5 stars A few years ago, for Christmas, I bought my mother a copy of Me Talk Pretty One Day. I'd never read David Sedaris, hell, I didn't know how to pronounce his name (seh-darr-is? seh-dair-is? sed-uh-ris?)... Well, obviously, I still don't. But, I picked it up and read one of the stories and laughed, and I thought my mom would like it, and so I got it for her.
I have no idea if she read it.
So, on a whim, I downloaded this one, and stuck it on my ipod, thinking that little vignette stories would be OK to read on such a small screen. Standing in line at the store, or on break at work, whatever. Only, I got hooked, and read it pretty much straight through. On my ipod.
Why didn't I just transfer it to my Nook, you ask? Because I'm dumb. Duh.
Anyway, there are quite a lot of stories in this book... but they are all over the place. Some are funny, some are more serious, some seem to have no point at all. It seems that, this being (from what I can tell) Sedaris' 5th book, and theoretically being an initiated fan, I should be familiar with his family and their quirks and whatnot, and not have really needed chronology to be a factor. And... I guess I didn't, despite this being my initiation. But it might've helped add some coherency or fluidity or something. And, maybe just a teensy explanation of who Hugh is, at least the first time he's mentioned in this book. I mean, I am intelligent (despite my previous claim to the contrary above), so I was able to gather from context that he must be David's partner, but I think it's not TOO much to ask for a little explanation.
My favorite stories by far were "Us and Them", "Full House", and "Baby Einstein". David's brother Paul is HILARIOUS, vulgar, and fucking awesome. He made me laugh constantly talking about Paul. Like this bit:
When my sisters and I eventually left home, it seemed like a natural progression — young adults shifting from one environment to the next. While our departures had been relatively painless, Paul’s was like releasing a domestic animal into the wild. He knew how to plan a meal but displayed a remarkable lack of patience when it came time for the actual cooking. Frozen dinners were often eaten exactly as sold, the Salisbury steak amounting to a stickless meat Popsicle. I phoned one night just as he was leaning a family pack of frozen chicken wings against the back door. He’d forgotten to defrost them and was now attempting to stomp the solid mass into three 6-inch portions, which he’d stack in a pile and force into his toaster oven. I heard the singular sound of boot against crystallized meat and listened as my brother panted for breath. “Goddam . . . fucking . . . chicken . . . wings.” I called again the following evening and was told that after all that work, the chicken had been spoiled. It tasted like fish, so he threw it away and called it a night. A few hours later, having decided that spoiled chicken was better than no chicken at all, he got out of bed, stepped outside in his underpants, and proceeded to eat the leftovers directly from the garbage can. I was mortified. “In your underpants?” “Damned straight,” he said. “I ain’t getting dressed up to eat no fish-assed-tasting chicken.” I worried about my brother standing in his briefs and eating spoiled poultry by moonlight. I worried when told he’d passed out in a parking lot and awoken to find a stranger’s initials written in lipstick on his ass, but I never worried he’d be able to make a living.
Or this one:
Kathy was in labor for fifteen hours before the doctors decided to perform a cesarean. The news was delivered to the waiting room, and when the time came my father looked at his watch, saying, “Well, I guess they should be carving her up right about now.” Then he went home to feed his dog. By this point, naming the child Lou was on par with naming it Adolph or Beelzebub, but all three were disqualified when the baby turned out to be a girl.
They named her Madelyn, which was shortened to Maddy by the time she reached the incubator. I was in a hotel in Portland, Oregon, at the time and received the news from my brother, who called from the recovery room. His voice was soft and melodic, not much more than a whisper. “Mama’s got some tubes sticking out of her pussy, but it ain’t no big thing,” he said. “She’s lying back, little Maddy’s sucking on her titty just as happy as she can be.” This was the new, gentler Paul: same vocabulary, but the tone was sweeter and seasoned with a sense of wonder.
The cesarean had been unpleasant, but after bemoaning the months wasted in Lamaze class, he grew reflective. “Some is cut loose and others come out on their own self, but take heed, brother: having a baby is a fucking miracle.”
Classy. I love it.
There were some laugh out loud moments, a few of them in public, much to The Boy's dismay (apparently me staring into my palm and laughing like a lunatic is awkward for him!) but I did think that there would be quite a bit more humor, actually. There were some stories that had a definite tone of seriousness, despite the humor that seemed almost unintentional. I'm not complaining, but this is maybe a time when having a set outline would have been better. One expects to encounter issues trekking from childhood, through the teen years, and finally on to adulthood... let alone MATURITY. But the stories just being thrown in willy nilly was off-putting. One minute I'm reading about Turkish Santa and his 6-8 black men, and then the next I'm reading about David being evicted from his father's house for no reason other than being gay, and the next we're reading about domestic tranquility - or the lack thereof.
The stories can be poignant though. I especially liked this line:
Movie characters might chase each other through the fog or race down the stairs of burning buildings, but that’s for beginners. Real love amounts to withholding the truth, even when you’re offered the perfect opportunity to hurt someone’s feelings.
Overall, I liked it. Did I love it? No, but I could have. Will I read more of Sedaris' books? Yes, I will. I like his style and his quirkiness and his blunt self-observations and lack of give-a-shitery about them. It makes for entertaining reading, that's for sure. (less)
Abandoned. The last book that I read by Charlaine Harris was "Grave Sight" which was beyond creepy and gross and semi-incestuous. And just plain bad....moreAbandoned. The last book that I read by Charlaine Harris was "Grave Sight" which was beyond creepy and gross and semi-incestuous. And just plain bad.
Coming back to the Sookie series, which I had enjoyed for a while and then started to go downhill, I was hoping for at least something resembling readability. No such luck.
I couldn't even make it to the halfway point. Between Skeevy Eric calling Sookie "my lover" every 3.5 seconds, and Sookie's alluding to her gay fairy (real fairy - like from Fae) cousin Claude in a sexual way - if only to assure everyone in podunk little Bon Temps, LA that they are NOT having sex despite him moving in with her, being completely gorgeous and her wanting to watch him strip (professionally, of course), I think I've had quite enough. I can pretty much guess where the story is going, anyway. I don't think I'm missing much.
I should have known from the last couple books in the series that this would be no better. I just didn't think it would be worse. Wrong. There shall be no more Sookie books in my future, pretty sure I'm right about that, at least. (less)
2 1/2 Stars I downloaded this for free on my Nook, thinking that it was a novel, and then I found out that it is a screenplay for a TV show and only 42...more2 1/2 Stars I downloaded this for free on my Nook, thinking that it was a novel, and then I found out that it is a screenplay for a TV show and only 42 pages long. I've never watched the show (I don't really watch TV at all anymore), so I don't have that to reference, but I thought it was OK to good, but not great. The show is probably better.
I took drama for a few years back in school, so I'm familiar with stage direction, but mainly for plays - not TV shows. I'm not sure if there's a big difference honestly, the only other screenplay I've read is Stephen King's Storm of the Century.
Regarding the story, it was good - reminded me of a pared down CSI: Miami only without all the head tilting and sunglasses acrobatics and one-liners. But when I say "pared down", I mean it. This is pretty bare bones - we can infer a little bit of our main character's history from what he tells others and his investigation methods, but honestly the description of the story gives more information about him than the content does.
There were a lot of choppy sentences, like "Carlos over a microscope." and "Falling in step with Callie as she hurries through the lobby." Maybe this is screenplay short-hand, but it was kind of distracting to read. And the dialogue is almost as choppy - with a lot of assumptions made that the watcher (or in this case, reader) is keeping up not just in the investigation, but with casual conversation that doesn't really say anything but at the same time says a lot -- if everyone is on the same page.
I think that this is the kind of thing that would really come together with the right actors being able to communicate a lot non-verbally. There are a lot of "off (so&so's) look" references, which in a regular novel would specifically say which type of look, but here leaves it open to reader and/or director and/or actor interpretation.
The resolution ties almost everything up while leaving it open for more investigations (this is a TV show after all), and I wasn't expecting the twist, although I should have in hindsight. But that's OK, I don't care when it's obvious once I've been told - it only bothers me when it's obvious BEFORE the reveal, and I didn't think this was. I liked it, but the screenplay format made for not-great reading. It would have been better if it had been expanded a bit and novelized. But hey, it was free, and killed an hour or so I would have otherwise spent bored in the cold car waiting on my boyfriend to run errands - or worse, tagging along.(less)
My goodness I love this book! I read this book way back in school, 8th grade perhaps, I don't recall, but I remember loving it. It's been years since...moreMy goodness I love this book! I read this book way back in school, 8th grade perhaps, I don't recall, but I remember loving it. It's been years since I last read it though, and so this time around, on audio, it was like the first time. As an adult, I picked up on so many nuances and subtleties and adulticisms that Scout and I missed way back when. Scout's a good reporter, in that she is a wonderful observer and has a keen memory, but she's still just a little girl, and as enlightened as she is, she doesn't understand everything she absorbs. But she is a bright, wonderful character, and without her, literature would have a gaping hole right where its heart should be. Cliche, perhaps, but things become cliche because they were true first.
Honestly, there is so very much to love about this book, I don't even know where to start. OK, yes I do. Atticus. I LOVE Atticus. He is such an amazing character. Honest and courteous and upstanding and kind to a fault, I'm sad that he doesn't actually exist. I love how, through Scout's eyes, Atticus is an old man who doesn't do anything, who is always working, who is distant and simply civil to his kids as he is to everyone else, but from the outside looking in, you see that he actually takes an extremely active role with his kids, reading to them, and treating them as people rather than children incapable of understanding anything (at best) or insignificant inconveniences (at worst). He knows them and trusts them and gives them freedom to be who they are and grow into who they will be. He is straightforward and honest with them, and doesn't shy away from telling them the truth, even if it is above them. He leads by example and shows them what true bravery is.
There are hundreds of Atticus quotes that I would love to include here, but my favorite, I think, is "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win." I love this quote, and it shows just what kind of man Atticus is. He doesn't take the easy road, he takes the RIGHT one.
I love the innocent observations on equality through Scout's eyes. This book does such a brilliant job of showing how children see people as people, and have to be taught their prejudices and to see others' differences. Scout sees people for who they are, but her elders would have her see people for WHAT they are: white or black, well off or dirt poor. I love that Scout is quick to defend those she feels have been wronged, no matter what the situation is. People can't help what they are by the accident of their birth. In this respect, ALL of us are mockingbirds - we've never harmed anyone by our mere existence, but some will still hate and fear based on prejudice and ignorance that they've acquired along the way. The children recognize this in Boo Radley, whom they've feared all their lives, but who teaches them that ignorance is no reason for fear.
This is just such an amazing book. I almost want to start it over again right now. If you haven't read it... You should. It's the type of book that can be life-changing. (less)
I have to admit that when I first started reading this book, I wasn't sure if I would like it. The main character, Blair Mallory just seemed so shallo...moreI have to admit that when I first started reading this book, I wasn't sure if I would like it. The main character, Blair Mallory just seemed so shallow and ditzy and ridiculous, but then as soon as Wyatt Bloodsworth came onto the scene, things turned around and really started getting interesting.
When Blair witnesses a murder outside of her business, the murder of an annoying copy-cat who went to great pains to imitate Blair's style and look, she soon realizes that she might have been the intended victim.
So enter police lieutenant Bloodsworth, and things get all interesting, like I mentioned before. No, I don't mean in a sexual way, because that is very non-descriptive, but in a Clash of the Egos way. And it was hilarious. Blair, still bitter about a failed first attempt with Bloodsworth where he just hit the road without a word after 3 dates, goes out of her way to make him pay for it. Little things like hiding the remote, making lists about the ways that he annoys her, and just generally being a pain in the ass. But a funny one.
I really enjoyed this story a lot more than I thought that I would. The plot is pretty thin, and the resolution feels a little like an afterthought, but the characters were fun and intriguing and made up for the lack. I really enjoyed the Mallory's family dynamic, and Dad giving Wyatt advice just really cracked me up.
This is a great beach read, or lazy weekend day read, nothing too risque or naughty, but a lot of implied risqueness and naughtiness. You're pretty much guaranteed to hoot with laughter though. That makes it worthwhile. (less)
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher, and I must say that I was thrilled with the offer because 1) I love zombies, and 2) I love a...moreI received a review copy of this book from the publisher, and I must say that I was thrilled with the offer because 1) I love zombies, and 2) I love apocalypses and this story has both. It didn't disappoint in either of those regards.
It took me a little while to get into this story, honestly, even though the premise is one that appeals to me so much. The story is told in a 3rd person omniscient narration, but also through Temple's eyes, in a way. Her unique take on life comes through the narration perfectly, and helps us to get to know her, but unfortunately, it was a bit of a distraction to me as well, and made it a little hard for me to really focus on and enjoy the story.
I grew up in the south, and I've been to many of the areas where this story took place: Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas - but I've never heard the type of language that Temple used in any of these places. She is illiterate and uncouth and almost feral, and spends almost all of her time alone, or at least without anyone to converse with, so it isn't hard to imagine that her language wouldn't be pristine. It feels as if it's her own vernacular bastardization, taking words and morphing them into something that she likes the sound of. But, then other characters also use the same type of nonexistent "upgrade" words she does, like "marvelment" rather than just "marvel" and I have to wonder at the author's choice in writing it this way, because for Temple to use these words makes sense, but for other characters to do so doesn't, really. Some of the sentences just seemed to be awkwardly phrased and strange sounding to me, and left me feeling that the writing was trying hard to be something that it's not.
That's not to say that the writing was bad, because it wasn't. There were many beautiful sections that I found myself re-reading to absorb again, and I enjoyed many of the descriptions and the observations communicated through Temple, and sometimes through Moses, who seemed to be both her opposite and her equal.
I am not sure if I liked Temple, honestly. What she lacks in social grace she more than makes up for in ferocity, but I was a little disappointed in her harshness and brutality in situations that I don't think called for such methods. But then again, I don't live in that world, so those kind of coping mechanisms are probably necessary. I just thought it was a little out of character for someone who believes in the beauty and wonder the world can hold, as Temple does. It's like she's got two diametrically opposed parts of herself contained in one shell. I wasn't really sure what to make of her, but I will say that by the end I was rooting for her.
There was a bit more religion than I'd have really expected in this story. There were many, many references to God and angels and miracles and the like, mainly from Temple's interpretation, but nothing very definitive, and nothing that removed the mystery of the world or proved a deity's existence or hand in anything. Mainly it was Temple's own personal religious beliefs coming through in her observations of the world, and her own morality. I was just surprised by this, as she isn't the type that I would usually think of as being religious. In fact, I would have expected her to be the type to shun religion, since a world full of zombies is hardly a miraculous occurrence. But then miracles are open to interpretation, as is everything else in life.
Moving on to the zombie aspect of the story, nothing was explained in this regard either. The world has been overrun by the undead for 25 years, and this world is all that Temple has ever known. I like the way that the zombies were portrayed here. A bit different from the usual zombies as instinctual, eternally hungry, brainless death-machines. These zombies tended to keep a bit of their human characteristics in death. Not love or honor or anything, but mainly habit, or routines that have been ingrained in their human lives for so long that they continue them, to a certain extent, in death. For instance, returning back to their homes or places of work, holding hands, trying to ride carnival rides, etc. These were inclined to adapt - when their preferred food was not available, they would feed on animals or even each other, culling the weak. And then there was the Family... but you'll need to experience them for yourself. I won't ruin it.
The main difference that I noted, and this could just be me reading into this, was that it seemed that ANY dead person could return as a zombie, bitten or not, as long as their brain was intact. Temple made it a point to destroy the brain of every human that she had to kill, to ensure that they would not come back. This makes me think that perhaps it was a kind of airborne virus or something that caused the undead outbreak, rather than a supernatural cause.
There was quite a bit of gore and vivid descriptions of the undead, as well as the horror that they inflict, and that which was inflicted on them. This one isn't for the weak of stomach, but it is a short and enjoyable book on the whole for someone who is looking for something a bit different from the norm when it comes to zombie fare. (less)
Ordinarily, romance isn't a genre that I would pick up on my own, but I received an offer of a free ebook copy from Cate Masters and agreed to review...moreOrdinarily, romance isn't a genre that I would pick up on my own, but I received an offer of a free ebook copy from Cate Masters and agreed to review this book. The premise sounded interesting to me, and I enjoy historical fiction/romance, and from the description that I read and the title, there seemed to be a certain element of danger that would make the story appealing to someone like me.
I am always willing to give genres outside my "comfort zone" a try, so I went into this one with an open mind, and a little excited, truth be told, to read something different than my usual. Unfortunately, this book did not really work for me. It had definite potential to be great, but it just seemed to fall flat.
I love characters. The characters are the key to whether the book works for me or it doesn't. For any book to engross me and make me believe in the story that is being told, I need to first believe in the characters. I need to feel as though I know them and understand them, even when they don't really understand themselves. This is especially true, I would think, in a romance, specifically one in which the characters are said to have such defined and rigid preconceived notions about life and love themselves. I wanted this story of Livvie and Sam to grab me and not let go, but in my opinion, the characters lacked the depth to make me believe in them, and by extension, to invest myself in their stories or their battle of wills.
There was a lot of background hinted at, but not very much actually conveyed, and what was conveyed was always told to the reader, not shown. Because of this, even though there technically was enough information to make an educated guess at the reason for the character's action, it didn't feel honest, it felt convenient and contrived. So much of the story was conveyed by telling rather than showing that I found it extremely hard to care about the characters. For instance, Sam is said to have been kept awake several nights by thoughts of Livvie, but other than needing coffee, there are no symptoms of exhaustion, there is no description of him lying awake thinking of her, etc. Just the brief mention that again he'd been kept awake by thoughts of her. Or another example is that he was hurt previously, and reluctant to be hurt again. Aside from his saying so, and his reluctance to commit to anything with Livvie, there isn't anything to suggest that this is the reason for his reticence. Especially not when in the beginning of the story he considers her a conquest to be had and cast away like any other, so the heartbroken Sam seems a new and convenient shift to make him more sympathetic, except that I couldn't really completely believe it. The characters did not ring true for me, so it very much hurt my enjoyment of the story.
I must also say that the story felt repetitive to me, and that the pacing was off. In a story this short (under 200 pages), repetitiveness is not good. Yet Livvie and Sam would meet, they'd flirt, they'd restrain themselves, they'd argue. Sam would work, Livvie would chat with the maid in the boarding house, Sam would drink with Liam, Livvie would lament her lack of freedom. In between these things were chapters of filler which were usually about Sam's work on a shipwreck salvage & rescue schooner. I say that this is filler not because it was uninteresting - it was actually quite interesting, honestly. The concept of rescue and salvage divers intrigued me - but because it did not move the story along, or serve any purpose that I could determine. I feel as though these scenes were supposed to show the risk and danger of this type of work, but so often there was nothing going on at all except waiting, so the men would swab the deck and chat, and the story would just come to a halt again. These scenes just stalled the story, and served as a distraction to me more than anything, because I'd be expecting and waiting for something to happen in vain.
The last point that I want to mention was the dialogue, which seemed very stiff and incongruous with the characters. Livvie is described as independent, a girl who doesn't need a man to save her, who doesn't need a husband to provide for her or "own" her. Yet when she gets into trouble, she screams, "Sam, save me." It seems unrealistic for her to choose these exact words, considering how she defines herself, especially when a piercing scream or calling "Sam!" or screaming "Help!" would suffice and feel more natural.
There was a bit of sarcastic humor sprinkled throughout the story, particularly from Sam, that I quite enjoyed. And I love the setting of the story, being a Florida-raised girl myself, but again I wish that it had been allowed to come alive and show the character the state has in abundance.
All in all, I think that this book had great potential, and a great premise, but needed a lot more characterization to flesh it out and make the characters come to life, and a bit of editing to make sure that the story flowed without unnecessary stops and starts. (less)
Having just finished The Help for the 2nd time, I was already in a place to appreciate this book, and for the most part, I did appreciate it....more3.5 stars
Having just finished The Help for the 2nd time, I was already in a place to appreciate this book, and for the most part, I did appreciate it.
The Help takes place in the early 60's in Jackson, Mississippi, during the early stages of the Civil Rights movement. It's a very personal story about 3 women struggling with who they are, both in general and in the environment in which they live. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry takes place in the 30's just outside of Jackson, MS, and deals with a lot of the same issues...
Roll of Thunder focuses on the Logan family and their land. Paul Edward Logan bought their land in two parts during hard times after the Civil War, and ever since, the man who used to own it has been trying to get it back in an effort to remake the South how it used to be. Things are not pleasant in 1930s Mississippi. There's a definite imbalance of power with white people having almost all of it, and black people having almost none. This story is about the Logans trying to make a change to that imbalance, even though it is a small one. It's also about finding ones identity, and taking pride in it regardless of what others think or say about you.
Mostly, I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read for me, and it was brutal and thought provoking. But in a way, it fell short of my expectations. It never really moved me in the way I had hoped to be moved, and even the brutality and the shame and the hurt felt by the characters didn't really affect me in the way that I had hoped it would. I love nothing more than to be heartbroken by these kinds of books, to be left kind of empty and hurting... but I didn't feel that with this one.
Perhaps that is due to the fact that this was told in first person by Cassie Logan, who is 9. On the one hand, this worked in the book's favor because it allowed for a sort of innocence and naivete. Cassie doesn't understand the dichotomy of equality in the South. She thinks that the mistreatment and rudeness are due to forgetfulness and a "grownups vs kids" thing, or just a greediness, in the case of some. She blithely underestimates the fact of skin color in the equation. To her, the hate and the meanness aren't due to the fact that she is black and they are white, it's due to the fact that they just want what her family has (the land) and will do anything to get it back. Which is true, partially, but the fact that they are black gives them less legal ground to stand on, and makes the fight that much more dangerous.
But where I felt that the 1st person lacked was in the rest of the story. It worked well for the innocence and the idealism, but I didn't feel that the family or their neighbors or the story was all that well fleshed out. There were times when I read sections and didn't know how we got there. One minute Cassie is thinking that she needs to do something about the girl who was mean to her, and the next we're in the middle of a protracted plan of action, with no bridge getting us from there to here. This is Cassie's story, so I would expect to at least have a hint of her plans, but instead it felt like it lapsed into a different story for a bit there.
I also felt that some of the things that Cassie saw were unrealistic, and there was a kind of inconsistency regarding when the parents tried to shield her and the other kids and when they didn't or forgot that little ears might be listening. And to add to that, at times I felt that Cassie was kind of annoying in her demands and talkbackitude to be able to tell the story, and that kind of grated on my nerves. At 9, she was both intuitive enough to know when she'd get in trouble for something, but stubborn and oblivious enough to ignore the real potential danger of running off at the mouth... So Cassie heard, and thus told us, a lot more than I think she should have been able to realistically.
Finally, I thought that the ending was a bit of a letdown as well. There was no resolution about the land, or about the secondary plots. There's an ending, a realistic one, likely - but it's unsatisfying. Things come to a head, and then it just ends. This is part of a series, and that probably has a large part to play in the way the ending ended, but I just feel that there was a big something missing, and I'm not sure that I was invested enough in the story to continue on with the series.
I will give kudos to Taylor for telling as honest and brutal a story as she did, and for not softening the blows or the cruelty or the hatred for her readers. At least I didn't feel that she did. There was a palpable feeling of fear and anger throughout the story, as well as menace and a cruel calculation and manipulation on behalf of the men who have the power. A surety that they will win because the law is on their side. I thought that this aspect was very well done.
I am not sure if I will continue on with the series. But I am glad that I read this. It was good, and I feel like if I had read it in school or when I was younger, it would have had a huge impact on me. Reading it today, I can appreciate it for what it is, but I feel like it's missing the impact I wanted it to have. (less)
Ugh. Just... Ugh. I am beginning to think that the more I read of Charlaine Harris, the less I like her. This was just... bad. And creepy. Poorly writ...moreUgh. Just... Ugh. I am beginning to think that the more I read of Charlaine Harris, the less I like her. This was just... bad. And creepy. Poorly written, weak plot, cardboard cut-out characters, creepy relationships and creepy romance, and trademark Charlaine Harris character name and detail errors all in one book.
I don't even know where to begin... I guess I could just write a list, like our heroine, who Charlaine describes as a list-maker with little opportunity, first does 26 pages from the end of the book. You'd think, in a mystery, that a list writer would probably, maybe, keep a list while she's running around tracking down all those clues. Guess not. More likely, Charlaine (hereafter known as "CH") just wanted to rehash everything and wrote in a "personality trait" to do so.
Speaking of personality, oh lordy me. Were there any personalities in this book? From ANYONE? Harper was just about as boring and cold and unlikeable a character as I've ever read. Why anyone would want to read an entire series about her is beyond me. Tolliver, her brother, is essentially an assistant/care-giver/babysitter/bodyguard to Harper, and besides being a womanizer, he's boring and uninteresting. Hollis is the Haunted Small-Town Cop™. Sybil is the Cold Rich Widow™. Mary Nell is the Teen Cheerleader (With Jealous Teen Admirer) Who Is Lovestruck for Mysterious Older Man™. There is nobody, at all, in this book that was even remotely interesting or unique.
Harper's relationship with her 'brother' is super creepy. SUPER. CREEPY. Even if Harper and Tolliver aren't blood related, their relationship is just... disturbing. Harper is almost totally and completely dependent on Tolliver. She's jealous of his conquests, and he of hers, although neither come right out and say so, but their ONLY disagreements with each other were over the other half making the beast with two backs with some "outsider". They talk about buying a house together, and Harper talks about the possibility of Tolliver marrying, and fleetingly thinks of that for herself, but she seems very reluctant to think about that, and the thought of Tolliver committing himself to someone besides her seems to give her anxiety.
Harper's parents were well-to-do who didn't do too well, and became alcohol and drug dependent and neglected the kids, but that's OK because the kids had each other... mostly. Apparently, this, along with Harper's injury, the one which caused her ability to sense the dead, are where her co-dependence on her brother stems from, but I don't get it. OK, right, you're struck by lightning. Sure, you'd be afraid of storms afterward. Logical. What is not logical is sheer panic when your "lifeline" brother is out of your line of sight for any length of time without a suitable male stand-in. OMG noes! HOW will you copez?!1? Harper and Tolliver seem more like exes who realized that they love each other but are better as friends but who don't really want to let go either. He called her "baby" and "honey", and, sorry, but if my brother ever called me that I'd be really, really grossed out. Harper is even described as having her stomach clench when Tolliver "sweet talks" someone else. CREEPY.
Then, there's the "back story" that CH probably should start hinting at if she wants to drag this out into another too-long series... This includes Harper Family Mystery and Drama. There's the Parental Situation I mentioned above, for starters. Then there's one missing and presumed dead sister that Harper is very clinically detached and cold (aka "avoiding false hope") about, but determined to find, at least her body, and two other sisters raised by Tolliver's religious and manipulative aunt to despise Tolliver and Harper both for reasons unknown. I'm sure that will come out somewhere in book 8 or 9. Stick with it. All in all, there was just no... substance there. It was like the details were thrown in because they had to be, not because they were the characters' actual histories. Sorry Charlaine, you need to know your characters before any reader can. Giving her a gimp leg and some superficial insecurities along with saying that her hobbies include reading and nail-painting isn't characterization. Nor is giving someone acne scars and then saying that he likes really smooth skinned women probably because of that.
Harper's thing with Hollis is another kind of creepy in itself. I really have to wonder what kind of publisher would read this and say, "Yes! This is what we've been waiting to publish!!". We have either a way, way too close brother and sister relationship or a way dysfunctional couple-night stand relationship with extremely-recently-widowed young cop. Hmm... Neither one is exactly steaming up THESE windows.
The story takes place in very late October/early November. Hollis's wife Sally died sometime after February. That's eight months. He gets all almost choked up when he talks about her, and he says he loved her, and even hired Harper to tell him some info about how she died. OK... not creepy so far. Then Hollis and Harper do the nasty. Strange, but not unheard of. Then, during the course of the "investigation", this appears: (There are Sally death spoilers!)
"I'm sorry," I said, making a great effort. "I know this is dredging up stuff for you that you're trying to put behind you."
"No, I'm not trying to put Sally behind me," he said. "But I am trying to think about the rest of my life. And the ideas of the last few days, the idea that Sally was murdered, that the son of a bitch who did it has been walking around this town, talking to me, free, has been curdling my gut. And the fact that every time I see you, I want to screw you so bad it hurts. You practically break into my house, my damn house, and I want to fuck you right here on the floor."
Then they did.
WHAT?!? You go from talking about your DEAD LESS THAN 8 MONTHS WIFE to screwing some new girl in TWO SENTENCES?? It was described as "short and violent and the most exciting encounter Harper had ever experienced." CREEPY.
I almost closed the book right there. That was just... too much. But I was curious about the mystery. I wanted to know. I finished it. I want my two days back. There's absolutely, positively no way that I will be reading any more of this series. It's also unlikely that I'll be reading anything else CH's written. It's sad, because I quite liked the first few books of the Sookie Stackhouse series, but now I'm even doubting myself on that.
Don't read this. It's BAD. Did I mention it was creepy too?(less)
I'm so, so glad that I gave this book a chance. I've had somewhat bad experience with books that have been hyped as much as this one has, and I genera...moreI'm so, so glad that I gave this book a chance. I've had somewhat bad experience with books that have been hyped as much as this one has, and I generally try to avoid the hyped ones, but for once, finally, here is a book that lives up to the hype and more importantly, deserves it.
I don't really have words to say what I felt was great about this book without sounding cliche. This book was brilliant on so many levels, I feel like I want to start it over from the beginning and listen to it again. Right now.
I grew up in the South, and I have always loved it. The slower pace, the afternoon thunderstorms, the heat and humidity that makes it hard to breathe, the crickets, crepe myrtles and spanish moss, the old feel and the history... all of it. If I had my way, I would buy an old plantation house in Georgia somewhere and never leave. It would have deep porches, and a huge shade tree in the yard, and green everywhere I look, and not another house in sight from my own. This is my idea of heaven.
"The Help" reminded me of this, and makes me so homesick I can taste it. The accents of the readers probably made it worse, because they were so familiar. I'm not sure if I'm happy that I listened to this audio first or not, actually. The readers brought a LOT of interpretation to it, and I normally dislike that. But I secretly enjoyed it here simply because the accents were ones that I'd forgotten that I'd missed for so long. It actually made me a little sad to listen to the accents, as pathetic as that may seem.
But the readers were very good, I must say, and this is among the best audiobooks I've listened to. Aibileen was by far my favorite reader. Her sections were just... alive. Not to say that the other sections weren't, but there was just something about hers that just had a little more oomph. Maybe it was simply because Aibileen was my favorite character, or maybe simply because she was the first voice I heard, and so I formed an early opinion. I think that it was just her sections that really spoke to me, and really caused my stomach to knot up.
This story really spoke to me. It took me through such a wide range of emotions, I don't even know where to start. Mostly though, it made me angry and proud. Angry because of the way that people used to think, and still do in lots of places, and proud because of the way that better people have stood up and said its wrong, and of how far we've moved past our hatred and ignorance.
I loved this book from the start, when we first meet Aibileen. She tells us how she has raised 17 other-people's-babies, and how she's been a maid/nanny since she was 15. I loved Aibileen's character. She's strong, patient, brave, smart, funny, and fair. I teared up right off the bat when she tells about her son, and when she tells us about little May Mobley (guessing at the spelling here, as I haven't seen it in print) and how she's all but ignored by her own mother. Aibileen just had this straight-forward honest feel about her that I loved.
Minny is also honest, but in a different way. Not revelation honest, but in-yo'-face honest. I loved Minny, who cared despite herself. Minny isn't a trusting sort. She's got tall, thick walls around her heart to protect herself, and we get to peek over them to see inside, occasionally.
Miss Skeeter is the person I most identified with, at least as far as her opinions and actions. I admired her bravery and courage in going against the grain and sacrificing things she didn't even know she had to do the right thing. I like to think, that had I been alive in 1960's Mississippi, that I'd've done the same thing. Certain things should just be done because they are right, no matter the cost. I also admired her for being true to herself, and not allowing herself to be married off to someone who couldn't accept her for who she is.
This book mainly centers around racism, and that is my hot-button "issue". I will say it right now: I cannot stand racism. We're all just people: white, black, asian, hispanic, middle-eastern, whatever. Religion, culture, history, ideas, etc - THESE things are what make us different, and we should accept and honor each other for them, not fear and hate each other because of our skin tone.
I don't know how much of the pro-white, pro-segregationist propaganda depicted in this was true, but I have a feeling that most, if not all of it, was. Black people are good enough to raise white people's kids, but not put their glass in the same cupboard because they'll spread "disease". Shameful, awful behavior. I still have a knot of anger in my stomach thinking of the way that people were treated for nothing more than the pigmentation in their skin. The lengths to which one group of people would go to put another group down and make them suffer made me angry and bitter - I had to keep reminding myself that this was a book. But even so, this kind of thing DID happen, once. It hurts my heart to know that as a people, we have this kind of behavior in us. I just don't understand it.
So much of this story broke my heart, but was hopeful at the same time. Of course we know where the civil rights movement takes us, and how far we've progressed, but reading, or rather listening to this, I felt almost like I was living it through these women. The historical markers that Stockett added in, the murder of Medgar Evers, the assassination of JFK, MLK's march on Washington DC, all helped to make this feel very real. I was so tense during parts of it that I left fingernail marks on my palms from clenching my fists. It's definitely a book that will shove your feet into three pairs of shoes and shove you out the door to walk in them. I think that I will be feeling this book for a long while to come.
This was a definite departure from what I'm used to when it comes to GRRM. I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting, but I don't think that...more3.5 Stars
This was a definite departure from what I'm used to when it comes to GRRM. I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting, but I don't think that this was it. Not that it was bad... just not what I was expecting. I did enjoy it quite a bit though.
So, this story is set in the mid-19th century, on the rivers that vein the South and in New Orleans, during the slave trade... with 'people of the night'. The take on these vampires (let's call a spade a spade here) was different, and interesting... but oddly less satisfying than what I'd have expected, but it's hard to lay my finger on just what it was that left me wanting.
With the setting and the vampires, it was inevitable that it led to comparisons with Anne Rice's work... but for me, there is none. This may not be my favorite GRRM story, but it is head, shoulders, torso, bellybutton, butt, legs and feet above anything I've ever read of Anne Rice's work. I just cannot stand her writing. Her ideas are fantastic, but her diarrhea of the description is too much for me, and I just cannot read her. GRRM does a lot of description in this book, yes. I'm not saying he doesn't... but the difference is in the amount, effect, and purpose of the description.
Anne Rice describes simply for the sake of description. One could argue that it's so that the reader is transported into the world she's trying to show, but if so, she's doing it wrong. I don't need to know just what kind of wood a door is made out of, how many curlicues were carved into it, or how long it took to carve, or its thickness, or height or that it's a burnt sienna color or how many millions of hands have knocked upon it, or any of that mind-numbing detail to imagine an old, beautifully engraved door. It's too much, it's too tiring, and it's a waste of my time.
GRRM uses description to show the reader who his characters are, what is important to them, what makes them get out of bed in the morning. Captaining a steamboat is more than a job for Abner Marsh, it's his way of life, his livelihood, his dream, his passion. He lives and breathes it. So I'm OK with seeing the river and his steamboats through his eyes.
Likewise, Rice's & GRRM's vampires bear comparison. Both wrote about vampires questioning their nature, which is interesting to me, but again, where Rice goes off into repetitive existential drudgery, GRRM manages to still tell his story.
I was interested in the vampires' stories, particularly Joshua and Julian... I was interested in the two main human characters as well, Abner Marsh and Sour Billy, and felt a bit sorry for all of these characters. Each, in their own ways, lusted after the one thing that they can't have. But that made them interesting, and seemed to draw them all together again and again, even though they were working at cross purposes. I always enjoy seeing both sides of the coin represented, and GRRM does a great job at making it hard to choose sides, that's for sure. (less)