Just finished reading. One of the very rare (unfortunately) cases when the book is almost worth the hype. Beautiful narrative, interesting setup, very...moreJust finished reading. One of the very rare (unfortunately) cases when the book is almost worth the hype. Beautiful narrative, interesting setup, very visually rich imagery. I was not crazy about the "choppy" style of going back and forth in time and among many characters in which the book progresses, but in the end, when all is revealed and all the loose ends tied, it kinda makes sense and justified. The pace is reeeeeeeeeealy slow. The competition is vague and not very competitive. The romance is hinted at and spelled out at the end, but the tension is not quite there. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the book and want to reread it eventually, so I could draw some stuff in great detail.(less)
Oh, how I wanted to like this book... Lots of hype for it everywhere, I read an excerpt somewhere before picking it up, and it was romantic and e...moreOh, how I wanted to like this book... Lots of hype for it everywhere, I read an excerpt somewhere before picking it up, and it was romantic and exciting, mostly because it was describing a real people and events that actually took place. It felt pretty strange for me to know the ending before even starting a book - anybody, would be hard pressed to imagine that story of Hem's first (out of 4) wife is going have a "happily ever after". But like I said, I was looking forward to hearing fiction-ized love story between the legendary writer and the woman he married first. I'm not hiding this review, because being a fiction based on historical events, spoilers are kinda irrelevant, but if you're planning on reading and don't want to know exactly what's going to happen, STOP RIGHT NOW! It did start interesting enough for me. Most of the book is told by Hadley, the "Paris Wife" herself. You get to almost experience her first meeting with young Ernest at the friends' house, her instant attraction and excitement. Everybody's young and hip and wide eyed Hadley drinks in everything that is going on around her. We find out the whole elaborate story of her childhood, and a string of tragedies and misfortunes that fell upon her family. It's actually quite amazing that she came out pretty "normal" with all this childhood psychological trauma... Then it's on to a long-distance romance, daring plans and finally marriage. For me, it went down the hill from there. As soon as the newlyweds finally ended up in Paris, in search of fame and fortune, it fell into an endless string of meals, flowery talks and idle people watching. Everybody loved them instantly, and they loved everybody in return. Yet they keep bickering with everybody, take prolonged trips (by themselves and/or with other people), smoke, drink and eat non-stop. They gripe about supposed lack of money and recognition and despise others who seemingly have no problems finding both. Yet, Hadley never had a desire to work and spent her days pining for her husband, who was "wrestling" with his muse in a separate apartment all day long. She proclaims herself indifferent to fashion, yet spends pages after pages describing everybody's clothes in great annoying detail. She's constantly insecure and keeps hinting at "trouble in the air" although not much in the story at this point supporting her suspicions. When finally, her best friend AND her husband betray her, it's almost a relief! Yet, she lets it go on and on, literally lives with both Hemingway and his lover for months and drowns in indecisiveness. In conclusion, I can only say, that yes, there were some morsels that I did enjoy in this book, like little facts about Hemingway himself and other writers, certain descriptions (for example of their collective fascination with bullfighting), and several chapters that are written from his point of view. But overall, unfortunately, this book was hard work for me to read, and I felt like I just had to get it over with :((less)
One more of those "very hard to rate" books. One star off, because I could put it down. Another - for the lack of ending. I feel so ripped o...moreOne more of those "very hard to rate" books. One star off, because I could put it down. Another - for the lack of ending. I feel so ripped off, when the book doesn't come to a logical conclusion, all the building (sloooooooooowly and quite weakly by the end) tension is left unresolved, questions unanswered. I understand that lots of authors aim at the multi-book series nowadays, and it's ok, but even so, each installment MUST have some kind of climax, otherwise, I consider it a fraud! First impression - Oh, it's Twilight for adults. Mysterious vampire, "damsel in distress", minus high school and teenage angst. Cool. Then, more creatures entered the picture, I thought - True Blood/Sookie Stackhouse series for intellectuals. Even better! But it went down the long and not very steep hill from there... It seems like the author, while clearly smart and educated enough to flaunt the endless historical trivia non-stop at the reader, forgot why we picked up the book in the first place... Where's the romance? Where's the character development? What happened to the story? Why, oh why did all this happen? All that got lost in neverending meals, healing sessions and unexplained little incidents. The thing I enjoyed the most was the witches house's antics, but they were very few and between and again, with no apparent explanation. I would consider reading on, when the next book will show up, but grudgingly and with a healthy dose of low expectations... Unfortunately.(less)
Got so bored couldn't finish. I had pretty high expectations from all the hype ("best book of the year", blah, blah, blah). Didn't touch me ...moreGot so bored couldn't finish. I had pretty high expectations from all the hype ("best book of the year", blah, blah, blah). Didn't touch me on any level. Sad, loooooong story of two people. Don't see how it's poignant and meaningful and heartbreaking (as it was promised). (less)
This one is kinda tough to review... First of all, it was not at all what I expected when I took it out. I thought it was an easy "kiddie" f...moreThis one is kinda tough to review... First of all, it was not at all what I expected when I took it out. I thought it was an easy "kiddie" fantasy with peeking into strange interesting worlds. It sort of is, that, but definitely not "kiddie", quite gruesome and rough. A lot of bad things happening to good people, and in the end, I'm not sure at all why... I think I might want to read what others say about it, maybe I missed something?(less)
Lovely, pleasant book, not overly exciting and at times not too logical. The ending was very anticlimactic (the fire and other natural and unnatural d...moreLovely, pleasant book, not overly exciting and at times not too logical. The ending was very anticlimactic (the fire and other natural and unnatural disasters nonwithstanding) and almost none of the motives, identities and secrets were revealed. I'll probably grab the next installment when it comes out, but without a huge anticipation.(less)
Well, if I could, I'd give it 3.5 stars, to be more fair. But since the description fits, "I liked it" will do. Yet another case of inflated...moreWell, if I could, I'd give it 3.5 stars, to be more fair. But since the description fits, "I liked it" will do. Yet another case of inflated expectations and hype in the magazines, followed by a nice, easy and a tad boring read... From the beginning, I had a strong feeling of deja vu. Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series has a very similar world (not details, but in general), once again, a female protagonist that in the middle of the book realizes she "must" rebel against the society and choose between 2 equally lovely boys. A very nice twist with the lost/found poetry and personal artifacts. Pretty annoying last chapter with sort of a lecture on "where things stand and what needs to be done", obviously leading on to the sequel, but not giving a feeling of a completed book. How did J.K. Rowling manage to come up with 7 book, each one of which felt complete and satisfying?! Anyhow. I'll probably read book 2, but expectations will be considerably lower.(less)
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