Loved loved loved this book. Reading this book was just about as close to a religious experience for me as anything else I've experienced in my life....moreLoved loved loved this book. Reading this book was just about as close to a religious experience for me as anything else I've experienced in my life. This book will make you change how you think about life.
Without giving away too many spoilers, this book is about a man who knows that the world will end on a particular day when he is 36 years old. Moreover, he has known this since he was in utero, when an omniscient panel of voices (who occasionally provide guidance throughout his life) so inform him. The book starts at chapter 97 and counts down, so the reader shares Junior's sense of impending doom. Aside from this somewhat sci-fi element, the book is primarily about an American family whose screwed-up-edness (brother copes with drug problems and then mental problems, mom battles severe alcoholism, father is unable to express affection) makes them both convincingly believable in the same way that authors like Jonathan Franzen and John Irving are able to do. The plot at times takes seemingly far-fetched turns of events such that I could never quite tell whether the narrator was truly receiving communications from God-like figures and whether the other preposterous things that happened to him were real, or whether he was simply schizophrenic. While the entire book was an amazing read, the last 30 pages were what makes the book worth reading (though whatever you do, do not skip ahead - it won't be the same!). (less)
Freakin' loved it. This book was incredible. It told the epic tale of Oscar Wao and his family's journey from the Dominican Republic to the US, and ba...moreFreakin' loved it. This book was incredible. It told the epic tale of Oscar Wao and his family's journey from the Dominican Republic to the US, and back again. Each chapter focuses on a different character - first Oscar, then his older sister, then his mom when she was growing up back in the DR, etc - but is told from the same omniscient narrator, who is eventually revealed as the subject of one of the book's later chapters. All of the characters were absolutely lovable and relatable. The writing style was a delight - like an urban, modern day, hip but slightly nerdy JRR Tolkien. The book also provides a chilling account of the history of the DR. So good. I have a hard time imagining who wouldn't love this book. (less)
I've heard Jonathan Franzen say that one of the things he strives for is to create characters that you both love and hate at the same time. He describ...moreI've heard Jonathan Franzen say that one of the things he strives for is to create characters that you both love and hate at the same time. He described his frustration with characters that were completely good or completely bad. This endeavor sums up Freedom in a nutshell.
The book is about people. A family, more specifically. It's not really about anything more particular than that, just people being people. The author has an incredible ability to put his finger on the most minor of insights into human nature. It's one of those books where you see the good and the bad in yourself over and over in the characters and their stories, because the author has crammed in so much humanity, it's impossible not to see yourself and the core of what makes you human in his characters. It feels like you are somehow reading your own diary that you didn't know you had written.
An incredibly well-written book and delightful to read. I can't wait for his next book. (less)
This book was incredible. Somehow it managed to be both incredibly horrific and depressing, but also totally uplifting and optimistic. This book was s...moreThis book was incredible. Somehow it managed to be both incredibly horrific and depressing, but also totally uplifting and optimistic. This book was such a quick read - you can sit down and read it in an hour or two. I would highly recommend it to anyone!!(less)
I really enjoyed this book. After years and years of waiting for a new book by Kingsolver, I was not disappointed! It did not quite live up to The Poi...moreI really enjoyed this book. After years and years of waiting for a new book by Kingsolver, I was not disappointed! It did not quite live up to The Poisonwood Bible, but as with most Kingsolvers, she weaves in so much about different cultures and histories into a really compelling story. This book took introduces you to historical figures such as Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Leon Trotsky, as the fictional protagonist's life is shaped by each of them. The story is somewhat of a tragedy, with the protagonist's life eventually being wrecked by the media and McCarthyism, but it was not a "downer." The book is written as though it is a historical artifact that has only in 2009 resurfaced. The first 50 or so pages were somewhat difficult to get through but well worth struggling through!(less)
Loved this book, might even be my favorite of Wally Lamb's three books, all of which I adored.
This book had all of the standard elements of a Wally La...moreLoved this book, might even be my favorite of Wally Lamb's three books, all of which I adored.
This book had all of the standard elements of a Wally Lamb book- a protagonist coping with some intense stuff unearths his family history, goes through a catharsis, and eventually is able to cope with the shit life throws at him.
The story starts with an in depth, gruesome look at Columbine: the protagonist and his wife are teachers at the school and are directly impacted by the killings. At first, I thought this would be enough conflict to last throughout the entire 700+ page book. However, after dealing with Columbine and its aftermath, life only gets more complicated.
Intermixed with Caelum and Maureen's struggle with PTSD, addiction, war, etc, is an exploration of Caelum's family's history. Most notably, Caleum learns about his abolitionist great grandmother, who founded one of the first women's prison, which is adjacent to Caelum's family's farm.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone, especially if you’ve read Wally Lamb and liked his books. She’s Come Undone and I Know This Much is True are also great if you like this one. (less)
Loved it!! This book was about something I think about all the time - how decisions in your early adulthood can shape the rest of your life. This book...moreLoved it!! This book was about something I think about all the time - how decisions in your early adulthood can shape the rest of your life. This book starts out with a brief glimpse into Jesse's life as an 18 year old who has just won an Olympic medal for swimming. The rest of the book is divided into thirds. Each one is a snapshot of Jesse's life as a 39 year old and each is an equally feasible, completely different way her life could have turned out (lesbian living in New York, adulterous mother to be in the same small town she grew up in, single mom with two grown up kids living in Florida). The book is tied together by the core people in Jesse's life, who make appearances in each of the three versions of her life. Very thought provoking and excellently written!(less)
Margaret Atwood tells the story of the Odyssey from Penelope's perspective. As always, Margaret Atwood gives a fresh and layered perspective. In this...moreMargaret Atwood tells the story of the Odyssey from Penelope's perspective. As always, Margaret Atwood gives a fresh and layered perspective. In this book, Penelope narrates from Hades, occassionally giving her thoughts on modern day life. The book begins with the mythology of Penelope's birth and follows her through her adolescence and marriage to Odysseus. Penelope's flat "good wife" character from the Odyssey is completely transformed in this book.
Co-narrating are the twelve maids known in the Odyssey for being hung by Odysseus when he returned from his long absence and discovered that they had been sleeping with Penelope's would be suitors. The maids tell their stories as a chorus line with pack-punching prose between the book's main chapters that focus on Penelope.
This book was a superfast read, pick it up if you're looking for an easy, good, between book read.(less)
Oh my god, I loved this book. This has got to be the best fantasty novel written since Tolkien.
The story is about Lyra, an orphan child, and the good...moreOh my god, I loved this book. This has got to be the best fantasty novel written since Tolkien.
The story is about Lyra, an orphan child, and the good v. evil adventure she embarks on when she realizes that children have been disappearing. In the book, everyone has a daemon - an animal that is kind of like your soul. Children's daemon's can change forms at will until they go through puberty. Lyra and her daeomn, Pan, travel through a not quite modern day world trying to complete a mission that they don't fully comprehend.
This book was a total page turner (I read it in two days and completely neglected studying for finals). I can't wait to go out and buy the second book of the trilogy!(less)
When I realized that I have not read this book since the 7th grade, I decided it was time for a re-read. I had fond memories of the book, but have so...moreWhen I realized that I have not read this book since the 7th grade, I decided it was time for a re-read. I had fond memories of the book, but have so much more of an appreciation for it now. Incredible. I've upgraded my rating from four stars to five. (less)
I loved this book. More than any other book I've read, I thought this book provided amazing insight into the complexities of the immigrant experience....moreI loved this book. More than any other book I've read, I thought this book provided amazing insight into the complexities of the immigrant experience. The book is based in India on the border of Nepal and centers on 3-4 main characters, all of which are caught between cultures. There's the ex-judge, whose experience going to college in England resulted in a lifetime of self-hatred and internalized racism; the son of the cook who manages to illegally immigrate to the US only to find a world of racism and extreme poverty in NYC; the judge's young granddaughter who has been raised in India in an anglicized, upper middle class family, insulated from the "real India"; and the tutor, a young boy living in poverty who finds himself swept up in a violent revolution.
Very thought provoking and extremely well written! The first 50 pages or so were tough to get into but well worth sticking it out. (less)
I loved this book. The themes, the characters, the storylines - all of it was great. Hard to believe that such a young author was able to produce such...moreI loved this book. The themes, the characters, the storylines - all of it was great. Hard to believe that such a young author was able to produce such a masterpiece on her first try. All of the characters were flawed, but in ways that didn't prevent them from being loveable or becoming dehumanized. I think it is such a feat to make characters that are all screwed up, but that you still love - the more screwed up the better! My biggest pet peeve are characters that read suspiciously as being idealized projections of the author's self-perception, sometimes with minor little flaws, but nothing that feels very honest. This book was the antithesis of that. All the characters felt very honest and real. And best of all, each so entirely different from another. The scope of different characters really showcases how talented this author is. (less)
This book was so good. The book takes place in the 1980s in England. The main character is Nick guest, a young gay man living with the family of a Con...moreThis book was so good. The book takes place in the 1980s in England. The main character is Nick guest, a young gay man living with the family of a Conservative member of Parliment. The book touches on themes like money, politics, power, and the AIDS epidemic. I think that Nick Guest is the most vivid and endearing character ever. Alan Hollinghurst now has a spot at the top of my list of very favorite contemporary writers (along with Zadie Smith). The writing/style was so graceful & insightful I found myself underlining favorite passages as I went along. It's no wonder this book one the Booker Prize in 2004. Read it!!(less)
A really interesting look at the meat industry in America. Written from the perspective of a Japanese American woman producing a TV show for Japan, fi...moreA really interesting look at the meat industry in America. Written from the perspective of a Japanese American woman producing a TV show for Japan, financed by the American meat industry in order to boost meat consumption in Japan. A little preachy, but a good story, and really interesting/disturbing info about what we eat. (less)
By far the best of all the Maguire books. So good! This was one of those books where the author manages to build layers upon layers and by the end of...moreBy far the best of all the Maguire books. So good! This was one of those books where the author manages to build layers upon layers and by the end of the book you feel like you've been introduced to this whole universe. Explores the political/social dynamics of Oz. We follow the story of the "wicked witch" as she goes to college, becomes a social activist, and eventually the social recluse that is portrayed in the Wizard of Oz.
Don't expect the happy ending you see in "Wicked" the musical.
The sequel to this book was good (Son of a Witch), but a shadow of this one. (less)
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