Annalisa has
726 books
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| # | cover | title | author | isbn | isbn13 | asin | num pages | avg rating | num ratings | date pub | date pub (ed.) | rating | my rating | review | notes | recommender | comments | votes | read count | date started | date read |
date
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date purchased | owned | purchase location | condition | format | ||
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30
| 
| 0525478817
| 9780525478812
| 4.52
| 229,411
| 2012
| Jan 10, 2012
|
I stretched this read out because I wanted to savor it. I loved John Green's wit. I gave his characters a little leeway on the maturity scale, but sti...more
I stretched this read out because I wanted to savor it. I loved John Green's wit. I gave his characters a little leeway on the maturity scale, but still I didn't believe they could be this articulate. But I loved Green's writing so much, I didn't mind. Without the wit and endearing characters, this would be nothing but a book about cancer. Greens' characters feel real and quirky (and maybe all a little John-Green-esque) and I fell for them and felt for them. I cried for them. In unexpected ways, like Hazel's parents waiting for the loss they know is coming and Hazel trying not to be a grenade in their lives. And the complications of facing your own mortality and therefore being wise beyond your years but still having to live like a teenager with all its restrictions. And watching your friends die off and then deal with the shallowness of people who weren't there through the hard times. I loved the relationship with Hazel and Gus, but I thought the trip to Amsterdam was unnecessary. There was plenty at home to develop the relationship without the cheap detour. But then I met Peter Van Houten and he was a tool and I realized he was supposed to be a representation of Green. He could talk about how unimportant authors are in our experience of what we read, mock and degrade himself a little bit as the all-mighty author, and most importantly, apologize for writing this book. Everyone's experience with cancer is different and while Green makes his characters take light the way cancer victims often do, Green too has been affected by cancer and it is nothing to take lightly. Writing a book about cancer is a big undertaking. He set out to write something as powerful as An Imperial Affliction, but he is only John Green and so all he can give us is The Fault in Our Stars. Personally, I loved what he gave us. A book about cancer can be manipulative and overdone, but this is not. It's a personal, realistic look into the lives of those who are dying. For me, it was powerful and beautiful and rare. Favorite quotes: Depression is not a side effect of cancer. Depression is a side effect of dying. A nonhot boy stares at you relentlessly and it is, at best, awkward and, at worst, a form of assault. But a hot boy . . . well. That's the thing about pain. It demands to be felt. Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book. Caroline is no longer suffering from personhood. I bet you say that to all the boys who fiancé your international travel. It all felt Romantic, but not romantic. Grief does not change you, Hazel. It reveals you. What a slut time is. She screws everybody. I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once. Some tourists think Amsterdam is a city of sin, but in truth it is a city of freedom. And in freedom, most people find sin. Dutch is not so much a language as an ailment of the throat. The world is not a wish-granting factory. Some infinities are bigger than other infinities. The marks humans leave are too often scars. It occurred to me that the voracious ambition of humans is never sated by dreams coming true, because there is always the thought that everything might be done better and again. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for our little infinity. You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I'm grateful. The pleasure of remembering had been taken from me, because there was no longer anyone to remember with. It felt like losing your co-rememberer meant losing the memory itself, as if the things we'd done were less real and important than they had been hours before. You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world...but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Apr 05, 2012
| Apr 13, 2012
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Feb 22, 2012
| Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
13
| 
| 0061726818
| 9780061726811
| 3.95
| 71,515
| Mar 02, 2010
| Oct 25, 2011
|
Reading through Sam's last day of life, I was transported back to high school with those girls who were shallow, self-centered, and unaware and though...more
Reading through Sam's last day of life, I was transported back to high school with those girls who were shallow, self-centered, and unaware and thought they were cool and better than everyone else because they were shallow, self-centered, and unaware. I felt emotions I had not experienced in years, emotions I had long forgotten. Oliver captures that teenage-centric narcissism so vividly, so much more intently than I ever understood in high school, that I couldn't help but hate Sam and feel some level of vindictive justice. As she starts the same day over again, just as full of herself, I doubted Sam could grow enough to satisfy me. But she did. It was slow and painstaking at times; sometimes I wanted Sam to just get it and be fixed, but that wouldn't have been realistic. She needed to figure it out on her own and at her own pace. Oliver does an excellent job showing us that gradual shift from spoiled teenager to thoughtful person, realizing that there were consequences to her actions, that the universe did not revolve around her, that maybe popularity wasn't worth the price she'd paid for it. While I don't think Sam reached perfect self-actualization, I don't think I wanted her to. She had a long way to come and I believed a character that was aware but still a little bit selfish. Oliver is an amazing writer, so unobtrusive and descriptive. I didn't so much read this book as experience it. She manages to keep a day that is lived over and over again from being repetitive and gives us enough events in that day to give Sam plenty of chances to both mess up and unmess other people's lives. She manages to take a story that doesn't sound very original (Mean Girls vs. Groundhog Day) and own it. She manages to make me care about a girl that I couldn't stand, that represents very real girls that I couldn't stand (but not Lindsay; I never liked her). (view spoiler)[My only disappointment was that the day before the last seemed more perfect than the last. Not for Sam, who learned to fall (or fly), but for everyone else. Especially Kent. I think you can interpret the last day two ways: either Sam learned what she needed to learn to move on, or the final day was the way that day was fated to be and Sam needed to get to a point where she could make that sacrifice. It makes no difference to her, but it makes a difference to everyone else. Which day do they remember? If it's the first, that's too bad for Sam and the mess she left. If it's the last, she left a lot of people with unanswered questions. I get that she couldn't focus on Kent, but she teased him and gave him too little. Even though the day wasn't about him, I still wanted Sam to leave him with an apology and a goodbye. I think Sam believed the last day only happened in her memory and a perfect day included a goodbye kiss to Kent, but then she bothered to give Anna that book and Izzy her necklace and save Juliet. I think a part of her still wanted to leave a legacy. I wanted to believe that last day for Sam and Juliet and Kent and maybe even a little bit for Lindsay. Maybe I didn't hate her so much after all. I keep going back and forth on what day is the real day. Sometimes I think the first one is an obvious choice, but then there are things about the last day that make me think that maybe that one was real. Especially with Juliet. It's like Sam was being told "you're dead anyway. You can be selfish and claim that day, or you can use it to save someone's life." And that goes for Lindsay too. Getting drunk and killing your best friend would have messed her up. I think I believe the last day. At least I hope it. I love the ambiguity of it, but that it doesn't feel ambiguous. When you close the book, you know what happened, even though it could be interpreted on different levels. Either way, Sam took seven days to grow into the person she needed to be. For as sad as the ending is, there is so much redemption in. And that's what it's about, Sam's redemption, not Juliet's or Lindsey's or anyone else's. As hard as she tried, there was nothing she could do to affect change in anyone else. Lindsey can take the wake up call of her friend's death to change into a better person; Juliet can take Sam's sacrifice to get her through high school; or they can keep going on their set paths. Their redemption is up to them; all Sam could do was take what little she could in one day to encourage change in a lot of people. I can see this having an affect on teenage girls who might be caught up in their own lives and learn these lessons along with Sam. I'm an adult and I'll be thinking about this one for awhile. There's something amazing in Sam's growth and for that she gets five stars. (hide spoiler)](less) | Notes are private!
| 1
| Jun 09, 2010
| Jun 12, 2010
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Mar 19, 2010
| Paperback
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28
| 
| 4.15
| 143,785
| 1938
| 1997
|
None
| Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Jan 2011
| Jan 15, 2011
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Feb 03, 2010
| Paperback
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17
| 
| 0595440096
| 9780595440092
| 4.24
| 75,062
| Jun 13, 2007
| Jul 13, 2007
|
After you read this, you will never look at Alzheimer's the same again. Nor will you ever forget it. Oh the irony. I'd always correlated Alzheimer's di...more After you read this, you will never look at Alzheimer's the same again. Nor will you ever forget it. Oh the irony. I'd always correlated Alzheimer's disease with old age and heard the best way to combat it was to exercise your brain. I do my fair share of reading, can solve a Sudoku puzzle faster than 98% of the population, and I shun mindless chick flicks for your more intelligent thrillers, but I'll never be as brilliant as Alice, a 50-year-old Harvard professor diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. If she had been a little shallow to begin with or 20 years older. If my own aunt weren't suffering from an advanced stage of the disease right now. If I weren't feeling a little hazy myself when I'm up half the night with an infant. Maybe then I could have put another barrier between me and Alzheimer's, but I can't. Alice's story scared me. A lot. After all, what are we without the identity of our thoughts? So much for those Sudoku puzzles. I lived Alice's story right along with her, crying when she cried and smiling at her accomplishments. Telling your story from such an unreliable witness is a tough job and Genova handles it beautifully. As the book progresses, the scenes feel more and more misplaced. As a reader I was thrust into the situation along with Alice, unsure of the setting or the time or what had happened five minutes before. Genova also offers some poignant scenes where we the reader know what Alice has forgotten and our heart breaks for her. When she forgets her daughter, her husband, the layout of her house, how to lick an ice cream cone, we mourn the Alice lost right along with her and her family. I can't imagine losing everything I learned, all the way back to basic needs like how to walk, feed, or even use the bathroom. I felt Alice's frustration at forgetting words and people and most of all being shut out because she was stigmatized with this disease as though she were already dead. Because the narration is told through Alice, there are a few plot points that get lost, but I think we gain more than we lose from her perspective. And those lost points add to all she loses. Sometimes the descriptions of Boston get a little lengthy and the medical descriptions cold and drawn-out, giving the novel a little bit of a medical journal instead of novel feel, but I was still captivated by Alice and her plight, and I loved that Genova had the background to give us a real look into Alzheimer's, to make it come alive in the pages. (view spoiler)[My other disappointment with the story was that John got a chapter. It's only a page and half, but where Genova managed to tell everything else in the novel from a not-always-reliable Alice, she could have managed that chapter as well. Not a big issue and it didn't take away from the impact of the story. (hide spoiler)] Even though the story is told through Alice's unreliable eyes, I felt for each of the characters in her family as well. When I wanted to be angry at John for avoiding the disease, I couldn't. I felt for him. Having a spouse go through Alzheimer's must be one of the hardest things. Not only do you watch your spouse suffer and take on the role of full-time caretaker, a major life-changing physical and financial burden, but you lose your partner and confidante. And to experience early-onset when you should be experiencing some of the best of life is devastating. I could see why he didn't want to deal with it. I wouldn't want to see a parent go through this either. (view spoiler)[It didn't surprise me that Lydia was the one who adapted best to her mother's illness. Not only was she the most adaptable, but she had the most ground to repair with her mother. Sometimes I wanted to hug her. Anne was scheduled and meticulous and this didn't fit into her plan for life. I think I would react more like Anne, or maybe even John. (hide spoiler)] I don't know. It's hard to think about. I hope I never have to. I can't stop thinking about Alzheimer's and hoping they come up with a cure soon. Genova has done a fabulous job bringing attention to this debilitating disease and I love that she self-published because it was too important to wait. Kudos, Genova.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Jun 05, 2011
| Jun 12, 2011
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Jul 24, 2009
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
5
| 
| 1416548890
| 9781416548898
| 4.22
| 464,531
| 1936
| Jul 10, 2007
|
It takes guts to make your main character spoiled, selfish, and stupid, someone without any redeeming qualities, and write an epic novel about her. Bu...more
It takes guts to make your main character spoiled, selfish, and stupid, someone without any redeeming qualities, and write an epic novel about her. But it works for two reasons. First of all you wait for justice to fall its merciless blow with one of the most recognized lines in cinema ("frankly my dear, I don't give a damn"), but you end with a broken and somewhat repentant character and you can't be pitiless. Secondly, if you were going to parallel the beautiful, affluent, lazy, spirited South being conquered by the intellectual, industrious North, what better way to do that than with characters who embody those characteristics? You come to feel a level of sadness that the South and Scarlett lost their war and hope that they will rebuild. I enjoyed the picture of pre-war South outside of what you learn in history class approved by the nation that won the war. If the South had won, we would have an entirely different picture painted. A story of lush lands and prosperity abounding with chivalry and gentility by a (too) passionate people. If you visit the South today, you can see that all these generations later the wounds of the war and the regret at losing the way of life are still fresh. But if it had not been the civil war, it would have been by other means that the lazy sprawled out way of life would have been conquered by our efficient, compact, modern lives. I enjoyed the picture of plantations that did not abuse slaves to the extent that you read about in many memoirs. There was still a disrespect in that they viewed "darkies" as ignorant and childish and worthy of being owned, but there were those who cared for those in their trust. And the North who came down riling up the lowest of the slaves to flip the oppression did not want any contact with a race they feared. Prejudice takes many faces. Slavery is such an important part of American history, but I don't know that I agree with the format in which it is taught (at least the way it was taught to me). We take young, tolerant children and feed them stories of racism and abuse and then tell them the world is naturally prejudice (that they are prejudice) so don't be. White children start feeling awkward and aware and black children start feeling mistreated and aware. We manage to teach children about Indian and Holocaust history without the same enthusiasm to end racism by breeding racism. There has to be a better way. But I digress. I also enjoyed Mitchell showing the volatile formula in which the KKK was aroused, that it wasn't just a disdain for free darkies but a need to protect their women and children from the rash anger now imposed on them through this new regime. Not that there are any redeeming qualities in the KKK, or even the Southern rash justice by pistol shot to curb wounded pride, but it was interesting to learn the wider circumstances in which it arose. The entire picture of the Southern perspective from the hierarchy of slaves to the disdain of the reconstruction was enlightening. The post-war difficulties, that sometimes it's harder to survive than die, were some of my favorite epiphanies of the story. What everyone in the South went through, both white and black, after everything was deconstructed and they didn't know how to rebuild. It wasn't just about freeing slaves but about rebuilding an entire way of life and sometimes change, even good change, can be this scary and destructive. My one complaint about the book was at times the description was lengthy. I'd get a grasp for the emotions of Scarlett that are supposed to describe the emotions of all Southerners or the description of the land at Tara as a representation of the rich red soil all Southerners love and then Mitchell would go on for paragraphs or pages rehashing that feeling to pull the most emotion out of you. It worked, but sometimes I think she could have done so in fewer words. I view Scarlett as a representation of the South in which she loved. She did not care from whence the wealth came or believed that it would ever end. Because she was rich and important, she would conquer. As the Yankees attempted to rebuild the South, fresh in their embitterment at a war they did not want to fight, you can both see their reasoning and feel for the Southerners who were licked and then stomped on in their attempts to gain back of their life. You see that in Scarlett. On one hand you don't pity her and think she needs a lesson in poverty and on the other hand you want her to survive. Either she can lie down and cling to her old ways or she can debase herself and rebuild. Survival, not morality, is her strongest drive. Oh Scarlett. We all know people like her. People who unscrupulously use their womanly charms to get ahead and carry a deep disdain for those bound by concepts of kindness, morals, or intelligence and most especially for those who see them for what they are instead of being manipulated. People who care for nobody but themselves and who find enjoyment in life not in what they have, but in conquering the unattainable that is only desirable because it is out of reach. I loved how Mitchell showed Scarlett's decline from a religious albeit not believing girl who allowed her rationalization and avoidance to carry her from one sin to the next of intensifying degree. An excellent portrait of the degradation of character. Initially I thought she was the only character who wasn't growing, actually digressing. But by the end she does grow up. In no regard is this greater than in her eventual desire to be a mother. Turning from her ravenous post-war desire to survive to her acceptance of life and the people around her as the way they are, eventually Scarlett grows into the person she was meant to be. As did the South. Prideful and resentful, eventually they had to accept that they lost the war and take what was given them and try to make it work. Scarlett realizes that Melanie is not the weak, cowardly girl she always assumed but the most courageous character in the book and one who gets her means by influence and persuasion instead of Scarlett's uncivil ways. It is Melly, not Scarlett, who could get anything she desires and her heart is not her weakness but her greatest strength. Finally Scarlett values the importance of love and sees that it does not make one weak but deep to possess it. OK, I won't go that far. She's not intelligent enough to analyze love, but she grows up enough to fall for it anyway, to realize she needs people. She sees Ashley not as the strong, honorable character she had always esteemed but the weakest and least honorable character in the book. Anyone who would tease another woman with confessions of love just so he could keep her heart and devotion at arm's length is not truly honoring his marriage vows. The greatest gift he could give his wife was the knowledge that he loved her. And we all know that like any pretty toy, once Scarlett had taken him, she would have discarded him. The debasing knowledge that he is not fit for a rougher way of life doesn't endear him. For all his intelligence, he could have picked himself up by the bootstraps and made something of himself if he wanted to survive. He is a representation of the Old South that had to die but many couldn't let go of, even today. That's the sadness of the loss of the Southern way, still longing for the past instead of moving forward. Then we come to Rhett, the only character with the ability to conquer Scarlett, who was quite the devil. Just like the ladies in old Atlanta I found myself at times entranced by his charms, but often I did not like or trust him. I was often torn about the way he constantly encouraged Scarlett to fall another wrung on her morality ladder and mocked her emotions, mocked all of Southern civility. What annoyed me most about him was that he showed love by coddling his wife and child until they were spoiled, dependent, but not grateful, and this was his idea of being a good father and husband. And yet I sympathized with him and was often amused by him. More than anything I enjoyed his intelligence as a way for Mitchell to introduce the Yankee viewpoint, using his sarcasm as satire. I loved the whole discussion of his not being a gentleman and her no lady. More than anything I saw his slow conquering of Scarlett's heart as a parallel to the slow enveloping of the South by the North until they realized they were dependent on their conquerors but could still maintain their fierce spirit, a marriage of North and South. The fact that she could never fully understand him shows the divide between to two philosophies. But does the South lose in this blending? Can't they adopt the intellectual ways of the North and still maintain their civility? Just like Ashley, they would rather have dreamt and remembered than changed. The characters in the book are so vivid that like or dislike you cannot get them out of your head. There are no more vibrant characters in the history of literature that Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler. There is a reason this book is a classic. Everyone should read it at least once in their life to appreciate the civil war and understand the sadness and loss that enveloped the country.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Jan 2009
| Jan 12, 2009
|
Dec 31, 2008
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
29
| 
| 0739352245
| 9780739352243
| unknown
| 4.71
| 87,812
| Oct 01, 2007
| Oct 17, 2007
|
These are the first audiobooks I ever listened to and Jim Dale is fantastic. I didn't cry when I read the books, but I was bawling in the last one lis...more
These are the first audiobooks I ever listened to and Jim Dale is fantastic. I didn't cry when I read the books, but I was bawling in the last one listening to it. I'm afraid he's ruined me for other audiobooks in the future by setting the standard so high.(less)
| Notes are private!
| none
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1
| not set
| Oct 27, 2008
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Oct 03, 2008
| Audio CD
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1
| 
| 0545044251
| 9780545044257
| 4.71
| 87,812
| Oct 01, 2007
| Oct 01, 2007
|
I know I have specific reviews for each of the books, but I just wanted to add a general review, especially for those wondering what people, especiall...more
I know I have specific reviews for each of the books, but I just wanted to add a general review, especially for those wondering what people, especially adults, see in Harry Potter. When my brother was in junior high, he lent me his copies of books 1-4. Maybe it was because I was seeing the story through his eyes or that I wasn't expecting much from children's literature but I was surprised to find how entertaining and well written these books were. They had that "it" factor where you can't put it down and you can't stop thinking about when you do. But you've read the first book, maybe even the second, and cannot comprehend how someone would label these books as their favorite books, especially an adult? That is because the amazement, the depth, the attachment is gradual. The power of this series unfolds in books 5-7, mostly in 6. You expect me to read 4100 pages in a series and not really like it until the end? No. Read the first one and if it's entertaining (don't worry about amazement yet) read the second one. While I love the 2nd book, it's not everyone's favorite, so if you like it enough, read the 3rd which is many people's favorite. Just please don't quit until you've read the 4th. Don't worry they're quick reads. The reason I pick the 4th is because it is the pivotal book in the series. If you make it to the end of 4, you'll have to read 5 to make sure the world isn't overrun by evil. And if you read 5, you'll have to read 6 to find out how Harry could deal with such tragedy. And if you read 6, well I have no doubt you'll read 7 at that point. It's not just the cliffhanger but the ambiguity of it. You're not sure what to believe anymore at that point. And then you'll pity all of us who waited years for a resolution. So if you make it to 4, you'll be hooked. I haven't answered your question about why I find this series so amazing have I? I don't have 4100 pages, but here goes my attempt to condense all I love about Harry Potter in 7 reasons for 7 books: 1. This story preys upon every child's dream to be something more than ordinary. And for all humans, it preys on our subconscious desire for there to be a little magic in life. Explain the curious and give us all something to hope for in a universe we can escape to where the rules of own do not apply. 2. There's bound to be a character you relate to: the emotionally neglected boy who wants to be anything in life, that funny guy who isn't the smartest or the best looking but he knows how to make life happy, the self-motivated brain who craves acceptance through brilliance, even the kid with overbearing parents who expect much. And even the ones you don't relate to become real people as you watch them grow up, mature, and find their places in life. It amazes me that Rowling can write each character progressively from an 11-year-old child to a 17-year-old one, keeping all their personalities straight and yet evolving. 3. Rowling never underestimated her position as role model nor her character's ability to shape children's life. The book is clean (minus one well-placed swear word in the 7th book which is written at a 17-year-old level). There is no sex or even heavy making out, but there are the ups and downs of relationships as well as the sorrows and joys of teenagers growing up. It's relatable. The main heroine is not stupid or boy crazy, but a girl with a good head on her shoulders. The characters care about school, work hard to achieve their goals, and are loyal friends to each other. I think Rowling made a point to include role models she'd want her own children to emulate. 4. The books are fairly well written and humorous. While I think sometimes Rowling tries too hard, her writing isn't bad by any measure. I could not endorse a series with cheesy, slow, over-the-top, sordid, grammatically incorrect, wordy, choppy, incoherent, nonsensical, or any other writing style that distracted from the story. 5. Each book is packed with page-turning plots. Very few places in the series ever drag and the slowest is actually vital to the storyline. The world has changed its consciousness to include Quidditch, muggles, and spell names because these books are exciting. In every book we learn something new about magic and we find Harry closer to his destiny. While we all know we are moving along to that ultimate battle, the entertainment in each book stands alone. I wouldn't have made it to end if I ever felt Rowling was trying to fill up space and time to make it there. 6. The story is deep and enduring. While there is a lot of description, the story flows quickly, and that description, wow, it's there for a reason. And yes it will take you 4100 pages to fully understand why Harry's cape in 1, Tom's journal in 2, the Potters death in 3, Voldemort's bond in 4, Snape's memories in 5, and Dumbledore's hand in 6 are important. And it will amaze you. The extent of Rowling's imagination, the depth of the story, and the definitive plan from the start. You will be satisfied that this epic tale had an ending and a plan and everything works toward that end. As someone who loves symbolism, I loved the underlying themes: the universal good vs evil, Christian themes, the parallels between the Nazis and the Ministry, the statements about activists, prejudices, and so much more. There is so much that encompasses these pages. 7. My absolutely favorite thing about this series is how it comes full circle. You start the series with a fun magical tale of a nobody boy who finds out that not only is there a world with witches and wizards but that he is one of the most important people in this world. Sure it's entertaining but it's not deep. Then you get to the end when you see that same boy as an adult standing in the same spot his adventures began and you start to see the story from other points of view. The second time I read the series I couldn't just see Harry's light-hearted experiences, but Dumbledore's careful hand as he guided and prepared this boy for a mission in life that not many people could handle. To see this small sad boy and know the sacrifices he had to make, somehow prepare him without letting him know the extent of the personal hell he will have to endure, and to love him enough to teach him and somehow be able to let him go in the end--well that is not a story a child could understand. That is a story for an adult. This is one series that deserves its hype and fame. The story pulls you along, the characters feel like friends, and in the end I could not close the last book without feeling like a chapter in my own life had ended. I cried. I couldn't be done with the series and I had to immediately read the entire set again to help get over my sense of loss at being done with Harry Potter. I don't get attached to many things and I cry over less, but this series is one that will always be close to my heart.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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4
| not set
| Jul 2007
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Aug 31, 2008
| Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
16
| 
| 0375836675
| 9780375836671
| 4.11
| 34,081
| 2002
| May 09, 2006
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I can't seem to get enough Zusak. Once again his language is magic. Instead of falling into the "he (or she) said" pitfall, the dialogue takes on the...more
I can't seem to get enough Zusak. Once again his language is magic. Instead of falling into the "he (or she) said" pitfall, the dialogue takes on the action of the predominant emotion. If he wants to reach for a friend, the words reach. And the way he breaks his sentences to evoke emotional pauses is poetic. Plus it makes his stories delectably quick to read. The perfect combination of length and pause. But his prose is not even the most powerful thing about his writing. Zusak pulls the words lingering on the edge of your brain as if you'd written them yourself. In a way, his writing transcends language. Here we have an ordinary 19-year-old taxi driver who is going nowhere with his life and has no plans to ever make something of himself either. When Ed inadvertently foils a bank robbery, he is praised as a local hero. Some people have it in them to make a stand, to be more than ordinary. That's when the assignments come. Written on the ace of diamonds are three addresses. Ed must figure out who is in need of help at these locations and what he can do to touch their lives. As Ed engulfs himself into these strangers' lives he learns to care for them personally and insightfully discovers a message for them that will alter their lives. Sometimes the messages are easy to deliver, other times they require all he can muster to give. But always he finds the courage to follow through. And his answers are never what I would expect. "There are countless saints who have nothing to do with church and almost no knowledge of God. But they say God walks with those people without them ever knowing it." As we follow Ed through his journey from "just another stupid person" to messenger, we see him grow emotionally as the assignments touch him deeper. In touching other people's lives he finds the purpose in his, his way of being great. At one point he says he thought he was doing one of these people a favor but "I realize it's the opposite. I'm the privileged one." Is that not how it always is? We don't want to get involved with helping other people, even developing new friendships, because it require something from us. But what we fail to realize is what we get out of it is more than what we put in it. The effort to connect with people instead of drift through each other's lives is always worth it. This book could almost be church worthy if it weren't for the swearing and sex. It took me a second read through the twist at the end to make the connection. If you don't understand who the random stranger sitting on his couch is, give it a second read because it adds to the purpose of the novel. I think the tool was more surreal when Vonnegut used it, but here its purpose is to bring home the powerful message of the last card and so intense in its own way. We are left with our own challenge. We find our own names on an ace and we can take this message as ours: that anyone, no matter how ordinary can be great, and put it to practice in our own lives. Or we can discard our aces and go back to going through the motions. (less) | Notes are private!
| amy
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1
| not set
| Jul 03, 2008
|
May 22, 2008
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
4
| 
| 0375831002
| 9780375831003
| 4.35
| 304,195
| Sep 01, 2005
| Mar 14, 2006
|
Sometimes a book touches you and it's not just the subject matter or the vivid characters or the poetic writing but all of it: the magic of a perfect...more
Sometimes a book touches you and it's not just the subject matter or the vivid characters or the poetic writing but all of it: the magic of a perfect ensemble. What an interesting topic. I was not expecting this book to be about the Holocaust (one of my favorite subject matters) but what makes it unique is it is not a biography (when truth is stranger than fiction you stick to the horror of truth) but a tale told by death personified. "Even death has a heart." Death who tells you the end before the middle in a creative form of foreshadowing. Death makes such an interesting narrator not only for his nonchronological sequence, but because of his viewpoint. Death is a compassionate caretaker in love with the beauty of life, particularly the intensity of colors. It is the prose that makes this story work. The setting is one we are all too familiar with its sorrow, but you juxtapose it with the beauty of imagery like "the suffocation of sleep," "a rumor of sunshine stood behind the clouds," "the rain was stained," or "the stickiness of people" and you find feeling in the horror. You tell the story from an unbiased death who can see resolution during struggle and who comforts souls as they exit the brutality of humanity, and World War II becomes a setting for a story, not a retelling of history. This story is about the power of words and Zusak is an expert artist molding them for optimal beauty and sadness. It goes without saying that if he can weave words to make you feel, he can weave them to make you care for the characters, to draw you into the story, to create a reality that settles in for lingered reflection. The characters in this story are so vivid. The way they bring art and feeling to such an emotionally dead time in history is truly beautiful. I just loved Liesel. I felt for her. On the one hand I wanted to shelter her from the tumultuous times surrounding her and yet I enjoyed the growth and strength her character underwent throughout the book. It is this child tough enough to beat the boys at soccer and soft enough to read a gravedigger's handbook because it ties her to her family that has so much life in her you can't help but root for her. And how could you not love the charismatic Rudy who wants to be Jesse Owens? I wanted so much for Rudy. Rosa showing her love in her bitterness, the kind-hearted Hans too good to fall in line in a Nazi state, and Max the gentle broken Jew. All of them so full of life they're almost too vibrant for the gray detachment this era is normally colored with. Such a powerful story. In the hands of Zusak it becomes a piece of art. It's no mystery I love the power of the perfect words, and I found myself stopping to track down tidbits of pure poetry. Some of my favorite quotes from the book: "To feel such love without knowing it, mistaking it for laughter and bread with only the scent of jam spread out on top of it." "Two weeks to change the world, and fourteen days to ruin it." Commentary by death: "It kills me sometimes, how people die." "I see their ugly and their beauty and I wonder how the same thing can be both." "I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right." "The same thing could be so ugly and so glorious and its words and stories so damning and brilliant."(less) | Notes are private!
| Michelle
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1
| not set
| May 19, 2008
|
Feb 12, 2008
| Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
14
| 
| 0618724834
| 9780618724833
| 4.10
| 13,099
| May 21, 2007
| May 21, 2007
|
It was cute, which can be delightful in young adult. I wish I would have read this story when I was younger and the message had a stronger impact on m...more
It was cute, which can be delightful in young adult. I wish I would have read this story when I was younger and the message had a stronger impact on me. It's funny with a quirky sense of humor, one that I appreciated more as an adult than I think I would have as a youth. It's a touching coming of age tale with a great message. My favorite character was the teacher too; what an inspiration. It's a fun, quick read that leaves you smiling. (less)
| Notes are private!
| Jill
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1
| not set
| Mar 31, 2008
|
Feb 12, 2008
| Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
7
| 
| 0618711651
| 9780618711659
| 3.99
| 159,991
| Apr 04, 2005
| Apr 04, 2006
|
I have a hard time writing reviews for books that are so eloquently written because I can't improve or analyze any better than book has already done....more
I have a hard time writing reviews for books that are so eloquently written because I can't improve or analyze any better than book has already done. The writing was imaginative, intellectual, and artistically different in a way that pulled you into the story because you are experiencing something so unique. The illustrations were amusing and the quirky and sad 9-year-old main character endearing. I loved reading a scene from his perspective and then finding out a different perspective when you read it from someone else's point of view. I found the grandfather annoying and verging on too artistically sad, but lovable nonetheless. I did however really like the grandmother, the mom, and the lonely upstairs neighbor. It deals with loss and how each of the characters handle it, never able to move past their own cycles of grief or truly understand how others are dealing with their own tragedies. Even though the book was intelligent, it was still quick to read. I love that. A book to savor.(less)
| Notes are private!
| Lori
|
1
| not set
| Feb 2008
|
Feb 12, 2008
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
22
| 
| 038572179X
| 9780385721790
| 3.79
| 193,724
| Sep 21, 2001
| Feb 25, 2003
|
There are so many angles and perceptions to consider in this book. Sometimes the end can make a book and that is certainly the case here where the sto...more
There are so many angles and perceptions to consider in this book. Sometimes the end can make a book and that is certainly the case here where the story is left open for interpretation. This is a book that leaves you thinking and considering, making up your own conclusions--and strong enough characters to make you want to. The first few chapters I did find my mind wandering through lengthy descriptions (I'll call it beautiful, poetic scenery), and yet that scenery set a lackadaisical feel vital to the innocence and peace of that opening day. It's not just the easy-going feel of pre-war life McEwan was portraying. On a second read, I find a strain, a desire to understand every motive and action. And in those details I find sadness that life never moved on. It was played over and over again trying to find meaning and purpose to each detail. The slowness is painstaking analysis. There is a reason for the meticulous care with which each detail is described and the read well worth the persistence to the end. Even from the beginning I was intrigued with the story and found the characters compelling. I just loved Briony's capricious character, her innocent yet eloquently advanced mind. I could despise the nosy little sister and sympathize with the fearful inactive girl all in one breath. I could hate Paul's conceit and Lola's pleas for attention and understand the muteness all the same. But mostly I could sympathize and relate to Robbie and Cecilia as likable characters, wanting to add more time to their brief, interrupted interactions. I found myself ever-fearful for the end and therefore could not put the book down. Spoilers in my analysis to death. Despite Briony's foreshadowing (saying she would rewrite the fountain scene from all perspectives), I did not suspect the end. I expected the separation but not the invention of this whole story. Because of the story in a story format, you can interpret the few authentic scenes anyway you like and not take her word for any of it. That is what I love about the story, particularly on a second read, that I can question motives assigned to characters instead of take it for face value. At one point reading Robbie's thoughts I considered the layers: Ewan writing Briony writing Robbie and paused in awe at McEwan's talent. Because of the layers, McEwan has the unique opportunity to add insight and symbolism, even study questions as commentary. Take Briony's comment when relieved to see Robbie at Cecilia's that Robbie's death would have been "outlandish, against all odds" and would have made no sense. Or the letter from the editor telling her the story was incomplete: "how might [her misunderstanding:] affect the lives of the two adults?" And while vivid her descriptions of light and shade she should create "light and shade within the narrative itself." To which you can't help but wonder about light and shade in the story and characters. In what other novel can the author analyze his own work and insert his own cues for study? I was confused at the drastic abbreviation of Robbie's war tour--though I enjoyed considering the shrapnel as a physical expression of his hidden wound. It was so obvious why the section quit there, but I couldn't believe it ended there; I had to hold out hope however thin the thread. I thought Briony's atonement would come as a nurse on duty, and I held my breath waiting for the improbable meeting. Her interaction with the dying French boy showed how much she wanted that redemption from Robbie by consoling and listening to what cannot be fixed. How she longed for closure with him. I doubt Robbie hated Briony. In her self-deprecation her interpretation is harsh. I think exasperation at a nosy child whom you adore but all of a sudden can't approach because her vivid imagination has turned to fear is sufficient emotion. I liked Robbie enough to think he could have forgiven her. If anything he was the one who was understanding and forgiving while Cecilia was ready to throw out her family to show her commitment to Robbie. I think Cecilia and Robbie were on the verge of forgiving Briony, but Briony could not allow herself to believe so without diminishing her guilt. She states "neither Briony nor the war had destroyed" their love. Even though she says so about her made-up gift of an ending, can't she see some redemptive power for herself, even in the "bleakest realism"? I was so confused at the unexpected way the reunion scene between Robbie and Celia. It was so implausible and awkward and I wondered how the story had gotten off course and how Robbie had gotten there from France. His reaction was not anything like I expected, that after everything he had been through, he could still hold that much hate for Briony. And yet that was its intention. On a second read, it's one of my favorite parts as she gives us a glimpse of the verbal rebut she so longed for and some of the best layered meanings. I love how her novel sprouted from a desire to amend, but offered as a response to Robbie's invented request: "She knew what was required of her...a new draft, an atonement." While Briony should take culprit for the loss of several years, she can't for their entire lives, for the years fate and the war stole away. And she can't even take full credit for those years. It was not her "crime" but her interpretation of one that fueled the problem. She spent her life in remorse, letting her decision shape her life and self worth. I think she more than paid her debt for what was a misunderstanding, a mistake, not cruel revenge. She got caught up in her perception and forced facts to fit her assumptions--ones she full-heartedly believed. It is Lola unwilling to admit her part in the sexual encounter that should be atoning. Paul with his unrepentant spirit that should atone for another man paying for his crime. And even her mother making the improbable leap from inappropriate love letter to assault to break a servant's son connection with her daughter. Surely, she is just as guilty but seems unwillingly to accept her part in losing relationships with both her daughters. Briony is the only one in this story willing to atone for the tragedy. I didn't find her silence at the wedding cowardice: what good would it have served to ruin yet another couple's happiness? Her appearance was sufficient. I wish Cecilia were more vocal the night they waited for his return. Sure the social class and unacceptable library behavior restrained her, but I wanted passion as proof of her love. Her silence annoyed and confused me as much as Briony's self-righteous witness angered me. But despite her hesitation that night, considering Cecilia's drastic reaction to her family, I want to believe the relationship must have been long-term, more serious. I'd like to think as her atonement Briony was as hard on herself as possible. I want to think that instead of unrequited love there was secret love undiscovered away from home but unable to pass inquisitive eyes. It doesn't atone, but it makes it less severe. Briony's initial reaction to the fountain scene was that Robbie was proposing marriage. It could be accurate that Briony happened upon a lover's quarrel: Cecilia wanted to keep the relationship hushed from her parents and when Robbie was too personal in broad daylight she snapped. The letter could have been a joke from a guy asking for a moment alone with his girlfriend and in it his hesitance to jump from playful to committed. The story invented, while the most probable, was the most severe option she could conjure up and not the one I wanted to believe. I know I'm grasping at straws, but I want to believe Briony was wrong. The beauty of the story is I can. The fact that I cared enough about the characters to want that for them, to simmer over it after I closed the book, reluctant to have it end, testifies to the power of the story. Despite my longing, I wouldn't necessarily consider the story of Robbie and Cecilia a complete tragedy. If one had survived to grieve and hate then yes, but to have such intense love (to have "a reason for life" as Cecilia put it) and be reunited after a short time gives their lives meaning and purpose and only makes it tragic for Briony left to regret the consequences of her rash judgment without ever hope of reconciliation. There in lies the tragedy: in a girl's life altered, not in the love story. Some of my favorite quotes: It wasn't only wickedness and scheming that made people unhappy, it was confusion and misunderstanding; above all, it was the failure to grasp the simple truth that other people are as real as you. And only in a story could you enter there different minds and show how they had a equal value. That was the only moral a story need have. The cost of oblivious daydreaming was always this moment of return, the realignment with what had been before and now seemed a little worse. (Robbie of meeting Cecilia) It would be worse, but he still wanted it. he had to have it. He wanted it to be worse. Every now and then quite unintentionally someone taught you something about yourself. (Robbie & Cecilia uttering each other's names) It sounded like a new word--the syllables remained the same, the meaning was different. (Briony on guilt) How quite refined the methods of self-torture, invading the beads of detail into an eternal loop, a rosary to be fingered for a lifetime. Memories--bleached colorless through overuse. With the clarity of passion A person is, among all else, a material thing, easily torn and not easily mended. She was the sort of girl who lived in her thoughts. It was common enough to see so much death and want a child, common therefore human, and he wanted it all the more. When the wounded were screaming, you dreamed of sharing a little house somewhere, of an ordinary life, a family line, connection. Now was her chance to proclaim in public all the private anguish and purge herself of all that she had done wrong. Before the altar of this most rational of churches. To Briony it appeared her life was gong to be lived in one room without a door. What she felt was more like homesickness though there was no source for it, no home. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
2
| not set
| Mar 31, 2008
|
Feb 12, 2008
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
15
| 
| 0061246476
| 9780061246470
| 4.19
| 3,983
| unknown
| Aug 15, 2006
|
Now that I am pursuing books for my daughter to devour (in hopes of luring her away from a Junie B. Jones who does not understand the beauty of adver...more
Now that I am pursuing books for my daughter to devour (in hopes of luring her away from a Junie B. Jones who does not understand the beauty of adverbs) I remembered my favorite child character was Ramona. I hope she loves her as much as I did. (less)
| Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| not set
| Jan 1984
|
Oct 24, 2007
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
25
| 
| 0451163966
| 9780451163967
| 4.15
| 246,402
| 1962
| Feb 01, 1963
|
It's been many years since I stumbled upon this read and at the time it was my favorite. This is the story of a guy in the 1960s who pleads insanity t...more
It's been many years since I stumbled upon this read and at the time it was my favorite. This is the story of a guy in the 1960s who pleads insanity to avoid prison time and ensues upon a power struggle with the head nurse of the mental ward who does not believe him sick. It is written from the perspective of a quiet, observant Indian who has psychotic episodes, which makes the story interesting, but then again I love all things psychology. His perspective is not always accurate and often you find yourself in the midst of one of his delusional episodes and have to decipher for yourself what exactly is happening. The character development is great, especially your hatred of nurse Hatchet, and the quirky peculiarities of the mental ward routine (ala Rainman "Judge Wapner 3 o'clock") are entertaining. You learn to care for these characters and want them to overcome the tyranny of the nursing staff so when they question demands and retaliation ensues to restore order, you feel invested in the outcome of the patients. A fascinating read. My one warning would be, from what I remember, strong language and some sexual content. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| not set
| Jan 1994
|
Oct 24, 2007
| Mass Market Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
9
| 
| 1400031044
| 9781400031047
| 4.15
| 19,288
| 1972
| Mar 11, 2003
|
Powerful. This is the story of a Hasidic Jew who is a gifted painter, a talent not approved of among orthodox Jews. His life becomes a struggle betwee...more
Powerful. This is the story of a Hasidic Jew who is a gifted painter, a talent not approved of among orthodox Jews. His life becomes a struggle between his father--who tries to stir him away from the arts to more traditionally accepted hobbies all the while trying to understand him--and his need to draw to express himself. I could sympathize with all the characters in the book: his father for trying to hold onto his religious convictions without dominance but love, his mother for trying to love and encourage her son while staying at one with her husband, the mentor for his love and devotion to art, and especially Asher for trying to balance it all. I loved that it wasn't a story about how his parents rejected him because he was different but tried to understand and love their son the best way they knew how and still maintain their faith. It was an honest parent/child relationship and I think Asher valued his faith and his parents more for their attempt at understanding him. I enjoyed learning about Hasidic Jews and understanding their religious convictions as well as experiencing the aesthetic pull to explain the world through art. The backdrop was so real to me that I could feel this boy's life. My one complaint would be that I still wonder what a few of terms mean. Like what exactly does Ladover mean? Asher says this of painting: "I paint my feelings. I paint how I see and feel about the world. But I paint a painting, not a story." I absolutely loved that the writing style correlates with a painting style. Asher is non-descriptive about his feelings, only stating his replies to people's questions instead of delving inside his own emotions. Just a painting, the reader is left to interpret those for himself. The story flows through the years smoothly, but it is the writing style that puts it on a higher level. When style can add another layer by making you feel Asher's love of painting, it makes the book beautiful. The reason this is one of my favorite books is that I connected with this book on a deeply personal level. As someone who dabbles with the art of writing and an extremely religious person, I often wonder how I would balance art and religion. I hate that it has to be a choice, but if you are going to commit yourself that deeply to an art, there will come a time when you have to pick your art or your faith. I hope I would pick faith, but where I draw the line may different than someone else's and therefore I run the risk of offending. Part of being an artist is coming to terms with this displacement. It is the reason I empathized with Asher and come back to his story time and again in my own quest to balance it all.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| not set
| Feb 2008
|
Oct 24, 2007
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
10
| 
| 0060987510
| 9780060987510
| 4.39
| 28,992
| Jan 22, 1998
| Mar 01, 1999
|
The reason I loved this book comes down to one word: authenticity. I bought into this woman's life and believed these characters. I have this vivid pi...more
The reason I loved this book comes down to one word: authenticity. I bought into this woman's life and believed these characters. I have this vivid picture in my mind of this ranch out in the middle of nowhere with Sarah out there putting laundry on the line with a pistol tucked in her rugged apron. I don't like western movies or get into frontier stories and was worried, especially by the title, that the grammar would rake on my nerves. But the story is about a thirst for education as much as anything else and as Sarah learns, her writing improves. It may be rare to find a woman in the late 1800s who wants to go to college, considers women on the same level as men and doesn't want a man to care for her, and treats Mexicans and Indians as her own white neighbors, but there is enough 19th-century humility, morality, and territory toughness to keep her era appropriate. Unlike Little House on the Prairie with obvious '80s-era actors fighting against stigmas of the day, I found Sarah to be the perfect frontier woman, a little forward thinking, but just enough to make her yearning add to her perfection. We find all kinds of characters in the book: Indians, Army men, ranchers, Mexicans, Quakers, spoiled Easterners, foreigners, even polygamist Mormons, all minor characters splattered throughout Sarah's life to give us a feel for the type of people around the territories in those days. Mingled with the mundane, which I found interesting, was enough excitement, like Indian attacks and the danger of women alone, to make me want to keep reading. It gave me the sense of how fragile life could be with attacks, childbirth, disease, and nature. Turner did a fantastic job of giving us a picture of life on the early frontier without making it feel like she's teaching us what life on the early frontier is like. You find out the chore it is to cook a long meal and put together a bath without running water because Sarah is exasperated without any help. Through Sarah's commentary we learn about housing conditions, cattle herding, adjusting and making clothes, mail and bank systems, conditions on wagon trains, and even conjugal issues with whispered conversations with Savannah. These were my favorite, especially Savannah's Quaker rigidness strictly against kissing before marriage. Occasionally, like the article describing their new home with indoor plumbing, I felt pulled out of the story with the intention clear to educate on the times more than describe Sarah's life, but overall the description felt like Sarah's life and not overview. The other authentic aspect of the book that I loved was the love story. Not your unrealistic perfect man who can do no wrong which creates a man who is overbearing or too emotionally unrealistic. No, this is a real-life love story about a relationship that makes you crazy mad and impatient at the same time. Love through the ups and downs of life. A man who is stubborn in being himself but even though he understands her better than herself, requires her not to change either, who just wants to be with her and finds all her imperfections endearing. It's the guy who may be a little rough on the outside, not the one who knows just how to smooth talk his way into your heart, who will treat you like gold. I really enjoyed their story, and the suffering and learning she had to go through to get there. The perfect combination of excitement and believability to make me want to read the story and feel that it could really have happened.(less) | Notes are private!
| Hannah
|
1
| not set
| Nov 08, 2008
|
Oct 24, 2007
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
11
| 
| 0739326228
| 9780739326220
| 4.00
| 783,500
| Sep 23, 1997
| Nov 15, 2005
|
What I love most about this book is how well it puts you into Japanese culture in the early 20th century. The characters, both loved and hated, are de...more
What I love most about this book is how well it puts you into Japanese culture in the early 20th century. The characters, both loved and hated, are deep, multi-faceted embodiments of that culture. Sometimes while reading a book the stage set by the author becomes more real than your own surroundings. You become so enthralled in the story that you almost believe if you visited the era you could walk into a scene from the book. Even years later the details remain firm in your mind. This is a well-written, strong book that also enlightens and explains Japanese culture. I loved learning exactly what a geisha is and what the Japanese value and desire in them. I was both interested and at times appalled at Japanese cultural tendencies and forever twisted into this girl's life. A fantastic read. (less)
| Notes are private!
| Analise
|
1
| not set
| May 2004
|
Oct 13, 2007
| Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
23
| 
| 0141185473
| 9780141185477
| 4.25
| 21,659
| 1971
| Dec 01, 2000
|
When I started this book, I was drawn in by the poetic writing style, but not Lyman's story. But once the tale weaved into the grandma's, I was hooked...more
When I started this book, I was drawn in by the poetic writing style, but not Lyman's story. But once the tale weaved into the grandma's, I was hooked. I didn't worry about where the story was taking me or why, I just jumped into Susan's life and mind. I related so much Oliver, the hard-working husband, good to the core to the point of vulnerability, stubborn, and clam-like in confrontation. Susan, the artistic one, trying to hold onto a semblance of herself and taking for granted his small deeds of kindness. I don't know if it was the similarities or the picturesque writing, but the story engulfed me. The story of Susan's and Oliver's life, marriage, love, are told from the perspective of their historian grandson who pieces it back together through letters and historical facts. Just as you become engrossed, Stegner pulls you back into Lyman's as he discusses where he found the information or why he doesn't have more. It was interesting to see this marriage now gone and past from the eyes of a grandchild trying to understand what about the beginning resulted in the end. Though it is not a quick read, it is worth the time I invested in their lives. It left me thinking about older married couples having the same old fights that seem ridiculous, but there is so much welding to one another's personality that their marriage becomes a personality of its own. It left me thinking about what it would take it my life to make me lie down and give up and the times I have conceded to my worst fears only to turn back fervently against them and fight. But most of all, it left me wanting to fight for a marriage that constantly grows and regenerates and doesn't stagnate to a safe emotional distance. The book left me wanting more, of my Susan and Oliver, of my own life.(less) | Notes are private!
| Jordan
|
1
| not set
| Jun 2007
|
Oct 13, 2007
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
8
| 
| 0316769177
| 9780316769174
| 3.76
| 1,097,605
| 1951
| Jan 30, 2001
|
I love this book. I really do. Years after first reading it, I bought a copy and the book has been sitting on my shelf ever since. That red cover has o...more I love this book. I really do. Years after first reading it, I bought a copy and the book has been sitting on my shelf ever since. That red cover has occasionally caught my eye and I'd toy with the idea of revisiting Holden's story. But I've been afraid. What if Holden didn't stand up to the pedestal he occupies in memory? What if J.D. Salinger isn't as amazing of a writer as I once remembered? When he died, I knew it was time to justify that position on my favorite books shelf. It took me a week and half to read this book because I wanted to savor it. What a powerful story teller (if only he'd learn how to break a few paragraphs every once in awhile). Love or hate Holden, you get Holden. That moment when he held the snowball and looked out over the snowy street below, unable to throw the snowball because it looked too pretty, was such a fabulous example of showing us Holden's personality and his insecurities about himself in the world, that it made me smile. So much of his quirky personality, word choice, exaggerations and the way J.D. Salinger writes it with such power and metaphor made me smile (well minus the use of about the only swear words that makes me cringe). I have a weakness for good boy protagonists. Girls get whiny and annoying, but boys bottle it up so you want to protect them. I found the scene where Holden fights with his roommate for saying he messed around with a girl he liked so powerful. You can feel the emotion breathing off Holden and know exactly what he's thinking despite what he says. For all his angst, Salinger gives us enough of his emotional breakdowns and his show of good heart that you feel for him, even if you want to shake him. Dealing with his brother's death and his insecurities about living up to his family, he's falling apart, but even those who see that he needs don't get that his alienation and apathy are self preservation. I can't help but think that he wanted to protect kids so much because he needed someone protecting him. He's such a child, his whole character full of irony. He needs his own catcher in the rye, standing on the edge of that cliff to make sure he doesn't fall.(less) | Notes are private!
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3
| Feb 09, 2010
| Feb 20, 2010
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Oct 13, 2007
| Paperback
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26
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| 0521618746
| 9780521618748
| 3.99
| 276,049
| 1602
| Aug 01, 2005
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None
| Notes are private!
| none
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1
| not set
| Jan 1992
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Oct 13, 2007
| Paperback
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27
| 
| 0020199600
| 9780020199601
| 3.79
| 1,160,317
| 1925
| Aug 01, 1988
|
The book starts off a little slow and I wasn't quite sure what direction it was taking, but by the end I'm left with such a melancholy feeling I wante...more
The book starts off a little slow and I wasn't quite sure what direction it was taking, but by the end I'm left with such a melancholy feeling I wanted to devour it again the minute I closed it. Yes, it has it's place as an American classic. I could feel the desperation of the American Dream in this short novel. Poor Gatsby, who dedicated his life to being good enough for a shallow girl with a magical voice when old money would never accept cheap money. His parties were so needy it was depressing. I could visualize all those moochers who feed off his wealth for a good time when they were never there to accept him and even gossiped about him in his own home. Although Fitzgerald couldn't have known at the time how the opulence of the twenties would crash into the Depression of the thirties, I could feel a warning in his display of the overindulgence, the inability to see past oneself, the complete lack of moral and social consequence. If only we could learn from the past. Not a single character in this book is likable, except for maybe Nick--who was too inactive to be too likable but I still liked his counterbalance to the overindulgence and his reality check on the American Dream--and Jordan who isn't so much likable as much as interesting. But all the characters are strong and quirky and classic. I particularly hated Tom. I was so angered with him at his last meeting with Nick that I wanted to strangle him. I wanted to see some fear or regret in him, but he couldn't see past his own nose. He couldn't see that the pain he felt was the same pain he caused. So shallow and self-involved it was almost sad. He and Daisy deserved each other. Daisy was never worth the pedestal Gatsby put her on. Since I read this in high school, I've always pictured Daisy Buchanan when I think about unrequitted love, especially love that has warped over time to be something bigger than it originally was, something unattainable and unrealistic. I hated the way Daisy used up Gatsby and then spit him out when he wasn't worth anything to her anymore. And I hated that Gatsby let her, that he put her on that pedestal and spend five years trying to be something for her instead of for himself or his family or something other than greed and childish love. Gatsby is such a great tragic character, not only because of what happens to him, but because he is so naive about the wealth and people around him. It's what makes Fitzgerald's irony and satire of the American Dream so desperate. I loved the New York Fitzgerald paints and his scarce analogy, leaving us the reader to define the novel. I loved this book in high school so much I read an anthology of F. Scott Fitzgerald's short stories (my favorite of which is Bernice Bobs Her Hair and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button). Along with Catcher in the Rye, I consider The Great Gatsby to be the Quintessential American novel and F. Scott Fitzgerald one of my favorite authors. Reread 11/21-11/28/11(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| Jan 1991
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Oct 13, 2007
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2
| 
| 0061120081
| 9780061120084
| 4.22
| 1,405,007
| 1960
| May 23, 2006
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None
| Notes are private!
| none
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2
| Aug 05, 2010
| Aug 07, 2010
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Oct 13, 2007
| Paperback
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3
| 
| 0679783261
| 9780679783268
| 4.23
| 973,043
| 1813
| Oct 10, 2000
|
The mother of all love stories, Pride and Prejudice is the perfect novel. We do not begin with flawless characters and a whirlwind lust that must be j...more
The mother of all love stories, Pride and Prejudice is the perfect novel. We do not begin with flawless characters and a whirlwind lust that must be justified into love. No, we begin with acquaintances who despise each other and in the slow understanding that deepens their appreciation, as well as ours, the love that sprouts surprises even them. A love that is founded in friendship and deep-seated in true understanding is one that will last a lifetime and in our cases for generations. Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy are a part of our collective conscious. Gratefully they are strong and lovable enough to deserve it. Lizzy has to be one of my favorite heroines of all time: her wit and stubbornness are perfectly balanced by her heart and good nature. Mr. Darcy is the perfect man: quiet, dignified, unassuming, slow to gain your trust and then a staunch friend/lover. I love the subtlety of minor characters, especially the father's methods of dealing with his silly wife. The scene where mutual love is quietly pronounced has to be one of my all-time favorite scenes in literature: all that bottled up passion, and they don't even touch each other. Austen does a superb job of making you feel the desire emanating from them. I love Mr. Darcy's proposal almost as much: his conflicting love, her shock and rage, the banter between them. The book so full of delightful dialogue and Austen's own insights, it is delightful. Even the opening line makes me smile. This novel is the standard by which all subsequent love stories are compared. Many have tried to recreate or top this book, but it is an impossible feat.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| not set
| Jun 2005
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Oct 13, 2007
| Paperback
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20
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| 0312311354
| 9780312311353
| 4.25
| 14,040
| 1946
| Dec 20, 2002
|
If you want to read a good Holocaust survivor story that isn't a black and white hatred of the Germans and idolization of the Jews, you need to read t...more
If you want to read a good Holocaust survivor story that isn't a black and white hatred of the Germans and idolization of the Jews, you need to read this book. As far as atrocities, this one is more mild than many I have read, and instead of leaving you with a feeling of sadness and horror, you are left with a sense of hope for humanity. Unlike most Holocaust survivor autobiographies, this one wasn't written with a padding of years to offer recovery, but at the close of World War II when emotions were still high. And yet, it is the one least tainted by hate. Of all the Holocaust stories I've read, this one is my favorite. (less)
| Notes are private!
| Ryan
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1
| not set
| Jun 2005
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Oct 13, 2007
| Paperback
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21
| 
| 0553256696
| 9780553256697
| 4.42
| 82,999
| 1971
| Oct 01, 1984
|
If you have not read the book, it is the true account of a Dutch woman in her 50s who sets up an underground Jewish haven during the Nazi rule over Ho...more
If you have not read the book, it is the true account of a Dutch woman in her 50s who sets up an underground Jewish haven during the Nazi rule over Holland. I love reading about the Holocaust, but this was the first time I could sense such a chasm between a sweet, elderly, epitome-of-Christian woman and the cruel hatred of the Nazi camps. Even before the war, the family's charity and service was inspiring. During the war, their optimism, stalwartness, and charity was amazing. Corrie would trust her instincts as being directed by God, and sure enough they were protected from harm around every corner. When they were finally discovered, her amazing sister not only was filled with nothing but sympathy for the Nazis' hatred, but looked at every evil as opportunity: the more crammed the camp became the more women they had to teach the gospel, the dirtier the conditions the less intrusion from the guards, etc. I like to think I am optimistic, but I have my breaking point and then I'm irritable. The true test of our character comes under stressful times and their willingness to search for service in the trenches of hatred was heart warming. I have often wondered if I would risk my family's life to protect another, but I have never questioned whether or not I would lie. I would have lied to the Nazis and had no moral regrets about it. Connie's sister-in-law was so dedicated to honesty she told her children they would be rewarded for their honesty. And sure enough, when they told Nazi enquirers dangerous information, they were always protected. That made me question my own commitment to honesty. The family experienced their share of sadness and loss, but even after the war, Connie opened her heart and home to those displaced by the war, including the Nazis. I am not a crier and yet as I reached the close of this book, I found my eyes watering, not out of sorrow, but out of sheer awe at the hand of God in their lives and the power of love in their hearts. That sounds so cheesy, but what an uplifting read.(less) | Notes are private!
| Amy
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1
| not set
| Jun 2007
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Oct 13, 2007
| Paperback
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19
| 
| 0061120073
| 9780061120077
| 4.21
| 156,677
| 1943
| May 30, 2006
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None
| Notes are private!
| none
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1
| not set
| Jun 2007
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Oct 13, 2007
| Paperback
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18
| 
| 0060786507
| 9780060786502
| 3.94
| 354,608
| 1998
| Jul 05, 2005
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This is the book Kingsolver was destined to write. It is her life's culmination, her masterpiece. Wrapped up in a fabulous piece of fiction we learn v...more
This is the book Kingsolver was destined to write. It is her life's culmination, her masterpiece. Wrapped up in a fabulous piece of fiction we learn volumes from her expertise in African culture. It is what makes her voice so authentic. What amazes me about this story, is Barbara Kingsolver's ability to write five very distinct, very different characters and give them all a believable voice. The characters were so vivid, real in their flawed insecurities, and so utterly different. I found myself constantly annoyed with Rachel's shallow stupidity and yet invested in her story. With almost smug satisfaction, I watched her board the plane that would forever change her life. I wish every self-centered girl could experience life in a third-world country and gain some perspective. While I found myself sympathetic to Orleanna's ordeal I didn't find myself congruent to her decisions or Kingsolver's prejudice in her feminist message. Ruth May's chapters are sweet and while I enjoyed her character without much depth or growth to her she is the character I remember the least, perhaps because I found her voice least authentic and Kingsolver tried to emulate the innocent non-understanding voice of a child in her thought-provoking intelligent tone. What I loved most was the complete balance between the twins. The naive optimistic Leah who blindly idolizes her father is the polar opposite of Adah's bitter resentment who finds no hope or reason for faith in life. If it weren't for Kingsolver's obvious disdain for Leah's paternal allegiance, I would have related most to her character. I felt sorry for Adah's self pity, found a kindred spirit in her literary mind, and loved her palindromes. Between the negative and positive I felt I got a more balanced view of their Africa experience. As they evolve into their mature characters, they almost swapped places. Leah is the one who became bitter and rebellious while Adah assured and accepting. Adah was the character I most enjoyed, especially the more the book progressed and she learned to release her clawing grip on being the crooked girl obsessed with symmetry. What was counterproductive in my opinion was her portrayal of the controlling, unyielding preacher and her refusal to give him a voice. Had she made Nathan a kind well-meaning preacher misguided in his mission to save Africa, I would have taken her questions about Christian values imposing their views on the rest of the world better. But instead of finding myself taking her stance that other cultures and religions have value and should be unaltered by Christian oppression, I found myself wanting to side with the minister and defend his decision to uproot his family, take them halfway around the world, and sacrifice their own comforts for the charitable saving of a nation. And I eventually sympathized with his sad grasp at resolution, absolution. While I know there are stringent unyielding religious men, I found his character heavily stereotyped and reveals her own prejudice. Even the viewpoint of the believing children in the beginning seemed to mock a dependence on God to understand the world. Brother Price (and Leah) depict classic Christian pitfall: to expect the Lord to save and shelter you if you are good. If you are not protected either there is no God or you need more penitence. I wish Kingsolver had left one of her characters to embrace the comfort of religion in their sorrows. I felt that Kingsolver's ultimate message is that one must give up the fanciful religious optimism of one's youth to become a well-rounded intelligent individual, that optimism is best served to nurture physical rather than spiritual needs. She inserted brother Fowles to showcase how she thought the missionary efforts should go: keep their culture and introduce some Christian principles to enhance their lives, but I disagree. He seemed more of a service missionary without introducing much gospel into his efforts. And what preaching he did do he let meld with their superstitious belief. But I didn't feel that a perversion of truth was the right answer either. Is service without gospel always the answer? Is the only Christian value worthy of dishing out love thy neighbor and leave them to their own believes when you truly feel you can save them? If these tribe members had embraced Christianity and given up their traditions would that really have been a bad thing? Just as Nathan's stubborn unyielding stance brought him no believers in Africa where an appreciation for their culture could have bridged the gap, Kingsolver's position does the same with readers. If you are already inclined to despise missionary efforts you'll probably agree with her analysis that Christians should mind their own business and leave culture worldwide to thrive. But I doubt her depiction of Christianity as unyielding is winning any Christians to reconsider their tolerance level. And I believe meddling in a nation politically falls on a completely different level than spiritually. We never hear American rationale for intervening in the Congo, only Leah's projection of African sentiment, which is the voice of Kingsolver who obviously feels that foreign countries should have left the Congo to their own accord, that the damage left was worse than if the tribes were left on their own. When one grows up abroad it's easy to become weary of your country's intervention than to feel it's rescuing powers. Kingsolver's love and understanding for the Africa shines through and is the strongest asset in the novel. Perhaps that is why she feels so saddened by Western efforts to change it and eager to show a resilient country so big and so different that it is resistant to outside influence. I felt transported into the tribes of Africa as I vividly saw this politically unstable era take shape as the backdrop to this family's story and especially loved Anitole's take on African life. Years after reading this I can still visualize the ants overtaking the village. I can see the heavy rains (symbolizing the differences of Africa) demolishing Nathan's garden (the symbol of his inability to conform to another culture) and still think about the tarantulas crawling in bananas or wild cats following children home. Most of all, I enjoyed the accurate glimpse into the cultural values of this opposing social structure from the perspective of understanding instead of judgment. But once again, instead of making me want to visit the continent and save its inhabitants, it verified my fears and conviction to steer clear. I feel that Kingsolver wanted to inspire humanitarian activists in her readers, but I find myself overwhelmed. This well-meaning family made no difference and were only swallowed in the culture and their problems themselves. What could I do? I feel useless and inadequate to affect any change and therefore my only reaction is "I don't want to go to Africa." Somewhere between Rachel's haughty superiority and Leah's efforts to single-handedly save the world, I lie in my exasperation as I wash my hands of mess to big for me. Maybe Kingsolver wanted us to feel hopeless and show that there is no small, quick solution for Africa coming from Western value. Or maybe her only motive was to open our eyes to the quality of life in other countries so we don't take our own for granted. Having lived in third-world countries, I know firsthand what she is describing. And maybe my own experience is what overwhelms me. Change cannot come from the outside. And on that level I can understand her frustration with the Nathan Prices in the world who stubbornly see Africa from Western eyes. If the bitter truth about Africa didn't inspire action on my part, at least it gave me a history lesson about a country and time I know little about and for that I highly enjoyed the book. Who doesn't love a real history lesson mashed up in an interesting story? In the end maybe I'm not supposed to learn anything from the book, but enjoy the story of a family swallowed up by Africa so different from there mild Southern upbringing that they are left cultural shocked wanderers never taking root in either extreme that cannot understand the other half of themselves. I loved watching each of the characters mature, develop, and change as they came to understand African culture and how truly blessed they had been stepping off the plane with cake mixes and tools stuck inside their layers of clothes. I wanted to hear their stories and was vested in their outcome. The story is very well written and an excellent choice for book club discussions as you explore which characters you related to and what messages you take from the book. A powerful read that won't soon leave your memory. (less) | Notes are private!
| bookclub
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1
| not set
| Jun 2005
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Oct 13, 2007
| Paperback
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6
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| 9500726092
| 9789500726092
| 3.94
| 324,788
| 1967
| Apr 28, 2005
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None
| Notes are private!
| none
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2
| not set
| Jan 1999
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Oct 13, 2007
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24
| 
| 006017434X
| 9780060174347
| 3.48
| 73
| 1996
| Jun 01, 1996
|
It really is a shame that this book is hard to find and therefore not many people have read it because it really is an excellent debut novel. The main...more It really is a shame that this book is hard to find and therefore not many people have read it because it really is an excellent debut novel. The main character is an 11-year-old girl whose emotionally imbalanced mother puts all her attention and happiness into electing John F. Kennedy. When he is assassinated, she falls apart and her family is left to pick up the pieces and figure out what in her hidden past has left her so broken. The addition of sixties fashion and pop culture down to the description of the wallpaper color really puts you into the era. Since the narrator is a child who doesn't understand the full cause or consequence of the scenes around her it makes it interesting. But that's not what makes the book. The writing is insightful and poetic. My favorite observation is the close of the novel where the character, now an adult, compares her experience as a girl sitting in her father's optometrist chair unable to tell the difference between one lens and another to viewing her childhood as a adult unable to make any more sense out of tragedy now than she did then. I ate up the descriptions in the book. It's one of those books that leaves you will a hollow feeling when you close it because you aren't ready to be done with the story. It's a book that saturates as it sinks in leaving you in this family's lives even after you've finished the story. If you have a chance to pick up this story, I would highly recommend it. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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3
| not set
| Jan 2003
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Oct 13, 2007
| Hardcover
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12
| 
| 0156032872
| 9780965818674
| 3.90
| 693,065
| Jul 05, 2003
| 2003
|
I loved this book. It's not perfect, but it made me feel and think and want. It's one of those stories that pulls you into the characters' lives and l...more
I loved this book. It's not perfect, but it made me feel and think and want. It's one of those stories that pulls you into the characters' lives and leaves you wanting more, mulling over the scenes and premise for days after you've reluctantly turned the last page. Rarely is such an original idea portrayed with such vivid language so you believe the time travel possibility and the characters are almost people you know. It's about a guy who involuntarily travels time. He can never predict where or when he will jump the time/space continuum, but when he does, he is drawn toward significant events and people in his life. The science fiction is a medium for a love story, not a cheesy or unrealistic (besides time travel which she makes believable) one, but a deep enduring love in for the long haul of life and hardship, told from both his and her perspective, and how time travel affects their lives and relationship. It starts when Henry meets Claire for the first time and she is ecstatic to finally have found the love of her life in the present. Henry must get to know this stranger introduced to him as his future wife and Claire has to nurture him into the man she loves. As you relive scenes from Claire's past and Henry's future you see how they fall in love, at different times with someone already madly in love with them, and conquer the challenge of his disorder. Because their relationship is non-chronological, you discover events out of order--as do they--making the story interesting and leaving you with the same sense of longing the characters feel. I thought the odd age difference, Henry playing father figure to the girl who will be his wife, was handled well instead of pedophileish, as was the delve into both Henry's and Claire's minds and emotions (although I wish their voices differed more) to get a better grasp of how this condition would affect normal life. I really cared about these characters. Henry trying to protect Claire and Claire left wanting. In one scene she is racing to meet him after a prolonged absence and he fades before she can reach him. I felt for her, what she had to sacrifice to revolve and dedicate her life to him. Some of the minor characters strange and distracting, but overall the story is powerful and vivid. One is left to question the origin of fate and ethics. Does the past affect the future or the future the past? Or is it all predestined? Claire knows what dates Henry will visit because he gives her the dates he memorized from her diary and told her to write down so he could later memorize them. Where did the knowledge originate? How would you explain and hide abnormalities? What would you consider ethical in playing with time? I didn't have a problem with the thievery (he transfers nude) but I did with using money knowledge from the future. There is a lot left to contemplate. Be forewarned, there's a lot of loving in the story, and not just the act, but the dirty reference to the deed as well. I think Niffenegger must have wanted to steer clear of being too cheesy so she regrettably went too far the other direction. Many of the sex scenes are graphically portrayed, but there is one scene, only hinted at, the idea of which almost made me close the book. Gratefully the concept didn't linger, but unfortunately the language did. Gratuitous and unnecessary for the story, oh but what a story. Update: loved the book-to-movie screen adaption. They really captured the longing, the sense of being guided (trapped even) by fate. Well played too.(less) | Notes are private!
| Hannah
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1
| not set
| Aug 2007
|
Oct 13, 2007
| Paperback
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