I had long wanted to read this book because it seemed like a classic educated people should have read... And as it's subject was war I thought I might...moreI had long wanted to read this book because it seemed like a classic educated people should have read... And as it's subject was war I thought I might be interested in it. But sadly I did not enjoy this book. Really at all. It may have been relevant and important and insightful when it was written, in the Vietnam anti-war era, but now his overarching theme that war is pretty bad seems quite obvious and well accepted. Also, there's no subtlety or nuance to his message or writing style. It's just hit you over the head with a hammer over and over and over. And I'd be more receptive to an anti-war book if it had some kind of positive message about love or something but this just was empty, totally nihilistic, basically not just war is bad but so is every other aspect of life. I got nothing redeeming from it at all. Depressing and not particularly well written = bad combination. I did kind of like how he jumped around in time, that was an interesting way to tell a narrative, and occasionaly his characterization was striking, but other than that, not good. Sigh.(less)
When the premise and format (letters) of this book was explained to me, I was not wild about the idea but figured I'd give it a try because it was so...moreWhen the premise and format (letters) of this book was explained to me, I was not wild about the idea but figured I'd give it a try because it was so highly recommended.
LOVE.
Basically the perfect plot - just the exactly right amount of tragedy, joy, suspense, lightheartedness... Great characters, great pacing. Several times I had to force myself to stop reading so I didn't devour the book all at once. I wanted to savor it. Like a pie. Not a pie made out of potato peels because that sounds disgusting. But like a real pie.
I have two small critiques that I am writing down solely so I remember to make these comments at my book club: 1. Small thing but it's hard for me to follow who is whom when the characters have weird names. Especially here when it's in a letter format, it would've been easier if she'd just given the characters more familiar names.
2. Bigger thing but probably just my issue - some of the plot felt too postmodern for a book set in WWII. Specifically, the following: -Some of the occupying Nazis were GOOD (but I actually liked this because it felt more true to the reality of occupied countries in war) -The main character is this 33 year old, pretty fulfilled career woman with little apparent interest in marriage (again, I still bought that - maybe b/c it was wartime I felt like that was plausible) -One or two significant gay characters that everyone automatically loved and welcomed (felt like this was stretching things a bit for tha ttime & place, but maybe...). Felt similarly about the near total lack of surprise about the child born to one of the characters out of wedlock - I do think there was one peripheral mean-spirited character who weighed in as disapproving of that but everyone else seemed great with it. MAYBE. -Religion/church totally absent from the story (except for one brief conversation) - this is what irritated me the most. I thought that small town people in the 1940s living in an occupied country with death and tragedy surrounding them might, occasionally, go to or mention Church or God - didn't happen. -Its a LITTLE annoying to me that rather than any kind of religion-infused resistance, the big way they were standing up to the Nazis was by having a BOOK CLUB as though literature would save them. Just seemed a little too much like France in 2013 rather than Guernsey in 1944.(less)
I hope that somehow I end up liking this book, but so far (halfway through) it's got a lot of strikes against it in my book: -reads like young adult fi...moreI hope that somehow I end up liking this book, but so far (halfway through) it's got a lot of strikes against it in my book: -reads like young adult fiction -centers on adolescents at school - because of teaching, I just can't stand pleasure reading about kids -refers to 'guardians' and 'carers' -refers to characters by first name and last initial -no beautiful sentences, just rather insipid prose -sounds like Jodi Picoult; I have a feeling these kids, who have no apparent families, have been created and raised for some medical purpose - to donate blood or organs or I have no idea - so that may likely involve an 'ethical dilemma' about rights and dignity of individuals vs. the collective. I dunno. -something weird is clearly going on, but the author refuses to reveal it, and I'm getting impatient and quite annoyed. I don't care about the character's flashbacks to playing 'rounders' with her friends. Just tell me what this is about. -ever read The Giver? Or that short story The Lottery where they sacrifice someone in the end? That's how this feels to me. I hate those sorts of things. But at least they were better written.
I had hoped that all of the above issues would magically improve halfway through the book but alas they did not. I'm done and underwhelmed. I love dystopias - 1984, Animal Farm, Brave New World, Farenheit 451, etc, but what I find fascinating is not the society described in the book, but the way in which the author is using it to comment on his own society. I just didn't think that's what this author was doing. It felt like I was just reading about a horrid society at some other time or on some other planet and that's it - too bad for them but not much of a connection to me (besides a very obvious comment on genetic technology). Sigh.(less)
I liked elements of this book a lot. I appreciated the flowing writing, and often didn't notice that what she'd said packed a real punch until later -...moreI liked elements of this book a lot. I appreciated the flowing writing, and often didn't notice that what she'd said packed a real punch until later - I didn't think it hit you over the head too hard, which was nice. I did think that everything kind of became about race toward the end, which I thought kinda narrowed it a little, because I really thought it was about the human experience generally and overcoming tragedy and whatnot. I think some of that got lost with the increasing racial emphasis. But overall good. Still not a fan, in general, of stories told from the perspective of different people each chapter - it's cool how the stories get woven together and it has a kaleidoscopic effect which is neat but I just feel like it's a modern style of writing designed to appeal to ADD people who can't listen to the same voice for very long. But I'm just an old fogey.(less)
This book presented an interesting view of women's lives in the '50s. While Freidan was understandably outraged by some aspects of society's treatment...moreThis book presented an interesting view of women's lives in the '50s. While Freidan was understandably outraged by some aspects of society's treatment of women, I do think she got rather carried away in parts, most especially the several pages devoted to comparing the situation of the '50s housewife with inmates in Nazi concentration camps.
I think most women today would find at least the first part of this book thought provoking, both for the historical context it provides for the women's movement and perhaps also for some relevance to women today. The middle part I found too dated and (thankfully) different today to be of much interest, and then in the end I think she went off the deep end a bit. But the first few chapters are worth perusing and will spark good conversation about the roles, status, and views of women past and present.(less)
This was by far one of the most depressing books I have ever read. You start out thinking its going to be folksy heartwarming stories about sweet smal...moreThis was by far one of the most depressing books I have ever read. You start out thinking its going to be folksy heartwarming stories about sweet small town people living in the fishing village of Crosby, Maine. Then the deaths start. And the affairs. And the depression. And the drinking. And the suicides.
Not a pretty picture of small town life. Or of human beings.
But I did like the book despite that. I wonder what that says about me. I found it pretty well written and engaging, very good at setting the scene, creating emotionally charged characters, and a compelling plot line. It was an interesting format, too, with the thirteen short stories focusing on different characters in the town, all relating somehow to the title character. I guess I would recommend it but just know that it's a depressing ride.(less)
I really enjoyed the premise of this book. I like American history, and I like murder mysteries, so this was a beautiful marriage of the two. Plus it...moreI really enjoyed the premise of this book. I like American history, and I like murder mysteries, so this was a beautiful marriage of the two. Plus it displayed a good face of the law, which helped to inspire me to continue through law school. The writing is compelling; I read it on the plane and it helped pass the time. My one objection, and the reason I didn't give it 4 stars, is how I feel like it jumps off a cliff at the end and comes up with an insane explanation to the murder. I won't ruin it but I found it quite unbelievable. But as it is based on a true story, I really ought to look up to see whether that actually might have been the real ending before I criticize the author any further!
This was a perfect plane read that would also be good for the beach or if you're home sick. It is not great literature, although it feels like it is t...moreThis was a perfect plane read that would also be good for the beach or if you're home sick. It is not great literature, although it feels like it is trying to be. It's kind of a book version of what I've heard is the plot of the movie Memento - the main character has lost her memory due to trauma and has the sort of amnesia where she can't form new memories so she's struggling to reconstruct her life and what happened to her. It's a suspenseful story, though I think the direction that it's going may be a bit too obvious. I read it in two days, one day on a flight out, and then on the flight back. For that purpose, it was great - made the time fly by.(less)
I really liked this book - the story was pretty depressing, but it is really beautifully written. It feels like a post-modern book, with a lot of elem...moreI really liked this book - the story was pretty depressing, but it is really beautifully written. It feels like a post-modern book, with a lot of elements I would ordinarily find annoying, like how it's told mostly in flashback, there's a story within the story, its peppered with other items like obituaries and newspaper articles, but it's really well done and doesn't feel gimmicky at all. I think the key is how anchored the book is in the voice of the main character, who is so easy to relate to even though her story is so wild. That's also how I think the author manages to pull off the contemporary 'nothing is as it seems'-themed plot in which there are affairs and horrors lurking just below the surface without it just becoming soul-deadening. I liked her and identified with her and was actually happy about the questionable things she did - I didn't think a novel could upset my rigid moral compass! When this book was described to me, I thought it sounded really bizarre, but I'm glad I picked it up! (less)
Wow this one was tough. Pretty much hated it at the beginning, but I guess it kind of grew on me - or maybe Rushdie just exhausted me and I gave up fi...moreWow this one was tough. Pretty much hated it at the beginning, but I guess it kind of grew on me - or maybe Rushdie just exhausted me and I gave up fighting it. I'd pretty much categorize it as a book, an author, and a genre that I'm glad I experienced, but it's really not for me. I like the idea of an exotic epic, and the notion of paralleling the life of a person and a family with that of a nation.... but it was just painful. The tone of the narrator is so smug and self-centered - which is the character - but it's still really annoying. And every time he mentioned the Midnight's Children I felt like I was watching Heroes. And it just had so much grossness and vulgarity in it, that really killed me.(less)
Really interesting and compelling story about a Depression-era circus run a lot like an organized crime outfit. Told from the perspective of a former...moreReally interesting and compelling story about a Depression-era circus run a lot like an organized crime outfit. Told from the perspective of a former circus veterinarian, now in his 90s in a nursing home. I enjoyed the present commentary on his nursing home life as much as his flashbacks to the circus days! Writing style was a little ornate for my taste, and some descriptions were a bit too salacious, but overall really worthwhile read! Great poolside honeymoon book :)(less)
This little tale about the concierge who manages a French apartment house and a young girl who lives there can be charming and insightful at times, bu...moreThis little tale about the concierge who manages a French apartment house and a young girl who lives there can be charming and insightful at times, but I could have done without the entire first half of the book. When Muriel Barbery was in a creative writing class in middle school, she must have had an instructor who really emphasized 'setting the stage' of a story ad nauseum. Nothing happens! Except some heavy handed philosophizing, which gets old. Europeans. Really. But once the Japanese man enters the story, it really picks up and I liked it a lot from that point on.(less)
This book was rough. Turn of the century novel about British aristocracy... I've read other books like that before, but I just found the characters in...moreThis book was rough. Turn of the century novel about British aristocracy... I've read other books like that before, but I just found the characters in this one so superficial I couldn't relate to them at all or care about what happened to them (not much did). I guess this is a classic, so there must be something profoundly great about it, I probably am just too literarily challenged to grasp it.(less)
This is an interesting true story about a boy who underwent a disastrous circumcision and the crazy shrink who convinced his unsuspecting parents to r...moreThis is an interesting true story about a boy who underwent a disastrous circumcision and the crazy shrink who convinced his unsuspecting parents to raise him as a girl... It definitely has interesting points, but it's not terribly well written, I think because the people in the story couldn't really reflect on what had happened to them and therefore were unable to share it effectively with us.(less)
This book has a couple of interesting characters and a fairly compelling plot, at least in parts, but overall I did not enjoy it. I found most of the...moreThis book has a couple of interesting characters and a fairly compelling plot, at least in parts, but overall I did not enjoy it. I found most of the characters to be 2 dimensional, lacking nuance and relatability. I really dislike the use of the dialect. The middle of the book was the best; I thought it fell apart at the end. There are far better books written about race relations. The premise of looking at the relationship between the black and white women in the same homes is really interesting but I don't think the book really did that.(less)
This was a well-written book, very evocative of a distant time and place (though still not sure exactly where/when that is!). The characters were inte...moreThis was a well-written book, very evocative of a distant time and place (though still not sure exactly where/when that is!). The characters were interestingly drawn and the prose was pretty.
It did have too much sex in it for my sensibilities; I'd have called it Love in the Time of Syphilis. And a little long. I guess I'd just cut out some of the copious sex scenes and solve both those problems!(less)
I really liked the idea of this book - a "moral fable" querying whether there is some master plan/design to our lives, prompted by the sudden and tota...moreI really liked the idea of this book - a "moral fable" querying whether there is some master plan/design to our lives, prompted by the sudden and totally unexpected collapse of a bridge that plummeted to their deaths the five people who were walking across it at the time. The individual parts, investigating the lives of those individuals, didn't captivate me as much as the idea of the book did. But it was good - a lot of substance in a small book.(less)
Beautifully written book but not very gripping. Kind of like looking at a pretty landscape painting. The writer does an excellent job of developing th...moreBeautifully written book but not very gripping. Kind of like looking at a pretty landscape painting. The writer does an excellent job of developing the mood of the story, but I didn't particularly care what happened to the characters. A couple of years ago, I read her more famous book Gilead and remember liking it more, getting more into the characters. Housekeeping was her first book, so that might be why I didn't find it quite as good.(less)
This was a great book told from the perspective of a 9 year old kid on a quest to make sense of his father's death on 9/11. It's in places variously f...moreThis was a great book told from the perspective of a 9 year old kid on a quest to make sense of his father's death on 9/11. It's in places variously funny, quirky, insightful, and profoundly sad, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it to anyone.(less)
I did like some aspects of this book - the sort of social satire could be very clever. And he did really create a world and maintained it well. I don'...moreI did like some aspects of this book - the sort of social satire could be very clever. And he did really create a world and maintained it well. I don't think the constant absurdity is really my style, but I see why other people like it. It reminded me of the Confederacy of Dunces, which I really didn't like, but I think if you liked that book, you'll like this one too.
Had great hopes for this novel, by the author of Sleepless in Seattle and other classics. Those hopes were dashed. I profoundly disliked it. I did not...moreHad great hopes for this novel, by the author of Sleepless in Seattle and other classics. Those hopes were dashed. I profoundly disliked it. I did not find the main character relatable, nor the story of the dissolution of her marriage really anything - not sad, not funny, not beneath-the-surface uplifting, nothing. I really didn't care about her or anyone in the book. They all seemed nuts. Maybe I don't like 'humor' books - that's possible, and I guess that's just a personal problem.
Also the recipes listed in here sounded disgusting.(less)
I'd forgotten how utterly engrossing a book could be.
Do not start reading if there is ANYTHING else you are going to have to do for the next thre...moreSHIT.
I'd forgotten how utterly engrossing a book could be.
Do not start reading if there is ANYTHING else you are going to have to do for the next three days, like study for law exams, go to work, or use the bathroom.(less)
This is not at all the sort of book I typically read, but a friend highly recommended it so I picked it up... Found it a bit slow at the beginning but...moreThis is not at all the sort of book I typically read, but a friend highly recommended it so I picked it up... Found it a bit slow at the beginning but then I really got into it. Turn of the century drama about a 'not actually rich' rich girl and her trials and travails in society, marriage, etc. Really interesting, I recommend it.(less)
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