Wow was this bad. A sort of calculated bad, with promises and hints that maybe a plot might develop, or characters might develop, that something might...moreWow was this bad. A sort of calculated bad, with promises and hints that maybe a plot might develop, or characters might develop, that something might develop, which kept me reading to the end to find that, no, it really is all the way through just a disconnected series of moments. I suppose it was published and printed because a certain person will read anything relating to P&P. Alas, I am that certain person.(less)
There were interesting bits in it, but I felt like I had to sift them out like veins of pure graphite in sub-standard ore. He repeats himself a LOT. I...moreThere were interesting bits in it, but I felt like I had to sift them out like veins of pure graphite in sub-standard ore. He repeats himself a LOT. I wish he had told me about the pencil half as much as he repeated the phrase "The pencil is a paradigm for understanding engineering itself." (I swear that exact sentence appears no less than 80 times.)
I liked the description of old pencil technology. The victorian pencil factories made me wax steampunk, and part of me really wants to see if I can get ahold of some graphite stone and make my own 16th century pencil.
But, alas, that is not the author's doing, but his subject matter - despite him. I was really hoping for another fun page turner like "One Good Turn".(less)
It's been a long time since a book gripped me like this one did - I resented all the time I wasn't reading it from the moment I started it in the airp...moreIt's been a long time since a book gripped me like this one did - I resented all the time I wasn't reading it from the moment I started it in the airport gift shop. (I needed a book for my return flight because I had foolishly only packed a slim volume for the flight down and had finished it.)
This was a five star rating up until the second to last chapter, too. I won't put in any spoilers, but let's just say I am dismayed and disappointed by the treatment of female characters. Again. There was so much good in this book, so much empathy and quirkiness and delightful READING, and I shrugged off a few smaller pet-peeves as regarded the main female character, thinking, well, it's not awful, it didn't have to be in there, but okay... but no. At the end he takes what was a heartbreakingly real struggle of a character and just pisses me off with it because when women suffer in fantasy fiction, they always suffer the same way and I am just sick to death of it.
A couple times, maybe more than a couple, I was frustrated because the way the plot was going was obvious but the characters didn't see it, and I'm not sure if that's a bad point - it made me feel good, after all, when I was proved right again and again, and the book makes no secret of wanting to appeal to smug little nerds. (OH! The elite BBS service for chronically depressed super-geniuses! I swooned!) And, to be fair, I didn't see Plot Point Which Pissed Me Off coming at all, and it does come at the climax of the book and it is awful and I'd better shut up there if I'm going to remain Spoiler Free.
So yes, I enjoyed. May re-read. May sit down and write epic fantasy fiction in loving rebuttal. Any way, definitely worth my airport desperation shopping dollars!(less)
I liked it. The pacing was better than the movie. I understand why the movie changed what it did, but it's not a case of clear-cut which is better. I...moreI liked it. The pacing was better than the movie. I understand why the movie changed what it did, but it's not a case of clear-cut which is better. I think I liked it equally to the movie.(less)
There is a lot of fascinating stuff in this, but I wanted more detail... more about Chang Apana, the Hawaiian detective who inspired Earl Biggers to c...moreThere is a lot of fascinating stuff in this, but I wanted more detail... more about Chang Apana, the Hawaiian detective who inspired Earl Biggers to create the character of Charlie Chan. (A character that had little in common with Apana, aside from being Chinese, living in Hawaii, and being a police detective.) I'm lowering this to a 3 star rating largely because much of the book felt like filler, with details I don't think a reader needed, like reminding us when WWII started, or unintersting personal vignettes, like "The time I found the home he lived in". (Though, as an Ohioan, I enjoyed the author's reaction to Warren, Ohio, birthplace of Earl Biggers.)
Then again, even with so many digressions, it's likely there's not much left out. It's a real pity that much of Chang Apana's life is not documentable. Even the name on his tomb stone needs translation: "Apana" being a Polynesian rendering of the Chinese name "Ping". But we do know he was a cowboy, that he was admired and respected as a tough, incorruptible cop in wild, frontier Honolulu. We know he never learned to read English and had a nephew take him to the silent movies so he could read the title cards for him. We know he cooked for his family and had lots of children. He seemed quite a remarkable character. Someone should write historical fiction about him.(less)
Well, I am glad I've finally read Lull, but I have a few major issues with this, well, issue.
1. The font choice is too decorative, "Calligraphic" and...moreWell, I am glad I've finally read Lull, but I have a few major issues with this, well, issue.
1. The font choice is too decorative, "Calligraphic" and hard to read, especially their heading font.
2. Instead of translating the French, this is a "translation" of William Caxton's 15th century English translation. Without the original text. It's a slim enough work that I find it inexcusable not to include the original text.
3. Compounded, some of the awkwardness of phrase makes me feel like it's not a very good translation, perhaps too literal to the words as they were written down without enough translator interpretation - though they might have felt awkward interpreting without leaving translator's notes or an original text for the reader. (less)
I really feel like I know her Jane, and this book was much better than "Jane and the Man of the Cloth" in c...moreStephanie Barron just keeps getting better.
I really feel like I know her Jane, and this book was much better than "Jane and the Man of the Cloth" in convincing me of her affection for a gentleman - in this case the Gentleman Rogue Harold Trowbridge, who graced both previous volumes in this series. Oh, I did want them to end a couple, even if history holds it not so.
And the mystery itself is very involving and very satisfactory in its conclusion.
love love love love loved it. Excuse my afterglow.
It's got a solid theme and it rams it home, that even magic isn't, well, magic - it doesn't shortcut...morelove love love love loved it. Excuse my afterglow.
It's got a solid theme and it rams it home, that even magic isn't, well, magic - it doesn't shortcut the hard work of emotional development. Though perhaps we, as readers, do get to shortcut some of the main character's growth as, you know, there are time stretches, especially at the end.
The book was given to me by a friend with the epitaph, "It's a grown-up sort of Harry Potter story." And so it is. There are even a few blatant nods to Harry Potter - and to D&D, and Tolkien. The characters are from our world and believably steeped in a culture of fantasy stories that help them relate and describe the fantastical things that happen to them.
The plot unwinds itself very nicely, drawing you gently deeper into it and I'm a little stunned that I made it almost four fifths through the book before I realized there was an Epic Plot.(TM).
I don't want to get too spoilery. I just loved the messed up, flawed humanity of the characters and the gritty realism mixed with all-out fantasy. I mean... they basically end up in Narnia, okay? As fantastical a realm as possible, with cute talking animals and quests and legends, but it doesn't take the main character away from his relationship problems.
Dang, I can't really talk about it without being spoilery. At first I disliked the main character for being a Typical Privileged Male.(TM) - so unhappy with his perfect life. But that's kind of his appeal, too. Like that dorky boyfriend of your friend, you eventually end up fond of him as much because of his flaws as despite them.(less)
Well, what can I say? I much anticipated this book, but found it to be painfully low-brow. The zombies are as tacked-on as the title, and though I got...moreWell, what can I say? I much anticipated this book, but found it to be painfully low-brow. The zombies are as tacked-on as the title, and though I got some genuine belly-laughs from a re-written line here or there, in all I was disappointed. (less)
A quick read. I think the enduring appeal of Sherlock Holmes comes from the unrepentant pulpiness of it. I mean it's well-crafted with no literary pre...moreA quick read. I think the enduring appeal of Sherlock Holmes comes from the unrepentant pulpiness of it. I mean it's well-crafted with no literary pretensions. Sometimes there are bits of over-lush description, but they never last for long, and it's all about figuring out whodunit or how to capture him.
I hadn't read a Holmes story since high school and I was surprised how much more pulpy it felt now. Anyway, that's not a bad thing. Also, I know I'll piss off Holmes aficionados when I say that I kept imagining Robert Downy Jr. in the role this time. :D Can't help it! Unavoidable!
There is something quite unlikeable about Holmes, which may be why I like him so much. He's not a typical hero - he's an arrogant, socially oblivious nerd. Dr. Watson is much more approachable, and so it makes sense that the stories are largely from his POV.(less)
Well, it wasn't all I wanted it to be. (You can tell Brian Lynch isn't a girl. ;) )
And I do wish the artist (Frank Urhu? Is that how it's spelled?) dr...moreWell, it wasn't all I wanted it to be. (You can tell Brian Lynch isn't a girl. ;) )
And I do wish the artist (Frank Urhu? Is that how it's spelled?) drew Spike a little cuter. :P
Let's face it, I'll buy and read anything with Spike in it. Because I adore the character with a love usually only found in fourteen-year-olds. (less)
It's a slender volume with lots of padding - blank pages, lists of characters, a bit of fanciful prose to start off - so don't expect a lot of detail....moreIt's a slender volume with lots of padding - blank pages, lists of characters, a bit of fanciful prose to start off - so don't expect a lot of detail.
I got a bit annoyed with the author in a few places for his obvious attempts to build suspense by not revealing who he thought was the 'real' killer, even when this required some grammatical acrobatics as he discussed his analysis. The bulk of the book is a justification for this sort of literary criticism, resting on the idea that characters become independent entities in the imaginations of readers and writers alike. Heh, which is not to say I didn't enjoy the book, and I agree that his take on the story makes more sense.(less)
A Science Fiction story with a competent, strong female protagonist with grown-up motivations and a plot that drips with social commentary, particular...moreA Science Fiction story with a competent, strong female protagonist with grown-up motivations and a plot that drips with social commentary, particularly a hard jab at reality television and the view of the privileged. What's not to like? Read it quickly, and I admit at parts I was a little disconnected from the narrative because of having seen the movie, which follows the book very closely, and so I was spoilered. Kinda wish I'd read it first, but c'est la vie.(less)
A collection of biographical vignettes about women who married very rich men. The term "gold digger" is entirely absent from the book, which takes a f...moreA collection of biographical vignettes about women who married very rich men. The term "gold digger" is entirely absent from the book, which takes a flattering and admiring look at these women, though occasionally acknowledging bad press. It provided some insight into a very different class of people than I normally read about, and explodes some stereotypes - not explicitly, but by example. None of these women are airheads. All had jobs before and after marrying rich. Most come from wealth to start with, the poorest could be said to be professional-class.
It did cement my opinion that those who marry for money EARN it, and at a poor rate of return for effort in my opinion.
However, the book never gets terribly close to its subjects, lacking the intimacy of more in-depth biography, and a particular flaw in the book's organization irked me: every chapter is dedicated to two figures and clumsily shifts back and forth between them - apparently because we might get bored reading about one life at a time? If I'd had the book as an e-book, I'd have copied and pasted the sections so as not to have to keep switching tracks and deleted a lot of unnecessary comparative segues. ("While Susan was a great mother, Mary had a different take on her rich man's children" and the like.)
It was okay. About a third fell completely flat. (Was this sarcastic? I couldn't tell.) About a third made me giggle madly and read passages out loud....moreIt was okay. About a third fell completely flat. (Was this sarcastic? I couldn't tell.) About a third made me giggle madly and read passages out loud. And the last third was just "meh".
I did like the list of reasons to believe and god and reasons not to believe in god - and I liked that "A child's laughter" was on both lists.(less)
I picked this up casually as a book to read on a plane flight. I thought it was a novel, and so I had some confusion after the first short story ended...moreI picked this up casually as a book to read on a plane flight. I thought it was a novel, and so I had some confusion after the first short story ended and I started the second! It wasn't until the second story was nearly over that I realized these people weren't somehow related to the people in the first chapter and we wouldn't be getting back to them.
The stories do flow nicely into each other. They are bound by all having at least one character who is the child of Indian (Bengal, specifically) immigrants to America, particularly to the Boston area. The first story deals with a woman's strained relationship with her father after her mother's death - she loved her mother very much, but her parent's marriage was, if not loveless, at least not warm. They had been an arranged marriage, and her mother resented being taken away from all she knew to live in Boston. The daughter now has left all she knew to follow her husband to Seattle. Her father urges her to not give up her career as a lawyer, though she was planning on taking a few years off to mommy-track.
Anyway, the stories are all a bit like that - we walk into people's ordinary lives with their trials and their complexities. We see relationships between children and parents, friends and neighbors, husbands and wives. The endings are all the quiet, delicate sort favored by modern writers, where you have to pause and think a bit about why this is the end of the story. And that's okay.
The author does a remarkable job getting inside the heads of very different characters and making you feel for them. I'll definitely read more by her.(less)
Loading...
