Well, I just don't know what to do with this one. On the one hand, I didn't really like any of the characters, I didn't really buy the ending, and the...moreWell, I just don't know what to do with this one. On the one hand, I didn't really like any of the characters, I didn't really buy the ending, and the whole Bertha sub-plot felt too Benetton ad PC to me. On the other hand, I got totally absorbed by it so apparently it wasn't that bad? (less)
**spoiler alert** Oh my God. Wow. This book was so visceral and intense. Roth's book within a book is the perfect approach to examine the fall of the...more**spoiler alert** Oh my God. Wow. This book was so visceral and intense. Roth's book within a book is the perfect approach to examine the fall of the archtypal perfect man. A man brought down not by his own doing, but by his family, his business, and by his country. In essence a man who is destroyed by everything he loves. At times Roth rambling style was so lucid and clear that it utterly transported me, at others is got to be suffocating. But, there was so much going on in this novel that I don't even know where to begin.(less)
I loved the idea of this book, but the delivery just seemed horribly clumsy to me. The pacing was off, the settings vague, and the characters were a t...moreI loved the idea of this book, but the delivery just seemed horribly clumsy to me. The pacing was off, the settings vague, and the characters were a train wreck. Can someone please explain to me what the point of Amanda was? Her entire relationship with John seemed like distraction from the heart of the story. Are we supposed to hate her? Love her? Pity her? And Isabel, while an interesting character is so sketchily developed that she just seems like some kind of saintly enigma. I probably should have just read a non-fiction book about the bonobos. (less)
At about the halfway point in this book I was having all kinds of deep thoughts. Clarke is critiquing his reader for reading. In his world, literature...moreAt about the halfway point in this book I was having all kinds of deep thoughts. Clarke is critiquing his reader for reading. In his world, literature, memoir, and even the constructs of family relationships are stories that ruin lives. It's an interesting concept and the vehicles Clarke uses to drive his points home are fascinating: the subdivision Camelot, the Bond analysts, and literature professor who hates literature. But there is something so unsatisfactory about the end that I'm not really sure what to think. The book becomes this self-referential monstrosity and the redemption is a little too complete. (less)
Alright, I loved this book. It is completely predictable, the characters are true to set types, and the setting is all too perfect. But it is the perf...moreAlright, I loved this book. It is completely predictable, the characters are true to set types, and the setting is all too perfect. But it is the perfect little summer reading confection. (less)
This is textbook Anne Tyler. Quirky, flawed protagonist finding his way in a world that has been dramatically changed. And despite being utterly predi...moreThis is textbook Anne Tyler. Quirky, flawed protagonist finding his way in a world that has been dramatically changed. And despite being utterly predictable, the book is still charming. Tyler just gets it. "This was one of the worst things about losing your wife, I found: your wife is the very person you want to discuss it all with." (p. 54)(less)
Although not nearly as good as The Hunger Games, it was still a suspenseful page-turner. I just found the Gale/Peeta/Catniss love triangle a little ti...moreAlthough not nearly as good as The Hunger Games, it was still a suspenseful page-turner. I just found the Gale/Peeta/Catniss love triangle a little tiring in the end. I'm hoping this is just another case of "Empire Strikes Back" syndrome and the third book blows my mind!(less)
**spoiler alert** I found this book oddly engrossing but troubling. So many of the characters are rough sketches, fitting neatly into a plot point des...more**spoiler alert** I found this book oddly engrossing but troubling. So many of the characters are rough sketches, fitting neatly into a plot point designed for them. But, the setting is so vivid and Margaret's journey so intense (despite being heavy-handed), that it somehow comes together. (less)
I'm sort of surprised by all the hate for this one. Don't get me wrong there are some serious flaws with this book. Namely that Girl, the main charact...moreI'm sort of surprised by all the hate for this one. Don't get me wrong there are some serious flaws with this book. Namely that Girl, the main character, and her entire supporting cast are completely unbelievable/one-sided as characters. (which in fact may have been a device by the authors? but which really didn't work) But, I did appreciate what this book is trying to do with it blend of The Devil Wears Prada angst and Ariel Levy politics. This book made me think a lot about feminism and what that dreaded term even means to the women of different generations. I would love to look at a cross-section of the reviewers and see if their reactions relate to their age?(less)
I feel like I have run a marathon, but now I have to walk a mile to my car. Not as bad as I feared it would be, DwD definitely makes up for a Feast of...moreI feel like I have run a marathon, but now I have to walk a mile to my car. Not as bad as I feared it would be, DwD definitely makes up for a Feast of Crows. (less)
From what I can I tell this is a love it or hate it kind of book. I loved it. I love the author's voice, I love the main character, and I love the mes...moreFrom what I can I tell this is a love it or hate it kind of book. I loved it. I love the author's voice, I love the main character, and I love the message. I'm a sucker for a misanthrope.(less)
**spoiler alert** This was billed as a kind of ensemble cast work of fluff and I was rather surprised by how different it is. It is basically the stor...more**spoiler alert** This was billed as a kind of ensemble cast work of fluff and I was rather surprised by how different it is. It is basically the story of an older woman (I believe she is in her 70's) coming to grips with her husband's death and her own mortality. It is surprising in its depth and in its ability to create a real, full-bodied older character.
Unforutnately, it is a bit repetitive and a bit too predictable. Sarah feels contrived as she accepts the march of time. I was also very disappointed in way she just accepts Charles' death. There is little in the way of anger or disbelief.(less)
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