Ukrainer's review
The Almost Moon
by Alice Sebold
Dude, you mean you don't have sympathy or understand why Helen killed her mother? Do you accept death?
After reading your review, I guess you have never been with someone and wished to end their suffering. And yet after looking at this person in their final moments, you can turn around and look at society and stand and say, there are no laws or norms where the future has no future.
You have a very western view of death.
You damn westerner, you.
(Sorry, that comment made me laugh. I have this book on my to-read list, but am not so enthused about it now.)
It always amazes me to see an author write "don't read this book" in a review of someone's work. The conceit is a bit laughable. Doubly so if the reviewing author takes a bit of pleasure in seeing the genuises at the New York Times and USA Today trash the offending literature.
I can understand and applaude the honesty of someone not liking a work. But unless the book is pretentious crap or so poorly written as to be a total waste of time, one should remember that there is a world of subjectivity in books.
I personally thought The Lovely Bones was a great book. I would hate to think that some might not read it because another author said "Don't read this book."
I thought The DeVinci Code was absolutely laughable. Incredibly poorly written and the technical word I would use is 'crap.' But was it over-rated? Since it sold a zillion copies, the issue is 'over-rated as what?' As mental bubble-gum, I would think it was underrated.
Should people read it? Not my position to say.
I didn't like The Lovely Bones. I'm glad I'm not the only one.
I did like The Lovely Bones, which made this all the more of a disappointment. I haven't loathed a book this much since The World According to Garp!
Ukrainer's review
The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold
Ukrainer's review
rating:
I mentioned a few weeks ago that Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones is a disappointing and overrated book. Imagine my pleasure and delight (I always like to feel justified) when I read several reviews (The New York Times Sunday Book Review and USA Today) absolutely trashing her latest book The Almost Moon. However, Almost Moon sounded so bad that I just had to find out how bad it is for myself.
First, do not read this book. The protagonist (if I dare use that word), Helen, kills her mother. I am not giving away any plot details since Helen announces the murder in the book’s first sentence.
I am not sure what Sebold intends with Helen and her plot. Are we meant to sympathize with her? Should we feel murder is justified because her mother was not nurturing? Or is the book intended to be a glimpse inside the mind of a murderer? I suspect the first. However, I have absolutely no sympathy for Helen.
The rest of the book is a mishmash of events from Helen’s life: meeting...more
First, do not read this book. The protagonist (if I dare use that word), Helen, kills her mother. I am not giving away any plot details since Helen announces the murder in the book’s first sentence.
I am not sure what Sebold intends with Helen and her plot. Are we meant to sympathize with her? Should we feel murder is justified because her mother was not nurturing? Or is the book intended to be a glimpse inside the mind of a murderer? I suspect the first. However, I have absolutely no sympathy for Helen.
The rest of the book is a mishmash of events from Helen’s life: meeting...more
Dude, you mean you don't have sympathy or understand why Helen killed her mother? Do you accept death?
After reading your review, I guess you have never been with someone and wished to end their suffering. And yet after looking at this person in their final moments, you can turn around and look at society and stand and say, there are no laws or norms where the future has no future.
You have a very western view of death.
You damn westerner, you.
(Sorry, that comment made me laugh. I have this book on my to-read list, but am not so enthused about it now.)
It always amazes me to see an author write "don't read this book" in a review of someone's work. The conceit is a bit laughable. Doubly so if the reviewing author takes a bit of pleasure in seeing the genuises at the New York Times and USA Today trash the offending literature.
I can understand and applaude the honesty of someone not liking a work. But unless the book is pretentious crap or so poorly written as to be a total waste of time, one should remember that there is a world of subjectivity in books.
I personally thought The Lovely Bones was a great book. I would hate to think that some might not read it because another author said "Don't read this book."
I thought The DeVinci Code was absolutely laughable. Incredibly poorly written and the technical word I would use is 'crap.' But was it over-rated? Since it sold a zillion copies, the issue is 'over-rated as what?' As mental bubble-gum, I would think it was underrated.
Should people read it? Not my position to say.
I didn't like The Lovely Bones. I'm glad I'm not the only one.
I did like The Lovely Bones, which made this all the more of a disappointment. I haven't loathed a book this much since The World According to Garp!