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July 23
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Jane
gave
 
to:
The Girl with No Shadow: A Novel (Hardcover)
by Joanne Harris
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in June, 2008
Jane said:
"I didn't like this as well as Chocolat. I liked catching up with the original characters, but is was dark and gloomy. The book had an interesting premise, but the ending doesn't live up to the hype leading up to it.
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Jane
is currently reading:
Unaccustomed Earth (Hardcover)
by Jhumpa Lahiri
bookshelves:
currently-reading
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Jane
gave
to:
The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World (Hardcover)
by Eric Weiner
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Jane said:
"This is a funny book. The author's writing sytle reminds me of Bill Bryson and some of it had me laughing out loud. It's a fun read.
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Jane
gave
to:
The Ten-Year Nap (Hardcover)
by Meg Wolitzer
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in May, 2008
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May 05
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Jane
gave
to:
The Future of Love: A Novel (Hardcover)
by Shirley Abbott
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in May, 2008
Jane said:
"This novel follows the interconnected lives of eight New Yorkers just prior to and just after September 11th. The common thread to all eight characters is that they are all looking for love, but they don’t necessarily find it in the expected place...more
This novel follows the interconnected lives of eight New Yorkers just prior to and just after September 11th. The common thread to all eight characters is that they are all looking for love, but they don’t necessarily find it in the expected places. The story is centered around Antonia, a widow in her 70’s who is having an affair with a married man named Sam. Antonia’s daughter, Maggie, is married to Mark who is having an affair with their daughter’s preschool teacher. Sam has been in a loveless marriage to Edith for over forty years, yet he can’t even contemplate divorce because he would risk losing his beloved home. Sam and Edith have a granddaughter named Alison who is in a lesbian relationship with Candace and the couple wants to have a commitment ceremony on Sam’s estate. Greg is Candace’s uncle and the downstairs neighbor to Antonia. He’s lived with his partner for forty-five years and is dying of lung cancer. After the World Trade Center bombings, all the characters begin to view their futures in new ways. The author pursues all these plots in a third person narrative and each chapter is devoted to one specific character. Abbott has an elegant writing style and she does a good job of tying up all the interrelationships in the story.
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May 03
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Jane
read and liked
Mike's
review of The Future of Love: A Novel:
"See the thread on Paul West's The Immensity of Here and Now. No use multiplying discussions of 9/11 fiction...
This has multiple characters intersecting, some realizing the stagnation of their own lives and pushing through it, helpfully transform...more
See the thread on Paul West's The Immensity of Here and Now. No use multiplying discussions of 9/11 fiction...
This has multiple characters intersecting, some realizing the stagnation of their own lives and pushing through it, helpfully transformed by terrorist attack into better human beings. Some are narcissists and close-minded clods, and their essential traits are (satirically?) exposed and reinforced by the events. You may recall this plot from Clare Messud's _The Emperor's Children_ (far better), Hugh Nissenson's _Days of Awe_ (better), Jay McInerney's _The Good Life_ (far worse), and Rudolph Delson's _Maynard and Jennica_ (about equivalent).
Oh, Deborah Eisenberg also does this, in a story, that besides being about 90% more concise also tends to be far more incisive than most of these other folks. ("Twilight of the Superheroes," in the collection of that name.)
It really was distressingly familiar, and I had trouble working up any sympathy for this probably-harmless and unexceptional novel. But maybe you'll love it. Still, I'd recommend Messud, maybe Nissenson--or better yet Ken Kalfus, Jess Walter, and Lynne Sharon Schwartz.......less
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April 27
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Jane
gave
to:
Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home (Hardcover)
by Kim Sunée
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in April, 2008
Jane said:
"I really wanted to love this book and it is definitely an interesting read, but I just never got a sense of what was driving the author to make the choices she does. I enjoyed the recipes and decriptions of her travels and the writing is quite good, ...more
I really wanted to love this book and it is definitely an interesting read, but I just never got a sense of what was driving the author to make the choices she does. I enjoyed the recipes and decriptions of her travels and the writing is quite good, but as a whole, it's just not a great book. There's a lot of angst that doesn't seem to lead to any kind of conclusion....less
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April 21
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Jane
gave
to:
The Senator's Wife (Hardcover)
by Sue Miller
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in April, 2008
Jane said:
"I enjoyed this novel but I didn't love it. I had a hard time relating to the two main characters because they both seemed to act in very inconsistent ways. I enjoyed the story of the political wife and how she came to a resolution regarding her marri...more
I enjoyed this novel but I didn't love it. I had a hard time relating to the two main characters because they both seemed to act in very inconsistent ways. I enjoyed the story of the political wife and how she came to a resolution regarding her marriage, but I wish it was a bit more believable....less
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