Ordinarily I love John Irving, even despite (or because of) his repetitious themes. Here, he came up short. The problem for me was the lack of depth in his characters. Usually, the characters carry his books, making the similar plotlines come to life. Twisted River did not deliver in the respect. There was no center to the book, and I continued to wonder until close to the end who was the book's focus - Danny, the cook, or even little Joe. Seemingly major characters in the lives of Danny and the cook were not given any life, such as Charlotte, who supposedly is one of the great loves of Danny's life and who is more or less mentioned in passing. Danny and the cook are also supposedly on this great "adventure" but it is very hard to swallow when things tend to happen to them, but they don't actually do much; the story feels very passive. When the story and characters fall flat like this, Irving self-obsession about his self-obsession takes center stage, in a paranoid and whiny sort of way. I don't care what Irving's political views are - if I wanted to know I'd read a magazine; I picked up Twisted River to read about Danny and Dominic Baciagalupo. Unfortunately, that's not what I got. ]]>
A bit of a disappointment. Delphine was an uninspiring character, who did not engage in her environment and was too passive for a satisfying central character. The plot, if there was one, meandered without a center. I think Erdrich bit off more than she could work with and gave us too little of too many characters. Also, the title was deceptive, as the story had little to nothing to do with the butchers' singing club. Some elements of the book were enjoyable but the whole was a jumble and fell flat. ]]>
Corinne
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I am so glad to see this book, especially since it is written from the African perspective. It is refreshing to see someone taking a critical look at the aid culture, and Moyo goes further to provide thoughtful remedies to the aid crisis. The book was wholly anti-aid, and I would have appreciated a more balanced view, but overall, worth the read. ]]>
A very interesting history read, which McCullough makes palatable with a clear and engaging writing style. This snapshot of the revolution was highly informative. Until reading this, I had no idea how important New York was to the revolution. Overall, a good read, though McCullough does seem to have a case of hero worship for George Washington - I did find his praise of Washington and all his perfection to be a bit over the top. ]]>
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I liked this much more than David Egger's What is the What in large part because it is Beah's voice, direct and unmitigated. I appreciated the perspective and the frankness of Beah's narrative, as it is so rare to find someone who comes out of a conflict situation and can speak so openly and intelligently about those horrifying experiences. My only regret is that the book is so brief. I would have liked to have learned more about Beah's years as a soldier and, especially, his years of rehabilitation. Hopefully we'll hear more from Beah in the future. ]]>
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This book gives new meaning to the term "local color." Hard to believe this is a work of non-fiction. Berendt makes Savannah a captivating focal point for this book, making it far more than a backdrop to the bizarre murder mystery of the plot. A great read overall. ]]>