|
|
I loved this book! It is the story of a family of avant-garde performance artists who create "events" in public, aiming to inject some absurdity into the lives of unsuspecting bystanders. They believe that "good art" can only be spontaneous. Unfor...moreI loved this book! It is the story of a family of avant-garde performance artists who create "events" in public, aiming to inject some absurdity into the lives of unsuspecting bystanders. They believe that "good art" can only be spontaneous. Unfortunately, for Mr. and Mrs. Fang's children, Child A (Annie) and Child B (Buster,) their participation is always forced and often humiliating - as in performing songs on the sidewalk to raise money for their sick pet's surgery, while mom and dad boo in the audience.
Annie and Buster grow up to find their lives are not going in the direction they want and unforseen circumstances bring them home.
Despite all its quirkiness, The Family Fang is about the expectations parents have of their children to follow in their own footsteps, and those expectations' impacts on the children's lives. -Katie(less)
|
|
|
Michael Cunningham is well-known for his deliberate, descriptive, lyrical writing that seems to illustrate its subtleties in plot and atmosphere so perfectly. There are no wasted words in his books. There is also some sort of nascent or lingering hom...moreMichael Cunningham is well-known for his deliberate, descriptive, lyrical writing that seems to illustrate its subtleties in plot and atmosphere so perfectly. There are no wasted words in his books. There is also some sort of nascent or lingering homosexuality in his characters.
Most of the story is told from the point-of-view of Peter, a wealthy, white, married art dealer, who harbors a lot of stereotypical New Yorker arrogance and importance. He loves his wife, but seems to be a little bored of her. His gallery is B-grade in the cut-throat art world. His daughter is perpetually mad at him and has moved to Boston, and his very young, very beautiful former drug-addict brother-in-law is moving in. Peter is also slightly questioning his sexuality.
Cunningham has an amazing ability to put his finger on exactly the kind of things that make New York FEEL like New York. Additionally, the glimpse into the art world was well-described and accurately represented. He tends to drop the names of a lot of artists, but that is not the driving force behind the book. It is a good book for art history buffs.(less)
|
|
|
|
Thinking of this book, I keep returning the title of Joan Didion's collected works, "We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live." For Julian Barnes, or more appropriately his narrator Tony, this statement wouldn't be an expression of compulsion or d...moreThinking of this book, I keep returning the title of Joan Didion's collected works, "We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live." For Julian Barnes, or more appropriately his narrator Tony, this statement wouldn't be an expression of compulsion or desperation, but rather one of pragmatism. He tells himself stories because, well, that's life. How else do you define yourself other than by a carefully selected narrative?(less)
|
|
|
This book opens with the description of a Rapture-like event, where a percentage of the people on Earth simply vanish. There is no explanation of why or how this happened, it just did. Families become torn apart, cults form, and everyone is still dea...moreThis book opens with the description of a Rapture-like event, where a percentage of the people on Earth simply vanish. There is no explanation of why or how this happened, it just did. Families become torn apart, cults form, and everyone is still dealing with the loss of their loved ones.
The primary focus of the story is the new mayor, Kevin, and his family. While no immediate family member has vanished during the "sudden departure," no one is coping well. His wife Laurie joins a cult called the "Guilty Remnant," where she dresses in white, spies on those outside the cult, smokes cigarettes to profess her faith, and takes a vow of silence. Kevin's son decides to follow a new charismatic spiritual leader who calls himself Holy Wayne, and his daughter remains at home, but begins to fail her classes.
This is really a more atmospheric novel than one with a plot. Not a lot happens. It's more about how each of these people cope in different ways, not really attempting to move the story forward. I found parts of it (especially the end, which I won't ruin)to be very abrupt.
Ultimately worth the read, but don't expect a fast-paced book that really resolves much of anything.(less)
|
|
|
SUMMER READING REVIEW: "Loved this book. Very true to light portrayal of parent-child relationships, teenage behaviors, and Russian immigrants' speech patterns." -Alice Kintisch
I really liked this book. Vaclav and Lena are about 10 years old and de...moreSUMMER READING REVIEW: "Loved this book. Very true to light portrayal of parent-child relationships, teenage behaviors, and Russian immigrants' speech patterns." -Alice Kintisch
I really liked this book. Vaclav and Lena are about 10 years old and desperately want to be magicians. They are Russian immigrant children growing up in Brighton Beach. Vaclav is well loved and well cared-for, but Lena is seemingly neglected, doesn't know who her parents are, and lives in squalor with her aunt. Vaclav and Lena spend all their time together practicing their magic routines in hope of performing (without Vaclav's parents' permission) on the Coney Island Boardwalk.
This is a beautiful and somewhat unconventional love story between two kids who are struggling to acclimate to their new cultures and live their dreams.(less)
|
|
|
This is the story of Esch, who at 15 finds out she is pregnant. She lives in poverty-stricken Mississippi with her brothers and father. Her brother Skeetah is preoccupied with his pit-bull, China and her pups. Her brother Randall wants to get into ba...moreThis is the story of Esch, who at 15 finds out she is pregnant. She lives in poverty-stricken Mississippi with her brothers and father. Her brother Skeetah is preoccupied with his pit-bull, China and her pups. Her brother Randall wants to get into basketball camp so he has a chance at going to college and Esch is terrified of the baby growing inside her.
The entire book takes place over the 12 days leading up to Hurricane Katrina. It involves preparing for the hurricane, taking care of their drunken father, and the dog-fighting culture that seems to prevail among the men in the area.
It is a very well-written book with a likeable main character, but it is not for the faint of heart.(less)
|
|
|
While this is not my favorite of Jeanette Winterson's books, I still read it in a single (long) sitting. It is the story of the love triangle/three-way relationship among two physicists and a poet. Alice, while already having an affair with Jove, a m...moreWhile this is not my favorite of Jeanette Winterson's books, I still read it in a single (long) sitting. It is the story of the love triangle/three-way relationship among two physicists and a poet. Alice, while already having an affair with Jove, a married man, meets his wife Stella expecting a fight. Instead, Alice and Stella fall in love as well.
As in any other Winterson novel, the story is told in a non-linear fashion with heartbreakingly beautiful prose. Each chapter is named after a tarot card.(less)
|
|
|
|
After Dark describes the events of one night in Tokyo, from midnight to around 7am. The characters include Mari, a young woman who spends her night in a Denny's reading a book, a trombone player who claims to know her, the female manager of a seedy "...moreAfter Dark describes the events of one night in Tokyo, from midnight to around 7am. The characters include Mari, a young woman who spends her night in a Denny's reading a book, a trombone player who claims to know her, the female manager of a seedy "Love-ho" (hourly motel), a young Chinese prostitute who was badly beaten by a John, and Mari's eternally sleeping model sister. The book did not seem to be striving for shock. It merely documented the events of the night and the interactions among the characters. Much of the book was written as if it were a screen-play, describing the settings in depth, while also dictating camera movements and zoom-ins.(less)
|
|
|
|
|
Tea Obreht uses folklore, magic, and whimsy to relate the richness of Balkan culture as well as the sadness of its recent history.
For fans of Salman Rushdie, Markus Zusak and Yann Martel.
|