I didn't care for the first couple of stories in this collection, but Bloom's style grew on me as I read on. Each story seemed to lead us into a land of discomfort and ask us to dwell there for awhile. Most dealt with some form of non-conventional sexuality (adultery, incest, transsexuality), but from a fresh perspective. How would a mother feel the night before her daughter becomes a son? Can a son revisit a step mother who he had slept many years ago and survive unscathed? I thought the last story, where the narrator talks directly to the reader was the most inventive. ]]>
bookshelves: biographies, to-read
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bookshelves: biographies, to-read
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bookshelves: to-read
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bookshelves: biographies
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Connie
took the never-ending book quiz.
| questions answered: | 335 |
| correct: | 220 (65.7%) |
| skipped: | 71 |
| best streak: | 19 |
| questions added: | 0 |
Connie
added a quote:
"I'm not afraid of death; I just don't want to be there when it happens." — Woody Allen
"I'm not afraid of death; I just don't want to be there when it happens." — Woody Allen
Connie
read and liked
Jennifer's
review of Christine Falls: A Novel:
"Filled with atmosphere, but not much else, opening Christine Falls evokes the kind of dark noir atmosphere of the early fifties, step into the book and you step back into smoky drawing rooms and corner bars, squat henchmen, sleek cars, and swirling g...more "
"Filled with atmosphere, but not much else, opening Christine Falls evokes the kind of dark noir atmosphere of the early fifties, step into the book and you step back into smoky drawing rooms and corner bars, squat henchmen, sleek cars, and swirling g...more "
This was a gripping tale of survival with the short chapters alternating between the time before and after the plane crash. The earlier part of the book was the best, with the author's fond (and not so fond) memories of his father's drive to experience life to the hilt, pushing young Norm to excel at skiing and surfing.
I thought the part about author's rocky adjustment to his life after the crash was kind of weak. Although he paints a fabulous portrait of his father's life, I don't think he did justice to his father's girlfriend, who also died on that mountain. Why no pictures of her? She comes off as a whiny caricature.