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March 13
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Salvador
read and liked
Jason's
review of A Prayer for Owen Meany (Ballantine Reader's Circle):
"I've been on a huge John Irving kick recently, and man, am I glad I didn't start with this book because I might have aborted the whole thing before I had a chance to read some of his better works.
This one just didn't do it for me. Whereas I left ...more
I've been on a huge John Irving kick recently, and man, am I glad I didn't start with this book because I might have aborted the whole thing before I had a chance to read some of his better works.
This one just didn't do it for me. Whereas I left other Irving novels feeling recharged and alive, I left this one pissed off and ready to drink cheap tequila until I blacked out and woke up in a new world where there are no books or stories or any sort of entertainment derived from the written word.
First of all, I think Irving has a habit of using his novel's narrators as a stand in for himself, which is fine, since he seems like and incredibly interesting dude, but here I felt like he was just going through the motions "Oh, ok, here's my main character, and he's different than me, uh, because we have different names and um...different parents...anyway, yeah, that's how we're different ok story time now!!!" it was a thin disguise at best and didn't work for me at all.
My second problem was the structure. The book takes place over the span of about 30 years, and sometimes events from all thirty were addressed in a single page. Which is fine, if it works, but I felt like he was trying to go for an "omni-present" narrative that ended up being muddled.
I also think the book might work better for people who are a little older than myself. A large part of the story deals with the Vietnam war and it's relation to the Iran Contra scandal. While these passages were in no way "lacking" it did seem like they were aimed for people who were alive during that time, and could share in Irving's (obvious) outrage. Side note - I found myself finding a bazillion (yes, a bazillion) similarities between the national atmosphere in '68, and now.
Oh, and while I love Irving's knack for the unusual, here it seemed like every other page he was trying to force a "classic" situation, wherein unusual characters meet in an unusual situation that illuminates their nature in the most unusual of ways. It got so bad that at times I felt like I was reading a sitcom.
There were a few bright spots. I was genuinely moved by Owen's character, and I thought he served as a wonderful example of how Christ could have been at once holy, and flawed.
Gah - The thing is, Irving is a new love in my life, and like any new love, I wanted it to be perfect. But he isn't and that's fine because who wants perfection anyway but goddamn I wanted to love this one.
Um, yes. Ok, well, I'm giving it two stars - but two stars for Irving is four for most other authors....less
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January 19
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Salvador
gave
to:
Until I Find You: A Novel (Paperback)
by John Irving
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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recommended to Salvador by:
Dave
recommended for: people who enjoy a good, slow paced storyq
read in May, 2007
Salvador said:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Strong but...more
Best book by Irving I've read so far (also, only my 2nd). Great tale with a great twist mid-book that you can kind of see coming but but the story is so deep and richly written that it pulls it off beautifully. Weak male lead character,
Strong but damaged women characters. The last scene with the Father playing the organ in the church is so intense once you get to that point that it makes for a good semi-happy ending. It leaves you wanting to read more about the conversations to be had between Jack and his father, and all the catching up they have. You get the story from the POV of Jack and his mother, it would be interesting to read the same tale in detail from his father's perspective....less
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Salvador
gave
to:
The Afghan (Hardcover)
by Frederick Forsyth
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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recommended to Salvador by:
Dave
recommended for: people who like thrillers
read in October, 2007
Salvador said:
"Not really into International Military Thrillers but this book was recommended to me by someone who's literary taste i trust, so i read it and enjoyed the story. The detail that went into describing everything was staggering, especially for someone ...more
Not really into International Military Thrillers but this book was recommended to me by someone who's literary taste i trust, so i read it and enjoyed the story. The detail that went into describing everything was staggering, especially for someone who doesn't know much about the military. It was very plausible, which is what makes it so engaging and kind of scary.
The suspense is really good if you can get through the military jargon....less
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Salvador
gave
to:
Gonzalez and Daughter Trucking Co.: A Road Novel with Literary License (Paperback)
by Maria Amparo Escandon
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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recommended for: Fans of Chic Lit
read in September, 2007
Salvador said:
"Read it for a Chicano Lit Class and thought it was a good Chicana Lit (chic lit) book.
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Salvador
marked as to-read:
A Prayer for Owen Meany (Paperback)
by John Irving
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Salvador
gave
to:
Haunted (Paperback)
by Chuck Palahniuk
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Salvador
gave
to:
The Fourth Hand (Mass Market Paperback)
by John Irving
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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recommended to Salvador by:
Dave
recommended for: People who like slower, more drawn out stories
read in March, 2007
Salvador said:
"The fist Irving book i read and i really liked the way the story was drawn out. I was used to reading stuff like Stephen King and Dean Koontz, where things have to happen in succession each chapter. I was surprised at how much i enjoyed anticipatin...more
The fist Irving book i read and i really liked the way the story was drawn out. I was used to reading stuff like Stephen King and Dean Koontz, where things have to happen in succession each chapter. I was surprised at how much i enjoyed anticipating the next meeting between patrick and doris. Who names a main character Doris anyway! What also caught me off gaurd was how much it intrigued me to read a story with such a weak male character and such a strong but damaged female character. It was new to me, and it would come back again, stronger, in Until I Find You....less
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Salvador
gave
to:
Grown-A$$ Man (Hardcover)
by Cedric the Entertainer
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in June, 2007
Salvador said:
"Why would anyone publish this. It was like getting him drunk and asking about his life while having a tape recorder there. I liked his stand up on Kings of Comedy but reading it is just not the same. Good thing i didn't actually buy the book, but ...more
Why would anyone publish this. It was like getting him drunk and asking about his life while having a tape recorder there. I liked his stand up on Kings of Comedy but reading it is just not the same. Good thing i didn't actually buy the book, but now my roomate has to keep it in his personally library for the rest of his life. HAHAHAHA!!!...less
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Salvador
gave
to:
The Great Gatsby (Paperback)
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Salvador
gave
to:
Brave New World (Paperback)
by Aldous Huxley
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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