bookshelves: mystery, serial-killers
This book and her first *Heartsick* just should not work. They just shouldn't. But they do, and they're awesome! The only reason I marked this at four stars and not five is that the subplot seemed slightly convaluted for me. It felt like I should get it, but it didn't seem really related enough for me. Plus I think she let the sub-plot bad guy off too easy. (Especially when you consider the crap this author puts all of her main characters through...to let one of the bad guys, minor though he is, off so easy was a little disappointing.) ]]>
by Anne Frank
Yeah, I read it when I was younger too. This go-round I was definitely more sympathetic to her mother. Yeah, let me know if her style becomes more refined as it goes...apparently her handwriting did. Even in the English translation there's a slight shift, so I think it'd be more pronounced in Dutch. ]]>
bookshelves: classics, historical, memoir, non-fiction, wwii
Really, in the long run, all that can be said is Wow. Wow: amazing feat of human nature. Wow: I can't believe they had to live that way. Wow: How can a girl that young create a document of love, hate, and life? So, at first, you just sit back in amazement.
Among all that amazement though, is a repetitive tendency, and, well, TEENAGER. Angst. Menstruation. Attitude. I think my biggest thing was a pet peeve: Anne's repeated claims to not love her mother. To not respect her. And the blindness that backs Anne's argument. She claims her mother doesn't understand her, favors Anne's older sister Margot, and Anne repeatedly (almost ad nauseum) insists that she does not need her mother. That she is an independent being.
Perhaps as a teenager I would totally agree with her. But now, as a mom, and reading between the lines at what Anne's parents had to do to keep her safe and alive....well, I sorta wish Anne was around to smack. (I know! Sacriligious of me.) The mom in me was going "Yeah? Think you can do better on your own, Miss Independent? Go ahead and try."
But the fact that I had that reaction is a compliment to Anne and her ability to raise and convey emotion. No one can argue that she was anything but honest in her writing. Her portrayals of those locked in with her are some of the most memorable in any book, any where, any time. Really, the only thing that is annoying about her insights is that there are several entries that seem to say the same thing: love for Peter, hateful Momsy, delightful Pim. The rest is refreshing in its bluntness (Anyone wanna know about how female genitalia is constructed? Menstruation?--This is the reason that the book has been banned in several school districts. I was a little shocked, but completely agree with Anne that honest talk about such matters is better than letting teens figure it out on their own....)
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bookshelves: classics, funny, historical
It's Twain, what can I say?
I thought this a classic adventure story. There were moments I found more endearing than others: like when Tom takes the beating for Becky...though I was, of course, bothered by the whole teacher-whacking-a-student thing. But that was then, no escaping it. I also loved the description of the boys' 'treasures'. I'm glad the dead-cat-as-currency thing went out a while ago.
All that being said, I thought this was an easier read than Huck Finn, but I realized that this story is told differently. Tom Sawyer is third person, allowing Twain to sound off. Huck Finn is written in first person, in Huck's POV, with less wiggle room from Twain's 'philisophical' insights. Some readers have complained about Twain's bringing Tom Sawyer into the end of Huck Finn--arguing that it breaks Huck away from center stage--and makes Huck crueler to Jim at the end for the sake of Tom's prank. And it does. But after reading this, I have to say that Twain, as a writer, probably couldn't let Tom go. Just one more adventure. ]]>
bookshelves: literary, pulitzer
This one really impressed me. The plural first person narration was more graceful than I anticipated. I found that I didn't need to grasp on to one or the other of the boys who were obsessing about the Lisbon girls because the 'hive-mind' was so complete--and the damage inflicted by the girls' suicides was definitely distributed to all of them.
My only complaint, and it seems a silly one because the descriptions and comparisons make the narrative truly amazing to read, is the over-description. At certain points in the book, particularly in the aftermath of any drama, the description bogs down the narrative.
For example: The Lisbon house is falling apart, yes. It's a metaphor for how the family is falling apart. But by the end of the novel I'm really confused how the building is still standing--as a metaphor it goes too far too early. After every single event in the novel the house breaks down. Since the book begins with a suicide (I'm not giving anything away that the first paragraph and title doesn't)if I was basing the girls' state of mind on the house, I'm shocked they didn't all kill themselves by chapter two. (Also, there are only five chapters...which makes it hard to catch your breath in places.)
Overall though, I can see why Eugenides went on to win a Pulitzer. And for all the description and long chapters, it was actually a fairly quick read. Like I said early, my complaints seem silly in the grand scheme of the book. ]]>
bookshelves: historical, non-fiction
This was a really pleasant book to listen to--Cahill reads it himself in his lilting accent. There's a great introduction about the classic world and how that influenced everything that followed, including church politics. There are great overviews of Dante, Eleanor of Aquitane, and Saint Francis of Assisi.
The best part about this book is that he explores complex issues--that still play a big part in our lives today--and describes them beautifully, artfully. Quite like Simon Winchester's works. ]]>
bookshelves: funny, girly, mystery
Fun, like the rest of them. ]]>
bookshelves: funny, girly, mystery
It's pretty all right if you need a break from more literary pieces. ]]>
"Interesting style. Nice change of pace"
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