Barry Stewart Levy's Blog, page 16
May 12, 2018
Book Review #23
The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life
by Twyla Tharp
Tharp is encouraging, empathetic, honest, tough (on herself as well), smart and inventive. She is a no-nonsense artist/writer/instructor. This is a wonderful book for anyone who values their artistic abilities and who seeks to nurture the creative process.
by Twyla Tharp
Tharp is encouraging, empathetic, honest, tough (on herself as well), smart and inventive. She is a no-nonsense artist/writer/instructor. This is a wonderful book for anyone who values their artistic abilities and who seeks to nurture the creative process.
Book Review #22
Coral Glynn
by Peter Cameron
The book is highly readable and entertaining. And strange. Mostly because Coral is such an odd bird. She possesses almost no depth of character. She acts and reacts. There are consequences to her actions. And yet we learn almost nothing about her. Events, seemingly disjointed, are often melodramatic, if not preposterous: a violent encounter in the woods, an unusual shopping spree, a sudden sexual escapade, a failed suicide attempt, etc. Also, for the longest time I was not sure in what era the action was taking place. I knew it was after "the war" but which war? For the record it's World War II. I also could not get a handle on the tone of the novel. There are humorous and suspenseful and sensual moments. But I was never sure if Cameron was commenting on 1950's women's fiction or women's films, as director Todd Haynes has done with "Carol" and "Far from Heaven." But having said all this, Peter Cameron (and this is the third book of his I've read) kept me turning the pages. And there is something to be said for that.
by Peter Cameron
The book is highly readable and entertaining. And strange. Mostly because Coral is such an odd bird. She possesses almost no depth of character. She acts and reacts. There are consequences to her actions. And yet we learn almost nothing about her. Events, seemingly disjointed, are often melodramatic, if not preposterous: a violent encounter in the woods, an unusual shopping spree, a sudden sexual escapade, a failed suicide attempt, etc. Also, for the longest time I was not sure in what era the action was taking place. I knew it was after "the war" but which war? For the record it's World War II. I also could not get a handle on the tone of the novel. There are humorous and suspenseful and sensual moments. But I was never sure if Cameron was commenting on 1950's women's fiction or women's films, as director Todd Haynes has done with "Carol" and "Far from Heaven." But having said all this, Peter Cameron (and this is the third book of his I've read) kept me turning the pages. And there is something to be said for that.
Book Review #21
Conversations & Cosmopolitans: How to Give Your Mother a Hangover
by Robert Rave and Jane Rave
Several years ago I met Robert and Jane Rave at a gay event in New York City. I bought a copy of their book which they graciously signed, and what a nice read it turned out to be. A gay son and his mom write alternating chapters on coming out, Weight Watchers, dating and, in the two best segments, discrimination and a near-death experience. There were times when I laughed out loud, cringed at Robert's insecurities, while nodding my head in recognition at some of my own.
Unfortunately, the hardcover edition I read, published by iUniverse, could have used a more careful edit. Places and passages of time were not always clear. And there were typos. Also, Virginia Woolf is not spelled with an "e" after the "f."
But let me end on a positive note. I recommend the book to anyone gay, straight or in-between. And that last line, delivered by Mama, will make you smile and maybe even applaud.
by Robert Rave and Jane Rave
Several years ago I met Robert and Jane Rave at a gay event in New York City. I bought a copy of their book which they graciously signed, and what a nice read it turned out to be. A gay son and his mom write alternating chapters on coming out, Weight Watchers, dating and, in the two best segments, discrimination and a near-death experience. There were times when I laughed out loud, cringed at Robert's insecurities, while nodding my head in recognition at some of my own.
Unfortunately, the hardcover edition I read, published by iUniverse, could have used a more careful edit. Places and passages of time were not always clear. And there were typos. Also, Virginia Woolf is not spelled with an "e" after the "f."
But let me end on a positive note. I recommend the book to anyone gay, straight or in-between. And that last line, delivered by Mama, will make you smile and maybe even applaud.
Book Review #20
The Children Act
by Ian McEwan
This is McEwan's best book since "On Chesil Beach," beautifully written and carefully composed. He has created a complex main character faced with moral choices and life and death decisions involving a handsome, creative and highly intelligent teenage boy dying of leukemia.
As with "On Chesil Beach" and "Atonement," but more so with this novel, I had to reread certain passages towards the end to fully comprehend the gravity and the emotional consequences endured by the protagonists and the people whose lives they have touched.
This is an admirable and lovely work of fiction, haunting and heartbreaking.
by Ian McEwan
This is McEwan's best book since "On Chesil Beach," beautifully written and carefully composed. He has created a complex main character faced with moral choices and life and death decisions involving a handsome, creative and highly intelligent teenage boy dying of leukemia.
As with "On Chesil Beach" and "Atonement," but more so with this novel, I had to reread certain passages towards the end to fully comprehend the gravity and the emotional consequences endured by the protagonists and the people whose lives they have touched.
This is an admirable and lovely work of fiction, haunting and heartbreaking.
Book Review #19
The Child in Time
by Ian McEwan
This is the twelfth work of fiction by Ian McEwan that I've read. It's a good book and well written with some beautiful passages and monologues, though it is not one of my favorites. The premise, as opposed to plot, is the disintegration of Stephen and Julie's marriage after their daughter Kate is kidnapped. But it is also about the fluidity of time. At one point Stephen literally goes back in time, witnessing his parents at a crucial moment in their lives in which his destiny is decided. At moments the book is satirical and Swiftian, as it mocks child rearing practices. There is also the story line of Charles, Stephen's friend, who has a breakdown and reverts to behaving like a child. The novel meanders and goes off in any number of directions, including poking fun at the book's prime minister as well as dealing with class structure and the plight of the poor and the homeless. There were times when I wasn't sure where I was or where the book was headed. But McEwan is obviously a very fine and talented writer. So even though the book was frustrating at times, it held my interest and kept me reading.
by Ian McEwan
This is the twelfth work of fiction by Ian McEwan that I've read. It's a good book and well written with some beautiful passages and monologues, though it is not one of my favorites. The premise, as opposed to plot, is the disintegration of Stephen and Julie's marriage after their daughter Kate is kidnapped. But it is also about the fluidity of time. At one point Stephen literally goes back in time, witnessing his parents at a crucial moment in their lives in which his destiny is decided. At moments the book is satirical and Swiftian, as it mocks child rearing practices. There is also the story line of Charles, Stephen's friend, who has a breakdown and reverts to behaving like a child. The novel meanders and goes off in any number of directions, including poking fun at the book's prime minister as well as dealing with class structure and the plight of the poor and the homeless. There were times when I wasn't sure where I was or where the book was headed. But McEwan is obviously a very fine and talented writer. So even though the book was frustrating at times, it held my interest and kept me reading.
Book Review #18
The Chamber
by John Grisham
Grisham is a good writer. The book is 675 pages, but he kept me reading. It's an affecting and a moralistic tale of a bitter old man facing the gas chamber and the lawyer grandson, whom he's never met, fighting against his execution. Regardless of one's views on capital punishment, you cringe reading about the cold mechanics of the chamber and feel an empathy for the growing love between these two very different men.
On the negative side, for the most part I did not care for the way Grisham ended his chapters and was extremely disappointed with the very end of the book.
by John Grisham
Grisham is a good writer. The book is 675 pages, but he kept me reading. It's an affecting and a moralistic tale of a bitter old man facing the gas chamber and the lawyer grandson, whom he's never met, fighting against his execution. Regardless of one's views on capital punishment, you cringe reading about the cold mechanics of the chamber and feel an empathy for the growing love between these two very different men.
On the negative side, for the most part I did not care for the way Grisham ended his chapters and was extremely disappointed with the very end of the book.
Book Review #17
A Certain Smile
by Francoise Sagan
I just finished reading "A Certain Smile" for a third time and with each reading I've gotten more out of this slender, lovely, touching, perceptive novella.
Dominique, the main character, is not always likable. Her boredom seems at times almost like an affectation. She is fickle but passionate, self-pitying and selfish. But understandable as well. She is in love with the idea of love.
There were times when my mind wandered due to the writing's dreamlike, lyrical, nearly stream of consciousness quality. Not to mention that somewhere in the recesses of my mind I could hear Johnny Mathis singing the words to the song "A Certain Smile."
by Francoise Sagan
I just finished reading "A Certain Smile" for a third time and with each reading I've gotten more out of this slender, lovely, touching, perceptive novella.
Dominique, the main character, is not always likable. Her boredom seems at times almost like an affectation. She is fickle but passionate, self-pitying and selfish. But understandable as well. She is in love with the idea of love.
There were times when my mind wandered due to the writing's dreamlike, lyrical, nearly stream of consciousness quality. Not to mention that somewhere in the recesses of my mind I could hear Johnny Mathis singing the words to the song "A Certain Smile."
Book Review #16
Catching Fire
by Suzanne Collins
I'd like to give this book another half a star, as in some ways it improved upon the first book in the series. Exciting, shocking, and with characters I genuinely cared about. However, there were too many names of secondary characters to keep track of and the final chapter -- no spoilers! -- was too busy and muddled. In short, the ending of "Catching Fire" could not hold a candle (pun intended) to that final sentence of "The Hunger Games." Nonetheless, Suzanne Collins knows how to write and to keep those pages turning!
by Suzanne Collins
I'd like to give this book another half a star, as in some ways it improved upon the first book in the series. Exciting, shocking, and with characters I genuinely cared about. However, there were too many names of secondary characters to keep track of and the final chapter -- no spoilers! -- was too busy and muddled. In short, the ending of "Catching Fire" could not hold a candle (pun intended) to that final sentence of "The Hunger Games." Nonetheless, Suzanne Collins knows how to write and to keep those pages turning!
Book Review #15
The Camino: A Journey of the Spirit
by Shirley MacLaine
Another wonderful, inspiring and thought-provoking book by Shirley MacLaine. And to think that in her sixties she traveled 500 miles on foot to complete her spiritual pilgrimage is astonishing! Bravo!
by Shirley MacLaine
Another wonderful, inspiring and thought-provoking book by Shirley MacLaine. And to think that in her sixties she traveled 500 miles on foot to complete her spiritual pilgrimage is astonishing! Bravo!
Book Review #14
Call Me by Your Name
by Andre Aciman
A beautifully written, elegiac, sensuous, erotic novel... The final pages are very moving and achingly sad. This book will stay with me for quite awhile.
by Andre Aciman
A beautifully written, elegiac, sensuous, erotic novel... The final pages are very moving and achingly sad. This book will stay with me for quite awhile.
