Doug Lewars's Blog, page 8

Whale

Whale by Cheon Myeong-Kwan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

If you're looking for character development forget it.

This book is primarily narrative with little dialogue and no real drama. It reminded me to some extent of myth although in novel size as opposed to short stories.

It covers a long time span and over the course of the novel, every single character dies unless one counts the architect tossed in at the end to provide an explanation as to what became of the bricks.

I found it interesting at a certain level and since I accessed the audio version, it provided some nice background while I was making meals or doing chores.

This book is classified as satire although I was not sufficiently familiar with Korean society to 'get' most of the digs. Some, however, were pretty obvious and those provided at least a smile and sometimes a chuckle.

In general I thought it was okay, maybe 3.5 rounded up to 4. It's definitely not for everyone but I think those with a background in Korean politics and society would definitely enjoy it. Others, I think will find it okay but not great.



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The Vegan

The Vegan by Andrew Lipstein

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***
Somehow I made it to the end of this thing without DNFing it. I’m not sure how. By the 40% mark I realized it was a self-indulgent stream of consciousness of no use and little interest but there are times I make a point of continuing with a book I dislike just to see how bad it can get. I found out.
Actually, not everything in the book was bad. There were two plots both related to the protagonist and running side by side. One was very interesting and the other was drivel. Unfortunately the author directed 90% of the book to the latter.

Let’s start with the interesting bits. A tech startup, combined with a hedge fund discovers an interesting way to predict market prices. Although not explicitly stated, the author hints they analyzed huge amounts of data, and determined what market conditions triggered certain actions on the part of computer trading programs. Then, when certain market states appears, a comparatively small purchase or sale would cause one of these programs to take a predictable action moving the market to a different state where another computerized program would step in. Like falling dominoes the market would change to what the model predicted and those running the hedge fund could act accordingly.

Although the book is fiction, with the advances in AI, this plot seems almost possible. Naturally there are others who want to elbow their way into the action and are prepared to do whatever it takes to get their way. I found the ideas in this plot fascinating. Unfortunately the author didn’t.
Instead what we have is the CEO of the company undergoing a mental crises and degenerating into insanity. Through his inner thoughts we experience every possible bit of self-loathing and guilt far left clichés and tropes can produce. Boring, boring, boring.

The author clearly despises capitalism, hates the rich, and believes everyone who ever achieved any form of success will, or should, experience massive liberal guilt. This idea became popular in the early 1970’s and it would seem the author is still stuck with the notion. In addition he scorns anyone who is quite content to live their life without constant self-evaluation, second guessing, and wanting to crawl under a rock. He dislikes technology, and insofar as he expresses his thoughts through the protagonist, believes we should all go back to living in caves without the benefit of the wheel, fire, or even speech. It would seem even Neanderthals are too sophisticated for his view of the world.

This book is classified as satire but there is no humour involved, just incessant whining. If you are a member of the far left, and don’t mind pretentious drivel you MIGHT enjoy this book. Everyone else would be better off with something else.




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Ladies Lunch

Ladies' Lunch: and Other Stories by Lore Segal

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I listened to the audio version of this book. I don't think I'd care for it in text format. There isn't much in the way of plot nor are the characters particularly interesting. Having the reader chattering along in the background while you perform chores or prepare meals is okay.



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This Won't Help

This Won’t Help: Modest Proposals for a More Enjoyable Apocalypse by Eli Grober

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I think I set a new record for this book DNFing it by the 2% mark. There are certain things i will not tolerate from an author and one of them is preaching at his or her readers. Nevertheless, I believe some readers might enjoy the book, so if you would like to listen to a sermon from the Evangelical Church of Sanctimonious Environmentalism, this book, or at least the first essay, is for you.



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Rachel to the Rescue

Rachel to the Rescue by Elinor Lipman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This book wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. It reminded me of something that might have been produced by an AI engine programmed by someone with ADHD. It could never seem to make up its mind what sort of story it was telling and once you sort through the verbiage it seems so concerned with not offending anyone it says nothing at all. I selected it because it came up in a search for 'satire' and while I suppose there was a bit it was pretty low key. This book would be great for readers who really enjoy pablum.



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Love Will Tear Us Apart

Love Will Tear Us Apart by C.K. McDonnell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

If you like the series, you'll enjoy this book. The pacing is excellent, the plot exciting and the characters eccentric. Magic abounds and the bad guys are even more villainous than usual. My only regret is my library does not stock the fourth book in the series. I highly recommend this one.



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The Ask

The Ask by Sam Lipsyte

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

DNF. Listened to the audio book. I made it through 16% (approximately 1 hour) of whining. How does garbage like this get published? If there is an audience for this, it must lie in the Gen z culture and probably within those under the age of 20. There is only one good thing I can say about this book. The author has a remarkably strong vocabulary and can manage a pretty good metaphor from time to time.



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Mermaids in Paradise

Mermaids in Paradise by Lydia Millet

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I may be a little generous rating this book as high as a 3 but I did like some parts. Technically it's a satire on the American honeymoon, and I guess there is that; however, although not necessarily intentionally, the author does a remarkably good job of satirizing west-coast, early to mid-thirties females. The heroine is vapid, self-absorbed, pretentious and generally unpleasant. Despite having an executive job in financial planning and management, she comes across as lacking much in the way of common sense. In short, if this was intentional, the author did a fine job. The image breaks down a little midway through the book when she seems to think and act in a competent manner but her insipid character takes over near the end.

The plot is okay although the villains seemed somewhat removed from the action. Around the 75% mark, I found the book becoming tedious but eventually the author got on with the story.

The ending was pretty bad. It seemed like post-modernist nihilism and was foist on the reader right out of the blue. Presumably it was designed to put the rest of the book into start relief as we realize the futility of everything in the story, and I suppose it did that, but it seemed rather contrived and largely a waste of time.

This isn't a horrible book but frankly I think you can do better.



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The Wdow's Husband's Secret Lie

The Widow's Husband's Secret Lie by Freida McFadden

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I loved this book and found it hilarious but it's definitely not for everyone. I took a look at the ratings and found them quite interesting. Of the '3's, quite a number claimed they quite liked the book. Some weren't so positive. Let's assume the '3's break down 50/50 between likes and dislikes. Therefore considering '4's and '5' as positive likes and the '1's and '2's as definite dislikes, we get 62% of readers enjoying this book and 38% disliking it. Interestingly I've noticed the 60/40 split crops up in both politics and certain psychological profiles. This is a work of satire and a parody of certain mystery novels. I was even amused by the cameo reference to Colombo. Exaggeration is a common tool when creating satire as is whimsy. In most of the '1' reviews I read the readers objected to this book because they found it stupid. The reality is, there are those who enjoy whimsy and those who hate it. If you're among the segment of the population who needs to regard everything as very, very serious, this book is NOT for you. On the other hand, if you enjoy lighthearted silliness, I think you'll like this one.



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The Third Temple

The Third Temple by Yishai Sarid

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible spoilers ***

This was one of the best books I've read in quite some time. Normally I don't care for dystopian fiction but the author teases out the details of what's going on so gradually I had difficulty putting it down. The plot is okay but not great. The author's forte is piquing the reader's curiosity and never quite satisfying it. The only thing I didn't care for was the ending. Of necessity, we view the goings on through one individual, but I was hoping at the end, there might be a trial or something in which happenings in the external world might be revealed. Nevertheless, outside of that one small detail, the book was utterly gripping. I highly recommend it.



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