Danielle’s review of State of Wonder > Likes and Comments
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Tippy- I agree completely. I never saw either of the endings coming. I thought there was just the right amount of magical realism in this one! I loved the snake battle and the Rapps!
What a luxury for me I no longer have toddlers or babies I have to neglect in order to fall into books, just the boxes in the basement and they are so much more patient and quiet. Not to mention my eleven year old now gets it when I can't put the book down. When she talks to me and I say, "hey, right now I am reading, I'm sorry I can't help you with that." She says, "Mom, don't worry, I get it, you're at the good part? lots of cliff hangers, huh?"
Danielle: I love your comparison of Patchett's style to "a jewel box." Very apt.
I started this book and gave up quite early, but now I am going to go back and try again. I did that with Allende's House of the Spirits, and after I went back to it, it ended up being one of my favorite books. My brain was not in the right place apparently. Thanks for a great review.
Bel Canto was a revelation for me,I thought was so unusual, the book so well written I raved about it friends. Since them most of her books and loved them all especially Truth and Beauty.
State of Wonder was my first disappointment. There are so many holes to poke in the plot and I felt she resorted to gimmickry (cannibals next door, women eating bark) the fact that a major,rich drug company had to send a completely unqualified person to bring back a rebel researcher and none of this rang true to me. I'm reading Taft right now and recommend it.
moe wrote: "There are so many holes to poke in the plot and I felt she resorted to gimmickry (cannibals next door, women eating bark) the fact that a major,rich drug company had to send a completely unqualified person to bring back a rebel researcher and none of this rang true to me."
That is fascinating, Moe. I had such a different response to State of Wonder. I went into a full suspension of disbelief and never came out of it. (I think I am still there.)
I do agree with you about Truth and Beauty. I read it and then immediately reread Autobiography of a Face, which is an excellent book as well.
Spoiler Alert: I'm in between on this book. It's my first time reading Ann Patchett, and I liked the writing and got really into it at first, but found it slower in the middle. The end shocked me. I am wondering what others thought of giving up Easter. He's a child who can't know why they are doing that since he is deaf, which was so horrifying to me. But, I also think about Dr. Swenson saying that the tribe wouldn't have cared for him/ Was that just her racism/prejudice? They had brought him to be saved and come back for him, and seemed to want him when they saw him again, so hopefully they do care for him, but leaving him also seemed like a racist move. The message is: It's okay to leave the amazonian boy in an unknown world, but not the American man with children at home. It also brings me back to when Marina questions whether Dr. Swenson thinks her life is worth less because she doesn't have a husband and children. Interesting, but odd for me because these issues weren't dealt with directly, which left me wondering the point Patchett was trying to make.
I loved Patron Saint of Liars, but I could not make it through Bel Canto or this one! SO frustrating.
I agree with the comparison to Heart of Darkness and Bel Canto is the best of her writing.
I agree...and I am willing to suspend reality for a great read. I couldn't put it down.
As I read State of Wonder I kept thinking of magical realism to describe this book. I put aside reality as I read this book and had no problem with many of the negatives people have mentioned in previous comments. I loved seeing the main character grow during her experiences. I recently read The Dutch House (which was wonderful) and decided to read more of this author. I thoroughly enjoyed both books. Now which one to read next??!!
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Tippy- I agree completely. I never saw either of the endings coming. I thought there was just the right amount of magical realism in this one! I loved the snake battle and the Rapps!What a luxury for me I no longer have toddlers or babies I have to neglect in order to fall into books, just the boxes in the basement and they are so much more patient and quiet. Not to mention my eleven year old now gets it when I can't put the book down. When she talks to me and I say, "hey, right now I am reading, I'm sorry I can't help you with that." She says, "Mom, don't worry, I get it, you're at the good part? lots of cliff hangers, huh?"
Danielle: I love your comparison of Patchett's style to "a jewel box." Very apt.
I started this book and gave up quite early, but now I am going to go back and try again. I did that with Allende's House of the Spirits, and after I went back to it, it ended up being one of my favorite books. My brain was not in the right place apparently. Thanks for a great review.
Bel Canto was a revelation for me,I thought was so unusual, the book so well written I raved about it friends. Since them most of her books and loved them all especially Truth and Beauty. State of Wonder was my first disappointment. There are so many holes to poke in the plot and I felt she resorted to gimmickry (cannibals next door, women eating bark) the fact that a major,rich drug company had to send a completely unqualified person to bring back a rebel researcher and none of this rang true to me. I'm reading Taft right now and recommend it.
moe wrote: "There are so many holes to poke in the plot and I felt she resorted to gimmickry (cannibals next door, women eating bark) the fact that a major,rich drug company had to send a completely unqualified person to bring back a rebel researcher and none of this rang true to me."That is fascinating, Moe. I had such a different response to State of Wonder. I went into a full suspension of disbelief and never came out of it. (I think I am still there.)
I do agree with you about Truth and Beauty. I read it and then immediately reread Autobiography of a Face, which is an excellent book as well.
Spoiler Alert: I'm in between on this book. It's my first time reading Ann Patchett, and I liked the writing and got really into it at first, but found it slower in the middle. The end shocked me. I am wondering what others thought of giving up Easter. He's a child who can't know why they are doing that since he is deaf, which was so horrifying to me. But, I also think about Dr. Swenson saying that the tribe wouldn't have cared for him/ Was that just her racism/prejudice? They had brought him to be saved and come back for him, and seemed to want him when they saw him again, so hopefully they do care for him, but leaving him also seemed like a racist move. The message is: It's okay to leave the amazonian boy in an unknown world, but not the American man with children at home. It also brings me back to when Marina questions whether Dr. Swenson thinks her life is worth less because she doesn't have a husband and children. Interesting, but odd for me because these issues weren't dealt with directly, which left me wondering the point Patchett was trying to make.
I loved Patron Saint of Liars, but I could not make it through Bel Canto or this one! SO frustrating.
I agree with the comparison to Heart of Darkness and Bel Canto is the best of her writing.
I agree...and I am willing to suspend reality for a great read. I couldn't put it down.
As I read State of Wonder I kept thinking of magical realism to describe this book. I put aside reality as I read this book and had no problem with many of the negatives people have mentioned in previous comments. I loved seeing the main character grow during her experiences. I recently read The Dutch House (which was wonderful) and decided to read more of this author. I thoroughly enjoyed both books. Now which one to read next??!!
Besides Conrad, in interviews she had said Evelyn Waugh's "A Handful of Dust", Henry James' "The Ambassadors", and especially Werner Herzog's Amazonian masterpieces "Aguirre Wrath of God" and "Fitzcarraldo" were large influences. I think an expedition up those rivers is in order.