I've had this one on my shelf for a few years, but the Netflix trailer grabbed me enough to dust it off and finally read it.
Here are some of the reasI've had this one on my shelf for a few years, but the Netflix trailer grabbed me enough to dust it off and finally read it.
Here are some of the reasons I enjoyed this book very much: *How often do you get the chance in this country to read SciFi from China? Not many. Now, I only want more and can always appreciate a good translator's work. *This is what I call good hard sci-fi. I am no physics expert--but I appreciate the work done here. *It surprised me at many points and took a few turns. I love a book I cannot predict or one that does a major shift 3/4s of the way through. *I want to talk about this with someone. There is a lot to discuss, including Cold War metaphors, aliens, string theory, humanity as the baddies, etc. *It made me immediately order the following two books in the series. ...more
It was fun to reread this novel after reading Barbara Kingsolver's modern version Demon Copperhead. I had a lot of fun picking out where they were simIt was fun to reread this novel after reading Barbara Kingsolver's modern version Demon Copperhead. I had a lot of fun picking out where they were similar and where they diverged.
That said, Dickens remains the master at creating interesting and likable characters. I found myself invested not only in Copperfield but all the characters around him....more
When the year is done, Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver will be on my top ten list.
A few weeks ago, I reviewed a book that took a historical chWhen the year is done, Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver will be on my top ten list.
A few weeks ago, I reviewed a book that took a historical character as the basis of the book--Queen Elizabeth I but set it in 1920s prohibition. The book followed Elizabeth's life like an outline or a map, and it felt forced.
This book was guided by David Copperfield by Charles Dickens and never felt forced. It felt right. We needed this book. We needed someone to tell the story of a boy orphaned by addiction growing up in Appalachia from the 1990s on. There are so many parallels between Dicken's poverty-stricken England and the lost children of our flyover country.
Kingsolver is a master--and Demon is a character worth rooting for, just like David Copperfield. You want this boy to succeed from the get-go, and I found myself on pins and needles throughout my reading, wondering if he would make it out. I didn't cry on the last page; I cried after the last page while reading the acknowledgments. I didn't want to exit this world.
But not only for Demon but all the other characters occupying Lees County. I rooted for them all. In this way, Kingsolver created a world--Dickens may have been her mentor (as she states in the acknowledgments), but there is a fair amount of George Eliot here in creating a time, a place, and a people. Maggot, Angus, June, the Peggets, Emmy, the Armstrongs...I feel I got to know these people.
This is what Great Fiction exists for--to open our eyes and our hearts through the stories of others, and Kingsolver nailed it here.
The Poisonwood Bible was one of those books that stuck with me over the decades, and now I'm wondering why I haven't read everything Kingsolver has written. I may have to go rectify that. ...more
This is one of those books that makes you pause and think, "Why do we live like this? Is this the only way?" Lots of things to think about. I may needThis is one of those books that makes you pause and think, "Why do we live like this? Is this the only way?" Lots of things to think about. I may need to pull this one back off my shelf at some point and spend some more time with it and other works Odell referenced. ...more
Our group at Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum did a slow read together of George Eliot's Middlemarch this past year. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience aOur group at Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum did a slow read together of George Eliot's Middlemarch this past year. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience as we made our way through and discussed Dorothea, Lydgate, Causaubon, Mary, Rosamunde, and their lives. We touched on so many themes--marriage, money, progress, religion, etc. Find a group read like this and I guarantee the book will stay with you.
What a delight, then, to pick up My Life in Middlemarch by Rebecca Mead. Mead weaves Eliot's biography, and her correspondence along with major themes in Middlemarch and other works. Mead travels to the locations important to Eliot and then draws in a number of the same themes we discussed. This book was made all the richer having done the slow read. How for instance Eliot turned the standard novel on its head by starting the novel with a marriage instead of ending it ala Austen. She addresses Woolf's famous assessment that it is "one of the few English novels written for grown-up people."
I especially enjoyed the glimpses into Eliot's domestic relationship with George Lewes and his children and how the people around her may have served as inspiration for various characters. Mead also touches on Eliot's writing process and obstacles (migraines, toothaches, and family illnesses). But also how Lewes and Eliot had what looks like a modern happy working relationship. Like Eliot, I found a true partner late in life and I certainly could relate to Mead's line, "To find a partner as accepting and generous as Lewes is a great and unexpected gift."
On the whole, I found this book enriched my Middlemarch experience, and as I am now working my way back through all of Eliot's works. ...more
I wanted to give this a 3 1/2 star. I wanted to pull the author aside a few times and say, "Are you okay?"
I mean, I loved my Mom, and I grieved when I wanted to give this a 3 1/2 star. I wanted to pull the author aside a few times and say, "Are you okay?"
I mean, I loved my Mom, and I grieved when she died, but I feel this is grieving at another level. This is 300 pages of full-blown grief with tears, wailing, and regret. I could almost feel the spirit of my mom reading over my shoulder, rolling her eyes, and saying, "Good grief! Tell her to get on with her life." But then that was my Mom.
**spoiler alert** I was reading Jeanette Wall's story about a young woman (Sally) and her family of rum runners during Prohibition and I kept asking m**spoiler alert** I was reading Jeanette Wall's story about a young woman (Sally) and her family of rum runners during Prohibition and I kept asking myself, "Why do so many people keep dying? Why does the story seem to jump from one incident to another without much exploration?" And then it dawned on me. Oh! An older sister named Mary. A frail younger brother. A father who married his brother's first wife and killed his second wife (Sally's mother), before marrying a third. Sally's insistence that she'll never marry. A sexy man named Rawley. That was when the whole plot unraveled for me. This story is based on "blank." And now I can predict what will happen next. And I can. And that ruins the book for me.
Good fiction can be retellings of other stories or use history for inspiration.
The series A Song of Ice and Fire was inspired by the Wars of the Roses.
A Thousand Acres was a retelling of King Lear.
Dune was inspired by many things including Lawrence of Arabia. From the Wikipedia page, I found this note, "In an early version of Dune, the hero was actually very similar to Lawrence of Arabia, but Herbert decided the plot was too straightforward and added more layers to his story."
The editor should have given this advice to Wells. You have to add more. Or you have to take away some. You need to flesh this out, right now it seems like an outline and less a full novel.
I loved her previous work, The Glass Castle, which was a memoir. And also Half-Broke Horses which was a novel inspired by the life of her grandmother. This one didn't work for me. ...more
**spoiler alert** "Like some infernal monster, still venomous in death, a war can go on killing people for a long time after it's all over." Nevil Shu**spoiler alert** "Like some infernal monster, still venomous in death, a war can go on killing people for a long time after it's all over." Nevil Shute, Requieum for a Wren
Someone left their entire collection of Nevil Shute paperbacks at my local used bookstore and based on my mom's love for A Town Called Alice and his other famous title, On the Beach, I've been making my way through the stack.
This was the third I've read...A Town Called Alice and Beyond the Black Stump were the first two.
I'm enjoying Shute and I believe this crazy patchwork of a story may be my favorite thus far.
Spoilers ahead!
This is the story of two brothers from Australia and a Wren of the Royal Navy. One brother, Bill, falls in love with the Wren but he is killed shortly before D-Day. Alan, a pilot, loses both feet during the war. He spends the next decade wandering, finishing his education, and looking for the Wren before returning home to his family's sheep farm. It is when he arrives home, an itinerant worker has recently committed suicide, which leads him to unravel the mystery of the Wren, and find his own peace
Things I liked about this story: * I love a good WWII story--this one includes on-the-ground preparation for D-Day. This part was a bit slow for me, but I kept thinking of all the men in my life who love this kind of sh*t so I kept at it. * The Wren, Janet Prentice, is a strong female character and a kick-ass shot. The story follows her spiral into mental illness and the scars of war in a tactful and meaningful way. * Veterans with physical and mental disabilities are the heroes and they are treated with respect (see Annie Carl's Work, My Tropey Life: How Pop Culture Stereotypes Make Disabled Lives Harder). * The story isn't straightforward, a bit messy, but I like that in a book. I thought Shute did a good job of weaving past and present through the use of memory, Alan's detective, and diary entries. * I like reading about Australia as evidenced by the fact that I also read Jane Harper's The Lost Man.
My Current Ranking of Nevil Shute's Works: 1. Requiem for a Wren 2. A Town Called Alice 3. Beyond the Black Stump
**spoiler alert** This is the kind of book we need more of--one that addresses today's issues and like any good speculative fiction plays out the poss**spoiler alert** This is the kind of book we need more of--one that addresses today's issues and like any good speculative fiction plays out the possible worst-case scenarios for us.
I liked the use of librarians on the frontline of banned books and being heroes.
It made me think more about the problem this country continues to have with separating children from parents from Native Americans, slaves, and today with migrants.
It addressed Asian American harassment which also has a long history in this country and has ramped up again in recent years.
I'm making note of other books Ng mentions in the Author's Notes for further reading.
I would have given this five stars but for me--the first part of the book was told by the son and I am tired of books with clueless narrators. The second half switches to the mother's story. That was good but I should have had more empathy for her. Or maybe I'm too close to headlines right now and it was painful to read a novel about them and I need some distance.
My current ranking of Celeste Ng's works. Which I am a fan of and will continue to read and rooting for a long career... 1. Little Fires Everywhere 2. Our Missing Hearts
24 hours after review...I'm still thinking about how Ng was able to weave in so many elements. I wish I could give it a 4 1/2 and I hope some of my friends read the book so we can discuss. This is a book was written to start conversations. ...more
1. Read this book. 2. Watch one of the documentaries to drive home what the citizens lived through. I recommend Fire in Paradise which is available thr1. Read this book. 2. Watch one of the documentaries to drive home what the citizens lived through. I recommend Fire in Paradise which is available through PBS, Netflix, and YouTube. 3. Make an emergency evacuation plan with your family. ...more
When an author turns three books into one book... my mind turns to how I can possibly get the credit for reading all 1,000 pages as three 333-page booWhen an author turns three books into one book... my mind turns to how I can possibly get the credit for reading all 1,000 pages as three 333-page books. But maybe that is just me....more
This an excellent resource about what is happening on our campuses--on both sides of the political aisle and a push for why literature needs to be tauThis an excellent resource about what is happening on our campuses--on both sides of the political aisle and a push for why literature needs to be taught. ...more
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