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State of Wonder
State of Wonder
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Jamie
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Feb 20, 2013 06:25AM
I'm a long-time fan of Anne Patchett's work and saw her speak in Baltimore before State of Wonder was published. At that time, she mentioned she was working on a book that would represent a true literary journey and that it had a scientific/medical focus. Now that I've read this book, I'm impressed once again with the variety of topics Patchett is able to tackle while at the same time grappling with deep human themes of morality, ethics, love, culture, and much more. This books is a must read for anyone interested in medical progress, the pharmaceutical industry, and developed v. developing world cultures. It offers strong female characters with a deep commitment to their study of science and medicine, numerous questions about boundaries, complicated human relationships, etc. I finished it a few days ago and find myself missing the characters and continuing to contemplate some of the complex issues raised. I look forward to reading what others in the group think of this book!
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I had read such good reviews of this book, but I have to say that I was a bit disappointed. While I agree that the author had some strong female characters, I didn't really enjoy the book. I found it a bit aimless. I often had to reread sentences to understand what the author was saying, something I don't ever recall doing while reading a book. I think too much time was spent on developing the background of Marina's character, and the story was just not moving along. I did enjoy the story more once she arrived in the jungle and had to come to terms with the boundaries that were being crossed by the researchers there. All of the time that had been given to developing her character regarding her father and her relationship with her boss didn't seem to matter much to the story once she arrived in the jungle. Again, the story seemed a bit aimless to me and in the end I am not sure I really understood what side she was on (the company vs the researches in the jungle). She ate the bark, then she was repulsed by the bark. She did feel changed by her experience, yet she desperately wanted to go back to Minnesota and was delighted in the sights and smells of home when she arrived. I found it confusing.
I agree with some of your points about the far-fetched nature of the drug development side of this story, but it didn't detract from my interest in the book as a whole. Perhaps it is because I was happy to be swept up in the current of the story. It grabbed me in a way that it didn't grab you. We are lucky to have so many authors and writings from which to choose.
For sure! I doubt I will ever finish WOLF HALL.
