August 2013: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

[Rach , Moderator]

Discussion starts here

[Carl]

Wow, that was lovely. Odd, but lovely.

[Claire]

I concur Carl. I read this last year and found it strange but a pretty good read.

[Book Concierge]

I was very disappointed in this book. I read it a few months ago and had wanted to read it. But I wound up giving it only 2 stars. I don't think Bender was up to the challenge of the premise she started out with.

[Belinda]

I have to say that I am over half way through and enjoying the book but it definitely wasn't what I was expecting. I have been wanting to read it for ages and think when I finish it may have to spend a couple of days thinking about it before I make my final decision.

[Carolyn]

I read this book last month and was also disappointed by it. It seemed a bit clinical in its narrative, which I found inappropriate given the subject matter. It was a bit too unbelievable, some of it so much so that it irritated me. A real shame because it held such promise, and I had looked forward to reading for quite a while.

[Book Concierge]

Carolyn wrote: "I read this book last month and was also disappointed by it.... It was a bit too unbelievable, some of it so much so that it irritated me. ..."

Exactly ... especially the brother's story. Totally unbelievable. And just plain weird.

[Jami]

I fell somewhere in between liking and disliking this book. I liked the idea of it and enjoyed some of the characters but was often perplexed and wondering what the heck was going on with the brother. Like, why didn't anyone notice his oddities or point them out? Why did his parents ignore some serious signs of depression or mental illness or both with him? Again, I read it till the end and found it intriguing but was left with a huge question mark at the end. A pretty unsettling read for me.

[Carl]

I don't think the story is meant to be believable. However, the characters represent extremes of their types.

I found Joe's part in the story very sad. I've seen so many introverted people who won't come out of their shell and who almost disappear from society through their own introspection.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book as I was reading it, thought it was written beautifully with some fabulous phrases and insights. Giving the book time to sink in has made me appreciate it more, and try to make sense of some of the oddities, which has made the book in my mind thought provoking as well.

[Carl]

Jami wrote: "I fell somewhere in between liking and disliking this book. I liked the idea of it and enjoyed some of the characters but was often perplexed and wondering what the heck was going on with the broth..."

I never thought in terms of Joe having a mental illness. I just saw him as trying to cope with his differences and his unique qualities. That his method was to hide from the world including his family was pretty sad.

[Larissa]

I actually loved it and the idea of her abilities until the bit with her brother, which I found odd and confusing. I know he's introverted but merging with a chair really? I feel like there could have been a better way.

[Rebecca]

I agree with a couple people here. It seemed like such an interesting premise, but I felt let down by it and felt there really wasn't any progression throughout the book.

Larissa - I think the part about her brother was SO confusing and seemed so randomly/unnecessarily included.

[Sylvie]

What a strange story. I'm not sure what to make of the ending. There is no morale other than simply going on existing and accepting strangeness. Life, maybe? Loved it though but the romantic side of me had wished for a George and Rose getting together since he understood him so well. Sigh. A great novel.

[Maggie the Muskoka Library Mouse]

This was a very unusual book. I liked it, but it was weird.