What have you just read? Opinions, recommendations & reviews Showing 2,701-2,750 of 12,687

[Angela M]

@Laura , I think you'll like it but glad you are reading The Goldfinch . It was my favorite of last year .

[Angela M]

@ Heather , yay !!!!

[[deleted user]]

I also greatly enjoyed The Remains of the Day. I'm a big Kazuo Ishiguro fan. I think my favorite is Never Let Me Go.

[GeneralTHC]

I didn't care for Never Let Me Go at all, but I still want to read The Remains of the Day.

[Gill]

Yes, I thought Never Let Me Go was great also, Terri. So moving.

[Greg]

@Jenny, so true! I'd much rather read something that was a stretch (that I wouldn't necessarily have chosen myself) even if it turned out to be a bad fit in the end. I hadn't thought of it that way!

[Laurie]

I also loved Never Let Me Go. It moved me so much I wanted more of that style so I read Remains of the Day. And now I am rereading Never Let Me Go all in a span of 2 weeks. There is something about his writing style that is so effective of drawing me in. It is so intimate.

[Greg]

Never Let Me Go was a wonderful book. "Intimate" is the perfect word Laurie.

[Chrissie]

dely wrote: "I have finished The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. Three hundred pages of boredom! The basic idea isn't bad but I didn't like how Ishiguro wrote about this idea. I..."

Dely, I too have not enjoy Ishiguro. I gave both When We Were Orphans and An Artist of the Floating World only two stars. I was worried when you picked up The Remains of the Day..... We are definitely in the minority though.

I have decided not to try this author up again. In my second try, the Artist one, I found sections confusing. I never felt the artist was a person who would stand up for his ideals or have the guts to make an opposing statement. I found his depiction of children unconvincing. OK, I am clearly in the minority.

[dely]

Chrissie wrote: "dely wrote: "I have finished The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. Three hundred pages of boredom! The basic idea isn't bad but I didn't like how Ishiguro wrote about..."

Thanks Chrissie! I started to feel alone with my disappointment! Also the main character of The Remains of the Day was a weak person. At the end he has a moment of awareness but he doesn't make something to change and continues with this usual, useless life. I think that in life moments of awareness are important to make changes and improve or at least to take some decision. In my opinion he could have also commit suicide when he becomes aware of his useless life; it would have been a sad decision but at least for the first time in his life he had taken a decision by his own! I can't stand people who become aware of something and don't do anything.

The whole book is a first person narration (I don't have problems with it) but at then end the narrator talks to the reader saying something like "people like you and me"...no, I'm not like you! It was really irritating!

[Chrissie]

dely wrote: "I can't stand people who become aware of something and don't do anything."

Oh gosh, I couldn't agree more. People who simply never understand you can pity, but those who choose to do no nothing are ever so annoying. And then they explain this away with excuses for why nothing can be done.....

No, you are not alone in your displeasure with Ishiguro.

[EleonoraF]

dely wrote: " In my opinion he could have also commit suicide when he becomes aware of his useless life; it would have been a sad decision but at least for the first time in his life he had taken a decision by his own! I can't stand people who become aware of something and don't do anything."

I think that this sentence is excessive. I'm sorry, but I don't like this statement about the suicide and the usefulness of the life of someone.

[Chrissie]

Eleonora, talking on the internet is very difficult b/c we do not hear the emphasis on words or see each other's expression and body movements. I have the impression Dely was NOT recommending suicide. I heard Dely's sentence differently and put more emphasis on the words 'sad decision', maybe b/c I have talked to Dely before. I find that conversations are all to often misinterpreted.

[Gill]

I thought when the narrator said 'people like you and me' the author's aim was to provoke a reaction in the reader, the reaction varying from reader to reader. I think Ishiguro was successful in this.

[Greg]

dely and Chrissie there is certainly nothing wrong with disliking Ishiguro. He is not for everyone. And I think I understand what you mean - I think you're saying you dislike characters that are too passive in accepting their "fate." Despite the fact that I loved both The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, I understand where you are coming from. I think the characters are a bit passive in both books.

[dely]

♪Eleonora♪ wrote: "I think that this sentence is excessive. I'm sorry, but I don't like this statement about the suicide and the usefulness of the life of someone. "

I'm sorry, I didn't want to instigate to suicide and here we are talking about a fictional character and his uselessness. In real life I don't arrogate the right to judge people's life and I don't think a life is useless, on the contrary.
My example was extreme because I wanted to underline that the character didn't take any decision at all. He could have cried, he could despair, he could have laughed out loud, he could have done anything but he was too weak to take any decision.
Chrissie read it right, I have written "sad decision".


@Greg, I didn't like it only because of the character. I also couldn't appreciate the writing style and the way he choosed to talk about the theme.


I hope to not offend anybody who liked this book! It isn't my intention, we have different tastes and we are only discussing friendly about why we liked or disliked a book. I'm not an arrogant person who wants to assert her opinions or to belittle another person who enjoyed a book I disliked.

[dely]

However, I have finished another beach-read, So Long a Letter by Mariama Bâ and it was interesting, well written and full of good quotes (I'm sorry I hadn't a pencil on the beach so I couldn't underline anything!).
It is an epistolary novel, a long letter that Ramatoulaye, the main character, writes to her best friend Aissatou. The book is set in Senegal and deals with polygamy: Ramatoulaye is abandoned by her husband after roughly 30 years of marriage (and 12 children) because he marries a very young girl. Aissatou, on the contrary, decides to abandon her husband when he marries his second wife, done only to please his old mother.
In this letter we become aware of the female condition but not only this: also the culture, the tradition and the religion of a state where it is nearly impossible to a woman to emancipate because a lot of people are still too bound to old traditions though from the other side they want to progress and modernize.

[Book Ninja]

Sounds very interesting Dely. I have added it to my TBR :)

[dely]

Rahat wrote: "Sounds very interesting Dely. I have added it to my TBR :)"

It is. I hope you will like it if you'll read it.

[Gill]

Dely, I always find the things you say about books and the way you join in discussions very interesting. I'm always eager to read what you say. I'm sure nobody thinks you are belittling them.

[dely]

Thank you very much, Gill :-)

[Greg]

No, not at all dely - it is always good to hear people's opinions even when they differ. I'm glad you enjoyed So Long a Letter - it sounds interesting!

[dely]

Greg wrote: "No, not at all dely - it is always good to hear people's opinions even when they differ. I'm glad you enjoyed So Long a Letter - it sounds interesting!"

Fine :-) As Chrissie said, on the internet it is easy to misunderstand because of many reasons.

[Greg]

Very true dely :)

[Alice]

@Dely & Chrissie: It's certainly alright to express one's opinion about a book, even when it differs from most of the others. Every opinion can add to the value of discourse. That's why I admire Voltaire's saying "Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege of doing so too!" Besides, a person's opinions are shaped by his/her own unique background, life experiences, values and beliefs and they should be respected as such; there are no superior or inferior opinions.

[Bionic Jean]

Alice - that is very wise. Is there a quote of that Voltaire saying on Goodreads which I could "like"?

[Chrissie]

Alice, thanks. Wonderful quote!

Great that one can express divergent views, but of course always in a polite and respectful manner.

I mean.... what IS the point of reading books if one cannot honestly talk about how they affect us?!

I capitalize words to help show which words I would emphasize if you could hear me talking, in the hope that misunderstandings do not arise.

[Laurie]

I keep coming in on this late....I appreciate that we are able to discuss what we like and don't like about books and authors (specifically, here, Ishiguro). I find in general I like slightly unlikable characters and the quieter writing styles, and that is not for everyone, and that is OK. But I am glad I have found some people who can have these discussions. Most of my friends who are readers read such different things than I do and always roll their eyes at me when I talk about unhappy endings, flawed characters and books that don't really go anywhere. I am glad that I am not alone.

[Bionic Jean]

I too have just caught the end of this - I wasn't going back far enough - but I caught a worried tone to Chrissie's last post, so I have "revisited" backwards past my own comments.

Yes, of course we should be free to express our own preferences and either positive or negative comments as regards literature. The beauty for me, is that AAB is such a varied group, covering many countries, cultures, ages, experiences etc, as I went into more on the "AAB birthday" thread.

I honestly think that no one here is ever trying to belittle others' opinions, or to be offensive in any way. We are all just trying to share our enthusiasms/dislikes, and learn how and why others feel differently. And many of us feel that this is a very rare and safe place to do it in. So often we may find that people in our outside lives may not want to discuss books - or only those they themselves particularly like.

And if anyone is still worried, then I'm sure a moderator would soon come in if there was any unpleasantness :)

[Alice]

Jean wrote: "Alice - that is very wise. Is there a quote of that Voltaire saying on Goodreads which I could "like"?"

Jean, I've just added this quote to my list of quotes (right at the top).

Actually there's a more popular quote that has often been wrongly attributed to Voltaire: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.". This quote is in truth a paraphrase of Voltaire's original saying which is extracted from his "Treatise on Tolerance". The paraphrase quote was by Evelyn Beatrice Hall in her "The Friends of Voltaire".

[Chrissie]

Do any of you remember those days before GR existed?

I kept trying to give books to neighbors and after a month or two would ask what they thought of it..... They had not read them! It is SO very nice having people with all different likes and preferences to discuss books with.

[Bionic Jean]

A big thank you for this, Alice - and also for the further quote which I already knew, but not who said it, which is very important!!

[Bionic Jean]

Oh yes, Chrissie! Actually I sort of learnt not to ask, which is a bit depressing when you think of it. Living in happy ignorance, perhaps?

[Greg]

So true Chrissie! I joined GR fairly recently (very late last year), and it's exciting to find so many avid readers and so many lovely people too!

[GeneralTHC]

I like that bit about Voltaire on his death bed. A priest asks him to renounce Satan and he responds: "Now, now my good man, this is no time to be making enemies."
Lol!

[Chrissie]

Greg, I have been here almost from the very beginning! In the beginning it was so little and actually quite different. Everything was so new, so we all were busy helping each other.

Jean, well you sort of learned from experience that it was hopeless. Here at GR there is usually someone who is interested in a book you are interested in, and that is lovely.

[Garyfalia]

I have just finished Homo Faberby [author:Max Frisch|6530. I loved every page of it. Highly recommended

[Kristi]

LauraT wrote: "Angela wrote: "I just finished The Hand That First Held Mine. 5 stars for this beautifully written story. My review : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

It's already ..."

Me too, Laura! I have it on my Kindle but don't really have time for it at the moment. Maybe I'll aim for October as well. @Angela, thanks for your review. It has reminded me that I need to add this book to my reading schedule.

[Angela M]

Kristie and Laura ,
I hope you both love it . The writing is so good . I'm anxious to read her other books which I hope to get to soon .

[Jenny]

Garyfalia wrote: "I have just finished Homo Faberby [author:Max Frisch|6530. I loved every page of it. Highly recommended"

It's one of my favourite books by one of my favourite authors. Have you read anything else by him Garyfalia?

[Charbel]

I just finished An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. My review is here.

[LauraT]

Kristi wrote: "LauraT wrote: "Angela wrote: "I just finished The Hand That First Held Mine. 5 stars for this beautifully written story. My review : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."..."

October be it then!

[Angela M]

Last night I finished A Song for Issy Bradley: A Novel. I loved this moving story about a grieving family. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

[dely]

Garyfalia wrote: "I have just finished Homo Faberby [author:Max Frisch|6530. I loved every page of it. Highly recommended"

It is in my wishlist since a lot of time but I never get to read it.

[dely]

Today I have read another book on the beach, another one the pedler sold me. The Italian edition is Le catene di Gorée and it has no English translation.

I've cried a lot reading this book. It talks about the slave trade from the Senegalese Island of Gorée to America. But it doesn't talk only about this because it begins with the massacre of Sant'Anna di Stazzema and the author was really able to link both atrocities. It is a very short book, only 70 pages, but there is so much inside it. I would recommend it to Italian speakers seen that there isn't an English translation.

[Garyfalia]

Jenny wrote: "Garyfalia wrote: "I have just finished Homo Faberby [author:Max Frisch|6530. I loved every page of it. Highly recommended"

It's one of my favourite books by one of my favourite author..."
No, but I also have Gantebein and I'm not Stiller - which one do you think I should try first ?

[Greg]

Finishing up (and greatly enjoying) Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov for the readalong and also reading The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood.

[Chrissie]

No, I did not like The Red and the Black by Stendhal

Here is why: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[dely]

Chrissie wrote: "No, I did not like The Red and the Black by Stendhal

Here is why: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

I know I had read The Red and the Black and The Charterhouse of Parma in highschool but I don't remember anything about these two books. I think this means I didn't like them because I remember very well the books I've liked though a lot of years are over.


Finished another book on the beach: a biography of Nelson Mandela but I didn't like it a lot because it was too short and there were just the most important things, like a list.

[Chrissie]

Dely, I have no intention of reading anything else by Stendhal. Thank goodness it didn't win the classics group read when I nominated it. That would have been terrible.