August 2014 - YA/MG: The Painted Boy by Charles de Lint

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon, Not a book hipster!]

So, I've heard a lot about de Lint, and read a few, but have never been blown away by him. Here's hoping this one is decent.

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon, Not a book hipster!]

Started this one this morning for my workout read (meaning it'll take me awhile to get through).

It's short, though, so I'm already a little more than 10% in. No real opinion yet, except the dialogue seems a bit clunky.

[Chris , cookie guilt]

I opened it last night.


Then went and started something else instead. No real reason.

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Bad Girls Deadlift]

I just got my copy from the library. We'll see...

[Jinka]

Finished it yesterday. Not one of de Lint's best but over all pretty good. I had to stop for a while because I got too frustrated with the characters.

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Bad Girls Deadlift]

I really need to start this tonight...

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon, Not a book hipster!]

I finished this last night. I'm giving it a 2.5, but I'm undecided as to whether I'm going to go up or down with my stars.

Overall, I liked the story and the ideas presented in it. It was nice to see a fantasy about different cultures - Asian, Native American, and Hispanic - and the different spiritualities involved and the way they can work together and whatnot.

But the characters were pretty one dimensional and, as Jinka said, very frustrating in the way they acted - and everything, ultimately, was too easy.

Mostly, though, the writing was just so bleh - especially the dialogue, which was pretty damn atrocious. I would start getting into the story a bit, and then we'd get to a dialogue heavy section which just pulled me out with its dreadful tin ear.

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Bad Girls Deadlift]

I'm a couple of chapters in. I think I feel the same way - I'm mostly bored. The book doesn't bother me but I have no real desire to read it.

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon, Not a book hipster!]

It does pick up towards the middle, if that helps at all...

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Bad Girls Deadlift]

colleen the contrarian ± (... never stop fighting) ± wrote: "It does pick up towards the middle, if that helps at all..."

Slightly, lol.

I pretty much feel the way you feel about it so far. I'm having a hard time caring...