Book Reviews

[Les_Sucettes]

Just discovered this. Amazing Thread.. Thanks to everyone that posted reviews, I read an awful lot of books and I'm always on the look out for something interesting. I will try an post reviews of my own.

 

[chickadee]

We Need To Talk About Kevin Lionel Shriver

I actually quite liked reading this book, even if I didn't enjoy it. It's an intense, harrowing read, and not one you should read in an already depressed state of mind. There's very little hope if any until maybe, arguably, the end. The prose is really engaging. Alot of critics have said that it's kind of wordy, but I like wordy so I didn't mind it so much. It's honestly the best thing about the book because despite how lengthy it is, it really is a page-turner.

The story is also engaging, but the character development is awful. All of the characters, including Eva, the narrator, for all her musings and ruminations, are one-dimensional. Kevin's development is the biggest dupe of all. We're supposed to believe the kid is a sociopath, and if that's the truth, then the ending is contrived and most definitely unearned. I know we're seeing it from Eva's point of view, and she's biased, but it just doesn't add up.

Another thing I had a problem with were the racial stereotypes which thankfully did not permeate the book. Maybe it's because I'm still reeling from "The Help" (book and movie both), but I am so sick of this "black woman savior/beacon of hope" bs. And I say this as a black woman. The whole interchange with Eva and this black mother at the jail is not completely unnecessary, but still patronizing. Reading the dialogue made me feel as if Shriver has never spoken to a black person in her entire life. Television doesn't cut it when it comes to that. It's just so unrealistic, completely took me out of the novel, and almost made me return to the library.

Sorry for the long post.
Recommended for: Patient readers who like wordiness, people interested in the nature v. nurture discussion

 

[ChrissyM]

Brief Interviews With Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace [2/5]

I wanted to love this book so much, as I am a huge David Foster Wallace fan but I just could not bring myself to enjoy it. I'm not sure if it's because I'm not a great lover of short story collections or what, but I really struggled to push through this book. There were a couple of short stories that really stood out, and at one point I was absolutely amazed at the skill and genius of David Foster Wallace's writing but the collective as a whole falls slightly falls for me.

Recommended for: Patient readers & fans of DFW

cover source: bookdepository.co.uk

B this is EXACTLY how i feel about this collection of stories... I literally just skipped one of the stories because I couldn't bear to put myself through the task of reading it...

I'm almost done with it but it really feels like a chore to even read a few pages. It's taken me MONTHS... or years really, considering I bought the book and tried to read it back in 2005/2006 before he died.

I've got to sit down and review some of the more recent books that I've read... there were some good ones in the bunch

 

[ChrissyM]

Image: goodreads.com

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

[5/5]

This is the first book in Bradley's Flavia De Luce series, and I subsequently read the other two books that have come out since I enjoyed this first one so much.

The main character, Flavia, is a precocious 11 year old (I think... read this a few months back) who finds that she has a knack for solving mysteries (in particular the death/murder of the dead man she discovers in the garden of their estate). She's a really lovable character and the book has great pace.

Recommended for: people who love a series -- it's nice to have a strong, smart, young female protagonist who isn't annoying. For a murder mystery it's surprisingly lighthearted and this was the perfect (easy and enjoyable) read for me at a time where everything else in my life was chaotic. It's not a life-changing book, but it's a fun read.

 

[ChrissyM]

goodreads.com image

Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris

[3/5]

First, Charlaine Harris is kind of a terrible writer and I often found myself rereading sentences or passages to figure out what just happened or to make sure I didn't miss a sentence because things suddenly weren't making sense. There were also moments where she described what Sookie was wearing and it actually sounded TERRIBLE. She had Sookie wearing scrunchies etc. Not remembering any other examples at the moment... oh! She described Sookie's towering high heels as being 2 or 3 inches high I think...!

BUT, the stories were entertaining for the most part, and I'll probably end up reading the rest of the series when the books get published. I tore right through these and it was nice to have an easy mindless read.

Recommended for: Fans of True Blood, fans of vampire/supernatural stories, anyone looking for a quick, trashy, guilty pleasure read.

 

[ChrissyM]

image: goodreads.com

Room by Emma Donoghue

[3.5/5]

Room is told from five-year-old Jack's perspective. His mother, "Ma" had been abducted essentially as a sex slave, and she gave birth to Jack in "Room" so the room is his whole world and Ma tries to make the environment feel safe and happy for him even though it's essentially their prison. He doesn't understand that the world they see on tv is real or that other things exist beyond the room.

It's interesting to see the relationship Jack has with his mother and what might go on in the psyche of people who are abducted in such a way -- especially after having heard so many horrifying tales in the news about similar situations in recent years.

I gave the book a 3.5 mostly because the content is just incredibly depressing... it probably deserves more of a 4, but for me it just wasn't a book that I couldn't wait to read more of since the content made me feel sad and the potential situation was all too real.

 

[ChrissyM]

image: goodreads.com

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

[2.5/5]

Having really enjoyed Niffenegger's first novel, The Time Traveler's Wife, I was expecting much more out of Her Fearful Symmetry. It's the story of two American twins (I think they're 20 or 21) who inherit their mother's twin sister's flat in London after the woman dies of cancer. Things started off well enough, but I couldn't get past the sinister, morbid and distasteful turn the narrative took on toward the end. I almost didn't want to finish it, which is a very rare thing for me, but I kept on reading in the hopes that the story would somehow redeem itself.

I can't even really begin to say that I actually liked it. I was definitely disappointed. Don't think I would actually recommend it to anyone.

 

[Jenna-maria]

^
yeah, it was not a good book. even the cover picture is just bad bad bad.

HUNTER S. THOMPSON- Rum Diary

ladyofthehearts.blogspot

4/5

This is about journalist who tarvel to Puerto Rico to work.
It is interesting that this book is based to Hunters experiences when he was 22-years old and was working in Puerto Rico.
I don´t know what is true and what is not but this book was interesting to read and I like the way Hunter was such a talented writer.
Now I am looking forward to read his other books.

Also Gonzo journalism is new kind of style of writing and reading to me, I never knew about that before buying this book.


Oh, and after reading this book I did get more and more excited about the movie based on this book...altough Johnny Depp is little too old to play Paul...
anyway, I am sure Johnny will rock this charecter (as allways!).

 

[mint condish]

Has anyone read The Little Friend by Donna Tartt? If so I'm very curious to hear what anyone thought. I read her book, The Secret History, which seems to be very acclaimed, and I was underwhelmed.

By the way, if anyone is interested, I have reviewed Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl in the 50 Book Challenge thread. I'd say it's a 5/5 favourite of mine. Can't wait for her sophomoric effort or a potential film version of this book.

Review linked here:http://forums.thefashionspot.com/showpost.php?p=9703661&postcount=816

 

[YoninahAliza]

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

First off, as pretty much everyone know's, To Kill A Mockingbird is a classic. And rightfully so. I first read this novel in high school but at the time I liked it but I didn't appreciate it. I guess in high school I hadn't experienced enough of the world to truly understand the message of the story. The story mainly center's around Scout, Jem, and their father Atticus Finch during the 1930's. To Kill A Mockingbird is essentially exploring the roots of human behavior through the eye's of Scout Finch. And when the characters lives are intertwined with the story of others such as Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson it gives the reader an opportunity to fully understand that everyone is human and multi-facedted. This is honestly one of my favorite books and I urge everyone to read it (or reread it). Also, Atticus Finch is probably number one in my book of literary hero's.

 

[AppleShaker]

image: goodreads.com

Room by Emma Donoghue

[3.5/5]

Room is told from five-year-old Jack's perspective. His mother, "Ma" had been abducted essentially as a sex slave, and she gave birth to Jack in "Room" so the room is his whole world and Ma tries to make the environment feel safe and happy for him even though it's essentially their prison. He doesn't understand that the world they see on tv is real or that other things exist beyond the room.

It's interesting to see the relationship Jack has with his mother and what might go on in the psyche of people who are abducted in such a way -- especially after having heard so many horrifying tales in the news about similar situations in recent years.

I gave the book a 3.5 mostly because the content is just incredibly depressing... it probably deserves more of a 4, but for me it just wasn't a book that I couldn't wait to read more of since the content made me feel sad and the potential situation was all too real.

i loved it!! and i actually found it rather uplifting.

 

[Not Plain Jane]

^ Weirdly I did too - the way the plot is structured, with the climax coming pretty much at the middle, allows the reader to see a fuller picture of the world and how the characters - mainly Ma and Jack - react to it, but also how others react to them. Totally fascinating, and in a way all the more so because it is real. I am always curious: how do such things happen? How do people cope!? The human spirit is so incredibly resilient!

Jenna-maria - may I recommend The Curse of Lono? It's a short and sweet style that captures Hunter's style of writing, and the illustrations are great too!

 

[Not Plain Jane]

Correction: I shouldn't say "it is real" in #112, but that it could be real - as ChrissyM points out, similar things have happened in real life, and I am sure they act as inspiration here.

 

[chickadee]

Has anybody reviewed Serena by Ron Rash yet? I tried reading it, but partly because it was so stark and the characters so unlikeable (I realize it was meant to be Macbeth-ish) and partly because it was around finals time that I never finished it.

 

[ChrissyM]

^^ugh... I read that book 4 years ago and I didn't like it AT ALL.

I didn't want to finish it either but I read it while on vacation and it was the only book I brought with me.
Despite the fact that I had spent money on the hardcover I left it in the hotel room because I knew I would never want to read it again, and that I would not recommend it to anyone

I agree that the characters were completely unlikable, and that their motivations and vindictive qualities (Serena's in particular) were despicable.

A lot of it was just plain unbelievable as well...
The husband apparently fought a bear at some point if I remember correctly?

I recently looked at reviews on Goodreads when I heard it was going to be turned into a movie and saw that there were actually a bunch of good reviews (there must have been good reviews in the first place for me to buy the book), but there were also plenty of bad ones/people who felt like I did about the book.

Maybe it's one of those books that you either really like or really don't like?

 

[chickadee]

^^Okay, good to know I didn't miss anything. Typically I give books, particularly books like Serena a shot, because I do like Shakespeare reinterpretations. But this was just cold. The characters were cold, their dialogue was unconvincing and unbelieviable as were their actions. The prose was alright, but it didn't draw me in.

 

[ChrissyM]

^^yeah, i think it's safe to say that if you weren't into it from what you had already read, it wasn't going to get any better

 

[Not Plain Jane]

The Woman in Black - Susan Hill. I enjoyed it. Hill creates superb gothic atmosphere; it's amazing how well she elucidates the setting and the emotions the setting evokes. She writes well, too. At times, I longed for more characterization, as it's SO focused on just Kipps. But I suppose that captures his utter isolation well. But I enjoyed it more even when he got the dog, Spider, as company, and when Mr. Daily becomes a little more involved. Very good short novel: well worth the read imo.

 

[TanyaKiller]

I've always been meaning to post here, but I'm so lazy to come up with reviews. It's strange but I happen to review better books that I really didn't like.



source: robyn bateman

The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes [**]

Before reading: be aware there is a minor spoiler ahead near the end of my review!

This is a book I could've almost liked, seriously, but its main flaw is how predictable it is. The reader is always a good amount of pages ahead of the story and all the big twists are so easy to figure out, there's no element of surprise in it.
There are many other problems like the fact it changes focus all the time. I wish the author had chosen to stick with only one story. The best developed without a doubt is Jennifer's, although there is an important problem with it, Anthony is sooo dull, he barely has a personality to speak of. I can't feel all the romance between them that would make this such an epic romance from the writer's perspective. And I just wish Ellie's part would be completely different from what it is written,bc it had some potential, maybe something along the lines of Sophie's World with love letters and insights about love, dunno. I couldn't even understand her importance on the book, since it was so poorly written and it could've been easily left out.
The worst of all is the silly resolution. I was like wtf? If he was there all along then it is completely unrealistic that they never knew anything else about each other. I mean it would be so easy for them to find one another, which means that if they didn't, they just didn't love each other as much as it's played out. Not in my world.
Anyways, the cover sells this book as a tearjerker. I have to say I didn't shed a single tear. And that says a lot about it, meaning it didn't achieve its objective.

All in all, it's a waste of time...

 

[ChrissyM]

^^looks like you're the first person to post an actual review this year

we've all been slacking!

I'll see if I can go through a spurt and post a bunch all at once at some point