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Review Date: 7/29/2013
I'm actually writing this review before I rate this book, because I still haven't quite decided how I feel about it. I think my feelings have been influenced by the fact that I read this book right after completing Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth which is, similarly to this story, about unfulfilled potential and death. The reason I'm telling you this is because I plan on reviewing this book as much as possible on its own merits, but I don't know if I'll be able to keep the two entirely separate.
Anyway. I read this book based on the inclusion of Amok in Peter Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. Since that was the only story of Zweig's included, I assume that would be far and away my favorite of the four stories included. I'm also personally much more interested in novels or even novellas than a short story. Amok was long enough that I thought that it would have the room to develop the character, plot and style as opposed to a lot of short stories I've read. I enjoyed Amok, but I actually felt it was the least developed of the four stories. I found the pivotal point of the plot - the idea that the main character, the doctor, would spontaneously ask the woman for sex just based on her vaguely imperious demeanor ridiculous. The rest of the story was impressive, fascinating and artfully wrought, but the whole plot seemed to be stretched a little thin because of the shaky base provided by that one point. This story did, however, manage the most important part of a short story for me; it left me thinking about it.
Of all the stories in this book, I enjoyed Leporella the most. I found the characters well developed and believable but unique enough to be interesting and realistic. The plot was well grounded and the prose smooth.
The Star Above the Forest was beautifully written, with absolutely gorgeous prose and analogies. Although the plot was silly and unrealistic, it actually added to the story instead of detracting because of the ethereal, mystical sense of the whole story.
I was least impressed by Incident on Lake Geneva. I found it too short, too one dimensional and too abstract. I was unimpressed and unengaged. I honestly don't have much more to say about it than that. It was just non-descript.
All in all, this book was good. I enjoyed it, I would say I "liked " it and I would recommend it. It wasn't stunning, but it did touch me and stick with me, and I don't think you can ask for much more from a book.
Anyway. I read this book based on the inclusion of Amok in Peter Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. Since that was the only story of Zweig's included, I assume that would be far and away my favorite of the four stories included. I'm also personally much more interested in novels or even novellas than a short story. Amok was long enough that I thought that it would have the room to develop the character, plot and style as opposed to a lot of short stories I've read. I enjoyed Amok, but I actually felt it was the least developed of the four stories. I found the pivotal point of the plot - the idea that the main character, the doctor, would spontaneously ask the woman for sex just based on her vaguely imperious demeanor ridiculous. The rest of the story was impressive, fascinating and artfully wrought, but the whole plot seemed to be stretched a little thin because of the shaky base provided by that one point. This story did, however, manage the most important part of a short story for me; it left me thinking about it.
Of all the stories in this book, I enjoyed Leporella the most. I found the characters well developed and believable but unique enough to be interesting and realistic. The plot was well grounded and the prose smooth.
The Star Above the Forest was beautifully written, with absolutely gorgeous prose and analogies. Although the plot was silly and unrealistic, it actually added to the story instead of detracting because of the ethereal, mystical sense of the whole story.
I was least impressed by Incident on Lake Geneva. I found it too short, too one dimensional and too abstract. I was unimpressed and unengaged. I honestly don't have much more to say about it than that. It was just non-descript.
All in all, this book was good. I enjoyed it, I would say I "liked " it and I would recommend it. It wasn't stunning, but it did touch me and stick with me, and I don't think you can ask for much more from a book.
Review Date: 8/7/2013
I liked this book both more and less than I expected to. For one thing, I never expected to love Jo's work with anything less with my whole heart, and I certainly didn't love this book that much. On the other hand, I did a good job of lowering my expectation's based on the early reviews and the apparently uninteresting plot and this definitely exceeded the expectations I set for myself in that regard.
Barry Fairbrother drops dead and sends the town of Pagford into a whirlwind of small-scale, catty political intrigue. A rainbow of characters, such as the Sikh, doctor Jawandas, their shy, bullied daughter and the Mollison family, including the enormous first citizen, his brusque business partner, and his catty wife. In the end, this is a character and all of them are real and beautiful and easy to hate and to love. Although I could tell that Jo was definitely leading the reader to think certain things about certain characters, I don't think I was always distracted. Some of my favorite characters included Andrew "Arf" Price, a nervous, love-struck and abused teenager. I also loved Gavin, one of the characters I don't think I was supposed to care for. He's mousy, selfish, fearful and generally a jerk, but he seemed honest and afraid and acted the way he did out of blind selfishness rather than malice. And in an interesting twist on the back of Draco, the bad guy who everyone loved despite what Jo wanted, we met the amazing Krystal the bad girl who I certainly loved, clearly in accordance with Jo's intention. I love the way she was carefully made and carefully shown to us so as to really make us love her as opposed to assuming we loved her already and moving forward. The reader's interest in Krystal was crucial to the reader's interest in the entire book. A character of that type, especially a female character of that type, is very hard for me to love. I often find that writer's grossly overdoes them. Krystal is tough! Krystal is street smart! Krystal is protective and mean and aggressive! But it's okay because she's ~tender on the inside~. Jo did this beautifully. She created a perfect tough girl and made us love her without ever once shoving her down our throats. I also enjoyed Howard, who everyone within the novel seemed to hate, but who I found well-meaning and kind, underneath the obnoxious bravado. A character who I think I was meant to like but had no sympathy for was Stuart "Fats" Wall. He seemed needy, whiny, childish and malicious. I just was unimpressed.
All in all, I agree with the vast majority of reviewers here. It was a good novel, not stunning. I would recommend it to a lot of people, but not everyone. If you don't like character studies, slow-paced, simmering novels, this is not the novel for you. The first couple hundred pages might be hard to get through if you aren't interested in this kind of story. If you dislike this kind of story, you will likely never get through this at all. Personally, I loved it.
Barry Fairbrother drops dead and sends the town of Pagford into a whirlwind of small-scale, catty political intrigue. A rainbow of characters, such as the Sikh, doctor Jawandas, their shy, bullied daughter and the Mollison family, including the enormous first citizen, his brusque business partner, and his catty wife. In the end, this is a character and all of them are real and beautiful and easy to hate and to love. Although I could tell that Jo was definitely leading the reader to think certain things about certain characters, I don't think I was always distracted. Some of my favorite characters included Andrew "Arf" Price, a nervous, love-struck and abused teenager. I also loved Gavin, one of the characters I don't think I was supposed to care for. He's mousy, selfish, fearful and generally a jerk, but he seemed honest and afraid and acted the way he did out of blind selfishness rather than malice. And in an interesting twist on the back of Draco, the bad guy who everyone loved despite what Jo wanted, we met the amazing Krystal the bad girl who I certainly loved, clearly in accordance with Jo's intention. I love the way she was carefully made and carefully shown to us so as to really make us love her as opposed to assuming we loved her already and moving forward. The reader's interest in Krystal was crucial to the reader's interest in the entire book. A character of that type, especially a female character of that type, is very hard for me to love. I often find that writer's grossly overdoes them. Krystal is tough! Krystal is street smart! Krystal is protective and mean and aggressive! But it's okay because she's ~tender on the inside~. Jo did this beautifully. She created a perfect tough girl and made us love her without ever once shoving her down our throats. I also enjoyed Howard, who everyone within the novel seemed to hate, but who I found well-meaning and kind, underneath the obnoxious bravado. A character who I think I was meant to like but had no sympathy for was Stuart "Fats" Wall. He seemed needy, whiny, childish and malicious. I just was unimpressed.
All in all, I agree with the vast majority of reviewers here. It was a good novel, not stunning. I would recommend it to a lot of people, but not everyone. If you don't like character studies, slow-paced, simmering novels, this is not the novel for you. The first couple hundred pages might be hard to get through if you aren't interested in this kind of story. If you dislike this kind of story, you will likely never get through this at all. Personally, I loved it.
Review Date: 9/13/2013
Not the normal King fare. It was interesting, well written and engaging, just nothing to write home about. The best part, by far, were the lovely illustrations.
Review Date: 9/13/2013
Helpful Score: 1
Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption:
I've actually never seen the movie, so I came into this with no preconceived notions - and I expected Rita Hayworth to be one of the characters because I was unfamiliar with the person herself. Whoops! That said, I really enjoyed this story. I think King has a great skill for foreshadowing without giving the point away - I did not expect the ending at all, much less the method(s) of escape involved. I also really loved the characters in this one, especially Red. I happened to think the length of this novella is perfect (an opinion that only becomes important when compared with the next story.)
Apt Pupil:
Oh, how I hated this story, let me count the ways. This. Story. Drug. It was a good 130 pages longer than it needed to be! Although the ending surprised me, and was a good one, and although there were several twists along the way, all that shined in this story came long after I had stopped caring about the characters. This from the girl who adored King's 1000 page epic Under the Dome. This story was just incredibly tedious and overlong. That said, I did enjoy the concept, Dussander's character and the ending, I just wish it had come 100 pages sooner.
The Body:
This was as good as everyone claims it is! Although I don't tend to like growing up stories and am always wary when King ventures from his well trod horror niche, I found this story to be a grand success. All four of the boys were well developed (especially Chris) and it all tied together very neatly. The ending was excellent without being shocking. This is an average story of average boys on an unusual adventure. It didn't need the regular grand ending that King provides and I'm glad he recognized that.
The Breathing Method:
Although i loved this story, it was kind of all over the place. Was it about the club or about the pregnancy? King references this in the afterword of this edition as a strong point of the story - I thought the whole thing could have easily worked as two separate, excellent stories, and maybe in the process made two short stories (which, as is mentioned in the afterword, are much easier to deal with) versus one kind of rambling novella. That said, I think, if King was set on making this one story instead of two, it should have been longer. The main story got the attention it deserved, but the frame of it, which was just as interesting, was sadly neglected.
In conclusion, is this collection worth reading? Absolutely. But, unless you know what you're in for, don't trust the other reviews and avoid Apt Pupil!
I've actually never seen the movie, so I came into this with no preconceived notions - and I expected Rita Hayworth to be one of the characters because I was unfamiliar with the person herself. Whoops! That said, I really enjoyed this story. I think King has a great skill for foreshadowing without giving the point away - I did not expect the ending at all, much less the method(s) of escape involved. I also really loved the characters in this one, especially Red. I happened to think the length of this novella is perfect (an opinion that only becomes important when compared with the next story.)
Apt Pupil:
Oh, how I hated this story, let me count the ways. This. Story. Drug. It was a good 130 pages longer than it needed to be! Although the ending surprised me, and was a good one, and although there were several twists along the way, all that shined in this story came long after I had stopped caring about the characters. This from the girl who adored King's 1000 page epic Under the Dome. This story was just incredibly tedious and overlong. That said, I did enjoy the concept, Dussander's character and the ending, I just wish it had come 100 pages sooner.
The Body:
This was as good as everyone claims it is! Although I don't tend to like growing up stories and am always wary when King ventures from his well trod horror niche, I found this story to be a grand success. All four of the boys were well developed (especially Chris) and it all tied together very neatly. The ending was excellent without being shocking. This is an average story of average boys on an unusual adventure. It didn't need the regular grand ending that King provides and I'm glad he recognized that.
The Breathing Method:
Although i loved this story, it was kind of all over the place. Was it about the club or about the pregnancy? King references this in the afterword of this edition as a strong point of the story - I thought the whole thing could have easily worked as two separate, excellent stories, and maybe in the process made two short stories (which, as is mentioned in the afterword, are much easier to deal with) versus one kind of rambling novella. That said, I think, if King was set on making this one story instead of two, it should have been longer. The main story got the attention it deserved, but the frame of it, which was just as interesting, was sadly neglected.
In conclusion, is this collection worth reading? Absolutely. But, unless you know what you're in for, don't trust the other reviews and avoid Apt Pupil!
Review Date: 8/6/2013
I really enjoyed this little short story (novelette? It seems to rich and full to be called a short story). I think this is a story that could really benefit from re-reads (and re-re-reads and re-re-re-reads). The story grabs you from the opening description of the house of Usher, especially with it's subtle personification, specifically the several references to eyes and the eerie sense of doom. I am not enough of a scholar to be able to say what exactly created the feeling of unease, but as Usher and the narrator's paranoia rose, so did mine! I would recommend this quick, gripping read to anyone.
Review Date: 8/15/2013
Helpful Score: 1
This is SUCH an excellent book! I just loved it like crazy, every step of the way! I am so glad that I picked this book up - I accidentally ordered it from the library, with no clue what it was about, and it was SUCH a good choice!
Susan Trinder lives in the Borough of London in a thieves' den. She's the beloved ward of Mrs. Sucksby who runs an infant farm with disinterest. Gentleman, or Mr. Richard Rivers, a thief in a gentleman's clothes, comes up with a plot and draws Sue into it. Mr. Lilly, an older creator of a dictionary, has a young niece, Maud Lilly, who stands to gain a huge inheritance as soon as she marries. The plot, from here, seems obvious. Sue is to pose as Maud's new lady maid in order to help Gentleman who her, at which point he will steal her away, marry her, take her fortune and leave her in a madhouse. The amazing part of this book is that as soon as you think you know what's going on, Waters pulls the rug out from underneath you and makes you sit and try and resort everything you thought you knew into a whole new way of thinking. She does this again, and again. One of the best parts of the story is the beautiful inner love story, woven delicately and subtlety throughout the prose. It would be so, so easily to mishandle that story, but it so beautiful and artful and by the time it's made clear you feel like you've been waiting for it all your life. It is just so gorgeous. Part of the reason that it's made so beautiful is to another major strength of the story, which is the gorgeous prose. Usually, I am very critical of first person, but I can't imagine this story being told in any other way. Waters does such an excellent job of getting into the characters' heads without telling more than showing, without each character being more self-aware than they ought to be. Her characters make mistakes and good decision, all while managing to portray it as the characters genuinely leading their own lives, as opposed to just functioning to make the plot move forward.
I have one tiny issue with this novel, although it really did bother me. It seems something so silly to be miffed about, but everything was so carefully plotted with no words wasted, I was surprised that nothing ever came of Mr. Ibbs' sister. Why was she there? What was her purpose?! What was the use of her even being mentioned? There was literally no point to Mr. Ibbs having a bed-ridden sister in the house, and I just didn't get it and it bothered the crap out of me. Was there a point and I just missed it, or...? I dunno.
But seriously. I would recommend this to anyone. This novel was gripping, emotionally engaging, interesting, thoughtful and just downright beautiful.
Susan Trinder lives in the Borough of London in a thieves' den. She's the beloved ward of Mrs. Sucksby who runs an infant farm with disinterest. Gentleman, or Mr. Richard Rivers, a thief in a gentleman's clothes, comes up with a plot and draws Sue into it. Mr. Lilly, an older creator of a dictionary, has a young niece, Maud Lilly, who stands to gain a huge inheritance as soon as she marries. The plot, from here, seems obvious. Sue is to pose as Maud's new lady maid in order to help Gentleman who her, at which point he will steal her away, marry her, take her fortune and leave her in a madhouse. The amazing part of this book is that as soon as you think you know what's going on, Waters pulls the rug out from underneath you and makes you sit and try and resort everything you thought you knew into a whole new way of thinking. She does this again, and again. One of the best parts of the story is the beautiful inner love story, woven delicately and subtlety throughout the prose. It would be so, so easily to mishandle that story, but it so beautiful and artful and by the time it's made clear you feel like you've been waiting for it all your life. It is just so gorgeous. Part of the reason that it's made so beautiful is to another major strength of the story, which is the gorgeous prose. Usually, I am very critical of first person, but I can't imagine this story being told in any other way. Waters does such an excellent job of getting into the characters' heads without telling more than showing, without each character being more self-aware than they ought to be. Her characters make mistakes and good decision, all while managing to portray it as the characters genuinely leading their own lives, as opposed to just functioning to make the plot move forward.
I have one tiny issue with this novel, although it really did bother me. It seems something so silly to be miffed about, but everything was so carefully plotted with no words wasted, I was surprised that nothing ever came of Mr. Ibbs' sister. Why was she there? What was her purpose?! What was the use of her even being mentioned? There was literally no point to Mr. Ibbs having a bed-ridden sister in the house, and I just didn't get it and it bothered the crap out of me. Was there a point and I just missed it, or...? I dunno.
But seriously. I would recommend this to anyone. This novel was gripping, emotionally engaging, interesting, thoughtful and just downright beautiful.
Review Date: 8/31/2013
Helpful Score: 2
It has taken me quite a while to develop a review for this and I still don't really know where to begin. i guess the most obvious is a good place to start. Would I recommend it? Absolutely! Even if it's a trip you don't happen to particularly enjoy or understand, it is still a crazy and worthwhile trip.
I don.t really get it. I don't think I'm at the level of complete misunderstanding that a lot of readers of this book are, but I don't feel like I completely understand it - in fact, I don't think it's possible to completely understand it - and that frustrates me. I like to understand. I like to take a long journey between the covers of a novel and have all my questions answered by the end of the story. House of Leaves does not do that. House of Leaves laughs in your face when you suggest that, maybe, you would appreciate it if it would do that.
I feel that I could make this review either ridiculously long, filled with pointless tirades on the things I liked, disliked and didn't understand, but I don't think anyone would get much out of that, so I'll end with this. This is a book you're going to have to read to believe.
I don.t really get it. I don't think I'm at the level of complete misunderstanding that a lot of readers of this book are, but I don't feel like I completely understand it - in fact, I don't think it's possible to completely understand it - and that frustrates me. I like to understand. I like to take a long journey between the covers of a novel and have all my questions answered by the end of the story. House of Leaves does not do that. House of Leaves laughs in your face when you suggest that, maybe, you would appreciate it if it would do that.
I feel that I could make this review either ridiculously long, filled with pointless tirades on the things I liked, disliked and didn't understand, but I don't think anyone would get much out of that, so I'll end with this. This is a book you're going to have to read to believe.
Review Date: 7/27/2013
** spoiler alert ** This novel follows primarily a young socialite named Lily Bart as she slowly ruins her life, dropping from the most beloved of country dinner visitors to a working class girl with an addiction to a sleep aid. Although many call this a love story, I think this would be classified as a love story in only the loosest sense, and in the great tradition of novels like Gone with the Wind and Wuthering Heights. If anyone's actually in love, it's rarely if ever admitted and certainly not happy.
When I began this book, without the slightest hint of what it might be about other than having previously read another of Wharton's works Ethan Frome, I assumed from the first chapter that the story would be a drawn out account of the changing of Lily's morals as she realizes that, obviously, Lawrence Selden (the pseudo "romantic interest") is the one for her, blah, blah, blah. As it turns out, Lily's morals change very little throughout the book, and her high standards of living combined with her strong moral fiber almost always ruin things for her. Why can't she just marry Selden and maintain her place in the social order and actually go a step up in her living conditions, if not achieving the wealth of which she dreams? Standards. Why can't she get over herself and marry Rosedale who will give her said wealth, even though she quite dislikes him? Standards. She simply can't be pleased. She won't marry for love and she won't marry for money - she's content to settle into old maidhood waiting for the perfect Mr. Right to come along. Meanwhile, her morals generally screw her over too. She has to stand by Bertha Dorset when she cheats! She can't use the love letters she found against her to regain her place and society and Rosedale's hand! She can't confess her undying love for Selden! But she's perfectly cool getting into various shady dealings with the Gormers, Mrs. Hatch and the chloral. Good God, Lily. She can't seem to decide what she wants and refuses to make the right decision throughout the book.
Although I found Lily to be in character throughout, I found so many of her decisions frustratingly stupid and unambitious (combined with her thoroughly ambitious personality) that I found it hard to love Lily as much as I would have otherwise. So many times, salvation was within reach. Actually, she didn't even have to reach for it. All she had to do was say the word and be whisked away from her depressing and anticlimactic end...but nope. Her standards/morals always got in the way.
Although I found the novel frustrating, slow and confusing (Wharton referred to characters exclusively by their first or last names for pages on end and then would spontaneously end, plus freaking everyone is related which is hard to remember) I did enjoy it. I would say it was really more of a 3.5 than a 3, a meh+ versus just a meh... But I also wouldn't quite say I "liked" it. I'm certainly glad I read it, but I'm also glad it's over.
When I began this book, without the slightest hint of what it might be about other than having previously read another of Wharton's works Ethan Frome, I assumed from the first chapter that the story would be a drawn out account of the changing of Lily's morals as she realizes that, obviously, Lawrence Selden (the pseudo "romantic interest") is the one for her, blah, blah, blah. As it turns out, Lily's morals change very little throughout the book, and her high standards of living combined with her strong moral fiber almost always ruin things for her. Why can't she just marry Selden and maintain her place in the social order and actually go a step up in her living conditions, if not achieving the wealth of which she dreams? Standards. Why can't she get over herself and marry Rosedale who will give her said wealth, even though she quite dislikes him? Standards. She simply can't be pleased. She won't marry for love and she won't marry for money - she's content to settle into old maidhood waiting for the perfect Mr. Right to come along. Meanwhile, her morals generally screw her over too. She has to stand by Bertha Dorset when she cheats! She can't use the love letters she found against her to regain her place and society and Rosedale's hand! She can't confess her undying love for Selden! But she's perfectly cool getting into various shady dealings with the Gormers, Mrs. Hatch and the chloral. Good God, Lily. She can't seem to decide what she wants and refuses to make the right decision throughout the book.
Although I found Lily to be in character throughout, I found so many of her decisions frustratingly stupid and unambitious (combined with her thoroughly ambitious personality) that I found it hard to love Lily as much as I would have otherwise. So many times, salvation was within reach. Actually, she didn't even have to reach for it. All she had to do was say the word and be whisked away from her depressing and anticlimactic end...but nope. Her standards/morals always got in the way.
Although I found the novel frustrating, slow and confusing (Wharton referred to characters exclusively by their first or last names for pages on end and then would spontaneously end, plus freaking everyone is related which is hard to remember) I did enjoy it. I would say it was really more of a 3.5 than a 3, a meh+ versus just a meh... But I also wouldn't quite say I "liked" it. I'm certainly glad I read it, but I'm also glad it's over.
Review Date: 7/20/2013
So after lots of hemming and hawing and other books cutting their way to the front of my to-read line, I finally got around to reading this book. Honestly, I think my experience suffered because of how long I waited between #2 and this one. I wikipedia'd the first two synopses before I read this, and I remembered the important stuff (how annoying I found Sadie, how much I loved Bes and Bast and Tawaret) and I did figure it out pretty quickly, but there was some stuff that I just glanced over. It didn't really hurt my understanding of the book as a whole, but it would definitely have been a smarter choice to read them all closer together than I did.
So what did I think?
[SPOILERS AHEAD]
All in all, I was quite happy with the ending to this series. Some things changed that were the main reasons I preferred the Greek books so much more than this series (side characters, like the fabulous Walt, got fleshed out) but I also feel that Riordan wrote himself into a bit of a hole that absented some of his strongest characters in this series from the story for a good portion of it (i.e. Bes and Bast). I found the ending to the Anubis/Sadie/Walt love triangle surprisingly satisfying, and if I was still into writing fanfiction I would be all over the idea of one girl dating two men in one body. As usual, Riordan's women are just as abrasive and agitating as usual (except Tawaret who he writes as more of a mother and a joke and Bast who he characterizes as a cat as opposed to a woman) but I found Zia much more tolerable this go round and even grew a little bit fond of Sadie. Carter, on the other hand, who I loved from the beginning, let me down. The entire novel seemed to consist of "oh, crap, I can't do this! Okay, I'm doing this," rinse and repeat. I understood what Riordan was going for, I just found it a bit heavy handed.
And speaking of heavy handed, hmmmm, do you think there's going to be a sequel a la Heroes of Olympus? I could never guess. But to be fair, although I certainly wish he would focus a bit more on his Greek stories, I will definitely be picking up the newest book in the Egyptian series when it inevitably comes out. Here's hoping it focuses on Bes!
So what did I think?
[SPOILERS AHEAD]
All in all, I was quite happy with the ending to this series. Some things changed that were the main reasons I preferred the Greek books so much more than this series (side characters, like the fabulous Walt, got fleshed out) but I also feel that Riordan wrote himself into a bit of a hole that absented some of his strongest characters in this series from the story for a good portion of it (i.e. Bes and Bast). I found the ending to the Anubis/Sadie/Walt love triangle surprisingly satisfying, and if I was still into writing fanfiction I would be all over the idea of one girl dating two men in one body. As usual, Riordan's women are just as abrasive and agitating as usual (except Tawaret who he writes as more of a mother and a joke and Bast who he characterizes as a cat as opposed to a woman) but I found Zia much more tolerable this go round and even grew a little bit fond of Sadie. Carter, on the other hand, who I loved from the beginning, let me down. The entire novel seemed to consist of "oh, crap, I can't do this! Okay, I'm doing this," rinse and repeat. I understood what Riordan was going for, I just found it a bit heavy handed.
And speaking of heavy handed, hmmmm, do you think there's going to be a sequel a la Heroes of Olympus? I could never guess. But to be fair, although I certainly wish he would focus a bit more on his Greek stories, I will definitely be picking up the newest book in the Egyptian series when it inevitably comes out. Here's hoping it focuses on Bes!
Review Date: 8/5/2013
This book was...not what I expected. The style is so unusual and so straight forward and brusque. I think it does a really good job of helping us to get inside Meursault's head, but I don't know if I like it. I also don't know what I expected from this book but what I got definitely wasn't it. But I liked it. I think? I dunno. I had a lot of weird non-feelings about this book, I guess because it didn't really make me feel much of anything and usually books make me really feel a lot of things. And it was weird to feel pretty meh about any book at all. Anyway, I think it was alright. It was entertaining, and I was curious to see how it ended. It kept me turning pages, and after a little bit of research on Camus, I did understand the absurdist view he was going for, I just don't think it was as amazing as everyone seems to make it out to be.
I especially enjoyed Marie and Salamano. Salamano was an interesting taste of reality in a silly setting. The idea of loving a dog as much as you hate it is something I can understand, even if it was taken to the extreme here. Marie was incredibly sweet, realistic, and entertaining. She was by far the best part of the book.
I think by the end, I was supposed to have taken a great, enlightening journey, understood Meursault's thought process, blah, blah, you know. I really didn't get it. It was good, but I'm afraid I only understand this on the basest level.
This is the most rambling review of all time. Ugh.
I especially enjoyed Marie and Salamano. Salamano was an interesting taste of reality in a silly setting. The idea of loving a dog as much as you hate it is something I can understand, even if it was taken to the extreme here. Marie was incredibly sweet, realistic, and entertaining. She was by far the best part of the book.
I think by the end, I was supposed to have taken a great, enlightening journey, understood Meursault's thought process, blah, blah, you know. I really didn't get it. It was good, but I'm afraid I only understand this on the basest level.
This is the most rambling review of all time. Ugh.
Review Date: 7/31/2013
Helpful Score: 1
I just wrote a big review and accidentally deleted it. Sigh.
This was a good book. I definitely enjoyed it! But I don't think it really stood up to the first Alice. This nonsense book seemed a little more nonsensical, with less rhyme or reason behind it. The sense that I think I was supposed make out of it came to me later than it should have; the kittens = the queens? Whoops! I did really enjoy the inclusion of all the poetry in this volume, however, and I was also surprised at the inclusion of so much iconic Alice canon such as Tweedledum and Tweedledee as well as The Jabberwocky.
I would recommend this book if for no other reason than what an easy read it was, even if you're worried you might not like it - I read it start to finish cover to cover. It was definitely cute and worth reading.
This was a good book. I definitely enjoyed it! But I don't think it really stood up to the first Alice. This nonsense book seemed a little more nonsensical, with less rhyme or reason behind it. The sense that I think I was supposed make out of it came to me later than it should have; the kittens = the queens? Whoops! I did really enjoy the inclusion of all the poetry in this volume, however, and I was also surprised at the inclusion of so much iconic Alice canon such as Tweedledum and Tweedledee as well as The Jabberwocky.
I would recommend this book if for no other reason than what an easy read it was, even if you're worried you might not like it - I read it start to finish cover to cover. It was definitely cute and worth reading.
Review Date: 8/25/2013
Finished Time's Arrow by Martin Amis yesterday. Was COMPLETELY unimpressed. Ugh. In fact, I disliked it so much I didn't even bother to write an actual review. It was hard to follow, and generally uninteresting. I was not invested in the character and so I was not invested in the major pivotal plot point that I was waiting on and knew would occur early in his life and late in the book. The whole 'time told backward' narration device did NOT get any easier to keep up with, as I had hoped it would early on in the book. Dialogue was a pain especially. The only things that saved this book from a 'Hate' was that it was short, so the torture didn't last too long (although it still managed to drag) and I did enjoy the theme of hurting and healing.
Still, I would not recommend this book.
3/10 - Dislike
Still, I would not recommend this book.
3/10 - Dislike
Review Date: 7/20/2013
This is a book I've been meaning to read for years. Around the time I was twelve, I got my hands on this book, read the first 100 pages or so, and promptly lost the book.The story (what was happening?), the characters (particularly Allan, Helen and Jeanne), and the prose (haunting, thoughtful) clung to my mind. I found the book many months later and started over. I got to roughly the same spot and was swamped with books to read and homework to do for school. I didn't have time to finish it, despite a desperate urge to do so. Eventually, that copy of the book disappeared from my home. I am now 18 and bought this book at Powell's Books in Portland, OR after discussing the novel with a friend who had similar issues finishing it. I rarely keep books, and I intend to give the copy I just read to him as a graduation present, but I will have to find a copy of this novel for my long term collection,.
The story has been rehashed here enough that I feel I don't need to summarize. I loved the opening, a marriage of a madman and a catatonic woman in a thunderstorm, which set the perfect mood. I read through the book at breakneck speed, because it's truly a book that keeps you turning pages. The novel is a perfect blend of confusion and explanation. The ending, I was a little dissatisfied with. To be fair, I had been speculating on the ending of the book for several years, but I think it's fair to say that the ending is an anticlimax and a largely unexplained anticlimax at that. I wouldn't say that I like my answers to be spelled out for me, but I do like it when the conclusions I come to about a novel clearly match the author's conclusions.
Speaking of conclusions, it feels good to close the chapter of my life that was spent thinking about this book in quiet moments. The fact that this book kept me thinking for nearly six years should be a sign to you all that it's certainly worth picking up.
The story has been rehashed here enough that I feel I don't need to summarize. I loved the opening, a marriage of a madman and a catatonic woman in a thunderstorm, which set the perfect mood. I read through the book at breakneck speed, because it's truly a book that keeps you turning pages. The novel is a perfect blend of confusion and explanation. The ending, I was a little dissatisfied with. To be fair, I had been speculating on the ending of the book for several years, but I think it's fair to say that the ending is an anticlimax and a largely unexplained anticlimax at that. I wouldn't say that I like my answers to be spelled out for me, but I do like it when the conclusions I come to about a novel clearly match the author's conclusions.
Speaking of conclusions, it feels good to close the chapter of my life that was spent thinking about this book in quiet moments. The fact that this book kept me thinking for nearly six years should be a sign to you all that it's certainly worth picking up.
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