The Daughters of Mars
by Thomas Keneally
A Difficult Read (5/19/2013)
There are some good things about this book--its scope, range, and detailed description of World War I from a perspective I sometimes found interesting. But on the whole I would not recommend it to friends or my book club. I found it very difficult to read because of all the exposition and lack of quotation marks for dialogue. In a five hundred page book, I found this structure a serious problem. Why create barriers for the reader? Often the book was tedious and I sometime felt the minor characters were more engaging than the sisters. I felt that the large scope had positive aspects, but for me, it was too much and should have been edited better. It took me two thirds of the novel to really get into it and then I wondered at the end whether the effort was worth it. Yes, I learned a great deal about WWI from an interesting perspective but I waded through it because I was reviewing it and not because I was enjoying the experience. And while the ending was different, I have to wonder if the lack of a clear resolution in itself was a reflection of other ambiguities in the novel.
A Dual Inheritance
by Joanna Hershon
Interesting but not memorable (3/24/2013)
I liked this book but did not love it. Will I remember the story in a year? Probably not. I read it on vacation and on planes. It was good reading and kept me interested but it isn't a great book. I, like other readers, felt it could've been cut. I did like learning about the younger generation. I actually think that part of the book was more innovative than certain cliches in the first half of the book--rich friend, aspiring Jewish society seeker, and WASP woman forming the triangle. I liked Rebecca because she seemed real and multi-dimensional. I probably wouldn't recommend this book to my book club because it is overly long and I'm not sure how much discussion would be forthcoming after the first 20 minutes or so. I'm not sorry I read it but I probably wouldn't give it a great recommendation either. It was OK and adequately written.
The Lifeboat: A Novel
by Charlotte Rogan
A Thoughtful Read (3/6/2013)
I liked this book. There are many positives. The characters are well drawn and very interesting--especially the protagonist Grace. I did find some parts in the middle sometimes dragged but I found the last part of the story very intriguing and thought provoking. There was an element of Lord of the Flies in this book. It is a book that makes you think and is open to varying points of view and would be good for book clubs. I would definitely recommend it.
The Middlesteins
by Jami Attenberg
A Good Read (3/3/2013)
I liked this book. I didn't love it. Most of the characters were very quirky. They weren't stereotypes but they weren't like people in my family so I couldn't always relate to them. The preoccupation with food may have been a bit too much. The voices are clear except near the very end of the book (which I won't spoil) the voice suddenly changes at an event to one we haven't heard throughout the book before. This annoyed me. We should have heard it before or afterwards or not at all. When you want a break from heavier books this suits the purpose and it does keep your interest once you get into it. The ending, for me, was predictable.
The Yellow Birds: A Novel
by Kevin Powers
Amazing Book that is a Must Read for Everyone (2/16/2013)
Let me begin by saying that I rarely read books about war. I first heard of Yellow Birds when I read a glowing review in the NY Times.
I have always felt that the war in Iraq is unlike the Vietnam War when there was a draft and bodies being brought back became part of the 6 o'clock news. The Iraq war affects fewer families and there are restrictions on what can be show on TV now.
I was captured by the opening line, "The war tried to kill us in the spring" and the lyrical language throughout the book. There is a mystery of guilt which pervades the book and until the end we don't know why the narrator is so devastated. The descriptions of the terrain are both beautiful and ironic since war is so ugly. The shifting between home and Iraq are well done and keep us interested from beginning to end. All the characters, even minor ones, are expertly depicted. The structure of the book is perfect for expressing the theme.
This is one of the best books I have ever read. Even though the subject may not initially appeal to everyone, it should be read so we can learn what has been going on "over there" and how to avoid future tragedies.
Golden Boy
by Abigail Tarttelin
A Mixed Review (1/6/2013)
Initially I found this book disturbing. I don't think it will have universal appeal, but I do think it is an interesting treatment of a subject many readers are not that familiar with. I did get caught up in the story fairly soon and wanted to know how it would turn out. The author uses a fairly common premise--a family with secrets. This secret was a big one and had tremendous ramifications for many people.
I have a few criticisms of the book. It is not particularly well written. The style is simplistic--many of the sentences are subject-verb formulation. There is little variation in sentence structure which made it somewhat tedious to read. The constant jumping around in points of view engaged the reader but was disjointed because the viewpoints were being changed too often.
I found it implausible that today a man would run for office with such a big family secret and endanger his family in the process and that there were no problems earlier in Max's life. There also needed to be a backstory for Hunter and Max's relationship that led to the rape.
I am somewhat ambivalent about the book but feel that it may be a worthwhile addition to knowledge about intersex and the family dynamics that result.
A Thousand Pardons
by Jonathan Dee
Forgiveness needed for A Thousand Pardons (11/16/2012)
I was looking forward to reading this book because it sounded interesting and the author had fine credentials. Unfortunately, for me, it was disappointing from the beginning and didn't improve all that much as I plodded along. I thought the dialogue in the opening chapter was unrealistic as written. The scene with the psychiatrist was not true-to-life. I had difficulty understanding Ben's unhappiness. Perhaps a smattering of flashbacks throughout the novel showing different periods of their marriage would've helped. I felt the strongest part of the novel was the middle section. It was refreshing to see the "injured wife" not stand by her man. Instead she was the focus instead of her husband and I liked seeing her grow and develop as a person in her own right instead of an appendage to her family. I wasn't that interested in the Hamilton episode. It seemed implausible to me as did the ending. What I thought was intriguing was that Sara chooses a boyfriend like her father--one who seemingly has "everything" but in reality has very little. There was little preparation in the novel for Sara's preference for her father at the end. Again some flashbacks of her relationship with both parents would have been helpful in understanding the way they behave when the story opens. It was not a particularly good book. It was not really bad. I wouldn't recommend it and I think there are better books around for book club discussions.
Heading Out to Wonderful: A Novel
by Robert Goolrick
A Disappointing Read (8/4/2012)
The author's first novel, A Reliable Wife, was an intriguing read. I eagerly awaited the second book by this author. Heading out to Wonderful is not the book expected. Although well written, there are many unrealistic aspects to the plot and character portrayal. Sam's character, a pivotal part of the story, was far too precocious. I could not believe in his point of view as a five year old. The characters of Sylvan and Boaty were superficially drawn. I did get a good sense of the setting which is integral to the plot. But the ending was too abrupt and unrealistic. Although I wanted to like this book, I but ultimately I found it a disappointing read.
My Brilliant Friend
by Elena Ferrante
A FLAWED JEWEL (6/16/2012)
My Brilliant Friend has all the components for a good novel--primal human emotions, complex relationships, and an intriguing setting. We feel the love, hatred, fear, ambition, guilt of this microcosm of Italian society in the 1950's. Set in a very poor neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples, we are drawn into relationships between parents and children, siblings, neighbors, and lovers. There is sometimes a Dickensian feel in the description of everyday life--the dreams, hopes, and often despair of the inhabitants of this sequestered world. The thread binding all these relationships is the coming of age and enduring friendship of two young girls, Lila and Elena.
But, for me, this novel is seriously flawed and ultimately fails. The endless narration and lack of dialogue makes this a difficult read. It is a character driven book, but there are too many characters and too many subplots. There is no clearly defined main plot line to propel the book forward. The ending is understated and disappointing. It does not make this reader eager to read the rest of the trilogy and continue the journey.
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Power Reviewer
