This is the first book I've zoomed through in quite a while. I enjoyed parts of it very much. It's a book that reminds the reader that there are at least as many facets to a story as there are people involved (and also just as many ways for things to go awry).
The Lonely Polygamist is set in a Mormon "plyg" family some time in the 70s in Utah but it is not about polygamy, per se. It merely uses the polygamist life to almost hyperbolize living in a big family and how alone one can feel despite being surrounded by so many others. Each of the characters the narrator zooms in on tries to cope with this loneliness in their own way.
This book was completely ridiculous at times and completely tragic at other times and completely tragically ridiculous and ridiculously tragic all the other times. What I liked best was the humanity and heart in the book -- no one character was a total saint or a complete villain. They were just people, doing people things. The reader is reminded of this just as soon as they start to think otherwise.
Brady Udall did a terrific job describing the little things -- the mundane, the awkward, the embarrassingly true. The gum part, while I have never experienced anything like it and can hardly imagine it's a common predicament a man finds himself in, seemed like it actually could happen to your neighbor, and that is exactly how he would deal with it. The noises of the house, the ever-present crowded hum of 28 yellingrunningscreaming children, the description of the "racetrack" and its wear from overuse, the smelly "Barge", all seemed very believable and very relate-able, which made the story almost believable.
The parts with Rusty were almost written from his point of view and was among the most believable of the characters' sections. There were times when Golden's (esp. w/ the Ted Leo parts toward the end) and Trish's (many parts involving Faye and the other Sister Wives...it's difficult for men to write women well--yes, i know how sexist that statement is, but it's also true) narratives wavered a bit in perspective, but Rusty always sounded like Rusty.
Most importantly, I giggled, welled up with tears, and screamed "No! Nonono! NO!! Dammit! No!" at various parts beyond my control. Read this book if you're looking for something darkly tragi-comic, entertaining, and quirky, so long as you've got an open mind.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Little Century -- 9780374192044
Not really a bad book, per se...just...didn't seem to go anywhere by the time I was half the way through. Maybe another day.
Out of the Easy -- 9780399256929
Loved it!
Ruta Sepetys' last book -- Between Shades of Gray -- was a hauntingly beautiful teen novel about a Lithuanian girl who, along with her family, gets shipped off to a work camp during Stalin's reign. I liked it so much that I was hesitant to pick up Out of the Easy, afraid that the second book could disappoint me if it didn't live up to the tremendously high expectations from the first. I don't know why this mattered, but it did.
In reality, while Between Shades of Gray was depressing and beautiful, Out of the Easy was a delight that was much different, showcasing Sepetys' talent in a range of historical settings. It had better-developed characters (most likely because they weren't limited to the confines of their circumstances at the work camp and this freedom allowed their complexity to come through better/didn't squash their humanity), and the plot was more intricate (again, because of the very different circumstances the settings allowed). I really doubted that I could care about a girl from the 50s whose mom is a prostitute in Louisiana, but I did. A lot. The only thing that could have been improved was that the ending was a little to abrupt compared to the pace of the rest of the novel.
Sepetys writes with rich description and finds hope in despairing situations. I really look forward to whatever she has coming next and highly recommend her to those who haven't yet picked her up.
Ruta Sepetys' last book -- Between Shades of Gray -- was a hauntingly beautiful teen novel about a Lithuanian girl who, along with her family, gets shipped off to a work camp during Stalin's reign. I liked it so much that I was hesitant to pick up Out of the Easy, afraid that the second book could disappoint me if it didn't live up to the tremendously high expectations from the first. I don't know why this mattered, but it did.
In reality, while Between Shades of Gray was depressing and beautiful, Out of the Easy was a delight that was much different, showcasing Sepetys' talent in a range of historical settings. It had better-developed characters (most likely because they weren't limited to the confines of their circumstances at the work camp and this freedom allowed their complexity to come through better/didn't squash their humanity), and the plot was more intricate (again, because of the very different circumstances the settings allowed). I really doubted that I could care about a girl from the 50s whose mom is a prostitute in Louisiana, but I did. A lot. The only thing that could have been improved was that the ending was a little to abrupt compared to the pace of the rest of the novel.
Sepetys writes with rich description and finds hope in despairing situations. I really look forward to whatever she has coming next and highly recommend her to those who haven't yet picked her up.
the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- 9780345391803
This is the fastest I've completed a book in a really long time (aside from the 5 picture books I read Sunday night). I would highly recommend this as a great bus book -- It's short, it's light (but not so light that it's fluffy and entirely, aggravatingly pointless), and in being both of those, I found it very easy to get into and out of within the 10 min span I have between my bus stop outside my apartment and the one I use to get to work. Also, as an added bonus, it fit in my bag in a way that still allowed me to zip it shut.
I did have two complaints though. Admittedly, both are really more problems with me than actually with the book.
The first is that I already knew a lot of the best parts of the book. At many points, it felt like watching Star Wars but already knowing that Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's father (sorry if I spoiled that for anyone...but only a little. Seriously, you haven't seen Star Wars?) or reading Romeo & Juliet any time after 1575. This is my fault for waiting so long to read it, but it was still disappointing.
The second is that it ended like a first book in a series. You're thinking now "but it is the first book in a series, I don't understand? what's your point?" to which I snobbily reply "yes, but I hate series." I can pretty honestly say that I cannot recall ever reading any series in its entirety. The two possible exceptions are the Fudge series by Judy Blume and The Boys Start the War series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, and I am not sure if i read all of either of those.
I can appreciate the character building that goes on over the course of 3+ books and the complex story arcs the author can achieve, but I don't like the way they're usually executed and I'm not a fan of being addicted to stuff (I've already got a problem with caffeine, i don't need to acquire any more, thank you very much). Addictions are expensive. And uncomfortable. I would have much preferred the book either a) end on a more clear-cut, complete note or b) kept its current ending without any follow-ups (because then it's just open ended and some sick, twisted part of me likes the frustrating ambiguity of it all). But I know it's a set-up. There.
So that's really it. Read the book if you haven't already so that you may escape the troubles I had with knowing most of the best parts already. The end. (Until part II, the re-read)
I did have two complaints though. Admittedly, both are really more problems with me than actually with the book.
The first is that I already knew a lot of the best parts of the book. At many points, it felt like watching Star Wars but already knowing that Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's father (sorry if I spoiled that for anyone...but only a little. Seriously, you haven't seen Star Wars?) or reading Romeo & Juliet any time after 1575. This is my fault for waiting so long to read it, but it was still disappointing.
The second is that it ended like a first book in a series. You're thinking now "but it is the first book in a series, I don't understand? what's your point?" to which I snobbily reply "yes, but I hate series." I can pretty honestly say that I cannot recall ever reading any series in its entirety. The two possible exceptions are the Fudge series by Judy Blume and The Boys Start the War series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, and I am not sure if i read all of either of those.
I can appreciate the character building that goes on over the course of 3+ books and the complex story arcs the author can achieve, but I don't like the way they're usually executed and I'm not a fan of being addicted to stuff (I've already got a problem with caffeine, i don't need to acquire any more, thank you very much). Addictions are expensive. And uncomfortable. I would have much preferred the book either a) end on a more clear-cut, complete note or b) kept its current ending without any follow-ups (because then it's just open ended and some sick, twisted part of me likes the frustrating ambiguity of it all). But I know it's a set-up. There.
So that's really it. Read the book if you haven't already so that you may escape the troubles I had with knowing most of the best parts already. The end. (Until part II, the re-read)
Me, Who Dove into the Heart of the World
There's some combination of Temple Grandin's life story mixed with Forrest Gump and the story of Genie (the feral child discovered in the 70s) happening that doesn't quite mix correctly.
I wanted this book to be better, and at times it was good. In fact, the first chapter was good. But as the book progressed, it either had too much going on or there were too many balls flying in from left field and I could not get a sense of what direction the book wanted to go in. I think it lost me for good shortly after the professor tried to make a business proposal with the main character.
I tried. The writing was unique and the premise was different enough from most other books that it really had potential to be wonderful. Maybe I'll try again in a few years but right now, it just did not resonate with me.
I wanted this book to be better, and at times it was good. In fact, the first chapter was good. But as the book progressed, it either had too much going on or there were too many balls flying in from left field and I could not get a sense of what direction the book wanted to go in. I think it lost me for good shortly after the professor tried to make a business proposal with the main character.
I tried. The writing was unique and the premise was different enough from most other books that it really had potential to be wonderful. Maybe I'll try again in a few years but right now, it just did not resonate with me.
On Beauty -- 9780143037743
So I hate boys again...
This seems to be a theme with me and books lately -- the ones I find myself unable to put down have been making me feel very strongly one way or another about either gender and this one (as did Oscar Wao) makes me hate boys. So much. Girls, too.
The best parts about the book were Smith's use of unique ways of describing things. She has a way about her words where she can describe something we've all felt about anything in a way it's never been described but gets it dead on with accuracy. I liked that.
I also, for better or worse, enjoyed being angry for a good portion of this book. Everybody's an asshole (nearly). And they do stupid, asshole things. Some of them learn, but for the most part they don't. There was a certain refreshing honesty in this lack of a full-circle "well, I'll know better next time" sort of thing. The characters' collective assholeish-ness and failure to gain any insight from anything they've experienced was something I found realistic because it was so infuriating so often.
Smith also uses "opposites" as a running motif. Everybody and everything major has a counter: The characters, the situations they get themselves into, the perspectives, the sex scenes...
I do wish that I hadn't chosen this one for a bus book though. It took more time to get back into the story than I was generally giving myself (to get from point A to point B) and I feel like I deprived myself of full comprehension of some of the more complicated scenes. It is also a book that I wish I could have read *with* somebody else so that I could talk about a few things. It's a book that begs to be talked about, whether you loved or hated it.
Forgive me for my incoherent babbling, it's past midnight which means it's well past my self-assigned bedtime and I'm really pretty useless for much other than sleep (and not even that, it seems) right now
This seems to be a theme with me and books lately -- the ones I find myself unable to put down have been making me feel very strongly one way or another about either gender and this one (as did Oscar Wao) makes me hate boys. So much. Girls, too.
The best parts about the book were Smith's use of unique ways of describing things. She has a way about her words where she can describe something we've all felt about anything in a way it's never been described but gets it dead on with accuracy. I liked that.
I also, for better or worse, enjoyed being angry for a good portion of this book. Everybody's an asshole (nearly). And they do stupid, asshole things. Some of them learn, but for the most part they don't. There was a certain refreshing honesty in this lack of a full-circle "well, I'll know better next time" sort of thing. The characters' collective assholeish-ness and failure to gain any insight from anything they've experienced was something I found realistic because it was so infuriating so often.
Smith also uses "opposites" as a running motif. Everybody and everything major has a counter: The characters, the situations they get themselves into, the perspectives, the sex scenes...
I do wish that I hadn't chosen this one for a bus book though. It took more time to get back into the story than I was generally giving myself (to get from point A to point B) and I feel like I deprived myself of full comprehension of some of the more complicated scenes. It is also a book that I wish I could have read *with* somebody else so that I could talk about a few things. It's a book that begs to be talked about, whether you loved or hated it.
Forgive me for my incoherent babbling, it's past midnight which means it's well past my self-assigned bedtime and I'm really pretty useless for much other than sleep (and not even that, it seems) right now
Pure -- 9781455503063
The ideas behind Pure and the world Julianna Baggott created were very interesting. The vehicles through which she showed these things to the reader (Pressia and Partridge, respectively) were natural and well thought out. The writing was mostly good, description and characters were good. It just needed to be better edited and tightened, it came so close to being great.
A LOT happened, looking back it sometimes felt a bit like she wrote down all these different ideas about things that were possible in this world and things that could happen and then found a way to work ALL of them into the book rather than focusing on a few that moved the plot along or really showed us something about the characters. There were also a few times where the characters figured things out a little too quickly as well as other times where the answers were plainly drawn out and the reader came to the conclusions well before the characters did, in a way that made it seem like it was supposed to have been the other way around.
There was also a lot of recursive ruminating. This, one could argue, was what made you constantly aware that the characters were all teens --in which case, it worked perfectly. Perhaps if i were also a teen, it wouldn't have felt so repetitive. When these long inner-asides went on though, i just really wanted the feelings to get to the point so we could move on with the story. They didn't always build the tension they were intended to.
Complaints aside, this is still the best piece of teen science fiction I've read in a really long time. Of course, that might be because I generally can't get past the first few chapters of most science fiction books. But Baggott's skill at crafting sentences overcame much of the aforementioned shortcomings in development. The premise is creative and creepily believable and the world is fully-realized. I just think that the opportunity to create a finely crafted teen novel was so close at hand -- and it's a gaping whole that genre desperately needs filled -- this book just needed some trimming. Pure is still something I would highly recommend to any teen who's looking for something much more substantial than Gossip Girls and who's finished Hunger Games and can't figure out where to turn next.
A LOT happened, looking back it sometimes felt a bit like she wrote down all these different ideas about things that were possible in this world and things that could happen and then found a way to work ALL of them into the book rather than focusing on a few that moved the plot along or really showed us something about the characters. There were also a few times where the characters figured things out a little too quickly as well as other times where the answers were plainly drawn out and the reader came to the conclusions well before the characters did, in a way that made it seem like it was supposed to have been the other way around.
There was also a lot of recursive ruminating. This, one could argue, was what made you constantly aware that the characters were all teens --in which case, it worked perfectly. Perhaps if i were also a teen, it wouldn't have felt so repetitive. When these long inner-asides went on though, i just really wanted the feelings to get to the point so we could move on with the story. They didn't always build the tension they were intended to.
Complaints aside, this is still the best piece of teen science fiction I've read in a really long time. Of course, that might be because I generally can't get past the first few chapters of most science fiction books. But Baggott's skill at crafting sentences overcame much of the aforementioned shortcomings in development. The premise is creative and creepily believable and the world is fully-realized. I just think that the opportunity to create a finely crafted teen novel was so close at hand -- and it's a gaping whole that genre desperately needs filled -- this book just needed some trimming. Pure is still something I would highly recommend to any teen who's looking for something much more substantial than Gossip Girls and who's finished Hunger Games and can't figure out where to turn next.
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