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Friday, March 31, 2006
books for March
Title (bold indicates first-time read) -- Author -- Rating (out of 5)
- All Things Bright and Beautiful -- James Herriott -- 3
- This book is not quite as funny or engaging as All Creatures Great And Small, which was written first (I didn't know this until recently; after all, that's not how the song goes. Hmph). That's not to say, however, that it's not funny or engaging at all. I enjoyed reading it. I guess if I had to put my finger on one thing that made this sequel pale just a wee bit in comparison to its predecessor, it would be that Herriott occasionally lapses into a bit of very, very faint self-aggrandisement. Still, there's plenty of humor and warmth to be found here.
- This book is not quite as funny or engaging as All Creatures Great And Small, which was written first (I didn't know this until recently; after all, that's not how the song goes. Hmph). That's not to say, however, that it's not funny or engaging at all. I enjoyed reading it. I guess if I had to put my finger on one thing that made this sequel pale just a wee bit in comparison to its predecessor, it would be that Herriott occasionally lapses into a bit of very, very faint self-aggrandisement. Still, there's plenty of humor and warmth to be found here.
- When We Were Orphans -- Kazuo Ishiguro -- 4.5
- I tried to start this just after I finished Never Let Me Go back in January, but I found that Ishiguro is like a really rich dish -- you love it, but you need to savor it slowly or you'll overdo it. So I waited a month and picked it up again. It didn't cast quite the same spell as Never Let Me Go did, but still, this is a brilliant novel -- several million miles above so much of what is out there today. I have never read anyone who makes me work and think and catch my breath with realization quite like Ishiguro does. When I first finished When We Were Orphans, I confess that I kind of furrowed my brow and went -- that's all? Not because of the loose ends, but more because of the unanswered "why" questions. I've been trained by ordinary literature to expect to at least be able to figure out most of what makes characters tick by the end of the book, but Ishiguro doesn't play by those rules. You have to think about what you're reading -- not just while you're reading, but for days and weeks after you're done -- and apparently, there are some things you just might never know. He gives you nothing straight out; he conceives these brilliant stories and worlds and then hides them deep between the lines and under layers of the characters' memories, and you have to extract ideas almost with your peripheral vision. This sounds odd, but it's alluring enough to make it a bit of a comedown to go back to ordinary novels after one of his books.
- I tried to start this just after I finished Never Let Me Go back in January, but I found that Ishiguro is like a really rich dish -- you love it, but you need to savor it slowly or you'll overdo it. So I waited a month and picked it up again. It didn't cast quite the same spell as Never Let Me Go did, but still, this is a brilliant novel -- several million miles above so much of what is out there today. I have never read anyone who makes me work and think and catch my breath with realization quite like Ishiguro does. When I first finished When We Were Orphans, I confess that I kind of furrowed my brow and went -- that's all? Not because of the loose ends, but more because of the unanswered "why" questions. I've been trained by ordinary literature to expect to at least be able to figure out most of what makes characters tick by the end of the book, but Ishiguro doesn't play by those rules. You have to think about what you're reading -- not just while you're reading, but for days and weeks after you're done -- and apparently, there are some things you just might never know. He gives you nothing straight out; he conceives these brilliant stories and worlds and then hides them deep between the lines and under layers of the characters' memories, and you have to extract ideas almost with your peripheral vision. This sounds odd, but it's alluring enough to make it a bit of a comedown to go back to ordinary novels after one of his books.
- Silver Wedding -- Maeve Binchy -- 2.5
- Eh. Usually I like Maeve Binchy more than this. This wasn't a bad book; it was just that it was made up very nearly entirely of a series of expository character studies, loosely tied together by an event that makes up a brief last chapter. At times I found it interesting, and of course with Binchy you can count on reading about memorable characters in real-but-quirky circumstances. This one just fell flat for me, and I confess that I'm a bit tired of the Maeve Binchy standard marital-infidelity storylines too.
- Eh. Usually I like Maeve Binchy more than this. This wasn't a bad book; it was just that it was made up very nearly entirely of a series of expository character studies, loosely tied together by an event that makes up a brief last chapter. At times I found it interesting, and of course with Binchy you can count on reading about memorable characters in real-but-quirky circumstances. This one just fell flat for me, and I confess that I'm a bit tired of the Maeve Binchy standard marital-infidelity storylines too.
- Ginger Pye -- Eleanor Estes -- 4.5
- I had such fun reading this book. I'd never read it before; when I saw it on a friend's shelf (said friend has four children and so, like me, she has a valid and watertight excuse for reading kids' books, which, let's face it, we'd both do anyway even if we were childless) and she asked if I'd ever read it and I said no, she insisted I take it and read it because I would love it. And I did. It's like you took eight parts Beverly Cleary, for her witty and genuine way of getting inside kids' heads and detailing what really goes on there in a way that's pleasing to adults and children both, and one part Charles Dickens for his wry sense of humor, and one part Enid Blyton for her characters' sense of mystery and adventure, and mixed them up with a little spotted dog and baked them into this really pleasant 1951 Newbery winner. I found it utterly uncanny at times, the way the narration read with exactly the same tone and thought mannerisms that I had myself at that age. Not uncanny, really, when you think about the fact that if I can remember how it was to be nine, Eleanor Estes could too, except she was skilled enough to write about it where I am not, but still. This book does have a plot but that's almost beside the point. The pleasure in these pages for me came in the way they transplanted me into the life of a nine-year-old in a simpler time.
- All She Ever Wanted -- Lynn Austin -- 3
- I admit that with one notable exception (Jan Karon), I generally stay away from the "Christian fiction" genre. I've tried a few of the type of books that abound there -- historical romances and the like -- and have found the writing to be amateurish, even if the subject matter is interesting and wholesome. Honestly, it seems as if the majority of the novels published by the Christian houses would not have made it if not for their niche market -- women who want novels to read that won't contradict their beliefs or fill their minds with un-Christian images. And more power to them and to the authors and publishers who fill the need, truly.
This book isn't going to send me running to the Bible bookstore to pick up my next series addiction, but it wasn't too bad. The story itself is quite interesting if a bit predictable in general; it's about a middle-aged mother of a teenaged daughter from whom she feels increasingly distant until they take a weekend road trip to a gathering with the mother's estranged family, in the course of which she tells her daughter about her troubled childhood and learns a great deal she never knew about her family history, resulting in a much closer family on the last page. It's some testimony to how interested I was in how everything would play out that I read this 400-page novel in under 24 hours. It does provide a thoughtful look at mother/daughter relationships, the way families tend to fall into patterns of behavior, and the way Jesus will be the catalyst that helps us break those patterns if need be. The writing lacked subtlety at times. But for all its clumsiness it was at times poignant and usually had a believable tone, except perhaps in some of the historical sections, when I couldn't really feel the time period I was supposed to be in and hence kept feeling jolted by the Forrest-Gump-ish insertions of major events into the stories of the characters' lives. There's a murder mystery/mafia angle that's a bit of a stretch (although it's important to the story, I think perhaps the same goal could have been achieved without requiring quite such a suspension of disbelief), and at times when the author was laying on the foreshadowing with a spackling knife I thought, well, duh, does she NOT expect me to catch on to that? What, does she think I'm seven years old?. It's not Jane Austen; it's not Kazuo Ishiguro or Mary Doria Russell or even Jan Karon. I'm not going to go rush out and buy this. But I might recommend it to my mom, and if I see another book by the same author I may well give it a try.
- I admit that with one notable exception (Jan Karon), I generally stay away from the "Christian fiction" genre. I've tried a few of the type of books that abound there -- historical romances and the like -- and have found the writing to be amateurish, even if the subject matter is interesting and wholesome. Honestly, it seems as if the majority of the novels published by the Christian houses would not have made it if not for their niche market -- women who want novels to read that won't contradict their beliefs or fill their minds with un-Christian images. And more power to them and to the authors and publishers who fill the need, truly.
Comments
Maeve Binchy -- you are not kidding about the marital infidelity. What the heck? Makes it seem like there are no happy marriages in Ireland, doesn't it?
I will have to investigate the Estes book -- always looking for new stuff!
Christian fiction. Like you, I've found most of it to be pretty cruddy. Like it is all about The Message and no other plot is necessary. That said, I've read some that are, like you describe above, decent for passing the time, but nothing you want to rush out and buy. Those include books by Kristin Billerbeck (chick-lit. I see there are some new ones out that I haven't read, though), Kristen Heitzman (suspense; pretty decent), and Melody Carlson (teen fiction). I prefer Christian books where their Christianity is just another part of the characters, rather than something to beat me about the head and neck with, if that makes sense.
Posted by: mary at April 1, 2006 12:15 PM
You know I'm with you on the Christian fiction thing. Blech. I have to say, though, that I do enjoy Francine Rivers (not literary fiction, but still, a decent read, and I'm currently enjoying the Yada Yada Prayer Group books. Enjoyable fiction with a few moments where my spirit said 'Yes!', to some truths which were narrated. THanks for the recommendation of these books. There are definately times when I want my spirit to be fed by what I read, not just my mind and soul. (Of course, if I solely read the bible, this would happen all the time... ;-)
Valerie
Posted by: Valerie at April 2, 2006 07:07 PM
Wow. I haven't read a 400-page book in 24 hours since back in my wastrel college days, when I could stay up all night and sleep all afternoon if I wanted. How do you do it?
Posted by: Muley at April 21, 2006 07:40 AM
