againstthetide

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 4 stars

“O'Brien has written a very interesting piece of literature. It is fiction, but he references himself in the book quite often so that it reads like a memoir. He steps outside the typical format of a novel to indicate that he is telling stories and to indicate the importance and meaning of such stories. The book is a series of short stories, but in a way it is also a cohesive novel as the characters appear repeatedly in the stories. I think it deserves a lot of recognition for the unusual literary approach; I definitely see why it is taught in so many high school classes.
The stories seem to aim at revealing the feelings of men in Vietnam . . .and the reason I am subtracting one star is that I wasn't quite as moved by this book as say Road by Cormac McCarthy or The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. . .and on some level, when a book says it is going to help me feel what others felt - - well that raises the bar super high for me. That being said, I did feel I gained a lot of insight into what people were feeling and also how they tried to repress their feelings - - and this was a fantastic book to read in conjunction with Marlantes' What It is Like to Go to War - - which discusses the psychology of soldiers. It was especially interesting to me how the stories addressed death and injury during the war . . .both of which figure prominently in the short stories. Different characters reacted completely differently - - and that struck me as realistic and also very interesting.
I suspect I would get even more out of this book with a second read through. Each story really has insights into our own humanity and on situational morality - - and that's what makes them so interesting.”

againstthetide wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 2 stars

“The Greek Treasure tells the story of 47 year old Henry Schliemann who marries a young Greek girl and then spends the remainder of his life unearthing the city of Troy and the royal tombs of Mycenae. Against all odds, Schliemann finds tremendous treasure where scholars said there wouldn't be anything of worth - - and yet, despite his successes, he continually confronts challenges from governments and academicians that undermine his work.

The book is historical fiction and based on true people. Truthfully, I might have given it one star were it not for the quality of the research. Though I was left wondering - - why make it fiction at all? It read like non-fiction, and the detailed parts that came to life were all clearly non-fictional. The part that was probably fictionalized - - the story of Schliemann's marriage - - was poorly done.
Why only 2 stars?
Well, you only have to look at a book like Pillars of the Earth to realize that it is eminently possible to take a boring topic (cathedral building) and turn it into the basis for a pretty brilliant fictional tale. The Greek Treasure takes a boring topic (digging up ancient ruins) and makes sure it is completely unpunctuated by anything of interest. How many pages of descriptions of digging and dug up items can one bear? The story totally lacked suspense, and it was repetitive . . .first he dug at X, then he dug at Y, then he wanted to dig at Z but they wouldn't let him, so he tried to dig at X again.
In between digging, Henry would fight with various authorities for permission to dig. Somehow, reading about ridiculous levels of government bureaucracy is hardly interesting no matter how unreasonable the various governments are.
The one part of the plot that could have been enhanced to drive the story was the marriage between Henry and the 20+ years younger Sophia. Unfortunately, the marriage never really came to life. You could sense some unhappiness on the part of Sophia and some lunacy on the part of Henry, but it was rarely drawn out into scenes from their marriage. It seemed to be narrated and the pace was off.
All in all, I really really wanted to quit reading this one at around page 200 - - but I have trouble not finishing what I start so I slogged through it - - skimming about 50 or so pages - - and I just never felt anything for the characters nor could I generate any enthusiasm for reading about gold coins and jewelry.
Dull, dull, dull.

So disappointing from the author who brought us The Agony and The Ecstasy which I absolutely loved.”

againstthetide wrote this review Tuesday, April 24, 2012. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“
Not sure why it took me sooooo long to review this book. I am sorry I waited because now I'm already forgetting why I liked it so much exactly.

The story just fascinated me. It's a literary mystery with a Southern sensibility. But at it's heart, it is the story of mother/daughter love (albeit not between a real mother/daughter), and I found it to be suspenseful throughout with a very satisfying ending. Jackson weaves together big themes (racism, love) while keeping the reader totally engaged. She writes with wit and a unique voice. The story is easy reading, but still has impact.

It's really everything I like fiction to be and everything it can be without even a hint of pretentiousness. Deserves a place on the TBR for sure.”

againstthetide wrote this review Tuesday, April 24, 2012. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“This book was a tough one to review because it was all over the map for me. I couldn't quite bring myself to give it that fourth star, though I was tempted.
The book really is two major story lines plus four short stories rolled into one cohesive package. It is narrated by a former pornographer who becomes burned in a horrendous motor vehicle accident. During his recovery, he meets a not-exactly-sane artist, and one story line follows their present day relationship while a second story line follows their relationship during what I can only describe as a previous lifetime.
It's a little bit hard to review this book without spoilers, but I'm going to do my best. If you absolutely do not want to know any plot points, please don't read onward.
There are some five star components to this book. First of all, it is highly original. I think the author does a very nice job of weaving together two very different stories and voices into one cohesive package. The story that entails the previous lifetime is very well done, and I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, the present day story was a lot slower for me and extremely graphic.
This issue I had with the book is that despite its originality and despite how graphic some of the depictions of events were - - I just never felt anything. It was arms' lengthy, unemotional. I didn't really care about either of the main characters. I didn't dislike them per se, but I didn't really feel that THEIR emotions were on the page. I think we were supposed to be able to infer their emotional status from their actions, but the author never really shared them in a way that the reader could share in their pain or their love story.
As a result, the story was less than believable. This problem was not at all helped by the fantastical nature of the story to begin with. It has a magical realism component - - and you know how I love that (not). I think I could have swallowed one of these issues - - either a more realistic storyline, OR a better job on the part of the author at making the reader truly feel these characters' pain. But take both together, and I think the book just didn't quite deserve more than three stars despite its originality and strong storytelling.”

againstthetide wrote this review Sunday, March 25, 2012. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“I am totally biased when it comes to this author. To me, her writing is just so evocative. I feel like she transports me into a scene completely, and that she can make anything seem plausible.
Interpreter of Maladies is a book of short stories, mostly involving Indian characters who are living in the U.S., usually Boston. I enjoy the juxtaposition of the Indian culture with the American setting - - and especially Boston where I went to college.
That being said, I don't always "get" short stories. I enjoy them tremendously, but sometimes I just feel as though I have no idea what the point is that the author is trying to make with the story. Sometimes I find this frustrating, but with Lahiri, I just find it intriguing.
A book of short stories will probably never be five stars for me because there are always a few that I don't care for or find dull, but Interpreter of Maladies contained mostly winners. I was especially intrigued by the story about the boy and his babysitter who couldn't drive.”

againstthetide wrote this review Monday, March 12, 2012. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“Moloka'i follows the story of a young girl, Rachel, who contracts leprosy. The story begins in the 1890s and continues through Rachel's adulthood. Rachel is torn from her family and forced to live with other lepers, isolated from society.
This book is very well done in terms of its technical execution. Rachel is strong, likable, and you have hope throughout the book that things will go better for her. She encounters many hurdles - - some big, some more everyday - - and all the while Brennert weaves in elements of the history of the time, on Moloka'i and Hawaii.
This book truly made me think about how people with this illness were treated, and it raises the serious moral question of whether it was right or wrong to separate these people into their own colony. This book was read for my face to face club, so I look forward to hearing what people have to say on the topic.
Moving and engaging, this book was definitely well worth reading.”

againstthetide wrote this review Sunday, March 4, 2012. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
5 stars
In this book, the lives of five different characters - - three boys on a baseball team, a college president, and the college president's daughter - - intersect in interesting and unexpected ways on a college campus.
Harbach takes on some really big themes in this book, and I think he does it well - - especially when he addresses success and how different people view it and the pitfalls that can occur as one tries to achieve it. He also does a terrific job with the concept of what it means to be true to oneself. Love, death, and grief are all touched upon as well, and in my mind, somewhat less successfully. My point here is that the book is more than a story about baseball, a lot more.
However, at it's heart, is the game of baseball, and it certainly would help to have a basic working knowledge of the game before reading it. If you love baseball (and I do), you can really appreciate the author's understanding and love of the game and it's strategies and what players who play it face. That being said, the book is NOT about baseball - - it's about relationships and the human spirit - - so a non sports fan can certainly partake of it and still get a lot out of the book.
Someone else here at PBT (Michelle??) said the writing style was very Johnathan Franzen, and I have to say she is completely right on that point. However, I would go on to say that despite being a new author, Harbach takes Franzen and does him one better. He evokes Franzen's engaging style and intersecting characters and strong character development, BUT he also writes much more likable characters. Characters that are flawed, but that you find yourself rooting for. Characters who do bad things, but who are at their hearts good people. For me, Franzen's characters are ones I personally "love to hate", but I fell in love with Harbach's - - all of them - - and I sympathized deeply with their flaws.
My only quibbles with the book (and what probably prevented me from giving it a heart) is that there really are some moments where you must suspend disbelief. For example, Henry, a young promising shortstop, is recruited for the college baseball team by another player. And that player basically trains him and works with him and manages to control the team in good measure. Yeah, sure. That's not how recruitment works, and it is hard to envision for me. Also, the one female character really strikes me as a woman designed by a man - - as opposed to a real woman. A woman that a man would truly love to have, but that I have trouble envisioning in the real world. She's pretty much completely empathetic, will sleep with you when you need a lift, and yet not in the least bit clingy, and will totally love you even if you are gruff, sweaty, live in a hell hole, and have no money, because of course she sees through all that to your true heart. In five minutes. Ok, let's just say that she's no one that I know and leave it at that.
All in all, I really can see why critics were crowing happily over this book. It's totally engaging to read, addresses important themes in a strong way, and gives you some great characters. I'm very anxious to see what else this author does, but in the meantime, you can't really go wrong giving this book a try.”

againstthetide wrote this review Thursday, February 23, 2012. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
3 stars
This book is a light, easy-breezy read. Even I, the slowest reader here, managed to finish it in a day and a half.
Mostly, I found it entertaining, if not side-splittingly funny. I really like Mindy Kaling's acting on The Office so I was pre-disposed to have a positive reaction.
I did find it interesting to learn about her early childhood and how she actually broke into the business. I always wonder how people who get these dream jobs actually well, get them.
What diminished the book for me was that Mindy inserted some "lists" into the book, and I personally found them kind of boring. Maybe if I was a huge fan of comedy and had prior knowledge of all the films and moments she references - - maybe then, I'd have been more engaged. But I sort of doubt it. For example, "My Favorite Eleven Moments in Comedy" - - I maybe knew one of the moments. Or "Franchises I Would Like to Reboot" . . .none of them really stood out to me. And her descriptions just weren't that funny since I didn't have the right references. This may have been more my problem than Mindy's, but nonetheless, I wasn't an appreciative audience.
I also felt the book started really strong and then sort of weakened as it progressed . . .so in the end, it was definitely good, certainly very readable for anyone who likes Mindy Kaling, but not so great that I'd give it that fourth star.”

againstthetide wrote this review Sunday, February 12, 2012. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“You know, I could almost give this book a heart because I could NOT put it down. It's compulsively readable.
Julia tells us about her unique childhood being raised by very strict Christian parents in the Midwest. Her parents have four children of their own, and they adopt two African American boys. One of the African American boys, David, is the same age as Julia, and this memoir relates their story of growing up together as siblings.
Unfortunately, this tale is not a pretty one. Julia's parents are largely absent, in the case of the father, physically, and in the case of the mother, emotionally. Julia and David truly only have each other, and even their relationship is under a lot of stress as their parents treat them differently, and David struggles as one of the only African Americans at his school.
This memoir is to some degree in the same vein as Mommy Dearest or Dave Pelzer's books. Not quite as graphic and horrible - - but definitely the situation is not good, and you feel Julia's pain throughout the story. The parents really seem to have NO redeeming qualities whatsoever . . .so I didn't find it quite as strong as The Glass Castle where the writing really goes so far beyond a mere characterization and really develops the family dynamics.
Nonetheless, Jesus Land is pretty gripping. You want so badly for things to take a turn for the better for these two children. Unfortunately, things by and large get grimmer and grimmer . . .but underneath all the pain, Julia and David's love and loyalty to one another takes center stage and makes the book more than a parent bashing session.
For those of you who do not like much in the way of sexual content, it should be noted that there is some here. Not unduly graphic and not gratuitous - - but it's there.”

againstthetide wrote this review Wednesday, February 8, 2012. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“Ostensibly, this book is about a secret class that takes place in Iran during the revolution. In reality, it is the memoir of an Iranian English professor in which she relates her experiences during this time frame - - which include teaching at the university, refusing to wear the veil, leaving the university, and ultimately emigrating to the U.S.
Interwoven with experiences that take place in Iran are Nafisi's literary critiques and interpretations - - as she shared them with her students.
The reason I picked this book up, at this time, is that Nafisi is coming to speak here in Baltimore, and I have tickets to see her. After reading her book, well, I'm a little concerned.
In my mind, the book merits the three stars that I'm giving it for Nafisi's literary expertise and the way she compares the roles in fiction to the situation in Iran. I have read the main works she refers to - - Lolita, The Great Gatsby, Pride and Prejudice and Washington Square (although not Daisy Miller) - - and she made me want to re-read them all as I think I would see them with fresh eyes.
That being said, I almost wish she had simply written an academic work, and that I had read THAT.
To me, Nafisi is all over the place with this memoir. She organizes the book by literary author - - and therefore, the book is not a sequential tale. For me, this made the book much harder to follow than it needed to be - - and to no benefit. Some books aren't linear, and there's an important rationale behind it. This book wasn't linear, and given that it is by it's very nature historical - - I just found myself wondering where in time I was.
I also found it to be pretty emotionless and quite pretentious. I don't really experience the fears and the emotions that the women in Iran are going through. I read them. Intellectually, I see the horror of it all. But I remain emotionless throughout the reading. I definitely can't relate well to Nafisi who shares very little of her own personal situation and focuses almost exclusively on her students and how she teaches them.
All in all, I do think this book had a great premise, and there are five star moments, but all in all, I don't think the book lived up to either the premise or the hype.”

againstthetide wrote this review Sunday, February 5, 2012. ( reply | permalink )