Book reviews written by marysnyder

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Displaying 31-40 of 82 reviews

The Red Tent

by Anita Diamant
- Rated 2 stars
“I'm not sure if I liked this book. It's disturbing in many ways. It takes a familiar biblical story and turns the heroes into bad people. But I wasn't always sure why they were bad. But it was an interesting read and I've had it come up in social conversations since I read it (I obviously hang out with a bunch of academics and book worms).”

marysnyder wrote this review Wednesday, January 9 2008. ( reply | permalink )
Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil

by Deborah Rodriguez
- Rated 4 stars
“This is a fantastic book. The author, while not a trained writer, is a gifted story-teller. The connection one user made with The Ugly American is ridiculous. This woman did learn the culture, some of the language, and found a small project that could make a huge difference. She never presents herself as anything but a Westerner who will never fully understand their culture. But she passionately loves the people she comes into contact with.

I am saddened by rumors that some of the women whose lives she shares in the book did not give permission. These are really personal details, and if she has used real names, they could have a negative impact on these women's lives. I hope this is not the case.”

marysnyder wrote this review Friday, January 4 2008. ( reply | permalink )
Nature Girl

by Carl Hiaasen
- Rated 2 stars
“I can't decide between 2 and 3 stars, its somewhere inbetween. I have loved three other books by Carl Hiaasen, even if they all follow the same story. The characters are interesting, particularly the kid and ex-husband. But I think I've read these books to closely together because the similarity is wearing on me even if I love the author's sarcastic sense of humor.”

marysnyder wrote this review Friday, January 4 2008. ( reply | permalink )
The News from Paraguay: A Novel

by Lily Tuck
- Rated 3 stars
“This is a great historical fiction novel my mother recommended. I didn't know anything about Paraguay and this brings it to life. The author has an interesting style. The leading male character in the novel, the dictator of the country at the time, is a monster. But she doesn't outright portray him as a monster, her condemnation is subtle and back-handed.”

marysnyder wrote this review Friday, January 4 2008. ( reply | permalink )
Artemis Fowl

by Eoin Colfer
- Rated 3 stars
“At first I was annoyed with the writing aimed at younger readers than myself, but once the fairies were introduced, I got very into the book. It's a very quick read, and I do plan to read the next book in the series... though it may take me a while to figure out which book that is since they're not clearly numbered.”

marysnyder wrote this review Friday, January 4 2008. ( reply | permalink )
Tamsin

by Peter S. Beagle
- Rated 4 stars
“I thought this book was incredible. I really like the part of the fantasy genre that takes place in the real world. I liked the perspective of the narrator who makes a huge transformation during the story. I also found the transition between America and Great Britain to be very realistic, though I haven't been there myself.”

marysnyder wrote this review Friday, December 14 2007. ( reply | permalink )
Stardust: The Film Companion

by Stephen Jones
- Rated 3 stars
“This was interesting and well written, and it's a quick read. It was good, but I wouldn't rave about it.”

marysnyder wrote this review Friday, December 14 2007. ( reply | permalink )
The Prestige

by Christopher Priest
- Rated 4 stars
“I really liked the movie, and liked the book even more. It has the same depth as Frankenstein, you dig into the horror of the choices the characters make for the sake of their art and even death doesn't end that horror.”

marysnyder wrote this review Friday, December 14 2007. ( reply | permalink )
Mere Christianity

by C. S. Lewis
- Rated 5 stars
“I think this must be the best theology book ever written. It's dense, so it should be read in small doses. But Lewis takes you from the very beginning of the argument for God to arguments for the different aspects of Christian morality.”

marysnyder wrote this review Friday, December 14 2007. ( reply | permalink )
The Ugly American

by William J. Lederer
- Rated 2 stars
“This is an interesting piece of history, and facinating to read with some external insight into its historical significance. However, as a novel it isn't all that great. I especially hate how easy these authors make it look to learn languages, esp. East Asian languages.”

marysnyder wrote this review Friday, December 14 2007. ( reply | permalink )