• Rated 4 stars

“I think that this book might mean something different to everyone depending on how or when they read it. I was attached to this book for a very long time, physically and emotionally (I carried it with me everywhere). I was a youngster who was just about to enter high school and needed an author who understood how to a) write beautifully and b) write about real people. I found both in this book. I read it so many times the pages grew tattered and I highlighted all my favorite passages, and underlined my other favorites. I really grew close to the characters and loved the introspective style of narration that provided that perfect bridge from my childhood favorites to other amazing and more mature novels.

The reason I give this four stars is retrospect. I still love the style, and Charlie as a character. But I am now fairly far out of high school, and a high school novel no longer holds the relevence it once did. I also have always been a little bothered by the ending. It seems as though the explanation of (spoiler!) sexual abuse is just thrown in there at the end to 'explain away' all of Charlie's quirks, which I didn't appreciate. Even so, I admired this book greatly at one time, and so it will always be close to my heart although I have moved on since.”

Brooke wrote this review Monday, July 21 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“I think that this is the only book that could possibly make me swoon with the cuteness of it. I looooove the illustrations, they're so beautiful and this book encapsulates all the little things that make me want to live in Japan in the first place. Whenever I handle this book I feel like I am super gentle and aware of its pages, just because I value the colors and imagery and preservation of it so dearly! Williamson takes a little sampling of the Japanese culture and provides an adorable read for those of us who want to be there.”

Brooke wrote this review Thursday, July 17 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 2 stars

“Palahniuk's novels are pretty sparse when it comes to the writing and the characters. Everything that I've read of his feels like I'm reading the outline for some great lengthy and intriguing novel, or maybe the prequel to one. He just lets me down, which is a shame because I do feel as though his humor is a more unique one, and his ideas are certainly fresh and attractive. I think it's the writing. I read Fight Club (obviously) after reading this one in a kind of hope for the salvation of this author. That was perhaps equally if not more so disappointing, due to my expectations.

Survivor is another book that has joined the other forgotten and mediocre tomes that I am sure I at one point decided were a good idea to read; it has left my life and passed into obscurity with little fighting or resistance, and I think that describes most of the Palahniuk that I've read.”

Brooke wrote this review Thursday, July 17 2008. ( reply | permalink )

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 5 stars

“I was so bothered by the fact that they made a film out of this, one of my favorite childhood novels. I used to read this book over and over again; the imagery is very captivating, and it was for me even as a youngster. The characters are realistic and beautiful at the same time, something I can appreciate, with an honest simplicity and each with their own personal philosophies that shine through, especially at the end. The loveliest part of the book involves the father of the immortal family sitting down in a rowboat with Winnie, the protagonist of the story, and explaining his outlook on life, and death, and the world around them. This part was so heart-wrenchingly lovely to me as a young reader-- it is just perfect. The descriptions of the lake and the mental image I have of this well-worn but beautiful and kind family are ones I will always cherish. I will forever remember this book as one of the first ones in which I really was able to connect with and feel close to the people in the story. And the ending is beautiful. I never read this book in school, but I think it's a shame that most people who have reviewed this book seem to have been put off of it by the doldrums of academia. Oh well.

But jeeeeezzzzz was the movie awwwwwwwwful or what.”

Brooke wrote this review Wednesday, July 16 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“I read this years ago, and remembered liking it okay. There was a lot of disgusting portrayals of men, and a lot of talk about cutting breasts off. It was fun, I was in sixth grade, I was just reading it to pass the time on car rides to various places. An enjoyable "young woman defying her expected role" type novel, with the phrase "corpus bones!" interspersed throughout.”

Brooke wrote this review Wednesday, July 16 2008. ( reply | permalink )

2 of 2 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 1 stars

“Not to sound snobbish, but this was one of those books that people who don't actually 'read' are snatching off the shelves at exorbitant prices at Barnes and Noble. (Sorry if you liked it!) The plot was alright, I suppose but it was all just way too over the top mushy, with no real reason for me to forgive it for being so. It wasn't really all that well written, and I must admit that the fact that every girl I went to high school with who hated reading constantly had it under their arm still makes me feel kind of put off when I think about this book.

Despite the description of the violent rape and murder of the protagonist, basically the entire book consists of rosy, lovey dovey images of her looking down on her family and friends. She watches as they awkwardly continue life without her; which (apart from the looming message that there is a "place" to look down from which is never entirely confronted) could be a kind of cool concept. But I don't know. It just didn't really work for me. I don't mean to knock this book, because it reached a large demographic of people that I think SHOULD start reading more-- it's good for your brain and for the world! And to each his own, I suppose. This just wasn't for me.”

Brooke wrote this review Wednesday, July 16 2008. ( reply | permalink )

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 4 stars

“Not only does this make you laugh out loud with absurdity, but it also is completely disturbing when considering the implications. This is the best satire EVER. Jonathan Swift was truly a brilliant writer, extremely intelligent with stories chock-full of insightful social and political commentary. If I were the English at this time, I would have been quivering with embarrassment after having read this.”

Brooke wrote this review Wednesday, July 16 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 2 stars

“I... would not start with this story for Hemingway. He's a prolific writer purely because of his ability, and even preference, to 'show' rather than 'tell.' His grand scheme is to paint a picture around what is actually going on in the story, especially in his short fiction. A good example of this is the short story "Hills Like White Elephants."

I love his writing, but I read this book in high school and I remember, as it was my first Hemingway, how turned off I was after reading it. It was then not until my senior year of high school that I ventured into any other works, reading A Farewell To Arms, which was brilliant.

All I'm saying is, this book is simple. It is about a man and a boat and a fish and their journey back to shore. This may be far too simple to capture the attention of many readers, but I would say it is an important book to read in order to understand Hemingway's complete devotion to his "show" rather than "tell" mindset, which doesn't exactly mean it's a 'fun' read.”

Brooke wrote this review Tuesday, July 15 2008. ( reply | permalink )

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 1 stars

“Oh this was so tragically awful. Poorly written, crude, unimaginative. Ugh, Miranda July. Sometimes she's cute and witty but other times I just plain dislike her. This entire book was one of those times. Furthermore, it doesn't take any more introspect than being a twelve year old girl to write something like this. This book sucks. Ughhhh. Adding awkward sexual fantasied does not make something good, or meaningful. This is one of those times I'm just MAD that some people get published.”

Brooke wrote this review Monday, July 14 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“I really loved the writing of this book. It was like eating a supremely rich dessert, a pleasure and a privilege to sink my teeth into. I love her imagery, her descriptions of India (a place I have always dreamed of going). I love all of it, but I couldn't quite get past the "twist" at the end, which I felt was very expected but at the same time offputting. Aside from that, I breathed in this book.”

Brooke wrote this review Monday, July 14 2008. ( reply | permalink )