I suppose I am now at a place where I can write about this awful book.
So, this review is going to be chock full of spoilers, just thought you should know.
When I first learned that Divergent was going to be a series I was incredibly angry at the fact that I’d fallen for the YA trap again. I loathe when books carry on for decades so kids can buy more books/the book companies make more money and everyone feels so satiated. I loathe series of any kind and hate that I fell for this series hard.
So, when an ending like the ending this series has occurs I usually find myself ready to cuss at the heavens through my puddle of tears as I throw the book across the room or vow to burn the author in effigy. None of that has happened, why? Well, while a crap ton of people die and I MEAN A LOT of people die I felt close to none of them--I neither liked nor disliked them. That includes irrational, fierce Tris.
Yeah, I said it. I’ve never liked Tris. I looked at my old reviews to see if this was actually true and I noticed that I gush about Four and give accolades to Tris. From the first page of the first book her character never changes. Even in this last book, she’s still trying to prove that she’s right, she’s still trying to prove to herself that she’s stronger than everyone. I didn’t buy it. Even worse, I didn’t care...wait, I don't care. Hence, the problem with writing this review.
So, I’m reminded of one of my favorite post by Veronica Roth, Likable Schmikable in it she talks about how she doesn’t have to like a character in order to appreciate something. She said that she doesn't mind if characters aren't likable as long as they are "fascinating. Complicated. Believable" I realized at the end of Insurgent that she was holding to true to her word, she was trying to make characters that were fascinating, complicated and believable and there are aspects of these three tenets in her first two books. At the end of the series not only is she holding true to her word, but she must believe that the rest of the world feels that way too. Most importantly she thinks that she has given us enough fascination, complication and belief to make us buy the whole lot. In some ways I may be too old (ie. English major, English teacher, well past the years where YA fiction may be applicable to my life) and in some ways, I think she isn't an experienced enough writer to pull off what she needed to so I would feel vested in the story and her characters past the first book.
I joined this conversation on Goodreads so I could talk about it. The question and subsequent discussion can be found here, but here's the break down of my major points: 1] I have never been more disappointed in a writer, his/her story line or character development or lack thereof. The fact that Tris would die at the end shouldn't have been news to anyone, Roth sets us up with that from the very beginning.
2] The ending is deplorable in its execution and weak in its explanation. Her blog post only proves that...no good writer has to defend their book. A writer who's afraid of losing the money because there's a whole hoard of people who no longer want to watch the movie series does though.
3] I think to rewrite the ending to suit a certain audience is just as bad as manipulating a series to suit a certain audience. There is no win. I wish this book would have come out after the movie. I wish I would have read this book after the movie. Veronica Roth already took away from her story the second she started this book without giving it a thoughtful conclusion. I will not be watching the movie. I am done with Veronica Roth...And, while I hate to bash someone who wrote a book and published a book and who is more successful at being a writer than I will be (writing is bravery after all), I like what one of my friends said, "Ok Veronica, you've had your fun. Now go back to Northwestern and get that degree. You still have lots to learn about writing."
4] Veronica has lots to learn about audience and awareness...every good creative writing class does tell you to take the criticism, I'm assuming that also means "don't blog about it."
So, I now have three books on my "I hate your guts out" List:
1] The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
2] Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackray
3] Allegiant by Veronica Roth
Trust me, this book doesn't even deserve that company, at least those books mean something in the canon of literature and the foundation of man. I hate those books because they are written so well they make me feel for the characters, the setting, the situations. They are made to serve a purpose. Heck, she isn't in the same league as Stephen King or J.K. Rowling, or, gasp, Stephenie Meyer. And, if I throw Stephenie Meyer in there, at least those books and its author are what you see and they perform in a way true to their genre/character development/audience awareness. Edward, Jacob, Bella and the crew are fascinating, complicated and believable and act within the confines in which Meyers places them.
I dislike this book because it doesn't seem to be as thoughtful as the other two, and, yet I'm supposed to believe that it is. Divergent is one less movie I am chomping at the bit to go see...I have to like my characters, to like my story and the tasty, conflicted Four won’t be enough for me to sit through it.
In an effort to review books that I've read in the past four years, but haven't reviewed I'm digging into my Goodreads archive and hacking away at it. If we're lucky, I'll be all caught up with the reviews by the end of the year. I'll be sure to put the year I read it in parenthesis in the title. Here's a gem, that I've had sitting in the queue waiting to be finished up.
I've been reading With Rigor for All: Meeting Common Core Standards for Reading Literature. I feel like I could've written the book (if I'd ever had my act together) as Jago says things that I either do in my classroom or believe. In one of these instances she talks about the importance of reading literature true, but she also talks about the joys of re-reading.
One of my favorite quotes:
"Books ask readers to look inward, to examine our beliefs in light of new information, to consider the world through different eyes, to take time for reverie and reflection."
After reading that don't you want to just reread every book you've ever read as just the act of reading has made you look at the themes, characters and life in generally differently.
I'm looking at this series in two ways 1] as a piece of nostalgia and 2] as a how-to manual of sorts. I'll be talking about each book in this manner.
Class of '88 Sophomore
The Story
Allie comes back from New York full of piss and vinegar. I didn't care much for Allie's character from this point on. It's also during this book that Celia begins to show the worst of her true back-stabbing colors. Um, everything is out of whack, the guy that Allie is seeing starts seeing that chick from the Class of '89 series, Nick is dating Darcy and Meg is trying to be cool and popular and smart. The only good thing is that Sean gets a girl and Brooke is just lovely.
As A Piece of Nostalgia
Until this last year I didn't really care for this book much. Rereading it now, I realized that your Junior year is the hardest. Frankly, year three of anything is the hardest. But, your Junior year of high school is when you can't really be a kid anymore, but you aren't really an adult and oh, all of the decisions!
As A How to Manual
I've learned...er...remember that Juniors have a lot of crap going on and coming to class is only one of those things.
I'm not sure that Celia grew up to be all that nice.
I've been reading With Rigor for All: Meeting Common Core Standards for Reading Literature. I feel like I could've written the book (if I'd ever had my act together) as Jago says things that I either do in my classroom or believe. In one of these instances she talks about the importance of reading literature true, but she also talks about the joys of re-reading.
One of my favorite quotes:
"Books ask readers to look inward, to examine our beliefs in light of new information, to consider the world through different eyes, to take time for reverie and reflection."
After reading that don't you want to just reread every book you've ever read as just the act of reading has made you look at the themes, characters and life in generally differently.
I'm looking at this series in two ways 1] as a piece of nostalgia and 2] as a how-to manual of sorts. I'll be talking about each book in this manner.
Class of '88 Sophomore
The Story
I know that the first book in this series can be seen as the exposition and really reading again I felt like a lot of 'action' didn't necessarily happen. The second book in the series adds some of that rising action. Denying his feelings for Meg, Nick dates a lot of shallow girls. Whitney Hahn shows her true colors and not soon enough. Celia finally finds a guy who isn't all looks and he's actually more than she can handle. Allie has LP and art and a new life, but she's still mourning the loss of her best friend. Meg has buried herself in school, only to find Nick show up at the most awkward of times. And, Sean realizes that part of growing up may mean that you have to leave behind those people who don't want to see you for who you are.
As A Piece of Nostalgia
This is my favorite of the four books as I remember my sophomore year being as confusing as this. Again, I remember not liking Ceci, especially after how she treats her boyfriend. I also remember part of me understanding the part of her that wanted to do anything to be popular. In 6th grade, I remember, very vividly, not being nice to people only having to apologize for my behavior later. The fact the Celia wants to be so popular seems ridiculous now, however, and she's even more annoying than she was the first time around. Her boyfriend is definitely too good for her. Allie is pretty annoying, as well. Her neediness and need to define herself through others, however, also rings a little true. I like how these three girls are written in such a way that it's easy to see myself in each of them.
As A How to Manual
I teach sophomores so it was fun to read this book with them in mind. I simultaneously thought of my students 20 years younger than me and of the first time I read this book. These five characters will always seem older than me, even though I have surpassed them. I wonder where they are now. I wonder where my students will be in 20 years and if they'll remember their sophomore year at all.
Seriously, rereading that confrontation between Nick and Meg in the car still makes me feel so many emotions.
Ok, so I first read this series in 6th grade. While I was completing the April A-Z Challenge, this series became my topic for "T", I decided to read the whole series again.
I read the series a lot while growing up and you'd think with how often I talk about it (read more about that here, here, and here) that I'd have already reread it for this blog. It wasn't that I didn't want to read the series again, it was just that I had such fond memories of it that I didn't want my adult brain to ruin it. I LOVE THIS SERIES SO MUCH!
So, I reread it with trepidation and then a funny thing happened. While thinking of myself as a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior in high school, I was also thinking about my students.
Thinking about the books in this manner made me look at each in two ways 1] as a piece of nostalgia and 2] as a how-to manual of sorts. I'll be talking about each book in this manner.
Class of '88 Freshman The Story
I think this book has one of the best beginnings. Five friends all wrapped up in one another in their childhood hang-out, a tree house, anxiously waiting for the first day of school. Only this first day won't be like any other as they are going to a brand-new high school and several junior highs are flowing into make up the student body. Allie and Cecilia are so different that they must be best friends. Nick and Meg are the group leaders and also the best of friends. Sean is the nerdy member of the group, best friend to all, but sort of an outsider as well. Their experiences are typical of every high school freshman. Allie and Cecilia want to try out for cheerleading, but only one has the looks and the potential. The other must find another way to fit in. Their friendship slowly fades. In a different atmosphere Nick and Meg realize that they may be more than friends; the only problem is that they realize this at different times. This goes on through-out their high school experience. And, Sean has to realize that he's more than the smart hanger-on to a star football player. He must find his own merit. It takes a shocking event for him to begin the journey.
As A Piece of Nostalgia
I remembered reading this for the first time and being enthralled with the idea of high school. While the story that occurs in this book (five friends entering a new high school) doesn't happen to everyone the feelings of alienation, dependence, independence and wanting to fit in are still quite real. I thought maybe this time around that I would feel a little more for the character I like the least (Cecilia) but I found myself disliking her more as I've realized those kinds of girls actually just grow up to marry boys like them and neither of them really change much, they just have annoyingly shallow children that I have to teach. I sympathized more will Allie as a kid than I do now as well as I know that girls like her turn out alright in the end. I hate her parents, but some parents are just too selfish for words. There is a scene with Sean towards the end of the book that still breaks my heart and makes me wonder how kids (same cruelty only more passive now) can be such bullies. I still have a deep love for Nick and Meg as I see myself in Meg (aside from that long hair thing) and I believe that Nick tainted (still debating whether this is good or bad) the way that I look at all boys, even today. I love how his character develops throughout the books.
As A How to Manual
Freshmen really do have bigger fish to fry than finishing their homework. They are trying to fit into high school. They are trying to understand how and why friendships are changing. They are being looked at and talked to by upper classmen. All of this is going on outside of my class. And, although I am with some of them more than they are with their parents that doesn't mean I am with them 24/7. So much inner turmoil and feelings are churning up during this year. It's a wonder that any learning occurs at all.
Seriously, this is probably the first book that I read from my youth that stood up to my feelings as an adult. I want to read it again, right now.
So, I read this in one day, it was that good. I really didn't want to put it down, and I didn't want it to be over.
So, confession...I read this book because I was on a quest to find the movie. I was on a quest to find the movie because it stars Scott Speedman. I've yet to see the movie, but this book is a wild ride the likes I've only seen in books by John Irving.
Barney has lost everything, the woman of his dreams, the esteem of colleagues and friends and he's murdered his best friend. And, as he falls further into dementia we learn how Barney got into the mess that is his life.
Barney's life is just as funny as it is tragic. In his life he tells the truth only twice and both times to shattering results. Boogie, his drug-addled best friend, is everything that he desires to be and Boogie rewards him by sleeping with his wife (Mrs. Panofsky #2) and leaving him holding the gun, literally, as Boogie is nowhere to be found and, even Barney doesn't know if he shot him or not.
Barney's version begins at the end and throughout we learn that while Barney may be a philandering, greedy little man he also loves passionately and gives everything he has. He has feelings and regrets nothing...well, except for maybe those two times he didn't rely on his own version of things.
I found myself laughing at the truthful absurdity of Barney's life and I found myself hoping that my life has so many gorgeous stories to tell.
I appreciate all that I learned about Jewish and Canadian culture from Barney and his three lovely wives and I look forward to reading more books by Richler.
You know how it is...Bradley Cooper, with his perfect curls and dancing blue eyes, entices you to watch a movie about a man suffering a mental breakdown. You find out that said movie is actually a book and before you know it, instead of watching a movie with the chick from "The Hunger Games" and Robert DeNiro and dancing you've found the book and read it amid the chaos of the busiest time of the year.
And, even though the book isn't really about dancing and the guy doesn't really remind you of Bradley Cooper at all, you love every minute of it.
Pat Peoples is a guy who loves silver lining and he believes the world is full of them. Strangely, Pat isn't wrong about this; even when you are beaten down and someone steals your shoes there's a friend to help you. He's so sure that everything will turn out perfectly that he has blocked out any and everything that is horrible in his life. This includes how long he's been 'sent away' and it definitely includes the horrible reason that he's been sent to a mental institution in the first place.
His unorthodox psychologist keeps him grounded through their mutual love of football. His mother gives him all the love and attention he needs to help him along the way. His brother helps ease him into the present. And, Tiffany? Tiffany takes him all the biggest roller-coaster ride of his life. This includes lessons about what it means to love someone, a dance contest for the clinically depressed and a silent date at a diner.
There's never been a more romantic bowl of cereal.
I've yet to see the movie, not really sure I need to. I'm not sure that even Bradley Cooper could improve it--yes, it's just that good.
Some sort of apocalypse has happened and the zombies are here.
Um, I'd rather not talk about this novella a lot as one of the three story lines is still freaking me out. Freaking me out so much that I've had to internet search to make sure that the sequel to Warm Bodies isn't going to be like its prequel...it's not, but I can't remember where I read that to cite it. Sorry.
So, yeah, there are three story lines that diverge and intersect in interesting ways. My favorite, of course, is the beginning of 'R' as the second 'the tall man' wakes up he reveals more questions than answers. There's also a 12-year old Julie, whose semblance of any type of normal life is become less and less as she and her parents keep on moving in search of humanity and safety.
Then there's the story of Nora. And, in this tiny book where she gets one-third of the action. Marion paints such a vivid image of her and her journey that I couldn't help imagine myself as her protecting her most prized possession as the world collapses. Read The New Hunger just for this part of the story alone; although this is the part that's still giving me nightmares. You absolutely know where her story is going from the first time she is introduced it's still crushing and the suspense is sometimes just too much. Hence, the reason why it took me four days to read this book. I'm not sure I ever want to go to The Space Needle, I'm not sure I want to stay in a motel, I'm not sure I could survive an apocalypse of any kind.
OK, so after the scene involving The Space Needle, I stopped reading it at a night (Thank the Lord, as there are still a couple of scenes that give me the heebie-jeebies). I was going to stop reading it all together, really, but, when looking for a plot summary, I found this here:
Book 2 is about the future, but it gets there via the past. People are forgetful, dead people even more so, and confronting these buried realities will be crucial to understanding the world they're now living in--and how they might attempt to change it. THE NEW HUNGER is a necessary bridge between WARM BODIES and Book 2. It sheds a wider light on the landscape of this world. It introduces people, groups, and cosmic mysteries that will become very important. It shows how R, Julie, Nora, and M ended up where they are now, and points to where they might go next. And in my humble opinion, it's just a fucking good story.
Ugh, he better mean that.
Ugh, if his writing style wasn't so captivating and mesmerizing.
I suppose eventually I'll be glad I read it, but right now I'm just a little sad and a lot creeped out. As a matter of fact it's still dark, why are my living room blinds open?
I have this irrational fear of zombies. Irrational because I know deep in my heart that zombies do not exist and fear because the very idea of someone eating my brain or eating me alive or smelling dead and being so strong as to tear through doors scares me to friggin' death. So, while I'd been reading about Isaac Marion for a couple of years now...well, ever since I read this when talking about what is young adult fiction, I vowed to NEVER read his book about the dreaded 'Z' word.
Then one of my students brought up the book during class. She was going on and on about how wonderful it sounded and, that although the premise for it sounded just downright awful the trailer made it seem incredible. We watched the trailer right there in class and I showed her the aforementioned interview and we found some more stuff about the absolutely hipster (not meant in a derogatory way...just in case you are one of those people who hates the word) adorable Isaac Marion--we are hardcore crushing and we don't care. It's refreshing to crush on a writer as we are lovers of words. I tell her that I don't know if I can read the book, as I have, the aforementioned irrational fear of zombies. Later that day, one of my friends gushes on FB all about how 'Warm Bodies' deserves 'two thumbs' up and that Nicholas Hoult is just adorable. And, then like a week later my sister starts talking to me about it and how wonderful and adorable it is and she tells me that she just finished it and ask if I'd like to borrow it. I said, "Yes" and finished it in less than 24 hours, it has the best beginning of any book ("I am dead, but it's not so bad. I've learned to live with it.") and, well, I didn't put it down until the heart-racing ending.
How Isaac Marion managed to write this book is beyond me. It is brilliant in its prose and its message of 'hope where there's love' is delivered without sentimentality and trivialization. There are many ways this could have been delivered in a trite way...Marion never goes there--I envy his writing ability. I find it amazing that a book about a zombie who falls in love can be humorous and sad, filled with make you bite your nails horror and breath-taking moments of true tenderness. There are things and actions that make us all alive that Marion shows us that we take for granted. There are people in our lives who shape us and make us whole; we have to talk to and thank them more often. In the end it's all about what makes us human and what keeps us alive that matters and we know it matters through our interactions with others, by what we believe and what we value.
I'm not quite ready for full on zombie books (I'm reading "The New Hunger" right now and, well, it's darker and scarier than its predecessor...I'm not reading it at night) and I won't be watching "The Walking Dead" anytime soon, but I am ready for more books by Isaac Marion. I enjoy his writing style, his take on important issues of the heart and 'R'...the most thoughtful and sincere man to ever lumber out of the pages of a book. And, while this book has zombies in it, they are only the catalyst for the much deeper issues of what tears us apart, separates us as humans and ultimately binds us together. If we forget that we're all, well, we're all walking dead anyway.
Of course, this book reminded me of my favorite quote:
"I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing." ~ Agatha Christie
Oh, wait, I didn't mention that this review was going to come in two parts? This review comes in two parts...the book and more on Isaac Marion. It's a win-win really...go read the book and then find Mr. Marion through various social media outlets, I promise you will not be disappointed with either.
Myriad Ways to find Isaac Marion
Ditlo: Isaac Marion...33 super photos; I especially like the kitty-cat
Facebook: Isaac Marion
Facebook: Warm Bodies
Formspring: IsaacMarion
"I attribute this decision to innocent funloving curiosity, NOT staggering narcissim." ~Isaac Marion Goodreads Isaac Marion
MySpace: Isaac Marion
Twitter: @isaacinspace
(this seems to be the place where he converses with lots of girls...no I'm not jealous, but it does make me wish we had social media when I was in my late teens and early 20s...sorta...of course, this means that I skulk around a bit, but do not commence in the witty banter; I have witty banter envy)
Tumblr: Isaac Marion's Nood Pix and ISAAC MARION'S BIG WORDS (<--after reading Burning Building...go here)
Favorite Quote (seriously, pretty sure Mr. Marion and I could be friends-ish):
There’s a warm, saturating comfort in having a good book in my life. Even when I’m not reading it, just the knowledge that it’s there, ready for me whenever I want to cuddle up with it, makes the rest of life feel richer.
and...my favorite Burning Building (I like it when people have blogs that they've been writing since before they were famous). There aren't very many posts, so you can kind of read it like a book...an autobiography if you will, posts of note (in chronological order):
I think this is actually a short story...or novelette or something small like that, but Goodreads counted it, so, for now I will count it.
I have no idea why it's so short...it's like it's a teaser for something else, something else that is already for sale and I missed the memo and only got this small thing.
I love the premise of this story and I gosh darn wish it was a whole book, just when it was getting good...good little book...good-bye.
Anyway, in order to create a perfect future people have gotten rid of everything that makes the world human. There are no cravings, , no one is overweight, there are no needs or desires. Of course, in doing this Earth is devoid of war (we no longer have emotions), there's no hunger (we eat because we have to and everyone has enough) and there isn't any disease (kids don't even understand the common cold. Things are up loaded directly into their brains...I'm not sure why they even have teachers and there isn't a need to sleep. There aren't even beds in their bedrooms (as having a bed implies only one thing even asking your parents for one can lead you into an uncomfortable conversation). Students learn about the old times through a class where the major project is choosing one of these old world problems to have for two weeks and then reporting on what happens in the end. I like that this future world doesn't want their children to forget, but I wonder if it's working...
While reading this little book, I kept trying to figure out a] how I could use this story in my classroom (we're in an SF unit right now) and b] what this 'Scarcity' Class would look like now...imagine if you will students nowadays having to go back to some old way of doing things...maybe they have to talk to one another on a rotary phone only or they have to pass notes to communicate...I don't know. I think it would be fun.
I like the alternating narration and it's funny to think about how lack of sleep and teen hormones can have the same crazy outcome.
After finishing this story I wanted to read Hamlet in the rain on a rooftop...I also wanted to watch "High School Musical 3", I'm sure you see the correlation.
I love this story. I wish it had more to it. The only problem? I'd really miss sleeping...I'm not sure I see that as a waste of time at all.
Neverwhere is one of the first books that I bought on my Nook. It was on-sale for cheap and I 'confirmed' without a second thought. And, yet...I didn't read it. I devoured American Gods and still there Neverwhere sat. I drooled through Stardust and still didn't read it. I even knew it was about London and still...nothing.
I read about the BBC radio version coming out later this month and my interest surged. I read that I'd be listening to James McEvoy and the delicious voice of Benedict Cumberbatch and I flippin' opened up the old Nook, hoping that I read the book fast enough to be finished before I listened.
From the opening line:
"The night before he went to London, Richard Mayhew was not enjoying himself."
I was hooked.
Neverwhere is the song I sing every time I look at a tube map or flip through old pictures. Neverwhere is London and, if you love that city or have a passion for any city, really, this book will definitely fill your heart with delight and your mind will wonder about the city above, beside and below you.
While this book has some great main characters; Richard and Door really are quite lovely and Hunter and the Marquis are also tops. It's the city characters that make this book so darned awesome. There's actually an earl in charge of Earl's Court. The Angel Islington and the Black Friars with their dark names like Obsidian are just fun to imagine...and 'Mind the Gap' turns into a scary phrase of warning.
Here's a book that pay homage to the wonderful city that is London. This book is soooo darned good that I want more...I need a New York Below and a Paris Below and, and, and...I don't want to leave the characters or the world. What a perfect ending...sigh.
Can't wait to listen to the BBC Radio 4 version.
OK, so funny tidbit...I keep on reading reviews that compare this book to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. I find that funny since I couldn't help, but imagine Richard Mayhew being played by Martin Freeman who played Arthur Dent in the Hitchhiker's Guide movie...strangeness.
I hate reviewing books that I only have lukewarm feelings for; I especially hate when those books are memoirs. I mean here is this person who has obviously done something more than I've ever done and, yet, I can't bring myself to anything more than 'like' for their book.
The reasons for the disconnect are myriad, but usually fall under the umbrella of I couldn't relate to the author as a person (and, one must for a memoir to work at it most basic level), or the writing needed a little more polish (this one I feel especially guilty about...as, again, the author has accomplished something that I've yet to do).
This book falls under both categories.
I assumed that, since this book was about a girl having trouble figuring out if what she was doing was really the right answer, I would be able to relate to her plight--no such luck. She actually reminded of a handful of girls that I had the unfortunate pleasure of having to be around for a semester in London. She seems to NEVER...and, I mean NEVER suffer. She seems to always have more than enough money, her apartment seems to be messy, only because she has so much stuff, she seems to have free time upon large copious amounts of free time, and, yet, she always has the right dress for the party, the right outfit for the audition and nothing ever goes wrong. And...and, every time something that truly resembles life happens she breezes through it--almost like she doesn't know how to write about real things. We get a large amount of the book devoted to her nervousness as an actress, her banana regime, her lack of bowel movements, but not so much is given to her relationship with her grandmother, a woman who passes away while she is in SF, a woman who she obviously loves and still misses...I would have liked more about her and her parents and family. Heck, I would have liked more about the cohabitation with her man friend. I would have like more about rehearsals, the game nights, the practices...I would have liked more about being 'unnaturally green'. We only get surface.
This brings me, of course, to the writing...I think the wrong parts were beefed up (I've already talked about that), but, without meaning to, I hope, Miss Ricci kind of paints herself as a bit of a brat who wants to be Elphaba, but not really...who graduates from Yale (Yale...people) and can't seem to figure out what to do with her degree or her life, which is fine, but what needed to be portrayed as the wanderlust yearning that everyone in their 20s hopefully has, just sounds like whining most of the time--maybe that's because we get into her head with sidebar comments and conversations a wee much.
I did enjoy the all the bits about San Francisco...as I've never been. I would have liked to have read about it more.
I'm sure that Felicia Ricci is a lovely lady. I think that she has written a book, much like any 20-something writing a book about their first adult adventure. I'm glad that she had the stick-to-it-ness to write about her adventures in CA, there is a bravery there that I can't explain and I am glad that she had the follow-through to turn her blog to a book, but all I can think about is (except I'm 36):
I hope she writes another book about her time in San Francisco after age and time have given her some perspective, and she's not afraid to get a little personal about people and events that matter to her heart and to her story.
Reader's Discussion Questions
I started Haruki Murakami's 1,000+ page novel on the 3rd of February and finished on Sunday. A book that long doesn't really get covered properly in one blog post, so I'm thinking this is going to be a week of 1Q84...lots of spoilers, lots of commentary, so be warned should you choose to read on. I thought I'd start out by answering the reader's guide questions, which can be found here, as I'm not really sure I can truly put my experience with the novel in my own words at the moment.
1. 1Q84 is a vast and intricate novel. What are the pleasures of reading such a long work, of staying with the same characters over such a long period of time?
This answer is simple the pleasure is that the people and places are so detailed that they become part of your person. Without meaning to and without your consent they change the way you think and feel because you spend so much time in the world the author has created. What's also interesting is that the author feels like a close-friend. This novel is no exception...I was sad to see the characters go, and if I met Mr. Murakami on the street I'd want to invite him for a cup of coffee.
2. Murakami has said he is a fan of the mystery writer Elmore Leonard. What elements of the mystery genre does 1Q84 employ? How does Murakami keep readers guessing about what will happen next? What are some of the book’s most surprising moments?
Elements of a mystery novel: 1] A main character who has the information it takes to solve the problem with back-up characters who believable help the main character on the journey
In this case there are two main characters and we could argue day and night about which one has the most information, but let's not. There are two main characters (Aomame and Tengo) and these two characters are trapped in a world different from our own, destine to meet one another, and are part of a much large fight...a fight which is more/different than a fight between good and evil. While there are several characters who help and hinder along the way, the story is truly theirs. 2] A believable setting
While I have never been to Japan (my mother was born in Kyoto in 1947) I have never wanted to go more than I want to go after reading this book...that's how believable this setting is. The setting is more than just Japan though as we have Fuka-eri's story, the setting of Tengo and Aomame's stories, respectively and the setting of the world that is created when these stories crash and collide and split apart and come together again, and it's all believable. 3] A suspenseful plot
By creating a story that is told from the point-of-view of two characters in the first two books and three in the third, and final installment, we are successfully kept on our toes...I mean seriously I just read 400 of pages of near misses and almost meetings between two people who haven't seen one another in 20 years and I lapped up every word. Actually, by th end of the book I wanted there to be more...lots more, as Murakami answers lots of questions and poses lots more, some of which aren't meant to be answered by going back to the book. Which he tells us all along...if things can't be understood without explanation they really can't be understood at all. 4] A problem or problems to be solved
Um, let's see Aomame, an assassin of abusive men, enters a world unlike her own. However, it is in this world, and only this world, that she and a boy who has changed her life can be together. Problems...where is Tengo? who is the Leader? who are the Little People? what are good and evil? what is the 'question'? whose story is being told? who is Fuka-eri? 5] A believable solution to said problem or problems
Sure, not everything has to have answers to be believed. We become part of the story.
3. Why would Murakami choose to set his story in 1984, the year that would serve as the title for George Orwell’s famous novel about the dangers of Big Brother?
I don't know exactly, definitely reading that book again! But, I'm sure it has something to do with Big Brother watching...except in this novel Big Brother is Murakami, Big Brother is also the Leader, Tengo and finally Aomame, as she creates her own world and understands that she can write her own story. Oh, and then there's the obvious...it needed to be a time with technology, but without the internet...
4. The taxi driver in Chapter 1 warns Aomame that things are not what they seem, but he also tells her: “Don’t let appearances fool you. There’s always only one reality” (p. 9). Does this statement hold true throughout the novel? Is there only one reality, despite what appears to be a second reality that Aomame and Tengo enter?
What we perceive is what is true...so, the only reality is the one that is perceived which means there's only one story and this is the story of Tengo and Aomami. I love the idea that all of this (and, there's lots of this) occurs so two people, who wouldn't have tried otherwise, can be together.
5. Aomame tells Ayumi: “We think we’re choosing things for ourselves, but in fact we may not be choosing anything. It could be that everything's decided in advance and we pretend we’re making choices. Free will may be an illusion” (p. 192). Do the events in the novel seem fated or do the characters have free will?
Nothing is fated. We learn that we can choose to have free will. We learn that we write our own histories. We also learn that our hearts will write our stories when our minds are too full or convoluted and our muscles are too weak to run.
6. When Tamaru bids goodbye to Aomame, he says: “If you do go somewhere far away and I never see you again, I know I’ll feel a little sad. You’re a rare sort of character, a type I’ve seldom come across before” (p. 885). What type of person is Aomame? What qualities make her extraordinary?
Aomame is that perfect female character, she's sexy and thoughtful and passionate, and you believe she could willfully kill men with nothing but a make-shift, ever so sharp, ice-pick, have dirty sex with strangers and be totally head-over heels in love with a boy she never really talked to and hasn't seen in 20 years. She is a woman that is so angry over the death of her friend she becomes an assassin and, yet the reader totally believes she feels true tenderness for the baby growing inside of her. It is easy to believe what she believes, as she is so reasonable and rational and real.
7. The dowager insists, and Aomame agrees, that the killing they do is completely justified, that the men whom they kill deserve to die, that the legal system can’t touch them, and that more women will be victims if these men aren’t stopped. Is it true that Aomame and the dowager have done nothing wrong? Or are they simply rationalizing their anger and the desire for vengeance that arises from their own personal histories?
Of course, they are doing something wrong, although one might argue that they are putting balance in the world. It isn't until the night of the storm and the conversation with the Leader that either even recognize that they were so angry and that they might be doing what they were doing out of vegeance, as well as justice and safety.
8. Tengo realizes that rewriting Air Chrysalis is highly unethical and that Komatsu is asking him to participate in a scam that will very likely cause them both a great deal of trouble. Why does he agree to do it?
He is drawn to the story. He is compelled to rewrite it. He felt this way before meeting Fuka-eri and after meeting her he isdrawn in to the 'cat town', and must rewrite it in order to create his own story.
9. How does rewriting Air Chrysalis change Tengo as a writer? How does it affect the course of his life?
He gets inspired to create his own story involving the same setting only he writes Aomame into the story. Rewriting the story gives him the courage to write his own story and it gives him the basis for said story. Without Fuka-eri and Air Chrysalis he wouldn't have reconciled with his father, made true friends, understood where he belong and found Aomame.
10. How do the events that occur on the night of the huge thunderstorm alter the fates of Aomame, Tengo, Fuka-Eri, and the dowager? Why do Aomame and the dowager let go of their anger after the storm?
After the night of the storm Fuka-Eri becomes a secondary character. The dowager is no longer mysterious, or as powerful as she seemed in the beginning. It is no longer her story we are living. It is also after this night that Tengo and Aomame are tied together and it is because of what happens this night that the lives of all those involved is spared. The storm releases so much tension that even the book seems lighter after it. The characters become vehicles whose jobs are to draw Tengo and Aomame together. We are fully in Tengo's story and he must learn that he doesn't have to have all the answers. Then there's that strange NHK ghost man and because of Ushikawa we learn that there are others who can see the two moons; we learn that this story has more than one possible ending.
11. At first, Ushikawa is a creepy, totally unlikable character. How does Murakami make him more sympathetic as the novel progresses? How do you respond to his death?
He becomes a character with his own story. He, too, can see the two moons and he is only beginning to become aware of the fact that he can write his own story and change his fate. I didn't mind that he died, I just didn't like how he died...unable to speak, unable to share his story.
12. Near the end of the novel, Aomame declares: “From now on, things will be different. Nobody else’s will is going to control me anymore. From now on, I’m going to do things based on one principle alone: my own will” (p. 885). How does Aomame arrive at such a firm resolve? In what ways is the novel about overcoming the feeling of powerlessness that at various times paralyzes Aomame, Ayumi, Tengo, Fuka-Eri, and all the women who are abused by their husbands? What enables Aomame to come into her own power?
She realizes that, while she was kind of tricked into going to 1Q84, she belongs there in that story (the story that Tengo has created is just as much her's as it is his) and because she belongs there she can also figure out how to get out and she knows that she possesses all the power to do so. We overcome our feeling of powerlessness by understanding that at any time we can change our paths, leave 'the cat town', write our stories and use our personal histories to make us stronger. Aomame realizes that she is not alone that she has love...the love of the little person growing inside her and the love of a guy who'd been searching for her and wanted to be with her as much as she wanted and searched for him.
13. What does the novel as a whole seem to say about fringe religious groups? How does growing up in the Society of Witnesses affect Aomame? How does growing up in Sakigake cult affect Fuka-Eri? Does Leader appear to be a true spiritual master?
Fringe religious groups have good in them, just as any religious group does, it's the people who screw it up. Faith comes from the heart, not from rules and ritual. The Society turned Aomame away from God because she thought God was how the Society perceived Him to be. She didn't realize that God wanted to help her and thought she was beautiful, that he was present even without being called and He would be there to help, not hinder. Fuka-Eri is literally split in two because of Sakigake...she is separated from the best part of her and even at the end they are not back together and we assume they never will be. And, finally, I think the Leader wanted to be a true spiritual master but the religion got in the way; it always does--darned people and their need to hear voices to fill the void.
14. What is the appeal of the fantastic elements in the novel—the little people, maza and dohta, the air chrysalis, two moons in the sky, alternate worlds, etc.? What do they add to the story? In what ways does the novel question the nature of reality and the boundaries between what is possible and not possible?
The appeal for me is that all of those science fiction elements drew me in and I spent the novel wrapped up in the aspects of this story that reminded me of Infinite Jest, Dune and the Matrix. These elements keep us, the reader, outside of the novel while also making us part of the story in the novel. If anything this novel shows us that the novels we read, the shows and movies we watch are part of us and become part of our story. We are influenced by what we see and read and, well, nothing is impossible if we are willing and ready to believe.
15. What makes the love story of Tengo and Aomame so compelling? What obstacles must they overcome to be together? Why was the moment when Aomame grasped Tengo’s hand in grade school so significant?
Because in the end all we really want is a good love story and, in some ways, we like to imagine that the first person who rocked our world will come back around when the time is right. There are many obstacles that Tengo and Aomame must overcome, but they have created all the obstacles. When they learn this fact it is easy for them to find each other and because the love one another it is easy for 20 years of questioning and yearning, loneliness and searching can all washaway. We learn that when Aomame held his hand she gave Tengo a package that held them and their worlds together.
16. In what ways does 1Q84 question and complicate conventional ideas of authorship? How does it blur the line between fictional reality and ordinary reality?
It sas that the author is only one part of the story...the characters are the other part and they do what they must do. We are the story and within our world there are worlds being created.
17. References to the song “Paper Moon” appear several times in the novel. How do those lyrics relate to 1Q84?
If we have love and we believe and we have people who love and believe in us everything is real and nothing is impossible.
18. What role does belief play in the novel? Why does Murakami end the book with the image of Tengo and Aomame gazing at the moon until it becomes “nothing more than a gray paper moon, hanging in the sky” (p. 925)?
Belief can tear down walls and open up worlds. Belief can save you and your loved ones. The paper moon signifies that this story continues, that their worlds and ours all tie together and that we determine what is real and what is fantastic.
If you are interested in reading the book, Reading the Chunksters has started it come join in on the conversation here!
OK, so back when I was still buying books *whimper* Open Road Media was having some sort of crazy sale on a slew of ebooks and Mr. Popper's Penguins was one that I picked up. I'd never read it before and it was on my radar as my friend and I watched the movie in San Antonio; during which she commented that she and her siblings had read the book or had the book read to them a million times.
Until the Jim Carrey movie, I'd never heard of Mr. Popper's Penguins. I blame the fact that when I was a kid I hated books about animals of any kind interacting with humans as that usually meant the animal was going to die.
In this book, rest assured that not a single penguin dies. I mean it has that requisite about of children's book suspense, but a grown-up will recognize where it's going early on.
I love reading books written long ago as there's always sexist or racist or sexist-racist language that has seeped through as being harmless for the time period. There's also everyday occurrences that give the reader a sense of wonderment, but you can tell that they must have been normal at the time. (You see that in Mary Poppins, even the movie,which was made in the 60s, took out some of the scenes in the book that just seemed a bit racist). Let me see if I can think of some of things in this book off the top of my head...Mrs. Popper doesn't work, nor does she have any desire to, Mr. Popper is a house painter who usually has the winters off and times are lean and he's always under foot (in that respect he reminds me a lot of Walter Mitty) while Mrs. Popper cleans--he does not help with the cleaning, the Poppers have the required two children--one boy, one girl, they order their ice from an ice man, and wear pants and gloves made out of wool even when it isn't cold outside. There are some cute little scenes in the book that didn't make it into the movie whatsoever, but that's just given you a lovely excuse, if you, like me, didn't know the book existed. Or, if you've read the book a million times and are leery of the movie ruining it for you, might I suggest watching the movie knowing full well that darned thing had to be modernized!
I'm genuinely having a hard time writing a review for this book. If I could go by the introduction alone it would get an A++. It is nostalgic, personal, descriptive, gives a beautiful homage to the A to Zed (the 1998 copy of which I still have--although if you look at it pages just fall out because I used it so much) and it opens with one of my favorite quotes of all time ("When a man is tired of London he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford" ~Samuel Johnson). It's too bad that Londoners, well, at least the majority of the 80+ interviews that make it into the book seem to have forgotten all about Johnson.
OK, so reading most of these interviews made me depressed and yearn for a London I guess doesn't really exist if you live there. While reading I was reminded of an interview Stephen Fry conducted with a former Essex guy who now lives in California. Fry asked the guy why he, one of the two most famous modern British guys, chose to live in America and the guy replied, "I think there's just a conspicuous lack of cynicism and skepticism...". After reading this book I'm only beginning to see what he's talking about.
I love that this book is set up pretty much like Stud Terkel's Working, in the sense that there are tiny little stories categorized by a common theme, but the stories don't have to be read in order to get a sense of the place and time in which they were written. I get, from the few stories that I connected with, that London is as vastly different as any city, and, that it is a city's history that differentiates it from any other. I guess the sense that, whether it is realized or not, one falls in love with a city based on its history.
Stories of note:
the black dancer who became a plumber, yes, plumber...
the woman who is from the Middle East who still hasn't told her parents that she's modern and living with her boyfriend
the manicurist who can tell more about the collective economy than most economists merely by looking at the people who get their nails done and for what reasons
the guy who's spent his time in London revitalizing Canary Wharf
the story of the rickshaw driver and his passenger's fetish for feet and socks
the teacher who, across The Pond, has the same struggles with students and parents and motivation and admistration and frustration that I have as a teacher in little 'ole Missouri
the dominatrix, the beekeeper, the Wiccan priestess
the funeral director who targets immigrant families because, well, funerals are a business that last generations
the city planner who understands that greatness cannot be planned...this man loves himself some London
Adam Byatt and his flavor for all things traditional, yet modern...I would like to try some John Dory
Oh, and I'm totally curious about the 100+ interviews that didn't make the cut...I wonder if I'll ever be able to read those? I'm also curious if this same feeling of weariness is so prevalent in other cities should you interview 'the man on the street' in say Paris or New York or Los Angeles. I wonder what Taylor thinks of London.
Thank goodness there's that delicious intro talking about rain and umbrellas and, London as 'propulsion, [that] rewards those people who push forward'. There's loads of great stuff in this book, I learned so much (see my list below), however, if I went by these stories alone I'd never take public transportation anywhere, I'd not yearn for London, a city I definitely yearn for, and, *whimper* I'd be tired of life, I'd be tired of London.
What I learned:
'Places make the best lovers...'
'People's worst qualities come out at night...'
Cornershop's Handcream for a Generation
7/7 Terrorist Attacks
Stephen Lawrence, a racially motivated attack improperly handled, for years, by the police
I don't usually gush about middle grade books as I am too far removed from the experiences and feelings about a middle grader to feel like I fall in love with books meant for kids in junior high. I can usually appreciate their plots, themes, characters and so on, but if I didn't read them at the appropriate age my adult brain prohibits me from falling love with them. True and sad, I know.
I thought I was going to feel the same way about this book and its subsequent series.
I was dead wrong.
A student kept on gushing about these books and he said that he'd read the series more than once and was shocked that I'd never even heard of the series before. He asked if I wanted to borrow it and he brought the whole series in for me to read. He said I would love them and he told me to be sure to watch the videos. I started reading it and could not put it down and I made sure to watch all of the videos.
This series is touted as 'The X-Files' meets 'Blair Witch Project'. It involves two best friends who, after an accident that occurs before the beginning of the story, aren't allowed to hang out with each other as they always get themselves into trouble when they do. Ryan writes in his journal about what caused him to be bedridden in a Big Bertha caste and Sarah does all the investigating sending him videos and chats about a ghost, a gold dredge and a secret society cover-up. The fact that we get to hear Ryan's voice through his journals is cool enough (there aren't enough boy narrators in YA fiction), but we also get to see Sarah's videos as she talks directly to us via the internet giving us mysterious passwords based on scary stories and haunting characters to see what she sees. If I were a kid in this day and age I would be love. I'm a little creeped out anyways and read this book in an hour. It doesn't help that Ryan thinks everyone is out to get him and nothing and no one is what it seems.
I love the allusions to classic horror novels, movies and characters. I love the historical background (I had to look up what a drudge is) and I look forward to reading the rest of the series...in one sitting in the dark of the night.
And, what I've noticed is that all together they encapsulate genres that I quite enjoy. For fun I mixed up a description and then found a book or two that I loved that could be categorized as such.
Christian, fantasy, young adult/middle grade
Romance, memoir, non-fiction
Historical fiction, adventure, humor
Classic, epistolary, mystery
It's going to be an excellent year of reading. I can already tell.
I think if I divide my review of this book into parts it will help me better understand why I like it so much and why I would so be Mr. Max's friend had I the chance to meet him.
I Feel Like I Know Him...
OK, not really, but we are the same age and because of that his experiences ring true to me. I've been telling people that if I took the stories from every guy I've met, starting with the first day of college and ending with yesterday, all of their stories (and, I will not tell them because they are not mine to share, but really I know some stories that are just as outrageous and hilarious; probably more so as they are from people I know) would not even begin to amount to the plethora of stories that this one guy has...lots of crazy stories from just one guy. His stories make me laugh as much as I want to throw-up and, frankly, they make me feel a little nostalgic for a time when I had friends who had crazy stories to tell. I like that he communicates with his readers via his email and his blog. I like that he respects his friends enough to not tell their stories without their permission.
I mean we've all met this type of guy, you know the cocky self-aware guy who parties hard to work hard (in Max's case working hard is typing his exploits on his blog, writing books, writing advice columns and articles), who is educated and learned and well-read, and who, no matter how much we hate it, does not lie. Why would he? What would he be getting from the lie? Obviously, he gets more from telling the truth. He's the kind of guy who has just as many girl friends as guy friends as fbs. The kind of guy who really is an open book.
On Being Anti-Female, Anti-Feminist and Unfunny...
I'm not sure why people verbally and, I guess sometimes, physically abuse this guy. He's not any different than a lot of guys out there. Even his way of story telling isn't any different. I can't tell if people don't like him because he took something that loads of males go through and made money off of it or if they don't like him out of some misguided jealousy and or misplaced rage about the injustice of the world.
I like the way he writes. I truly believe he would not respect a girl who wasn't smart--sure he'd sleep with her, but he wouldn't like her. I think that he could like someone and make fun of them at the same time.
And, if someone thinks Tucker Max is cool and tries to be him, they aren't even going to get close if they aren't honest and aren't willing to take responsibility for their actions. It seems (now granted I haven't read any of the recent books although I have them ready to read on my Nook) that this guy has rules and standards for every aspect of his life; even if those rules are a little skewed. See page 157:
"...I have since learned how awful it was and now take pains to explain to women what I want and what I expect from them before we do anything, which is not only the right thing to do, it prevents the kind of issues that happen here [saying "I love you" and not really meaning it] from occurring later on."
I just like this (from one of his websites FAQ; a FAQ, I'd like to note, I read after writing the above):
"... most people cannot conceive of a reality outside their own experience. If they can’t see themselves doing it, they can’t believe anyone else can do it. So when some jealous anti-social loser reads my stuff, sometimes he will react in disbelief because he can’t imagine himself interacting with people in a way that doesn’t suck."
And, he's got a pretty Kick A** booklist...as a friend in college said to me on more than one occasion, "You really like brain sex [talking about books, movies, plays, lectures, philosophizing about life]." Yes, yes I do and I'm sure I could talk to Tucker Max about a number of topics. I'm just as sure that I'd never want to meet Mr. Max at a bar or a club or at a function of any kind.
The Ranking...
So, why the 4-stars? After a few drunken, throw-up party stories, they all seem to be the same and it got a little tiring to not be able to comment/talk back and it felt like a train-wreck towards the end; a train-wreck I couldn't stop reading about.
This book is the fourth and final book in a series centered around the Sinclair sisters of Cripple Creek, Colorado.
From reading this book, I suppose the other three books are about:
They are all married although one got left at the alter.
They moved to Cripple Creek because their father made them. He moved to Paris.
Two have children; one really wants a child.
Miss Hattie takes care of them.
I think one may have gotten sick.
And, although it was pretty easy to catch on I really disliked the fact that I didn't know going in that this was the 4th a series, as there were still some parts that kept me hanging and annoyed. I appreciate that it is not about a Sinclair sister at all, but about the sister of the pastor's wife (the pastor's wife being one of the sisters), although I think bits of her story are in one of the other books. I suppose we get enough through flashbacks...maybe.
Mona Hodgson is an excellent writer at setting the scene and in terms of creating great characters who trust in God as they head out West, I'll gladly compare her to Janette Oke. Hodgson's characters are likeable and real. I especially like Trenton Van der Veer. His dislike of going to church is truly believable and transcends time. I love that he is a real man with real feelings and Hodgson's let's us know that while he may have a stutter he appreciates women, gets confused by women, and, is a little lost, because of a woman. The scene in the church parlor is just lovely. There are also many other scenes that Hodgson renders so completely that I felt like I was there and, well, I wanted to be.
Pick up this book is you want a romance with a true look at what it means to be a Christian and to trust in the Lord at all times. Pick up this book if you like a good historical romance, I promise you will not be disappointed.
The more I write about this book, the more I realize that I need to give it 4-stars, not my original 3-stars...I think those were based soully on the fact that I wasn't prepared to read the fourth book in a series and it made me a little perturbed. It would seem this book can stand alone pretty well. I am little sad that I don't feel the need to read the other three books, as I feel I've received enough of their stories.
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