Brig Berthold
I could definitely see myself reading all of the books in this series. I didn't expect to laugh out loud as often as I did.
The writing was not as terrible as I expected. The first two chapters made me feel so uncomfortable, due to the voice of Anastasia's character, I stopped reading the book all around. I picked it back up when the hype finally died down, and my burning curiosity about this book's popularity got the better of me. Interestingly, this book brought to bear a number of important issues couples rarely discuss or face when dealing in/with intimacy. The fact that Anastasia was altogether inexperienced made her relatable for the much of the readership. Whether James accomplished such interweaving deliberately, or not, one must praise her for having done so. In the end, I loved the ending by the way, I was left with questions about myself. What other forms of intimacy are available that I am yet ignorant to? What boundaries are naturally assumed and which require discussion? Many describe this book as pornographic, and I do not disagree. Nor am I trying to sell anyone on the story's virtues as we are drug through that which is private being made public. I will merely assert that there is more depth to this story than meets the eye.
I did not love this experience. I did the audiobook version. The narrator ruined it but even for being book 1 in a series, it's hardly a complete story on its own.
This book was wild. The writing was enigmatic. The storyline was excellent until the climax/denouement. Also, I can't help but struggle (probably on a cultural level) at the reactions of certain characters to their circumstances. Nobody every got irate when I thought they should have. In fact, most “setbacks” or mere inconveniences were handled with a quiet stoicism that I felt was unlikely to be universal across all characters; though it was so in this story. Nobody is that accepting of their circumstances, even (or especially) when they have no control.
One of the greatest books I have ever read. Ever! If it were fiction, it would be placed on the “6th Star” shelf.
What am I supposed to say...? How do you review this story and do it justice? I suppose, given the emotional hangover I'm currently experiencing, my thoughts will be a brief summary:
1) Holy Smokes.
2) I saw it coming, and I still couldn't handle it.
3) Whatver development we get had better be good. Also, the last shred of hope I have, rests on the belief that Dumbledore anticipated the whole affair and things went exactly according to plan.
4) This book was awesome. I love a good, devistating, gut wrenching, climax.
5) Now, leave me alone. I have to read book VII.
This was so much fun! It takes a bit to get into, but then, especially for those who remember the 80's, it becomes everything it should be.
As the second John Green book under my belt, I bounced between charmed and incredulous as the story progressed. On the one hand, the character's are real and highlight John's insight into the depth of the adolescent mind.
We have a normal group of high school friends in a mostly abnormal setting of a boarding school. We have neurotic girls, confused boys, mischievous pranks, and deviant behavior. Authority is mocked, then respected, and the cycle continues.
Written for the YA audience, John Green seems to have taken it upon himself to introduce teenagers to complex concepts. This book included such heavy topics as deity, after death, grieving and mourning, memorial, and loneliness. On the flip side, we also see fun and excitement in friendship, pranks, young love, and boring lecture classes.
Finally, John absolutely perfected a particular scene, wherein two naive 17 year-old kids experiment with a physical manifestations of a romantic relationship. I nearly died laughing.
Solid. A few minor gripes not worth mentioning (style points) but otherwise it was dang solid.
Despite the stringent standards, another book has entered the ranks of “The 6th Star Rating.”
FICTION: Check.
STYLE: While this is not written in the literary eloquence you may expect from such an elevated rating, the writing style is one of its qualifications for the prestige. Dog's are simple creatures. Hence, the narrative is simply written. A K9 point of view was charming and never grew tired.
STORY: Ask yourself, how many authors could write from a dog's perspective? How many could do so while presenting, and maintaining, a level of [assumed] accuracy without flagging even once? Now ask yourself, how many authors do you know of who have actually accomplished this? Dog lovers everywhere will recognize, relate to, and mentally affirm Cameron's representation of a dog's perspective.
LEGACY: One of the final qualifications for my “6th Star” rating lies in the book's legacy. It need not be a widely popular work. Rather, I require it to remain with me, producing a lasting mental and emotional resonance. This book impacted me nearly start to finish. In the end, I struggled to finish the book because I could not focus through the tears. Such a reaction to fiction has never occurred in my life.
RECOMMEND-ABILITY: Many people discuss this point, so I'll cover it briefly. Dog lovers will fully appreciate this charming, simple, and well delivered work. Though this is a clear niche audience, I argue that point strengthens my ability to recommend this. I certainly cannot recommend it to everyone I know, but I know exactly who would most enjoy this book.
This was a charming, humble, and brief insight into the life of Mr. Van Dyke. The stories he shared were heartfelt and well thought out. I appreciated his candor while his old fashioned discretion brought balance to the narrative.
I chose to experience this book in audio format and I am glad I did. Dick reads the book himself, making the entire experience endearing and memorable. I, for one, am glad he chose to do this. Fans the world over have one more Dick Van Dyke performance for turning rainy days into jolly holidays.
Spero Lucas is a great character! He is the best part of this story but it moves fast and is satisfying from start to finish. Not complicated, this pays homage to the old guard of noir sleuths while being modern. I'm more than a little upset there are (so far) only two instalments in this series.
Huh... Would ya look at that...
What can I say? It is a simple autobiography performed as a labor of love. It was hillarious, and it brought relatability to one of comedy's modern elite.
I clearly knew nothing about Tina Fey, besides her incredible humor, because this book took me by surprise repeatedly. I absolutely love some down-to-earth irreverent humor, but I was not expecting the casual level of profanity from this woman. Most of it seemed to be natural, but there were moments of candor which seemed excessive. I am not one to judge, I just didn't expect it.
I beleieve Tina wrote this book for her posterity, as a way of preserving some of her most endearing memories (and maybe a bit of “Well, everyone else is doing it....”).
Who doesn't love a WWII spy novel?!
This was totally solid and I wouldn't mind recommending it as a beach read. This is more espionage and less international assassin. More intrigue and less action. But, that's what I appreciated about it.
The one drawback was the incredibly awkward sex scene. I mean INCREDIBLY awkward. On the other hand, Silva wrote surveillance and countersurveillance as well as anyone.
Loved this. Great spy story focusing as much on tradecraft and the actual espionage than a reliance on action-packed shooter stories. Can't wait to move on in the series.
I wanted to like this story, overall. In particular, I was impressed by the occasional use of the second person point of view. That was quite unique and it definitely grabbed my attention. I had issues with which characters I found myself invested in and which characters I cared for less than I think the author intended. For instance, I was really toed to Bailey and Poppet and Herr Tiessen but I cared less about Marco and Ceilia. That was...unfortunate. Also, what's with the romance between the principle protagonists being fraught with nothing more challenging than distance, and a vague expression of “you're really not supposed to do that!”?
There was one other detail that baffled me and I won't spoil anything for you but it was enough of a “miss” that I'm still irked by it. Forgive the cryptic language but there was one detail that was well set-up with zero payoff and it would have sealed the deal for a full 3 stars.
More of a 3.5 rating.
Good story. Interesting counterintelligence angle. The weave was just intricate enough to be interesting but still accessible.
How does one concisely illustrate their thoughts on this story?
The Good: Doctorow is clearly a master wordsmith. When it is well suited to the purpose of a particular scene, his skill flows in a rising and falling motion. His characters were vivid and believable. And the scene setting/world building engaged all of the senses with a fastidious attention to detail which he delivers almost carelessly. Billy's introspection makes room for Doctorow's philosophies and the man is as much a philosopher poet as a dealer in fiction. Fiction is often described as a lie used as a vehicle to convey truth; that is what you will get in this tale.
The Bad: Billy continually works to reconcile his natural innocence with his ever-increasing reality of, at first moral ambiguity, and progressively a criminal bent. Therefore, his streams of consciousness make dramatic leaps from rich prose to absolute crass vocabulary in an instant. While I am not thick skinned, it was arresting more often than I would have liked. I do not impune the use of vulgarity and many of the characters are well suited to it. Yet, despite the illustration of Billy's development, I repeatedly struggled with the particular descriptions (and Billy's perceptions) of almost all things sexual.
Overall, it was a good read but not my favorite yarn. Doctorow's philosophies and vocabulary, however, were masterful.
Yeah, this was an okay experience. I did the Audible version and one this is for sure, the narrator, Bronson Pinchot, was amazing. I think I would have been less thrilled with this story if I had gone with an ebook/paperback experience.
Man, this is total brain candy. I wish I had more to say about this book. The story was just enough to allow me some entertainment. No true suspension of reality, and that's okay.
Fantastic. There is only one reason I did not give this 5 stars. I can't say why, due to spoilers, but it made me uncomfortable and I'm not alone in that. Nevertheless, this book was fantastic.
My 5 year old enjoyed this. I read it to her as a long-ish bedtime story. She was engaged from start to finish.