Joy Fowlkes
This was the best book I read all year. I cannot stop thinking about it, and I am so envious of how talented this writer is.
Weaver of worlds
Well, this novel was a lot more work than The Night Circus, but it was utterly magical. I will think about the many journeys for weeks to come. Bravo!
Utterly delightful
Self-aware. Steamy. Sincere. I LOVED this book. It felt very modern for erotica. It acknowledged how grief can unsettle everything. On to the next one...!
I had grand expectations for this novel. I'd heard such wonderful things about Neil Gaiman, and was pretty astonished that he was so successful without me knowing so. When I'd read that the series was coming to TV, I knew that I needed to read it first. Let me say here first that I read the completely unabridged version, meaning that Gaiman inserted sections that were originally cut from the novel in its first print. My trouble with this novel is that it never felt as if it truly got started. One subplot would be underway just to be abandoned for another. It took me quite sometime to understand Wednesday's goals. I felt that there was some grand plan behind this novel, so that some mission would be unraveled and completed. And yet, everything felt completely unresolved. And when it was resolved, the subplot had been left cold for so long that I'd lost interest in it's conclusions. I do believe this book is ripe for cinema because of the long stretches of America that it covers. I hope though that some larger development comes of it. I'm interested to learn how The America when it was first published will meet with the America of today.
My book club selected this for our March/April read, and I was skeptical at first, and then thoroughly pleased once I got a quarter of the way through. I actually chose to listen to the audio version, and I was so glad that I did! The narrator was incredible, and she had some great material to work with! The dialogue in this novel was fantastically executed, the perfect blend of Southern euphemisms, potty humor and cartoon language. The plot keeps you engaged, but never goes too far into the unbelievable. The characterization from physical description to interior self-awareness was so amazing! I'm so grateful for a book with likable, but flawed characters. I was so impressed by the way the author encompassed both the nuclear relationship of the animators but also a larger universe (Comic culture, New York way of life, Southern culture). And finally, the timespan was refreshing! I can't wait for her next book!
I absolutely loved this book, and wanted to give it to every single person I ever worked with!
This was my first Zadie Smith novel, and while I found the writing extraordinarily beautiful, I was underwhelmed by the plotting. Books about the push and pull of female friendships can sometimes turn out this way. I was most impressed by Smith's observations and ability to bring a character to life.
I listened to this on audiobook which was fantastic. The voice was so relatable that I felt like I was sharing a glass of wine with a friend. Jessi, if you need another friend, just reach out!
The book was a bit of a snooze fest. I loved the first book as the protagonist was a feminist wet dream. Unfortunately, she's a bit inactive this go around. I suppose Med school does that. The mountain/dragon metaphor was overused and underwhelming. And of course, it was sex lite.
This was a difficult one for me to get through, but I was fascinated by the intricacies of science research. And thus, I made it!
Well, it took a long time to get through the initial chapters, but once Lotto makes his way out of boarding school, it picks up! I have to say that I was skeptical of the male perspective. If I want to read about a sexist male, I want to read it from a male author. That being said, I think it carried well. Groff writes beautifully. I hope marriage isn't this hard.
I listened to this on audiobook which had a quite delightful narrative. The Midwestern accent really sold it. This is the best novel about food that I've read since Like Water For Chocolate. While they are nothing alike, I think this novel represents a food culture in the same way LWFC does. It's cyclical, acerbic, refreshing, luxurious... The perspectives are unique while still sharing a common wit. I will say that the pacing wasn't necessarily momentous, but it was really nice to enjoy this in breaths.
I absolutely got emotional by the end of this one, but I didn't find the plot to be altogether that clever. In fact, I may have been head over heels with this book four months ago when I was unhappy in my career, but now that I've made changes – it just demoralized me. I wonder if this is a more meaningful read for an older audience.
Quick read, but seriously disappointing. I overheard that even the publishers are confused why this book did as well as it did. I did not find the plot reveal shocking. I felt that the early action scenes were poorly done– although the arena scene towards the end was well executed. No pun intended. YA paint by numbers.
What I really enjoy about the Merry Gentry series is the creative, astonishing acts that happen around Merry. The mystery can always go, but this latest addition had little mystery at all. We were trapped in stasis. Merry is expecting triplets and confined to little movement and action. The entire metaphor represents the book as a whole. If felt as if Hamilton was trying to get a handle on her characters again, resummarizing their appearances and meaning to one another again and again and not presenting any new action. Although the ending appeared to be a conclusion, there was nothing conclusive about it–just what we had last book- Merry finally knocked up. This series is very liberal sexually and you would think this series wouldn't end like Twilight where babies make everything suddenly solved. I hope we get a book #10 where Hamilton doesn't do another throw a away just to appease fans that loved the series.
I've always been a sucker for an advice column, but this one takes the cake. It's heartfelt. Tough love.
I read this during the middle of the Oprah bookclub debacle. Ultimately, I found it incredibly page-turning. James Frey is obviously talented. Take it as fiction and enjoy it.
Definitely my favorite of the series thus far. I've got to say a lot of the novel is far fetched, but Jamie and Claire's relationship keeps me trudging through. I've also gotten used to Gabaldon's plotting, so I have a better idea of where she's going than I did with clues in her other novels. For instance, the business of the woman in the cave that she coincidentally saw with Joe Abernathy. I knew we'd be revisiting that, but I do have to say I'm surprised we made it across the world. With Jamie's seasick was, I had my doubts. One should always remember, Gabaldon does not do coincidences. I am still frustrated by how exactly Duncan's son made it to modernity, but I suppose we'll figure that out eventually. On to book four...!
