The Lace Reader May 26, 2009
Posted by sadiejean in Best Sellers, Book Reviews, General Fiction.Tags: Annie Proulx, Best Sellers, Brunonia Barry, Fiction, The Lace Reader, The Shipping News
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–2.5—
I really didn’t enjoy Brunonia Barry’s The Lace Reader as much as I expected to. I had been hearing buzz about for this one for a while and finally picked it up. I was often frustrated with the story, frustrated with the characters, and sometimes frustrated because I just didn’t care about any of it.
The premise sounds intriguing. After the suspicious death of Towner Whitney’s great-aunt, she returns to Salem, Massachusetts and the family and past she’s been running from. The Whitney women read lace, that is, they forsee the future amongst the swirls and patterns. Towner has been running from her gift all her life, but now is faced remembering an adolescence that was so traumatic she’s forgotten huge chunks of it. All the while the investigation of her great-aunt’s drowning continues, and is now possibly related to a missing person’s case. Towner develops an unlikely bond between the policeman in charge, and is forced to confront the people from her past and a secret her subconscious has been repressing all along.
I had the twist figured out pretty early on, and not because I’m some genius, but because it could be seen a mile away. And does anyone else despise the cliche of starting a story by having the main character say that he/she is “a liar”? Time and time again I read this, and then never am able to get into the magic of a story, because A) it’s possible none of this is “true” and B) it no longer matters one way or another.
I couldn’t get into the Towner character either. She seemed too far off the deep end. While her story was tragic, I felt that she wasn’t someone I could relate to. The best aspects of the book were the expressive ways small town New England life was described. I loved the passages about sailing and island life, about the present-day witches, and the quaint tourist sites. In many ways The Lace Reader reminded me of Annie Proulx’s The Shipping News, only they read ropes not lace. Both described dysfunctional families living a secluded island lifestyle. And since I didn’t care for The Shipping News either, I suppose I should stay away from these types of books.
2.5/5
People of the Book May 25, 2009
Posted by sadiejean in Anderson Book Club, Best Sellers, Book Reviews, General Fiction.Tags: Best Sellers, Fiction, Geraldine Brooks, March, The Year of Wonders
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—4—
Well, I think I have now read enough of Geraldine Brook’s work to say that I am truly a fan of her writing. It is always thoughtful and consistent, and often mesmerizing and beautiful. Her novel People of the Book is woven together so wonderfully, combining strong stories from different times, places, and characters.
Hannah Heath’s expertise is in rare and old books, a passion her mother, a renowned neurosurgeon, just can’t comprehend. She is sent to Sarajevo to study the famous Sarajevo Haggadah, a Jewish book filled with detailed illustrations and a war-torn past. The rest of this story follows the history of this book, as it was created and hidden and saved and sought-after for 500 years. While we follow the book’s life, we transverse the history of this part of the world, which has been in turmoil for as long as the book has existed.
People of the Book is expansive in its scope and rich in its details. There are many characters and time periods that interweave, which occasionally proves difficult to follow. We read this one as a book club choice, unfortunately I couldn’t make it that day, but I hear it was well received by the entire group. Fans of Geraldine Brooks will certainly enjoy this novel, but newcomers to her work will also find it to be a solid, exciting, and well-researched novel.
4/5
Try People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks if you enjoyed her other novels March and The Year of Wonders.
New Book Website May 25, 2009
Posted by sadiejean in Book News.1 comment so far
The makers of BookPage now have a new WordPress book blog that I am liking so far, called The Book Case. Check it out.
The Last Summer of You and Me May 25, 2009
Posted by sadiejean in Best Sellers, Book Reviews, General Fiction.Tags: Ann Brashares, Best Sellers, Fiction, The Last Summer of You and Me
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—3—
The Last Summer of You and Me is a novel written for adults by the author of “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” series for young adults. It follows two sisters who return each summer to Fire Island to bask in the sun, swim in the ocean, and escape most of life’s hassles. This year Alice is 21, and suddenly her sister Riley’s best friend Paul is looking more intriguing than he has in the past. As their romance begins Alice and Paul try to keep their relationship a secret. When a serious medical condition threatens to destroy all three in separate ways, the island can no longer be their sanctuary from the adult world they were all avoiding joining.
I read this book a few months back, and it was entertaining, but nothing I thought was too innovative. This book would be most appropriate for readers just out of their teen years, who have grown too much for Branshares Traveling Pants books but are still looking for characters they can relate too. I do think this book has a place, even though I was not personally that impressed with it. The Last Summer of You and Me would be the perfect summer read on a beach or by the pool. A bit of romance, a bit of tragedy, a lot drama.
3/5
