Jarring, unconventional and full-body wrenching. particularly beautiful characters in the Siamese twins. it's a lot of body mutilation, very raw. not...moreJarring, unconventional and full-body wrenching. particularly beautiful characters in the Siamese twins. it's a lot of body mutilation, very raw. not for wimps.(less)
intriguing so far ... this book is just breathtakingly beautiful as a design piece. and yet the text was not bound tightly to the perfection of the aes...moreintriguing so far ... this book is just breathtakingly beautiful as a design piece. and yet the text was not bound tightly to the perfection of the aesthetic. the writing is lovely but it's heavy in detail, doesn't leap as high as it might. the mystery is interesting, but nothing as new here. nnovative and fascinating in presentation, it's so visually arresting that this is the draw. but i put it down a few times, did not rip through the pages, did not HAVE to know what happened next-- though Jacob is thoroughly enjoyable as a defined protag. and i loved all the lore, the grandfather, the nod to old-fashioned storytelling.(less)
Boarding school, creepy siblings, hot guy, fragile narrator, a disturbing dynamic of roommates. Read the book, but I bet there will be a movie. Loved...moreBoarding school, creepy siblings, hot guy, fragile narrator, a disturbing dynamic of roommates. Read the book, but I bet there will be a movie. Loved this one.(less)
One of the most invigorating, uplifting and jubilant books about the human brain that I've ever read. The energy and humor, the history, case studies,...moreOne of the most invigorating, uplifting and jubilant books about the human brain that I've ever read. The energy and humor, the history, case studies, historical anecdotes, the pace, the wholly amazing arc-- as the au puts himself through Natl Memory Chemionships-- all that is great. But the message is fascinating, that our memories are far more creative, outrageous and exciting than we've been taught in the schoolroom. And that learning is dynamic and rigorous. Footnote, am now also following mentalist Ed Cooke's hugely entertaining blog & really recommend it.(less)
Sara Zarr is a thoughtful, elegant writer who finds such exquisite truths and beauty in small moments while not shying from the full punch of Big ques...moreSara Zarr is a thoughtful, elegant writer who finds such exquisite truths and beauty in small moments while not shying from the full punch of Big questions. This story is a fascinating meditation on faith, wrapped in the pacing of a thriller. Unusual and provocative and populated with charming and yet highly complicated characters (and a heartbreakingly poignant protagonist in the pastor's daughter, Sam), there is something of Anne Tyler in Zarr's writing-- which sets a provocative tone in the YA world. I'll read anything and everything by this author.(less)
The premise of this book is so hugely comic that i was ready for anything. I love Wolitzer, whose fiction can elicit complicated reaction-- you are la...moreThe premise of this book is so hugely comic that i was ready for anything. I love Wolitzer, whose fiction can elicit complicated reaction-- you are laughing so hard at the one-liners, the zingers, the flat-out brazen hilariousness of her observations, that the wisdom of the book is the quiet force. She is a major player, if she were humorless she'd win all the lit prizes, but i think it's lucky for everyone that she embraced her comic genius and become beloved instead.
So what she is really saying here about the impact the sexual mores of the 70s on the next generation is fascinating, when i remembered to be thinking about that, though I spent most of the book just delighting in the social observations and great lines. She creates such delightful, bizarre, idiosyncratic characters in the Mellows, and I remember loving her (unrelated) characters in Surrender Dorothy in a way that I'd forgotten about until this book. It's been a few years since I'd read anything by MW, and I picked this because her voice just crackles, and i knew it wouldnt fail me, and it didnt. brilliant and entertaining, it radiates charm and energy. A must-finish.(less)
JCO is the meryl streep of literature and I am always awed by the was she slips into so many different, pitch-perfect narrative identities. her talent...moreJCO is the meryl streep of literature and I am always awed by the was she slips into so many different, pitch-perfect narrative identities. her talent is chilling, and while i have read a number of her nonfiction reviews and essays over the years, nothing captivates me more than her epic novels--them, Blonde, We Were the Mulvaneys are among my absolute favorites. I was curious about this memoir because i couldnt imagine how she might let anyone through the hall of mirrors to this core, personal voice of the memoirist, but she handles herself as masterfully as any novel, her pain is so true and real and unmasked, starring in her own drama, she is funny and wry and has no qualms about revealing aching vulnerabilities of widowhood.
though she ends the memoir with poignance and grace, it did leave me thinking about the limitations of nonfiction (or of life, i guess). she lands such giant jumbo jet novels so expertly, it was odd to be-- almost abandoned? only because you have walked in a kind of friendship with her, and then she's gone.
What a charming YA. Three voices, all balanced and fully-formed. A powerful message of teen pregnancy and single motherhood, but unique and heartfelt...moreWhat a charming YA. Three voices, all balanced and fully-formed. A powerful message of teen pregnancy and single motherhood, but unique and heartfelt and not message-driven. Really enjoyed this.(less)
Whether you're dipping in unfamiliar or obsessively familiar with the Manson family murders, any reader will be fascinated by the artistry of this nov...moreWhether you're dipping in unfamiliar or obsessively familiar with the Manson family murders, any reader will be fascinated by the artistry of this novel that reinvents those narrative atrocities in such well-crafted, artful prose that sometimes you feel as if you're reading the romantic poets as imagined by the free verse of Chuck Palaniuk.
It's disconcerting and haunting and strange. "Henry," the Manson archtype, is so charismatic and compelling and narrator Mel is such a broken bird of a teenager who delivers herself to him, that right from the start the read is fraught-- you know this isn't an even match, and you know things won't end pretty. And yet the tension, the supporting cast, and the "family" dynamic is layered and tightened deftly, with precision and cunning, so you need to keep moving forward yourself, marching into the cult, the crime, and the madness no matter how much you want to turn around. The cadence of the writing is the perfect form for this function, word patterns and rhythms seem to echo Mel's own looping, slipping, desperate hold. It's a risky book, not for wimps, and it delivers.
There are always lots of jumbo summer books out there where page counts far exceed my interest (these I will abandon and not post to Goodreads) so I'm always grateful to an author seeking economy of language-- here's an example of great writing also being great editing.(less)
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