I enjoyed the Divergent trilogy, although I didn't love it as much as the Hunger Games trilogy. "Four" is Tobias's introduction to Dauntless life. A little bit of his history, why he chose Dauntless, his introduction to Tris, his feelings.... Veronica Roth originally wanted to write this story with Four as the main character instead of Tris. His voice instead of hers. I like the trilogy as she ended up writing it - with Tris as the main character. (However, I'm not a fan of how the trilogy ended, but that's besides the point.)
As much as I like Four, and this dystopian story, I don't really see the need for this book. Seeing Tobias through Tris' eyes was good enough for me! There really wasn't any new information. It was like visiting an old friend you haven't seen for awhile. A friendly chat, remembering some old times. I guess what I'm saying is that it really didn't add anything to the story, so why not leave the story as is?
Not much else to say about it!
Wendy's Rating: ***
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan
I really enjoy reading about World War II - from each country's perspective, as experienced by all levels of society within a country. This book was very different than what I expected however. Oak Ridge, TN was a secret town that was quickly developed - after the government took land from the farmers who actually lived on the land - to house people to work at all different types of jobs that assisted in the building of the first atomic bomb. These people didn't know what they were working on though, because everything was top secret. They were given a job to do, at a relatively good wage, and told not to speak about it or ask questions. Many of the recruits were 18 and just out of high school because they would just follow directions and not ask questions. Of course the top scientists were also recruited.
The book relates snippets of stories of several women's lives who worked there from 1943 (its inception) to 1945, when the bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Although their stories were interesting, there were enough women that I couldn't keep them straight - and after awhile I simply stopped trying. I simply read each "snippet" as is and didn't worry about what I may have already read about that particular person. The women themselves weren't fleshed out enough for me, although again, their stories were interesting. Personally, I think if the author had just used three narrators, it would have been better: One elite female scientist; one mid-range-job woman; one black woman. That way we could see the three very different perspectives about living in Oak Ridge.
The alternating chapters were very scientific. Too much so. Very specifically we learn about fission, Tubealloy, atoms, and how to build an atomic bomb. These chapters were not terribly interesting to me. Too much science and way too detailed for someone who just read a chapter about how the mud in Oak Ridge ruined the women's shoes! It was just a really weird mix of a book. The people who would like to read about the process to build an atomic bomb would most likely not be interested in reading about the women's social life in Oak Ridge in alternating chapters - and vice versa!
With that being said, I DID learn something new about World War II and America's solution to end it.
Wendy's Rating: ***1/2
The book relates snippets of stories of several women's lives who worked there from 1943 (its inception) to 1945, when the bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Although their stories were interesting, there were enough women that I couldn't keep them straight - and after awhile I simply stopped trying. I simply read each "snippet" as is and didn't worry about what I may have already read about that particular person. The women themselves weren't fleshed out enough for me, although again, their stories were interesting. Personally, I think if the author had just used three narrators, it would have been better: One elite female scientist; one mid-range-job woman; one black woman. That way we could see the three very different perspectives about living in Oak Ridge.
The alternating chapters were very scientific. Too much so. Very specifically we learn about fission, Tubealloy, atoms, and how to build an atomic bomb. These chapters were not terribly interesting to me. Too much science and way too detailed for someone who just read a chapter about how the mud in Oak Ridge ruined the women's shoes! It was just a really weird mix of a book. The people who would like to read about the process to build an atomic bomb would most likely not be interested in reading about the women's social life in Oak Ridge in alternating chapters - and vice versa!
With that being said, I DID learn something new about World War II and America's solution to end it.
Wendy's Rating: ***1/2
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
To The Power of Three by Laura Lippman
Normally I really like this author, so this book was a huge disappointment. A review on the cover of my book says, "Gripping...Brilliant, Insightful, Moving." Really? I didn't think so at all! I didn't like anyone in this book. There was no one that didn't seem to have an ulterior motive for their actions - something selfish or self-serving; no one ever seemed genuinely happy for anyone else; some were outwardly cruel, like Perri, while others were inwardly cruel, like Kat; Peter was embarrassingly full of himself; Dannon was an insecure hanger-on-er; all of the parents were a mess. No one was likable!!
And the big "mystery" of who shot who in the bathroom and why.... Really?? I am sorry but I thought the whole thing was ridiculous!! Perri spent her childhood being mean to other people. She was sarcastic and standoffish and cruel to other people. Then she befriends Dannon and stops being friends with Kat because Kat did her own dirty work (sort of) for a change - instead of Perri doing it for her?? Then she threatens to kill herself unless Kat admits what she has done?? Why?? Let's see... six people end up dead because Kat is mad because Binnie is smarter than her? That's really what it boils down to. And then there is Josie, who shoots herself in the foot (again, why?), crawls across the floor to lock the bathroom door (why?) and lays on the bathroom floor instead of opening the door when the police come (why?). Then, NO ONE is held accountable for anything - including Binnie's dad for murdering someone in cold blood. Then the book ends with Josie going off to college, and the reader getting little snippets of Lenhardt's life with his family, and Dale's new pathetic life. Who cares! The whole story was just too much for me. I honestly cannot believe that this is the same author that wrote "Every Secret Thing", which I loved.
Grrrr......
Wendy's Rating: **
And the big "mystery" of who shot who in the bathroom and why.... Really?? I am sorry but I thought the whole thing was ridiculous!! Perri spent her childhood being mean to other people. She was sarcastic and standoffish and cruel to other people. Then she befriends Dannon and stops being friends with Kat because Kat did her own dirty work (sort of) for a change - instead of Perri doing it for her?? Then she threatens to kill herself unless Kat admits what she has done?? Why?? Let's see... six people end up dead because Kat is mad because Binnie is smarter than her? That's really what it boils down to. And then there is Josie, who shoots herself in the foot (again, why?), crawls across the floor to lock the bathroom door (why?) and lays on the bathroom floor instead of opening the door when the police come (why?). Then, NO ONE is held accountable for anything - including Binnie's dad for murdering someone in cold blood. Then the book ends with Josie going off to college, and the reader getting little snippets of Lenhardt's life with his family, and Dale's new pathetic life. Who cares! The whole story was just too much for me. I honestly cannot believe that this is the same author that wrote "Every Secret Thing", which I loved.
Grrrr......
Wendy's Rating: **
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