I can easily admit that this is not my kind of novel. Any time I read a story where the majority of the main characters are self-centered and pretentious, who think they are better than everyone else, either intellectually or status-wise or both, I am turned off. Yes, I understand that it is satire; that the author is "laughing" at these self-absorbed, pathetic people living their self-important lives in New York City. One or two characters in a novel with these characteristics can add humor, or depth, of meaning to the storyline and/or other characters, but to have every character in a book so self-serving, is simply too much for me. These characters are so into themselves - and so lacking in understanding and compassion for others - that it was hard to stomach.
So, did I like ANY of the characters...? Not really. I guess the only person I didn't dislike was Annabel, simply because she seemed to be genuinely kind. The person I was most disappointed in was Danielle, who appeared to be the most "normal" one in the bunch initially, until she went off the deep end about Murray. Really? He was so not worth it! She seriously considered ending her life over him?? His over-inflated ego was incredibly annoying. Julius was a jerk. Most of the time I didn't even know what to think of Marina. And why exactly did Seeley marry her? He hated her father and I thought he was just trying to get close to Marina in order to expose Murray...which he doesn't do! I can't imagine that Seeley and Marina actually love each other.
And then there is Bootie. Every time the Thwaites, Julius, or Danielle thought of Bootie they described/thought of him as "plump". Nearly every single time. It was annoying. Even at the end, Danielle first thinks that he looks thinner, but then continues to refer to him (in her head) as plump. Why?? Who cares?? I didn't really like Bootie either, but he was certainly picked on a lot in this book. They saw him as a pathetic mess. I saw them all as pathetic messes. And what's up with the article he wrote? Really? He believed that he stood by his "integrity" by writing the article to expose his uncle - but he did this by reading Murray's "novel" on the sly, a complete invasion of privacy, and writing of things that he had no first hand knowledge about. Not that I liked Murray, but I would have been ticked too.
What a dysfunctional, unhappy group of people. Not my cup of tea. And really, what kind of ending is this?? It's a non-ending.
Wendy's Rating: **
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
I already liked this author a lot for his mystery series. I also like that he is a Minnesota author and that his books are set in Minnesota. This stand-alone novel did not disappoint!
This was a wonderful, if sad, coming-of-age story. I really liked both Frank and Jake, and their relationship as brothers. Their father, Nathan, provided such a strong "center" for the Drum family. I think this family would have completely fallen apart without Nathan's unwavering faith in God, the value he placed on forgiveness, and his belief in redemption. Jake was certainly his father's son. At Ariel's funeral, when Ruth said "For God's sake, Nathan, can't you, just this once, offer an ordinary grace?" I realized that both Nathan and Jake personified "ordinary grace" - and we could all take a lesson from them. At the worst of times, in the midst of personal tragedy, they were the only two that didn't jump to conclusions with the rest of the town, and they both continued to see the best in all people. They didn't judge, or assume, but showed compassion in all things. They absolutely both ended up in the right profession!
Great character development. These characters, like real people, were multifaceted and even in the characters you love to hate, like Doyle, you would sometimes see a glimmer of something positive. I wasn't sure what to make of Gus initially, but he ended up being one of my favorite characters as well. What would this family have done with Gus?! What would Frank and Jake had done without Gus?!
This book demonstrates how much time has changed people's acceptance of things like premarital sex, homosexuality, pregnancy, domestic abuse - or at least how we handle these things as a society. I love that is was set in the 1960's, back when people weren't so "jaded" in their thoughts about people. Sure, they were less tolerant of people of different nationalities (especially the Native Americans!) and sexual orientation, but it was interesting how everyone assumed that people were virgins until marriage; that people only fell in love with people their own age; that people didn't have adulterous affairs. I don't know too many men today that could handle the close relationship between their wife and her ex-fiancee! Most men today would think their wife was having an affair, but Nathan didn't seem to ever think that was even a possibility.
It was a little frustrating for me that Jake didn't figure out who killed Ariel sooner than he did!! Good grief, he was so busy blaming himself for letting Redstone go that he couldn't see the forest through the trees! I kept waiting and waiting for him to figure it out - and had to wait till nearly the last page until he had his "aha" moment. Of course the same could be said for everyone else concerning the relationship between Ariel and Emil. Those were just different times....
Wendy's Rating: *****
This was a wonderful, if sad, coming-of-age story. I really liked both Frank and Jake, and their relationship as brothers. Their father, Nathan, provided such a strong "center" for the Drum family. I think this family would have completely fallen apart without Nathan's unwavering faith in God, the value he placed on forgiveness, and his belief in redemption. Jake was certainly his father's son. At Ariel's funeral, when Ruth said "For God's sake, Nathan, can't you, just this once, offer an ordinary grace?" I realized that both Nathan and Jake personified "ordinary grace" - and we could all take a lesson from them. At the worst of times, in the midst of personal tragedy, they were the only two that didn't jump to conclusions with the rest of the town, and they both continued to see the best in all people. They didn't judge, or assume, but showed compassion in all things. They absolutely both ended up in the right profession!
Great character development. These characters, like real people, were multifaceted and even in the characters you love to hate, like Doyle, you would sometimes see a glimmer of something positive. I wasn't sure what to make of Gus initially, but he ended up being one of my favorite characters as well. What would this family have done with Gus?! What would Frank and Jake had done without Gus?!
This book demonstrates how much time has changed people's acceptance of things like premarital sex, homosexuality, pregnancy, domestic abuse - or at least how we handle these things as a society. I love that is was set in the 1960's, back when people weren't so "jaded" in their thoughts about people. Sure, they were less tolerant of people of different nationalities (especially the Native Americans!) and sexual orientation, but it was interesting how everyone assumed that people were virgins until marriage; that people only fell in love with people their own age; that people didn't have adulterous affairs. I don't know too many men today that could handle the close relationship between their wife and her ex-fiancee! Most men today would think their wife was having an affair, but Nathan didn't seem to ever think that was even a possibility.
It was a little frustrating for me that Jake didn't figure out who killed Ariel sooner than he did!! Good grief, he was so busy blaming himself for letting Redstone go that he couldn't see the forest through the trees! I kept waiting and waiting for him to figure it out - and had to wait till nearly the last page until he had his "aha" moment. Of course the same could be said for everyone else concerning the relationship between Ariel and Emil. Those were just different times....
Wendy's Rating: *****
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain
This was the first book I have read by this author, and I really liked it! The main character, Jane Forrester, was so young yet so brave. She went against "society" and stood up for what she believed in, despite what it cost her. She stood her ground with her husband, with her boss, with her coworkers, with her mother. She put everything on the line to help a dirt poor 15 year old pregnant girl. I think that it's awful that she was told - and believed it herself - that she would never make it as a social worker because she cared too much. What a sad statement that is! Jane bucked the system for all the right reasons, in my opinion.
Ivy was also incredibly strong, and she had such faith in Henry Allen - certainly more than I did at times! I really didn't think Henry Allen had it in him to leave his family behind for Ivy. I was definitely disappointed in his father. What a jerk. There were so many half-siblings in the book, I was hoping that Henry Allen and Ivy weren't related!
The exploration of the Eugenics Program in this novel was very interesting. It's amazing to me that not long after the world discovers Hitler's disposal of all people who were not "perfect Germans" - all those "flawed people" who were not blond hair/blue eyed intelligent individuals, America can develop the Eugenics Program and carry it out for decades without batting an eye; without noticing - or caring - about the similarity in thought between this Program and what Hitler was doing in WWII. Incredible. And kudos to Jane for saying "NO".
This book was very well-written with well developed characters. I read it quite quickly because it was such an interesting read. I felt like Robert was made out to be the "bad guy", but I had some sympathy for him. Considering it was the 60's, and he was a doctor, he was a "sign of the times". I imagine it would be difficult, especially in those days, to have a wife like Jane! I think a lot of other men wouldn't have been nearly as patient as he was. I was amused by his comment when Gavin called to tell him that Jane was in jail: "Why couldn't she take up knitting, like normal wives?" :)
I will be reading more by this author!
Wendy's Rating: *****
The Undiscovered Goddess by Michelle Colston
Typically, I'm not a big fan of the "inner goddess" thing. Not that I think that women shouldn't discover themselves, embrace who they are, take time for themselves. I think it's just the terminology that grates on me.
I liked this book though. I found some scenes hilariously funny; some scenes brutally honest; some scenes sinfully indulgent. ;) Holly was so self-absorbed at times I couldn't believe her husband could continue to put up with her. But I loved some of the changes she made to try to become a better person. I could identify with some of them. Rick asked me once why I go to church. I told him that every time I sit in church, I leave it wanting to be a better person: more compassionate, more kind, more forgiving, less judgemental, less impatient...both at home and in my job. So I loved when Holly decides to be kind to people who are grumpy, like the cashier at the store. Really, when you think about it, what an easy thing to do. So often though, instead of being kind to someone like that, I walk away thinking "jerk!" So I've decided to try being kind to the next person I meet like that! :)
I love that Holly went back and re-read what she had written from the beginning - and that she was horrified by her own personality. Because her personality WAS horrifying at the beginning! I also like how she learns that her choices have power. That someone can choose to be in a bad mood all day, affecting everyone around them in a negative way, or they can choose to get over it and think more positively - which also affects everyone around them, but in a positive way. Also, that "life's journey is thousands of baby steps instead of one giant step from A to B. The beginning and end are not life. Life is the passage between the two." I love that! I also struggle to be more "present" when I am with someone, like my husband and my children. Sometimes I do too much multi-tasking and not enough being "present" in the moment. I definitely have been trying to change that, so I enjoyed Holly's journey from being completely self-absorbed and annoyed by her children, to her spending time actually enjoying her children.
So, despite the annoying terminology at times, and the words in "*...*" ;) I quite enjoyed this book. My journey to become a better person continues...in baby steps.
Wendy's Rating: ****
I liked this book though. I found some scenes hilariously funny; some scenes brutally honest; some scenes sinfully indulgent. ;) Holly was so self-absorbed at times I couldn't believe her husband could continue to put up with her. But I loved some of the changes she made to try to become a better person. I could identify with some of them. Rick asked me once why I go to church. I told him that every time I sit in church, I leave it wanting to be a better person: more compassionate, more kind, more forgiving, less judgemental, less impatient...both at home and in my job. So I loved when Holly decides to be kind to people who are grumpy, like the cashier at the store. Really, when you think about it, what an easy thing to do. So often though, instead of being kind to someone like that, I walk away thinking "jerk!" So I've decided to try being kind to the next person I meet like that! :)
I love that Holly went back and re-read what she had written from the beginning - and that she was horrified by her own personality. Because her personality WAS horrifying at the beginning! I also like how she learns that her choices have power. That someone can choose to be in a bad mood all day, affecting everyone around them in a negative way, or they can choose to get over it and think more positively - which also affects everyone around them, but in a positive way. Also, that "life's journey is thousands of baby steps instead of one giant step from A to B. The beginning and end are not life. Life is the passage between the two." I love that! I also struggle to be more "present" when I am with someone, like my husband and my children. Sometimes I do too much multi-tasking and not enough being "present" in the moment. I definitely have been trying to change that, so I enjoyed Holly's journey from being completely self-absorbed and annoyed by her children, to her spending time actually enjoying her children.
So, despite the annoying terminology at times, and the words in "*...*" ;) I quite enjoyed this book. My journey to become a better person continues...in baby steps.
Wendy's Rating: ****
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