"The Wind-up Bird Chronicle" by Haruki Murakami
My grade: B+
I must start with a disclaimer: it took me two months, or so, to read this book due to my having a baby in January and, very unfortunately, not having enough time to devote to great books as a result of that. No book should be spanned over such a long period of time, and most definitely, not this one. This fact definitely took away from my experience of this book. Having said that, though, I still see important setbacks.
Straying from the other works that I have read, Murakami adds a touch of romance to this novel that I find uncharacteristic, unnecessary and somewhat unbelievable. I struggle to understand the purpose of entangling the romantic story into the overall one. As with all Murakami's novels, this novel is relatively complex and has several different layers to it for the reader to untangle. At some point, however, I found myself asking whether Murakami controls the 'creative process', or if the story just writes itself. There is a thin line between abstract art and uncontrolled non-art, which is abstract just for the sake of being abstract. I get a feeling that Murakami loses control of the process at some point in time, and has no idea himself what the message is and what the novel is all about. And this is something that turns up relatively consistently (for me) in his works. I tend, therefore, to say that his works are underdeveloped and raw. But most definitely full of very interesting ideas! For me, still, very much worth the read.
Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Book review - "Day After Night"
"Day After Night" by Anita Diamant
My grade: A
Tired of the overdone Holocaust theme, I found this book surprisingly on my 'to read' shelf, not sure of why and when I bought it. I began to read it, somewhat reluctantly, only to get sucked in practically from the first page. The setting is post-Holocaust Palestine, a refugee camp (aka prison) for illegal immigrants. The vast majority of them are European Jews, who survived the Holocaust and are now fighting the British to secure a homeland for themselves.
The story is nicely told, largely touching on the Holocaust itself, although indirectly. As Holocaust books go, this one is relatively void of the grotesque and sheds light on the people who are often forgotten, the survivors. Definitely recommendable.
My grade: A
Tired of the overdone Holocaust theme, I found this book surprisingly on my 'to read' shelf, not sure of why and when I bought it. I began to read it, somewhat reluctantly, only to get sucked in practically from the first page. The setting is post-Holocaust Palestine, a refugee camp (aka prison) for illegal immigrants. The vast majority of them are European Jews, who survived the Holocaust and are now fighting the British to secure a homeland for themselves.
The story is nicely told, largely touching on the Holocaust itself, although indirectly. As Holocaust books go, this one is relatively void of the grotesque and sheds light on the people who are often forgotten, the survivors. Definitely recommendable.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Book review - "Demian"
"Demian: The Story of a Youth" by Hermann Hesse
My grade: A+
An excellent novel! I am a big fan of Hesse, so this comes as no surprise to me. A deeply philosophical work, this is the kind of novel that needs to be read several times in order to be fully understood. But the writing itself is superb, with a wonderful foreword by Thomas Mann. A highly recommended book!
My grade: A+
An excellent novel! I am a big fan of Hesse, so this comes as no surprise to me. A deeply philosophical work, this is the kind of novel that needs to be read several times in order to be fully understood. But the writing itself is superb, with a wonderful foreword by Thomas Mann. A highly recommended book!
Book review - "A Streetcar Named Desire"
"A Streetcar Named Desire" by Tennessee Williams
My grade: B+
It's amazing how much Williams accomplished in such little space! This play is very short, but nonetheless extremely loaded. Williams does an excellent job of portraying both time and place, as well as creating characters that are alive and recognizable. Definitely worth the short read!
My grade: B+
It's amazing how much Williams accomplished in such little space! This play is very short, but nonetheless extremely loaded. Williams does an excellent job of portraying both time and place, as well as creating characters that are alive and recognizable. Definitely worth the short read!
Book review - "Anna Karenina"
"Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy
My grade: A-
It seemed immoral to me to give Tolstoy anything less than an A, but my expectations were not necessarily met. I have previously read this book in the original Russian, many years ago, but wanted to reread in English as I felt I had missed many of the nuances. Firstly, I must say that I was not impressed with Joel Carmichael's translation. On a few occasions, the writing itself seemed flat and, dare I say it, bad. Having gotten that out of the way, the work itself is blindingly outdated; a fact that's sad but true. It's difficult to relate to any aspect of it and to understand the lives or purposes of the characters involved.
Perhaps the most tragic aspect of this novel is that I found Anna Karenina herself, the heroine, entirely unsympathetic. There wasn't a single moment in time when I felt sorry for her or her fate, which was by all means Tolstoy's objective. I found her deserving of her grief and pathetic not in the way the author intended.
Another aspect of Tolstoy's writing that simply drove me crazy (and something that has not previously affected me in such a way in his works) is his propensity to digress and focus on his personal philosophies. Many chapters of the book were exceptionally boring and bore no relevance to the main story, arousing questions of why here and now. It gives the impression of a rambling old man, who may have a lot to say, but can't organize his thoughts or ideas properly.
My grade: A-
It seemed immoral to me to give Tolstoy anything less than an A, but my expectations were not necessarily met. I have previously read this book in the original Russian, many years ago, but wanted to reread in English as I felt I had missed many of the nuances. Firstly, I must say that I was not impressed with Joel Carmichael's translation. On a few occasions, the writing itself seemed flat and, dare I say it, bad. Having gotten that out of the way, the work itself is blindingly outdated; a fact that's sad but true. It's difficult to relate to any aspect of it and to understand the lives or purposes of the characters involved.
Perhaps the most tragic aspect of this novel is that I found Anna Karenina herself, the heroine, entirely unsympathetic. There wasn't a single moment in time when I felt sorry for her or her fate, which was by all means Tolstoy's objective. I found her deserving of her grief and pathetic not in the way the author intended.
Another aspect of Tolstoy's writing that simply drove me crazy (and something that has not previously affected me in such a way in his works) is his propensity to digress and focus on his personal philosophies. Many chapters of the book were exceptionally boring and bore no relevance to the main story, arousing questions of why here and now. It gives the impression of a rambling old man, who may have a lot to say, but can't organize his thoughts or ideas properly.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Book review - "Up in the Air"
"Up in the Air" by Walter Kirn
My grade: B
I presume many will already know what this book is about as it was made into a movie. For those of you who don't, here's a brief synopsis: the hero fires people for a living and his main objective (and in many ways only) is to earn 1 million miles as a frequent flyer. It becomes a sick obsession of his, even though he has no idea what he will do with the miles. But he desperately needs a goal to cling onto, because his world (and life) is otherwise empty.
It is a sarcastic take on a certain class of business professionals and America, painting a rather glum and pathetic picture. Aside from the sometime overdone jargon, the book is mostly entertaining and largely depressive. Worth the read, though.
My grade: B
I presume many will already know what this book is about as it was made into a movie. For those of you who don't, here's a brief synopsis: the hero fires people for a living and his main objective (and in many ways only) is to earn 1 million miles as a frequent flyer. It becomes a sick obsession of his, even though he has no idea what he will do with the miles. But he desperately needs a goal to cling onto, because his world (and life) is otherwise empty.
It is a sarcastic take on a certain class of business professionals and America, painting a rather glum and pathetic picture. Aside from the sometime overdone jargon, the book is mostly entertaining and largely depressive. Worth the read, though.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Book review - "Horns"
"Horns" by Joe Hill
My grade: C-
I'm not much of a tree hugger, but this novel is nothing short of a complete waste of perfectly good paper! The writing is lousy at its best, full of cliches, flat characters and poorly chosen words. The story itself, which initially seemed to have some potential, came completely undone quite early on; and as much as I had hoped, there ultimately came no redemption. Don't waste your time, or your money, on this!
My grade: C-
I'm not much of a tree hugger, but this novel is nothing short of a complete waste of perfectly good paper! The writing is lousy at its best, full of cliches, flat characters and poorly chosen words. The story itself, which initially seemed to have some potential, came completely undone quite early on; and as much as I had hoped, there ultimately came no redemption. Don't waste your time, or your money, on this!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Book review - "The Collector"
"The Collector" by John Fowles
My grade: A-
This is an incredibly disturbing novel! I had to say that straight off the bat. It's disturbing and difficult to read in the same way as "Lolita", and probably, even more so. It is, often, quite sick! But very well-written.
The story is that of a butterfly collector, although that plays no crucial role. Mostly, he is a psychologically ill man, and the story is that of his demise. He convinces himself that he is in love with a girl, someone he barely even knows the name of. And in his obsession with her, he kidnaps her in an effort to make her fall in love with him and live a normal life together with him.
I don't know if Fowles was writing in a time that is much different than ours today; my guess is he was. The relevance that a novel of this nature has to current events is striking; and yet, one thinks that Fowles would have done and said so many things differently had he (in his mind) not been writing about a removed, hard-to-imagine scenario. The scenario is, sadly, imaginable, although entirely not understandable. And Fowles neither sheds light on the psychology of such an individual, nor arouses an ounce of pity for the protagonist. But yet, the novel is a page-turner!
My grade: A-
This is an incredibly disturbing novel! I had to say that straight off the bat. It's disturbing and difficult to read in the same way as "Lolita", and probably, even more so. It is, often, quite sick! But very well-written.
The story is that of a butterfly collector, although that plays no crucial role. Mostly, he is a psychologically ill man, and the story is that of his demise. He convinces himself that he is in love with a girl, someone he barely even knows the name of. And in his obsession with her, he kidnaps her in an effort to make her fall in love with him and live a normal life together with him.
I don't know if Fowles was writing in a time that is much different than ours today; my guess is he was. The relevance that a novel of this nature has to current events is striking; and yet, one thinks that Fowles would have done and said so many things differently had he (in his mind) not been writing about a removed, hard-to-imagine scenario. The scenario is, sadly, imaginable, although entirely not understandable. And Fowles neither sheds light on the psychology of such an individual, nor arouses an ounce of pity for the protagonist. But yet, the novel is a page-turner!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Book Review - "cloud atlas"
"cloud atlas" by David Mitchell
My grade: B+
This is a very interesting book indeed. It is broken up into different pieces of writing - letters, diary entries, traditional narration, etc. - told from the perspective of different people, living in various times, in various parts of the world. The pieces are initially seemingly unconnected, but slowly begin to come together; at least, in theory. In my opinion, it is a mere formality that joins the pieces to one another, and I failed to catch a single meaning or message from the book as a whole, although it was clearly intended as such. It, nonetheless, remains a very interesting and worthwhile read, excellently-written.
My grade: B+
This is a very interesting book indeed. It is broken up into different pieces of writing - letters, diary entries, traditional narration, etc. - told from the perspective of different people, living in various times, in various parts of the world. The pieces are initially seemingly unconnected, but slowly begin to come together; at least, in theory. In my opinion, it is a mere formality that joins the pieces to one another, and I failed to catch a single meaning or message from the book as a whole, although it was clearly intended as such. It, nonetheless, remains a very interesting and worthwhile read, excellently-written.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Book Review - "Water for Elephants"
"Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
My grade: A-
For those of you who don't know what this book, or the movie that's based on this book, is about, here's a quick synopsis: the times are the 1930s, in middle America, and everything that comes with it - Depression, Prohibition, etc. The setting: a train-traveling circus. The plot: a kind of love story.
Gruen does a great job of capturing the time and place, and mentality of the people. She really took me there. The story, generally, is very well-written, but not altogether important. The ending, unfortunately, is rushed and unrealistic; it just seems like a wrap-up only for the sake of wrapping up. It's likewise a bit too idealistic and romantic for my taste, considering also that the tone through most of the book was everything but.
My grade: A-
For those of you who don't know what this book, or the movie that's based on this book, is about, here's a quick synopsis: the times are the 1930s, in middle America, and everything that comes with it - Depression, Prohibition, etc. The setting: a train-traveling circus. The plot: a kind of love story.
Gruen does a great job of capturing the time and place, and mentality of the people. She really took me there. The story, generally, is very well-written, but not altogether important. The ending, unfortunately, is rushed and unrealistic; it just seems like a wrap-up only for the sake of wrapping up. It's likewise a bit too idealistic and romantic for my taste, considering also that the tone through most of the book was everything but.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Book Review - "Wives and Daughters"
"Wives and Daughters" by Elizabeth Gaskell
My grade: A
As the name suggests, this is definitely women's literature. The genre is that of "The Forsyte Saga", although in my opinion, this novel is even better. It is a classic English family saga, taking place in the early 1800s. The unfortunate part of this novel is that the author died prior to finishing the last chapter. Her editor included a note at the end, describing how the novel should have ended based on what had been known from the author herself. It is very unfortunate, nonetheless, that the author was unable to finish the novel herself, with her beautiful style of writing. Despite that, it is still worth a read.
My grade: A
As the name suggests, this is definitely women's literature. The genre is that of "The Forsyte Saga", although in my opinion, this novel is even better. It is a classic English family saga, taking place in the early 1800s. The unfortunate part of this novel is that the author died prior to finishing the last chapter. Her editor included a note at the end, describing how the novel should have ended based on what had been known from the author herself. It is very unfortunate, nonetheless, that the author was unable to finish the novel herself, with her beautiful style of writing. Despite that, it is still worth a read.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Book Review - "The Ask"
"The Ask" by Sam Lipsyte
My grade: C+
Hmmm... I'm not sure what to say about this book. I finished reading it two days ago, and have already forgotten the character names and most of the plot. I think it's because there wasn't much to either. It's a mediocre book, in a genre full of such tales; corporate America, average Joe, pointless life, etc. I often come back to this subject, but it's only because I find it crucial to any successful novel: the protagonist has to either be loved by the reader or hated, or at the very least, be an incredibly interesting persona. If he is just an average Joe, and not very likable at that, you're going to have a tough time winning the reader over. Lipsyte, in my opinion, failed at that. There is no message here, no interesting insight, no wonderful plot; by and large, there's nothing outstanding about this novel, it's simply incredibly mediocre.
My grade: C+
Hmmm... I'm not sure what to say about this book. I finished reading it two days ago, and have already forgotten the character names and most of the plot. I think it's because there wasn't much to either. It's a mediocre book, in a genre full of such tales; corporate America, average Joe, pointless life, etc. I often come back to this subject, but it's only because I find it crucial to any successful novel: the protagonist has to either be loved by the reader or hated, or at the very least, be an incredibly interesting persona. If he is just an average Joe, and not very likable at that, you're going to have a tough time winning the reader over. Lipsyte, in my opinion, failed at that. There is no message here, no interesting insight, no wonderful plot; by and large, there's nothing outstanding about this novel, it's simply incredibly mediocre.
Book Review - "The Great Wall of China"
"The Great Wall of China and Other Short Works" by Franz Kafka
My grade: A-
This collection makes me incredibly sad, because Kafka didn't publish anything during his lifetime and even left orders for his friend and literary mentor to destroy all of his writing after his death. That friend, in turn, published his works, much to my appreciation. Some of the stories in this collection are absolutely amazing and very inspirational (from a writer's perspective). All of them, however, are unfinished, often to my great dismay. It was extremely aggravating at times to be left mid-thought, and I was angry at Kafka for leaving it at that. Nonetheless, he was obviously an extremely talented writer and this collection is worth the read!
My grade: A-
This collection makes me incredibly sad, because Kafka didn't publish anything during his lifetime and even left orders for his friend and literary mentor to destroy all of his writing after his death. That friend, in turn, published his works, much to my appreciation. Some of the stories in this collection are absolutely amazing and very inspirational (from a writer's perspective). All of them, however, are unfinished, often to my great dismay. It was extremely aggravating at times to be left mid-thought, and I was angry at Kafka for leaving it at that. Nonetheless, he was obviously an extremely talented writer and this collection is worth the read!
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Book Review - "Suite Francaise"
"Suite Francaise" by Irene Nemirovsky
My grade: didn't finish
Not that there is too much hype over it, but whatever little hype there is over this novel, it is entirely lost on me. This is the second Nemirovsky book that I read (or attempted to read), and although I found the other one to be mediocre at best, it was still manageable. I found "Suite Francaise", on the other hand, to be unbelievably boring, which in itself is quite a feat considering that all of the action takes place during WWII. She does a lot of stating and scene depiction, but there is little emotion in all of it. She seems to be quite a detached observer, so much so that the reader doesn't even get a hint of any emotion.
Nemirovsky was writing the book during the war itself and perhaps at that time, there were few, if any, novels about the subject matter. But today, there are countless novels on this subject, and Nemirovsky's is probably the least poignant account that I have ever read.
My grade: didn't finish
Not that there is too much hype over it, but whatever little hype there is over this novel, it is entirely lost on me. This is the second Nemirovsky book that I read (or attempted to read), and although I found the other one to be mediocre at best, it was still manageable. I found "Suite Francaise", on the other hand, to be unbelievably boring, which in itself is quite a feat considering that all of the action takes place during WWII. She does a lot of stating and scene depiction, but there is little emotion in all of it. She seems to be quite a detached observer, so much so that the reader doesn't even get a hint of any emotion.
Nemirovsky was writing the book during the war itself and perhaps at that time, there were few, if any, novels about the subject matter. But today, there are countless novels on this subject, and Nemirovsky's is probably the least poignant account that I have ever read.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Book Review - "The Green Mile"
"The Green Mile" by Stephen King
My grade: A+
In one word, this novel is superb! Truly and honestly outstanding!! This may come as a surprise to some of you, but I have actually not seen the movie; at least, not in its entirety. I had only seen bits and pieces, remembering only Tom Hanks, a jail, and a big black man with kind eyes. Needless to say, the novel overshot all of my expectations and forthcomings.
From the technical perspective, I found not a single flaw in the writing. Definitely a new-found respect for King! Not only does he have an excellent command of the language in written form (which is the only form I can judge), but his application of it is simply amazing and awe-inspiring.
As to the actual content, it is no less impressive than the writing style! He tells a horrible story, but one that is very believable. The narrator is a man in his 100's, and it really is wonderful how King captured his voice so well (although King himself was only 49 at the time of publication): one of wisdom and old decrepit age. The story is likewise told in a very humanitarian way, with a lack of politics (from the narrator himself); I find this also to be very age-appropriate (coming from my 28 years).
I regret that I cannot compare the novel with the movie, but I cannot help but feel that no movie could every do this work justice! I don't think I have it in me to watch the film, knowing what happens in the end and throughout, but I recommend the book to everyone.
My grade: A+
In one word, this novel is superb! Truly and honestly outstanding!! This may come as a surprise to some of you, but I have actually not seen the movie; at least, not in its entirety. I had only seen bits and pieces, remembering only Tom Hanks, a jail, and a big black man with kind eyes. Needless to say, the novel overshot all of my expectations and forthcomings.
From the technical perspective, I found not a single flaw in the writing. Definitely a new-found respect for King! Not only does he have an excellent command of the language in written form (which is the only form I can judge), but his application of it is simply amazing and awe-inspiring.
As to the actual content, it is no less impressive than the writing style! He tells a horrible story, but one that is very believable. The narrator is a man in his 100's, and it really is wonderful how King captured his voice so well (although King himself was only 49 at the time of publication): one of wisdom and old decrepit age. The story is likewise told in a very humanitarian way, with a lack of politics (from the narrator himself); I find this also to be very age-appropriate (coming from my 28 years).
I regret that I cannot compare the novel with the movie, but I cannot help but feel that no movie could every do this work justice! I don't think I have it in me to watch the film, knowing what happens in the end and throughout, but I recommend the book to everyone.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Book Review - "The Men Who Stare at Goats"
"The Men Who Stare at Goats" by Jon Ronson
My grade: B+
I'm sure a lot of you have heard of the movie, by the same name, which is based on the book. I have personally not seen the movie, but enjoyed the book (in a kind of way). For those of you entirely unfamiliar, this book is about special agent units within the U.S. army, who have supernatural inclinations. The army attempted, and according to this book, still continues to use supernatural means to fight the enemy and attain information from them (through special types of torture). I found the book quite interesting because I was previously unaware of such tendencies within the army. It is, however, rather disturbing at times, particularly when torture is the subject.
Although the writing is clear in itself, somehow the structure of the book is confusing (if not altogether lacking). I was completely lost during parts of the book and couldn't remember all of the different 'characters' that appeared and disappeared throughout. Overall, a good read though.
My grade: B+
I'm sure a lot of you have heard of the movie, by the same name, which is based on the book. I have personally not seen the movie, but enjoyed the book (in a kind of way). For those of you entirely unfamiliar, this book is about special agent units within the U.S. army, who have supernatural inclinations. The army attempted, and according to this book, still continues to use supernatural means to fight the enemy and attain information from them (through special types of torture). I found the book quite interesting because I was previously unaware of such tendencies within the army. It is, however, rather disturbing at times, particularly when torture is the subject.
Although the writing is clear in itself, somehow the structure of the book is confusing (if not altogether lacking). I was completely lost during parts of the book and couldn't remember all of the different 'characters' that appeared and disappeared throughout. Overall, a good read though.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Book Review - "The Hand That First Held Mine"
"The Hand That First Held Mine" by Maggie O'Farrell
My grade: B
This novel is definitely chick lit, with the concept of motherhood at its core. It's a decent story, although badly written at times, and ultimately, not very believable. Firstly, what is meant to be a twist at the end isn't much of one; the reader sees it coming. Secondly, the whole thing is about three notches too farfetched. And finally, O'Farrell didn't succeed in evoking the England of the 1950s and 60s, the setting of one side of the book.
There are some nice moments of the novel, though. And at some points, she really seems to capture the essence of motherhood beautifully, but loses the moment soon after. It would be interesting to see some of her writing in ten years or so.
My grade: B
This novel is definitely chick lit, with the concept of motherhood at its core. It's a decent story, although badly written at times, and ultimately, not very believable. Firstly, what is meant to be a twist at the end isn't much of one; the reader sees it coming. Secondly, the whole thing is about three notches too farfetched. And finally, O'Farrell didn't succeed in evoking the England of the 1950s and 60s, the setting of one side of the book.
There are some nice moments of the novel, though. And at some points, she really seems to capture the essence of motherhood beautifully, but loses the moment soon after. It would be interesting to see some of her writing in ten years or so.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Book Review - "The Collected Stories"
"The Collected Stories" by Grace Paley
My grade: B
To begin with, I'd like to say that I didn't finish this collection; I simply couldn't! Not because the writing is bad, though. In fact, I found the stories to be written really well, and I do like Paley's style. But, mostly I found the stories to be completely outdated. I couldn't relate to them at all. As opposed to long-length novels, which can reinvent a world and give you their own confines of it, short stories either have to work with a world that people know or (very) briefly define the world. As Paley doesn't do much definition, my guess is that she wrote in a very different time and place. Her world and her struggles are, at least partially, lost on me.
My grade: B
To begin with, I'd like to say that I didn't finish this collection; I simply couldn't! Not because the writing is bad, though. In fact, I found the stories to be written really well, and I do like Paley's style. But, mostly I found the stories to be completely outdated. I couldn't relate to them at all. As opposed to long-length novels, which can reinvent a world and give you their own confines of it, short stories either have to work with a world that people know or (very) briefly define the world. As Paley doesn't do much definition, my guess is that she wrote in a very different time and place. Her world and her struggles are, at least partially, lost on me.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Book Review - "invisible"
"invisible" by Paul Auster
My grade: A-
I have to say, this novel started out for me much more promising than it ended (although I'm not entirely disappointed). The writing is superb in itself, but the voice remains the same throughout, even though there are several narrators. For this reason, together with too much telling and not enough showing, the characters don't fully come to life.
The ending, for me, leaves much too many questions in the air and suddenly introduces new twists in a novel that is, technically, not a mystery. There is also quite a large piece about incestuous love, which to be honest, was harder to swallow than Naboko'v "Lolita". And it remains unclear to me what purpose it really served. Finally, I'm not really sure what the title is really referring to, as invisibility doesn't play a central role in this novel; unless, I missed something big.
Despite having said all of that, it was still a good read with a well-developed plot. It reads very fast, and left me thinking about how the story would develop. I will definitely read more books from Auster.
My grade: A-
I have to say, this novel started out for me much more promising than it ended (although I'm not entirely disappointed). The writing is superb in itself, but the voice remains the same throughout, even though there are several narrators. For this reason, together with too much telling and not enough showing, the characters don't fully come to life.
The ending, for me, leaves much too many questions in the air and suddenly introduces new twists in a novel that is, technically, not a mystery. There is also quite a large piece about incestuous love, which to be honest, was harder to swallow than Naboko'v "Lolita". And it remains unclear to me what purpose it really served. Finally, I'm not really sure what the title is really referring to, as invisibility doesn't play a central role in this novel; unless, I missed something big.
Despite having said all of that, it was still a good read with a well-developed plot. It reads very fast, and left me thinking about how the story would develop. I will definitely read more books from Auster.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Book Review - "The Forest for the Trees"
"The Forest for the Trees: An Editor's Advice to Writers" by Betsy Lerner
My grade: A
If you're a writer or an aspiring writer, you should read this book. I found it mostly excellent! It provides a lot of insight into the world of books, writing and publishing. It is written by an editor-turned-agent, as opposed to a writer, which provides a different perspective. It answered a lot of questions for me regarding publishing and the process of it. Lerner also brings up a lot of books and authors, and offers interesting quips from their lives/publishing experiences.
My grade: A
If you're a writer or an aspiring writer, you should read this book. I found it mostly excellent! It provides a lot of insight into the world of books, writing and publishing. It is written by an editor-turned-agent, as opposed to a writer, which provides a different perspective. It answered a lot of questions for me regarding publishing and the process of it. Lerner also brings up a lot of books and authors, and offers interesting quips from their lives/publishing experiences.
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