"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.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
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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