WWII melodrama full of clichéd postmodern gimmickry--multiple typefaces, illustrations, lists, clever asides--and an oddly twee version of the Grim ReWWII melodrama full of clichéd postmodern gimmickry--multiple typefaces, illustrations, lists, clever asides--and an oddly twee version of the Grim Reaper as its narrator. Some of it works pretty well: the incessant German swearing, the characterization of book thief Liesel and best friend Rudy and many of the shameless tearjerker moments. As a coming of age story for young adult readers, it's pretty good.
Cartoonist Art Spiegelman coined the term "holokitsch" to refer to exactly this type of work: a not particularly great narrative that exploits the holocaust purely for pathos. Spiegelman was referring to the spate of WWII films that Hollywood reliably churns out every fall in time for award nominations, which makes it particularly notable that the 2013 film adaptation of this book was exactly that. Here, mass extermination is not a central concern in the novel, but the historical setting as a whole doesn't always feel sincere. As historical fiction, it's inessential.
Overall, it's not at all a bad book, but it's not a fantastic one either. It could, however, be a gateway to better books for readers unfamiliar with works that use nontraditional devices to enhance a story rather than just to decorate it, readers who probably view The Book Thief as more of a great, innovative work than it actually is....more
Although it's undoubtedly meant as a metaphor for the state of the US during the Bush era, this is actually speculative fiction in which Charles LindbAlthough it's undoubtedly meant as a metaphor for the state of the US during the Bush era, this is actually speculative fiction in which Charles Lindbergh is elected president over FDR and begins a subtle campaign against American Jews. Roth is always an interesting writer and this novel contains some memorable feats of language and sentence structure....more
Interesting anecdotal evidence about epidemic social change in terms of fads, fashions and even crime rates. Would have been better with more raw dataInteresting anecdotal evidence about epidemic social change in terms of fads, fashions and even crime rates. Would have been better with more raw data rather than just the author's perspectives and anecdotal evidence, but it still tends to work pretty well overall. The afterword, added years after the original publication, adds quite a bit and is, overall, a better read....more
My complaint about The Corrections when I read it eight years ago was that the characters were all so unlikeable that it was hard to feel much as theiMy complaint about The Corrections when I read it eight years ago was that the characters were all so unlikeable that it was hard to feel much as their family and their lives simultaneously fell apart. Although I've heard similar gripes about this novel, I don't see it. Franzen has toned down his extreme cynicism and created a family of very-flawed characters who still generate enough pathos that the reader empathizes with and roots for them. Some readers may be put off by the very blatant partisan viewpoints expressed (always through the mouths and thoughts of specific characters), but this novel perfectly captures the current climate of life in the US in 2010: "hope" dashed, media and politics on the verge of being hijacked by fringe rednecks, etc....more
A mostly satisfying end to the trilogy but truthfully a little boring. The first hundred pages of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was fairly boring beA mostly satisfying end to the trilogy but truthfully a little boring. The first hundred pages of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was fairly boring before the story picked up and got exciting. This just kind of dragged on and on. It's worth reading to see the conflict resolved and the lead character, Salander, get her revenge on everyone, but waiting for it to happen is ultimately about as exciting a three-week trial on Court TV (dated reference, I know)....more
More or less as good as the first one. The global warming stuff dragged on way longer than it should have, but the section detailing the business modeMore or less as good as the first one. The global warming stuff dragged on way longer than it should have, but the section detailing the business models of Chicago street prostitutes and high end call girls was even better than a similar section in the first book about the economics of street gangs. An expose on the handwashing habits of hospital doctors was also good for some extra paranoia....more
This is actually a book of short stories revolving around the theme of the author's father's real life suicide. Unfortunately, the European edition maThis is actually a book of short stories revolving around the theme of the author's father's real life suicide. Unfortunately, the European edition markets the book as one unified novel, As a novel, it's confusing yet interesting. As a short story collection, highly repetitive but fairly well-written....more
I didn't like this nearly as much as I'd expected. It's well-written in terms of language and detail, but it was composed to too many disjointed partsI didn't like this nearly as much as I'd expected. It's well-written in terms of language and detail, but it was composed to too many disjointed parts--multiple overlapping narratives (a literary device that I'm frankly a little bored with), snippets of nonfiction texts (also cliched by now), and a nonlinear story--that don't necessarily fit together very well. It's easy to respect this book and to understand why critics have responded so well to it, but that doesn't make it any more pleasurable to read....more
Not as interesting as I'd hoped but OK overall. The Egyptian Arabic terms intermingled with English throughout the novel and the detailed descriptionsNot as interesting as I'd hoped but OK overall. The Egyptian Arabic terms intermingled with English throughout the novel and the detailed descriptions of places and cuisine made it worth the read, but the plot itself was uninteresting and resolved way too early....more
Mostly a fun read but overly long--especially the investigation itself which drags on for way longer than it should have--and not nearly as mysteriousMostly a fun read but overly long--especially the investigation itself which drags on for way longer than it should have--and not nearly as mysterious as the first in the series. The novel rises to more than just a pulp mystery, however, in its detailed exploration of sex trafficking and abuse against women....more
Much more enjoyable than a book about immigrants playing crickets in New York City would seem, this novel is also about the collapse and reunion of a Much more enjoyable than a book about immigrants playing crickets in New York City would seem, this novel is also about the collapse and reunion of a marriage in NYC and London after September 11th. O'Neill's a virtuoso at writing sentences and phrases that make aspiring writers envious. As an added bonus, no novel I've read in the past few years has used nonlinear time so effectively, having it never seem contrived or gimmicky....more
Kind of an interesting hybrid genre: the home improvement narrative. I read this it because involved the renovation of a condemned mansion in Akron, OKind of an interesting hybrid genre: the home improvement narrative. I read this it because involved the renovation of a condemned mansion in Akron, Ohio--a city where I once lived--but really got into it because of the author's sense of humor and continual punk rock song references....more
Fun book about a young orphan being raised by ghosts in a graveyard--sort of like a demented Jungle Book. Plotwise, most of the plot twists are expectFun book about a young orphan being raised by ghosts in a graveyard--sort of like a demented Jungle Book. Plotwise, most of the plot twists are expected, but it's still a fast and fun read....more
Fun, surrealistic post-apocalyptic antiwar satire full of ninjas, mercenaries, a traveling group of mimes, monsters and more twists and turns than expFun, surrealistic post-apocalyptic antiwar satire full of ninjas, mercenaries, a traveling group of mimes, monsters and more twists and turns than expected. Although it seemed possibly that this would be too smug and ironic for its own good, it also dealt well with weighty philosophical issues and resonated long after it was finished. Very enjoyable and deserving of a cult following....more
Living in Cairo, this book interested me more for the history and detailed descriptions of places around the city. The story itself, although true, waLiving in Cairo, this book interested me more for the history and detailed descriptions of places around the city. The story itself, although true, was at times melodramatic and less interesting than I'd hoped. Still, it's worth reading for people interested in the cosmopolitan Cairo of the past....more
I expected to like this much better, being from Northeastern Ohio myself and being influenced by the Dave Eggers blurb on the front cover, but in realI expected to like this much better, being from Northeastern Ohio myself and being influenced by the Dave Eggers blurb on the front cover, but in reality I thought it kind of dragged and became boring under the weight of its precociousness. The characters were interesting, and the story itself drew me in, but a nonlinear, disjointed plot with multiple narrators and media of delivery (journals, news articles, etc.) has become a modern fiction cliche at this point....more
Strange, comical conspiracy theory mystery that seemingly has something to do with rogue factions of postal carriers attempting to undermine both mailStrange, comical conspiracy theory mystery that seemingly has something to do with rogue factions of postal carriers attempting to undermine both mail delivery and one another the origins of which stretch back hundreds of years. What makes this mystery especially great is its utter lack of resolution. In the end the reader is left wondering whether the main character is paranoid (a theory supported by a variety of textual clues) whether everything has been a practical joke played by a possibly dead millionaire or whether dark forces are truly lurking behind the postal service....more
An epic 800+ page novel spanning the entire length of the cold war and told in reverse chronological order, this is Delillo's magnum opus: a novel in An epic 800+ page novel spanning the entire length of the cold war and told in reverse chronological order, this is Delillo's magnum opus: a novel in which garbage--human waste, nuclear fallout, wrecked lives--seems to be the central theme and which various 20th century figures--artists, governmental officials, and other celebrities--make inconsequential cameos. Delillo is always worth reading, and while this isn't as revelatory as White Noise or Libra, it's undeniably an essential work of contemporary postmodern fiction....more
Really, really good. On one level, a pretty traditional mystery: a man wakes up from an accident and tries to figure out what happened and who left a Really, really good. On one level, a pretty traditional mystery: a man wakes up from an accident and tries to figure out what happened and who left a mysterious note in his hospital room. One another: a meditation on collective loss of identity: the injured man suffering from brain damage fails to recognize his sister and through the course of the novel nearly every character fails to recognize one another, themselves, their country, the world. I'd fully expected a lot of unresolved loose ends at the end of this book and was happy to discover some clear sense of resolution....more
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