Reviews: Catching Up (I'd fallen behind)
Sometimes Atwood really grips my attention, and sometimes, no matter how well I like her use of the language, her plots and/or characters just don't capture my attention. Bodily Harm falls into the latter category. Having sat with it a couple of days, I have concluded that she was going for realism in not having the primary elements of the story link up to form a coherent theme or picture. SPOILERS: The two ruined relationships in Canada, the rope guy, and all the weirdness in the small Bahamian country seemed so disjointed, and so much like they were not happening to the same woman... After a couple of days, I decided that must have been the target she was aiming for - to write a book that is not pat or predictable, and that is as random as the good and bad shit that happens to people. I didn't ever bond with any characters in this book. I hated the lackadaisical way the main character just went along with the river of events in the Bahamas that landed her in so much trouble, despite every red flag the writer planted. (In retrospect, I wondered if I hated this because it reminded me of something that would happen to me... but then I think, no fucking way would I hook up with a drug dealer and take the machine gun to Elva and stay on St Agathe after the gnarly political hub bub started... so no, that's not it.) All that said, the book ends up leaving me a very thought provoking theme in - literally - the last two sentences of the text: No one is exempt. Everyone who is alive is lucky to be exactly where they are, dealing with exactly the crap they've been dealt, because they could've been dealt worse already. So, for nice language and for uniqueness, as well as leaving me truly thinking, I give this 3 stars despite not enjoying it as a read.
I'm not done with Flags of Our Fathers yet. I put it down in February at about the 3/4 mark and have not gotten back around to it. I am currently out of reading material, so maybe I'll finish it this week. I want to review it in case I never finish it. This book is a wealth of interesting WWII history. It shows the story of Iwo Jima from the government/propaganda side of the coin. I learned a lot about the Great War that I didn't know before. It is pretty well written (if a bit windy), and the memoirs of each boy holding the flag in that famous photo are interesting to read and worth knowing about. The real story of the photograph is a very smart topic for a book and it is executed with better than average capacity. This would be enjoyed by most people over the age of 30 who like to read, by all history buffs, and by all people who had family members serving in the South Pacific theater.
My overall impression from this one novel - "meh..." - does not make me want to read others by Ms. Kinsella. I didn't feel any interest in the plot/characters in The Undomestic Goddess until the sex scene in the garden - the turning point - which, by the way (the garden sex) was not well written, IMO. It was contrived and would have benefited from deft editing. However, after the love interest was finally established, I finally started to care that the character get her name cleared, and I sped thru the last half of the book. Perhaps it was because it all started to be somewhat less preposterous after that point. Bottom line: If I were stuck on an airplane with nothing to read, I would probably choose this over skymall.
EDIT: Initially, I said something about chick lit. But I retract that. I've read brilliant chick lit before, and really enjoyed it. This just isn't my idea of brilliant.
I'm not done with Flags of Our Fathers yet. I put it down in February at about the 3/4 mark and have not gotten back around to it. I am currently out of reading material, so maybe I'll finish it this week. I want to review it in case I never finish it. This book is a wealth of interesting WWII history. It shows the story of Iwo Jima from the government/propaganda side of the coin. I learned a lot about the Great War that I didn't know before. It is pretty well written (if a bit windy), and the memoirs of each boy holding the flag in that famous photo are interesting to read and worth knowing about. The real story of the photograph is a very smart topic for a book and it is executed with better than average capacity. This would be enjoyed by most people over the age of 30 who like to read, by all history buffs, and by all people who had family members serving in the South Pacific theater.
My overall impression from this one novel - "meh..." - does not make me want to read others by Ms. Kinsella. I didn't feel any interest in the plot/characters in The Undomestic Goddess until the sex scene in the garden - the turning point - which, by the way (the garden sex) was not well written, IMO. It was contrived and would have benefited from deft editing. However, after the love interest was finally established, I finally started to care that the character get her name cleared, and I sped thru the last half of the book. Perhaps it was because it all started to be somewhat less preposterous after that point. Bottom line: If I were stuck on an airplane with nothing to read, I would probably choose this over skymall.
EDIT: Initially, I said something about chick lit. But I retract that. I've read brilliant chick lit before, and really enjoyed it. This just isn't my idea of brilliant.