I've tried to read this book twice now and I still can't finish it. The book doesn't work for me at all. I don't care enough about the characters to finish. I think I can count on one hand the number of books I haven't been able to finish in my entire life. I wanted to love this book. So many other people have raved about it. People whose opinions I respect. Not happening. I know it's a young adult book, but I don't even think that was the problem. Not sure what is, exactly. Death annoyed me. Death tries too hard to be clever. Or something. Maybe I'll try again in a few months and see what happens.
I'm probably in the minority in thinking this book wasn't as good as The Hunger Games. Still a page turner and world builder and still sent chills up and down my spine, but it seemed hurried this time. Maybe some things glossed over that could have taken more time and detail, especially during the games. I wasn't disappointed, really, but it just wasn't quite as good. Still loved it, though. Great hopes for Mockingjay.
I put off reading this book because I was skeptical of the hype. Well, sorry I waited so long. Loved this book. The dystopian world is so well drawn and fleshed out that it feels more real than in any other dystopian novel I can recall. And it is brutal and unforgiving. Yet Katniss, the main character, has her full measure of heart and integrity which stands in sharp contrast to the state's appalling lack of same. Gripping story, layered characters, and fine writing.
Mr. Feynman, a theoretical physicist and member of the Manhattan Project and Nobel Prize winner, never seemed to grow jaded nor lose the ability to view the world with a child's wide-eyed wonder. Every day was an adventure and a new opportunity to figure something out...including safecracking and the fool proof method of picking up women in bars. And I have never read such an astonishing letter of declination for a job with a salary most people would kill for. I laughed out loud for a long time after reading it. His logic was irrefutable, though. Only Mr. Feynman. The book is a real romp through the mind of a creative genius and a ton of fun.
Another great fantasy read. I love the world Hobb has created in the Rain Wild Chronicles. In Dragon Haven, the writing is still superb, the character development is multi-layered, and the story is developed meticulously...slowly and carefully without ever losing the reader. These are not swiftly paced books, but they are even better for it. This is a truly fine fantasy world with characters that are as real as the ones you meet every day. That goes for the dragons, too. :) I love this author.
I would give this book 3.5 stars if I could. It is not an easy to book to read, being incredibly dense and packed with facts and details. The author did a commendable job arranging so much information in a coherent manner, but I still had to flip back and forth in the book to pick up small details that I'd missed earlier and that were necessary to make sense of the page I was currently reading. It is a frightening look at politics and the non-existent distance between industry and Washington. The military-industrial complex is so woven into the fabric of Washington that you can't tell where one leaves off and the other begins. It touches everything. Kind of makes your skin crawl. After finishing the book, one could absolutely sit back and say, "Ah, that explains a lot."
This is a luscious book filled with positively lyrical writing and unforgettable people and where place takes the main stage. I loved them all and missed them all after I closed the book.
I did enjoy this book and the author is an engaging writer. However. Loving Frank is a novel and that is its flaw. I don't think the author ever reconciled herself to writing a novel about real life individuals for whom she apparently had a high regard. I don't feel as if she ever found her comfort level with novelizing Frank Lloyd Wright, in particular. Unless there were primary sources from which to make a definitive statement, Horan had difficulty taking the liberty to make connections or to take artistic license. Consequently, she never successfully (for me) made the case for why Mamah sacrificed everything (including her children, social acceptance, and financial stability) to follow Wright when he treated her fairly poorly and sacrificed nothing for her. He did not emerge as a likable human being.
It would seem that a novel should have been good vehicle for fleshing out the case for why Mameh gave up everything for this man. At roughly the turn of the century, this wasn't something a woman would do lightly without extremely compelling reasons. Horan never really gave me any and I think Mamah had a lot more depth than displayed in the novel -- even though she was the most developed character in the novel. The others tended to remain cardboard figures. If Horan couldn't make the case, then this shouldn't have been a novel, simply a biography. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it enormously, this being the first I've learned of the incredibly tragic Mameh.
Truman Capote can turn my heart inside out just telling a simple story. Never was there such a writer. And never anyone quite like Holly Golightly.
I can't believe that I laughed my way through a book whose main character considers human vivisection an art form. Not only that, Dexter is totally lovable in spite of himself. First book of the series is very promising. Looking forward to the rest.
I have loved this book for 25 years and I dip into it every couple of years. It never grows old and I can't exactly account for that. It's not the best written book I've ever read, but I think the story is a timeless one about unfulfilled dreams and monotonous responsibility. It is about the only romance novel I can think of that provides the protagonist a brief and glorious escape without a forever-after happy ending. I so love this book.
This book was a surprise. First of all it was on impulse (and owing to an attractive cover) that I pulled it off the library shelf as I walked past. I had never heard of the author nor the book before. Turned out to be well written with unexpected depth. A fine and enjoyable book, indeed.
The book is better than the movie by a wide margin and I LOVED the movie. Several important character differences between book and movie. I'm not sure why they were necessary. Alfred Molina would have made a splendid priest, hm? This is a wonderfully nuanced story with things only hinted at in the movie. Love this book.
Well, although I enjoyed reading the account of this drawn-out disaster and I felt sorry for many of the characters involved (and believe they all could have benefited from an extended session with the therapist), the book is an appalling look at behind the scenes politics. No lie is too egregious if there is money at stake. On the one hand. Then there is the brutally callous way people were used and discarded...and their needy, sycophantic behavior that made it easy for others to use and abuse them. Holy cow. Nobody comes out looking good in this book.
