Book Review: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Fiction. I read this one in March 2015 because it is another one that was selling like mad and was on everybody's hold list. It is a mystery and a thriller set in Australia amongst the mommy culture. It fits well as a good read for an American audience because they can relate to the mommy culture and its judgments: who is the best looking, who is the most devoted mommy, who is in the "it" group of super mommies, who is the outcast single mom who doesn't do all the mommy things properly for suburbia, and so forth. 

The main characters are interesting and the work will keep you guessing, two musts for a decent thriller. I could sympathize with each character and the elements of their lives, even those that are quite different from me (which is pretty much most of them). I always hate reading the bits about domestic violence, so be forewarned, it is in there, but the way the character explains and deals with it was eye opening for me. It was not left as just blank violence but explained from her perspective in an honest manner. I have trouble reviewing thrillers because I do not want to ruin it for anybody else, so I will end with saying it is a good one, well worth your time to read it. There is a reason why this one sold so many copies and is on so many people's library hold list.

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Book Review: Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

Fiction. I read this in February 2015 because it was selling like hotcakes and it seemed to be on everybody's hold list, so why not. It was excellent, one of the best books I have read this year! I learned a ton about elephants (that scary roar from the T-Rex in Jurassic Park is a male elephant), it had fully developed characters, and the mystery was quite good, it kept me guessing throughout. Often I find with mystery or suspense books though that I am sick of waiting to see who did what, and it feels like the rest of the book is just filler: the first page is usually a cliff-hanger (person dying but we don't know who it is), loads of filler, then the last two chapters provide "what really happened" followed by some kind of neat wrap-up of their lives. That formula works and sells a lot of books. Although this one does follow said formula a bit, the middle portion of the book is compelling, you really do want to find out about their lives, the elephants, and what will happen to their sanctuary.

I highly suggest this to mystery lovers, those looking for a compelling little novel, and those who want to know more about elephants (the research was fabulous).

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Book Review: The Giver by Lois Lowry

Fiction.  I read this one because they made it into a movie, the trailers looked pretty good, so I thought I would read the book and then watch the film.  I have not yet watched the movie, but the book I thought was interesting, and it is part of a series, and it does end in a way that leads you on well to want to read the next book.  I have not read the next book either, although I did enjoy this work.  It is for young adults and I think it fits the category well, and it is still complex enough to be a light read that is enjoyable for adults too.

The main character is Jonas, and like most young adult books the main character is unique and doesn't totally fit in, he does not fit a specific role really, so he is chosen to be the next Giver, who holds everybody's memories for them.  This is so that people can go on living their lives in this sort of Utopia without pain and sorrow, but of course this means they also live life without true happiness and joy too.  Everything is always the same and they are unaware of their lack of exposure to true life as we know it.  Jonas eventually learns how to receive the memories and live with them, and in the end he goes off on a quest, pretty much alone, and it seems to end with some hope and a bit of mystery to be solved.

I may one day read some more and I may get the movie one of these days, but I don't feel terribly compelled to do either one.  It was not a bad book, but it was not earth shattering for me.  Again, it is youth reading, so perhaps it is a more powerful read for elementary school children.  Each generation needs their heroes.

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Book Review: Defending Jacob by William Landay

Fiction. I read this novel because it was on the list for CLPL fiction book club last year (April 2014), and I could not go to it, so I was catching up.  I read it in January 2015.  This would be a good one for people who like crime novels that do not have too much gore, with a bit of mystery and thriller tossed in with the questions of how far parents will go to believe their children no matter what, and to defend them no matter what they find out.

The family in the novel consists of the father and attorney Andy Barber, his wife Laurie, and their son Jacob who is accused of stabbing another boy in a park.  There is much back and forth in this book on whether or not Jacob did it, if his parents believe him, if the court will believe him, and whether or not we as the reader, following along with Andy narrating to us, believe in Jacob's innocence or not.  At one point there seems to be a candidate who is more likely than Andy to have committed the crime (a pedophile in the neighborhood), but I constantly wavered back and forth right along with the narrator.

Like any review of a suspenseful book, one struggles with what to include and what not to include, so I will say it is worth the read, especially if you like court related drama, and I will say it has a humdinger of an ending, one I did not see coming at all.

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Book Review: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Fiction.  This is a cute and easy quick read by an Australian author, which I personally do not come across that often.  It is charming, witty, and positively hilarious!  I think if you are a fan of the T.V. show "Big Bang Theory" that you will like this: the entire time I was reading all I could picture and hear in my head was Dr. Sheldon Cooper.  

The story is of a 39-year-old man named Don Tillman, who is a genetics professor and lives one of the most organized and rigidly scheduled and calculated lives I have read about in fiction.  At one point his friends cajole him into giving a talk to children with Aspberger syndrome as a glaring hint: "Does this remind you of anybody?"  But of course, he does not get the hint.  He decides one day that he does indeed want a partner for life, but he has been unsuccessful so far because of his comical lack of social skills, so he starts "The Wife Project" to help him weed out unnecessary candidates and save time.  His questionnaire is exceedingly detailed and exceedingly obsessive in detail.  Somehow, which I will not say and ruin the story, he ends up meeting Rosie, a "barmaid," and hilarity ensues.

Ultimately, this completely humorous story revolves around friendship, love, family, and learning to be a little more flexible in life.  It was a quick read and so much fun!  I highly recommend it for a good laugh and a smile!

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Book Review: A Star for Mrs. Blake by April Smith

Historical Fiction.  This work is based on actual historical circumstances and some of the people in the work (e.g. the young lieutenant) did actually exist and participate in these events.  This is one of the better books I have read in some time, and I have been on a sort of streak of good books lately, if that means anything.  It is difficult to find a book that tells a story about WWI and that is not a long droning on of historical facts only (names, dates, battles, dry as a bone, list after list).  Finding anything related to WWI actually, is a fairly challenging enterprise in comparison to works having to do with WWII, which seem to overwhelm the literary marketplace.  This novel is worth your time, if for no other reason than to think about the actual people, as real human beings,  who lived through WWI, The Great Depression, and faced the inevitability of a devastating second world war.  Sometimes fiction makes it more real for us because we can obtain a better sense of daily life, of the thoughts people had, and of their very real emotions.

This is about the mothers, the women who endured the loss of their children, struggled through The Great Depression with their heads held high, and who did not complain but made due with what they had and could work for, while still maintaining kindness and hope for the future.  They always call the WWII folks "The Greatest Generation," but there were mothers who raised those children with those values.  These women, who had already endured enough suffering for one lifetime before those events even occurred, had to send even more children or grandchildren over to Europe to die for another war that they once again did not understand, but they did so anyway, again without complaint, under the auspices of patriotism.

Now, with something seemingly so heavy you might think this is a dark and serious book, but it is not and the same time that it is, which is difficult to explain.  The history is accurate and tragic, but the women make it endearing, entertaining, and fun to read!  The characters in here are varied but delightful and they experience some pretty comical stuff.  Somehow the author managed to represent a great variety of  Americans at this time, through her inclusion of characters representing hearty New England women, African-Americans from the south, newly emigrated Irish, Jews fleeing Russian persecution, and two elite women suffering their own turmoils despite their privileged lives: one who most certainly had postpartum depression and who was incarcerated in a mental institution, several times,  against her will by her philandering husband, and the other who was suffering from heart problems but told nobody so she could go on the trip.

The story is of the Gold Star Mothers, who the U.S. Congress sent over to France on "pilgrimages," so that they could finally see the graves of their sons.  When their children were killed in WWI, they were initially given a choice of having them either sent home (on their own expense) or to be "patriots" like the president and his wife, who chose to have their sons buried in France where they died.  The women, for various reasons chose to have their sons buried there, and now were finally able to go see the graves and say goodbye, fully funded and treated to first-class accommodations by the government.  The various characters give you an excellent idea of the strength of these women, from all different walks of life, and the relief and joy they felt in each other's company.  

It is not a girly book, it is not cliche, and it is an examination of so many things that I simply cannot believe she fit all of this into one average sized novel.  I think April Smith is one heck of a writer and she must have an incredible editor on her side.  You easily picture Maine, Boston, New York, oversea travel on ships, Paris, and the French countryside, but you do not realize the author is doing it because you are having such a grand time getting to know these funny women!  Although they truly define work ethic and endurance, you do not feel that the author is shoving it in your face, she is merely telling the tale of a few lives, and how they came to know each other on this unique journey.  I cannot recommend this novel enough, it is worth everybody's time.  I learned a good deal and came to know and adore these characters!

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Book Review: Delicious! by Ruth Reichl

Fiction.  This was a wonderful little novel and a definite must for anybody who is a "foodie" of any kind!  I loved the characters, the settings, the author's way with words, and the plot was fantastically interesting too.  The main character is Billie Breslin, who takes a job as an assistant to the editor in NYC at the preeminent food magazine Delicious! (think Gourmet where the author used to work).  The novel follows Billie through the streets of New York as she learns even more about food: she has a perfect palate and can taste almost any ingredient immediately, which helps her land her second job at Fontanellis, a fun and traditional cheese shop, where she is the first non-family member to ever work there (of course they treat her like family though).  The offices of the Delicious! magazine are in a 19th-century mansion, filled with quirky co-workers, beautiful architectural features, and eventually a mystery for Billie to solve.

After the magazine is closed by the owner who wants to focus on their more lucrative magazines put out by Pickwick Publishing, Billie finds herself the only one left behind to answer phone calls, emails, and bizarre letters from people who have utterly destroyed the recipes in the magazine.  Since its inception, the magazine had what is called the "Delicious! Guarantee": try the recipe, if you do not like it we will refund your money for the items you purchased to make it.  A particularly peculiar customer, who calls every single day, does the most disastrous things that you can think of, such as substituting canned oysters for scallops, powdered milk instead of heavy cream, and other comically tragic concoctions.  

As the story continues, Billie and another former employee, Sammy, end up becoming fast friends.  He is at the empty old mansion because Sammy has yet to empty out his office (he was traveling in Marrakesh) and thus he hangs around attempting to help her solve some of the bizarre inquiries from the readers (e.g. requests for recipes dating all the way back to the 1950s).  The two of them end up exploring the library as a result of trying to search for some obscure information, but the library had been locked up for decades, and nobody knew what exactly was inside.  They find themselves trying to solve a mystery related to the correspondence during WWII between a young girl named Lulu and the now infamous James Beard, who worked at the magazine.  I do not want to add more lest I give away any spoilers, so I will say that it is a charming novel, filled with friendships, tragic family histories, mystery, some romance, and of course utter devotion to food which will appeal to gastronomes everywhere.  Give it a read, it will make you smile!

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Book Review: The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Fiction. I was searching for something good to read that was available immediately from my library's digital consortium (I have enough on my hold list), so I looked up Donna Tartt because I enjoyed The Goldfinch immensely (her most recent work, she won The Pulitzer Prize for it).  I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and I love the intelligence of her writing, but she most definitely tackles some deep and disturbing parts of the human psyche; so, if you are looking for something light to read, this is certainly not it.  However, if you are up for something a little more challenging than your average top seller, this is a good one because she is an excellent storyteller.

This work never exactly states what year it is, which I found both profoundly annoying and intriguing at the same time.  I was originally guessing the late 60s but then she mentions some styles of clothing that seem more like the 80s, and then a bit later some things that seem like the 90s (music primarily), so I am still not terribly certain of when exactly the events took place, even though I have finished the work.  I am fairly certain she meant for that to be the point: we live like the eras we identify with, small upscale colleges seem to warp you back to the late 60s when learning was valued before the sole focus now of obtaining a piece of paper to "get you a job," and so that we as readers do not obsess about spotting popular culture, but rather that we focus on the timelessness of these kinds of relationships and the people who have them.

The central story revolves around the protagonist Richard Papen, a small town California man, attending an exclusive college in Vermont called Hampden.  He eventually succeeds in his goal of becoming a part of a tiny group of classics majors, six in all, who center their lives around the tutelage of Professor Julian Morrow.  The work is quite like a Greek tragedy itself, slowly unfolding the background of events that lead up to the death of one of the characters, which we are told about from the very beginning of the novel.  You get everything very Greek in here: murder, incest, much imbibing of alcohol, highbrow thinking simultaneously with lowbrow behavior, the ruling classes, exclusivity, friendship, oddities of love, devotion to learning (not merely memorizing items for a test), and of course a dark ending.  If you are up for something that is complicated but a pleasure to read, if you value the effort real learning takes, and if you like the darker side of humanity, then I recommend this work to you.  Donna Tartt is an amazing writer, and I can see why she spends so much time working on each of her novels (about a decade): they are highly evolved microcosms of humanity, not remotely like easy beach readers that people toss to the side.  The ideas will stew around in your brain for quite some time.

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Sort of Book Review: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Fiction.  I always finish books, ALWAYS, no matter how much I dislike them, I even finished Out Stealing Horses, and I would rather give myself 500 paper cuts at one time and then squeeze lemon juice into the freshly wounded skin than read a word of that one ever again.  But, I just cannot do it.  I gave it about 50 pages and up to her time in Italy for a bit (blathering on and on about gorgeous brown eyes and gelato flavors), and I just cannot bring myself to read one more word.  

Maybe it is because I am hitting that point where I am beginning to realize that I no longer have the patience nor the time for moronic and horrible writers.  I am no longer forced to finish things I hate, I chose this silly thing for my free time, to relax; it is not for a class in graduate school, where and when I had no choice in the matter of assigned texts.  I simply refuse to squander my limited free time for the sole reason of saying "I finished this thing" before declaring that it was indeed a waste of my time.  I cannot read one more silly, idiotic, and vapid word by this woman.  It is a miracle she found somebody to pay her for this content-less drivel about her privileged life, promiscuous nonsense, and absolutely zero insight about anything at all.  I thought the title sounded promising and interesting, but I should have known better when I read the reviews.  So, I am walking away, and never touching this worthless nonsense again.

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Book Review: The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Fiction.  Do not be deceived by the title like I was initially.  It kept popping up on my "recommended for you" list on my library's digital consortium and I could not figure out (#1) why, with that kind of title, because I did not want a book constantly trying to convert me to Christianity (I read loads of religious/mythological texts, so I thought that was the reason it was recommended to me), and (#2) I could not place the author's name for the life of me, nor how I knew it.  After reading about half of it and checking something on the library site, I finally saw that she is the woman who wrote Animal, Vegetable, Miracle which I read for my non-fiction book club at the library.  This work is definitely not about growing your own food/eating locally sourced food in the U.S. (though that was a fantastic book) and it is definitely not about making Jesus your personal savior.

This is an excellent novel, and the version I borrowed had a marvelous section by the author about how she writes, why she wrote this work, and why she was examining it again, even though she never does that with her books (a t.v. mini-series was in the works apparently).  Normally when Kingsolver finishes a book she is done, send the kids off to the world on their own type of approach.  I am glad I read about her working methods and reasons for writing the book first, so if you can get that copy you should do so, it was quite informative and useful.

This work follows the Price family during their time on an evangelical mission by their father, Nathan Price, a baptist minister, to the Belgian Congo beginning in 1959.  Each section is written by either the mother or one of the four girls.  Kingsolver is terribly gifted at portraying the right voice for each of these characters, and changes them appropriately as they grow into adult women.  I do not want to state too much about plot, lest I ruin it for the reader, but the way the characters evolve and change because of their experiences in the Congo, other African nations, and in the U.S. is astounding.  I am sure readers will identify or side with at least one or two of the characters, and they are likely to dislike one or two of them as well.  I never cared for Rachel, she was a spoiled and vapid airhead the whole way through, I could not fathom her points of view nor how she never changed from the ages of 16 to 50 in her dippy-ness and shallowness.  People who are trying to grow or buy any kind of food to eat, just so they can survive another day, do not care about changing from coral to pink nail-polish and being a season behind, boo-hoo.  I found her completely shallow and appalling.  But that's just my perspective.

I would recommend this work to those who want to learn a little bit of the history of an African nation in a time of government changes, what life is like in Africa for an outsider, how girls face real adversity and become strong women, grief, loss, and the way we love our blinders on in life.  The things we do not learn about astound me.

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Book Review: The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

Fiction.  This was the book I had intended to read by Lahiri, but I checked it out twice from my library's digital consortium and never managed to read it during the busy semester.  So, at the end of the semester here, I was able to check out the short stories first, and then this novel.  I am glad I read them in that order though, because I was set up for her style and insights before reading the novel.  

This one focuses on a Bengali boy who ends up going by his family name, Gogol, instead of his good name for most of his life.  It is explained in the work, that Bengalis give their children two names: one to be used amongst family and at home, another to be used in public, for things like school, jobs and so forth.  However, the tradition was also to have an older woman in the family give him his name, but the Gangulis never received the letter.  When time ran out and they had to put something on a certificate, figuring they could change it later when the letter finally arrived, they put down his nickname, Gogol, after a Russian writer that was important to his father.

Gogol is vexed throughout the work by his name and what it represents to him, not knowing where his father actually obtained it until much into Gogol's adulthood.  He is constantly walking the line between wanting to honor his parents and his heritage while simultaneously growing up as an American and wanting to be like other boys/men in the U.S.

It is an excellent work, and I would recommend it to all readers, but especially those interested in learning something about one of India's many cultural groups, the issues faced by immigrants and their families, and how we form our identities as we grow up.

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Book Review: Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

Fiction - Short Stories.  I am not usually a big fan of the short story genre, but this is an excellent work that I totally recommend.  Lahiri has included a number of short stories related to the different ways contemporary Indians are living today, both in India and the U.S., with different perspectives and voices in each.  The one that stuck with me the most was the car driver in India who takes tourists to different locations in India, to show them the sacred sites and beautiful views, as one of his jobs.  The family he is driving around is from the U.S. and they have come to India to go sightseeing and learn something about their heritage.  The driver/tour guide observes some details about them, ones that most of us born and raised in the U.S. would not even think about as standing out or as odd.  Lahiri has a marvelous writer's voice and knows her characters well, she includes everything from negotiating marriage and children, how to reconnect with each other when electricity is taken away and we are not distracted by our separate lives, to trying to learn about our past.  I recommend this to those interested in Indian culture, issues that immigrants and their families face, and those looking for good stories that give incite on the human condition.

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Book Review: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Fiction.  Many of the reviews I read of this one said it was inferior to her other more recent two novels, but I thought it was excellent, Flynn really knows how to write about unstable women quite well.  I am not sure how she has tapped into this skill, but she writes interesting mysteries that always keep you guessing until the very end of the work, and which treat unstable women in a way that is not pitying them nor making them frightening.  They are definitely scary, but more because they are disturbed and we fear becoming disturbed ourselves, it seems that line is easy enough to cross and to understand why one would cross those lines when reading her books.  Flynn has a real gift.  I would again recommend her works to those who like mysteries and who are interested in the dark recesses of the human psyche, especially from people leading seemingly "normal" lives.

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Book Review: Love Anthony by Lisa Genova

Fiction.  I really enjoy Lisa Genova's books, you know you are reading the words of a medical authority and an excellent writer, not an easy combination to find in fiction.  I was a little worried I would not enjoy this, since the reviews I read had people stating their disappointment, or often their love for it because they have a child with autism.  I do not have a child with autism and I was not disappointed with the book; however, I do agree that Still Alice and Left Neglected were better books.  

I still would recommend reading this book, but I would be remiss if I did not state that the other novels were better.  Part of this, I think, is the glowing humor she had in her last book, Left Neglected, and that is not present in this work.  The writing in Love Anthony is still stellar though, you have no problem picturing everything she describes, but I did find the coincidences between the woman writing the novel about a boy with autism (Beth) and the woman whose son died a little hokey (Olivia).  The whole question if he was speaking through her or random coincidence just did not ring true.  Overall though, I would recommend this book.

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Book Review: Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Fiction.  Similar to Gone Girl, it is fairly hard to say something without revealing anything, but like Gone Girl it is completely worth your time, and you will just keep guessing, all the way to the end.  The main character is Libby Day, whose family was massacred when she was seven years-old (her mother and two sisters were murdered).  She is now in her thirties, with her brother is in jail for those murders, and the rest of the story revolves around her hunting down fragments of what actually happened that day, from her father, brother, and other characters.  It is an off-putting crime but an enigmatic book, definitely worth your time.  I completely recommend it!

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Book Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

There is really no way to review this without throwing something into the mix that might ruin reading it.  So, I will simply say read it, there is a reason why so many people have read it!  I am not usually a crime-thriller person for my reading choices, but it was worth it.  I definitely thought I figured things out about a dozen times or so but I and never actually did, she is good.  Flynn is an excellent writer, compels you to read more, and makes it so you never figure everything out and in a way that does not make you feel stupid.  I got a good deal on all three of her works for Nook from B&N as a package ($19 for the three books) so I am marathoning through each of them.  If you are looking for a great fiction read this is it, I completely recommend it and the author!

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Book Review: Revival by Stephen King

Fiction.  This is a fairly short one for Stephen King, only a few hundred pages.  The last couple of books he has written were all pretty short for his normal "by-the-pound" style as some have called it, even himself.  I am not sure why: publisher? attention span of the public? less time to write as he gets older? writing something else massive on the side over a long period of time (I hope)?  

He does follow his usual style though and makes this one about people, about what it means to be a human being, as all good books and writers ultimately do with their works.  Unlike Mr. Mercedes, this one is back at including something a little off, a little supernatural, but you do not hear too much about that until the end of the work, and I do believe he is tying it back to the Dark Tower series.  He said before that all of his works do tie to that series in some way, and it is his magnum opus after all.  King also refers back to Joyland in this one too, a fun little nod for avid readers of his work, and let's face it, those who read Stephen King are all avid readers in the end, as long as they make it past one work and especially if they read the Dark Tower series.

This one follows the life of Jamie Morton, starting first in his childhood, and then jumping forward to his adult years where he faces a life on the road as a backup guitarist and struggles with addiction.  There is also some interesting plot elements having to do with a preacher and his obsession with electricity and lightning, but I won't say too much, less I ruin it for other readers.  I enjoyed this book and thought the price for the eBook version at $11 for a new release was pretty reasonable, thanks B&N!  I also believe this would be a good one for those who are new to Stephen King because it is not too long, it is not too gruesome, and it has some wonderfully quotable lines too.  So grab a copy and enjoy!

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Book Review: The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

Fiction, originally in French, translated by Alison Anderson.  This is one of the best books I have read in a long time!  I enjoyed every minute of reading this book, even when I had to re-read lines occasionally to make sure I grasped the complicated philosophy the main characters were debating and explaining.  The setting is an expensive French apartment building with some very well-to-do and very bourgeois occupants.  The chapters alternate between two characters narrating, the first is Renee, the 54-year-old concierge who takes care of the building and who does not want anybody to know how intelligent she is (loves Tolstoy), feeling it is her duty to fulfill everybody's preconceived notions of what her role is in society.  The other narrating voice is that of Paloma, a 12-year-old girl who is a genius and a resident of the building, who hates the hypocrisy she sees all around here, and who feels she has learned everything there is to know about life.  So, she declares she will kill herself on her thirteenth birthday and set her parents' apartment on fire.  She has planned it out logically, her reasons seem to have sense, and she is going to make certain nobody is hurt in the process.  In the meantime, she will start two journals to see if there is anything she missed that would make continuing to live have some point or meaning or something else for her to learn.

The best way I can explain the feel of this book is the film Amelie.  It is quirky, funny, deeply serious, and yet it feels light and you cannot put it down or turn away from the work.  The plot description makes it sound dark and depressing, but it really is filled with wonderful philosophy in a way that is approachable, with tons of wonderful nuggets and quotations about life and what it means to be human, and ultimately displays hope even with elements of great sadness and loneliness.  I knew I loved Renee the moment she put Structuralism in its place and called it out for its nonsense!  She also happens to love some of my other favorite things: Japanese culture (particularly the Tea Ceremony), good films, and Dutch still-lifes.  So, I am probably pretty biased with this character since we have several interests in common, except Tolstoy, I am still dealing with War and Peace and I am none too sure I will ever finish it.

I won't say too much more because I would not want to ruin it for others.  But I will say read it, the book is quite worth your time!  One of my favorite quotations from the work is: “What we know of the world is only the idea that our consciousness forms of it.”

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Book Review: All Our Names by Dinaw Mengestu

Fiction.  It was O.K., not exciting, but not terrible.  I think the author gets you to hang on by not telling you the real name of "Isaac," so I will save you the suspense, he never does.  The characters seemed shallow to me, as in not fully realized.  If you are dying to read a novel about Africa that is short and not very challenging go for it, otherwise, meh.

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Book Review: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Fiction.  This one I picked up because I read a review of it in the New York Times by Stephen King.  He seemed pretty enthusiastic about it, and I do like his books, so why not.  It was an excellent read, but the length is not for the feint of heart at over 700 pages.  It is a complex story with many layers, but it primarily focuses on relationships between people and what it means to be human, like most great books do.  There is an explosion at a museum, a stolen painting, the loss of a parent, an unlikely mentor relationship, furniture restoration, deceit, and all sorts of goodies.  If you are looking for a worthwhile book to spend time with, this is it.  And yes, it did win the Pulitzer for Fiction in 2014, and this time I actually agree with them.

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