This book was Of Mice and Men meets "Fatal Attraction". It was an odd and unsettling combination. I have to admit that I am having a hard time writing this review. I did not enjoy this book, and as a result I took longer to read than I normally would. I am struggling to think of good points for the novel.
It was well written. The author paints a wonderful visual picture. The reader can vividly picture the setting and the characters. It is not a picture one wants to stand and gaze upon.
The characters are completely unlikeable. Perhaps, it was because the author stressed the negative points of their emotions so much. While I realize that negative emotions are part of being human, I prefer not to have them thrown in my face with every other paragraph. There has to be some image or allusion to something better. Without a small ray of sunshine or the possibility of a small degree of happiness, I was left feeling depressed myself. Even the love interest of the main character leaves a slightly sour taste in your mouth.
The book explores infidelity, jealousy, social stigma, prostitution, child abuse, guilt, and obsessive love. The characters make horrible choice after horrible choice after horrible choice. I had to work to stay interested, and by the end I did not really care what happened to the characters. This was not my type of book. Maybe you will like it, but it not on my list to recommend to anyone.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
The Fault in Our Stars
So much for my hope to review one book a week. I promise to be better. (That is probably a lie.) This week's book was The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I love a good work of fiction. This particular work of fiction was fantastic. It gently touches your heart, and then moves on to rip it out of your chest Temple of Doom style. Kalima... Kalima...
I didn't expect to be able to relate to the characters in the book. They were teenagers and I am pushing thirty. I had the unfortunate experience of being able to relate to the teenagers and the parents in this book. When you start a book centered around children that have cancer, you do so with the knowledge that at least one or possibly most of them are going to die. The title is indicative of a Shakespearean tragedy of star crossed lovers. It is so much more.
I suppose it is the fault of human nature that makes you hope for a happy ending. You wish the best for people, even if they are fictional. I kept thinking it would end happily. I kept hoping it would end happily. The truth, and maybe even part of the point of the book, is that not everyone gets a happy ending. Parents lose children every day. Love is lost and gained. There are some, the lucky ones, that get to experience life to its fullest. There are some that slide through life on autopilot. There are some that hope for one more day.
The book makes you think. Unfortunately, many new works of fiction don't inspire this experience. When I finished (at about one in the morning), I laid there with tears running down my face. Suddenly, I was so grateful for the time I have. Be it through a work of fate or God, I am blessed with a family and the time to enjoy them. My children are healthy, and I pray they will stay this way. Statistically, the odds aren't in my favor. I can only hope there isn't a fault somewhere in their stars, as every mother does.
The Fault in Our Stars touched me in a way a book hasn't for a long time. It is one of those books I don't think I will ever recover from. Never before has a book touched me so deeply nor have I ever felt the loss of a character so keenly. It is a truly wonderful read. Just make sure you are prepared for some serious emotional trauma, and have the tissues ready.
I didn't expect to be able to relate to the characters in the book. They were teenagers and I am pushing thirty. I had the unfortunate experience of being able to relate to the teenagers and the parents in this book. When you start a book centered around children that have cancer, you do so with the knowledge that at least one or possibly most of them are going to die. The title is indicative of a Shakespearean tragedy of star crossed lovers. It is so much more.
I suppose it is the fault of human nature that makes you hope for a happy ending. You wish the best for people, even if they are fictional. I kept thinking it would end happily. I kept hoping it would end happily. The truth, and maybe even part of the point of the book, is that not everyone gets a happy ending. Parents lose children every day. Love is lost and gained. There are some, the lucky ones, that get to experience life to its fullest. There are some that slide through life on autopilot. There are some that hope for one more day.
The book makes you think. Unfortunately, many new works of fiction don't inspire this experience. When I finished (at about one in the morning), I laid there with tears running down my face. Suddenly, I was so grateful for the time I have. Be it through a work of fate or God, I am blessed with a family and the time to enjoy them. My children are healthy, and I pray they will stay this way. Statistically, the odds aren't in my favor. I can only hope there isn't a fault somewhere in their stars, as every mother does.
The Fault in Our Stars touched me in a way a book hasn't for a long time. It is one of those books I don't think I will ever recover from. Never before has a book touched me so deeply nor have I ever felt the loss of a character so keenly. It is a truly wonderful read. Just make sure you are prepared for some serious emotional trauma, and have the tissues ready.
Monday, July 15, 2013
The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope Review ~ CAUTION SPOILERS
You might know me as The Desperate Mom. If you have read my other blog thedesperatemom.blogspot.com (thank you thank you thank you), you know that when I am not being driven stark raving mad by my three children I am an avid reader. If you haven't read my other blog, what is wrong with you? I'm funny. Read it. (Please?) The other day while looking for a new author to capture my interest I came across a list on Goodreads.com (http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/book-club-2013) entitled Popular Book Club 2013 Books. I checked it out. There is a veritable smorgasbord of new authors and classic titles. So I decided to put my voracious book appetite to work and review these new and interesting works of literature. I am going to try to do one a week. We will see how that goes. Remember, I have a family that depends on me. When I am not insane that is...
The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope is written by Rhonda Riley. It is her debut novel. It was one of those books that you can't put down unless it is to throw it against the wall in a fit of rage and despair. It is the story of one woman's life, love, and loss. The beginning of her story is set in the small town of Clarion, North Carolina during the latter part of World War II.
When a book begins with the loss of a beloved family member, it does not bode well for the emotional stability of the main character or the poor soul reading their story. Death indeed comes early for Evelyn Roe. A beloved aunt passes leaving Evelyn to tend to the farm alone. It is the inheritance of the farm that changes her life forever.
During a storm one night she literally unearths a creature. This creature quickly morphs into a mirror image of Evelyn. While this shocks the people in town and closest to Evelyn, they quickly accept a quickly concocted story that the creature, now dubbed Addie, is a long lost relative. Addie and Evelyn settle into life on the farm and with each other. Eventually, the become lovers. (Guys with twin fantasies, this is your book!) I am not sure what it says about Evelyn that she falls in love with a mirror image of herself. Rampant sexual narcissism, maybe? I'm sure Freud would have a field day.
Life goes on. Eventually Addie sees a flaw in their plan. The flaw being that since she is female the two women cannot conceive a child. She she leaves one day and comes back as Adam. At this point I wanted to throw the book up in the air and walk away. The story goes on with Evelyn learning to love this new form of the creature she adores. They marry and have a family. Little half human half whatever-the-hell-it-is babies.
There is more death and tragic loss. The family cuts ties and relocates to Florida. They survive the free love and drugs of the sixties. Evelyn eventually begins to notice that she is aging while Adam remains ever the same. This realization causes no end of emotional upheaval for the couple. The children move away and start families of their own. This leaves the couple with more time to focus on each other and the differences between them. There is spiraling depression and a trip that end in tragedy. Evelyn ends her life with those she loves most and the realization that she was blessed beyond all human understanding.
While I eventually enjoyed the book, there were some details that drove me crazy. How would they have been able to get a marriage license or for Adam to get a driver's license? He had no record of ever existing. He literally came from no where. The ending bothered me most of all. It had this rushed feeling to it. Like the author didn't quite know how to work through the characters' issues so she just kills one of them off. When I finished the book, it wasn't with the sigh of happiness but the rage of emotional trauma from a work of fiction. I smacked the book against the bed next to me a few times. (It was a library book. I didn't want to actually damage it.)
So all in all a good read. I give it 3.5 out of 5. Strange, heart wrenching, and otherworldly.
The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope is written by Rhonda Riley. It is her debut novel. It was one of those books that you can't put down unless it is to throw it against the wall in a fit of rage and despair. It is the story of one woman's life, love, and loss. The beginning of her story is set in the small town of Clarion, North Carolina during the latter part of World War II.
When a book begins with the loss of a beloved family member, it does not bode well for the emotional stability of the main character or the poor soul reading their story. Death indeed comes early for Evelyn Roe. A beloved aunt passes leaving Evelyn to tend to the farm alone. It is the inheritance of the farm that changes her life forever.
During a storm one night she literally unearths a creature. This creature quickly morphs into a mirror image of Evelyn. While this shocks the people in town and closest to Evelyn, they quickly accept a quickly concocted story that the creature, now dubbed Addie, is a long lost relative. Addie and Evelyn settle into life on the farm and with each other. Eventually, the become lovers. (Guys with twin fantasies, this is your book!) I am not sure what it says about Evelyn that she falls in love with a mirror image of herself. Rampant sexual narcissism, maybe? I'm sure Freud would have a field day.
Life goes on. Eventually Addie sees a flaw in their plan. The flaw being that since she is female the two women cannot conceive a child. She she leaves one day and comes back as Adam. At this point I wanted to throw the book up in the air and walk away. The story goes on with Evelyn learning to love this new form of the creature she adores. They marry and have a family. Little half human half whatever-the-hell-it-is babies.
There is more death and tragic loss. The family cuts ties and relocates to Florida. They survive the free love and drugs of the sixties. Evelyn eventually begins to notice that she is aging while Adam remains ever the same. This realization causes no end of emotional upheaval for the couple. The children move away and start families of their own. This leaves the couple with more time to focus on each other and the differences between them. There is spiraling depression and a trip that end in tragedy. Evelyn ends her life with those she loves most and the realization that she was blessed beyond all human understanding.
While I eventually enjoyed the book, there were some details that drove me crazy. How would they have been able to get a marriage license or for Adam to get a driver's license? He had no record of ever existing. He literally came from no where. The ending bothered me most of all. It had this rushed feeling to it. Like the author didn't quite know how to work through the characters' issues so she just kills one of them off. When I finished the book, it wasn't with the sigh of happiness but the rage of emotional trauma from a work of fiction. I smacked the book against the bed next to me a few times. (It was a library book. I didn't want to actually damage it.)
So all in all a good read. I give it 3.5 out of 5. Strange, heart wrenching, and otherworldly.
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