Entries from April 2008
One Hundred Years Of Solitude
One Hundred Years Of Solitude, April 2008, 4.5/10.
Written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Published by Penguin.
At university I wrote a distinction grade essay on this book without even reading it, and now I understand why. Although it seems that everyone in the world loved this book, I found it terribly dull, very difficult to follow, a little too crazy, and just not a book that drew me in. I suppose that the magical realism was a little too magical and not quite real enough for me. Funnily enough, I did enjoy the last few chapters (and not just because it was the end), which wrapped up the story very nicely, but it was not enough to salvage the other 380 pages.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: 4.5/10, Fiction, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Magical Realism, South American, Translated Books
Out Stealing Horses
Out Stealing Horses (Translated by Anne Born), April 2008, 7.5/10.
Written by Per Petterson. Published by Graywolf Press.
For a book that was quite lauded by the critics, and a big prize winner, I was actually hoping for a little bit more than what was delivered. The story was, at times, a little bit predictable, but very nicely told overall, and one of those books that keeps the up while keeping the actual writing subdued, which is a nice style to read. I thought that a few of the characters would have been more interesting if they were a bit less mysterious, but that was, in a way, half the point. Also, pretty short – not a long read.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: 7.5/10, Dublin IMPAC Award, Fiction, Per Petterson, Scandinavian, Translated Books
The Ten Year Nap
The Nap Year Nap, April 2008, 6/10.
Written by Meg Wolitzer. Published by Riverhead Books.
I bought this book for [wife], but she didn’t enjoy it (she got to the speculum scene and then threw it in), so I figured I would give it a shot. It was pretty trashy, and super-cliche with the bog standard characters and flashbacks (will this end up on television – perhaps that was the goal, but I doubt it), but behind it all there was still a bit of evidence that same of the issues are relevant to many people, and the different ways people deal with such situations is interesting. The book would have been more enjoyable if it didn’t treat some of the broad feminist issues as less relevant to the personal issues of the characters.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: 6/10, American, Feminism, Fiction, Meg Wolitzer
The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao
The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao, April 2008, 6/10.
Written by Junot Diaz. Published by Riverhead Books.
That this book won a pulitzer is greatly surprising to me. It took a while to get going, but I did finally begin to enjoy the book after a start that made me wonder if I would even finish. The story was interesting but I felt that it never really rose beyond a linear love story that had the benefit of an interesting narrator and narrative perspective. I found the amount of Spanish used without translation frustrating, especially when those phrases were so key to the way the characters felt. Perhaps it was the irrationality and harshness of the characters that prevented me from enjoying this book more than I did.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: 6/10, American, Dominican, Fiction, Junot Diaz, Pulitzer Prize
