Good article about the issues still surrounding Stieg Larsson's estate:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/23/magazine/23Larsson-t.html
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
I really enjoyed this book. Someone in my book club picked it but then left the book club before we got to it. Thanks anyway - sorry you decided not to come back!
The book is about a young girl who is sent to live with a foster family at the beginning of WWII in Germany because her mother is a Communist. Her new mother is harsh but cares for her well; her new father is very kind and helps her adjust to her new life by teaching her how to read. Soon after, she develops a lifelong love of books, but finds herself often stealing books she has no other way of acquiring.
Her life gets even more complicated when her best friend is an outcast in Hitler Youth and then her parents secretly hide a Jewish man in their basement for several months during the war.
While this book was told through the eyes of a young girl, it was not exclusively a children's book. Zusak managed to keep the writing simple and the story lively while still describing very adult situations and emotions. His style was reminiscent of Vonnegut - Death (yes, as in 'Death himself') narrated the story and often broke from the action to point out a strange word or frame a story or remind the reader of something. Several times, Zusak has Death reveal a major 'spoiler' from later in the story so as the reader I was forced to pay attention to things other than just the plot.
This might have been the best thing I've read so far this year.
The book is about a young girl who is sent to live with a foster family at the beginning of WWII in Germany because her mother is a Communist. Her new mother is harsh but cares for her well; her new father is very kind and helps her adjust to her new life by teaching her how to read. Soon after, she develops a lifelong love of books, but finds herself often stealing books she has no other way of acquiring.
Her life gets even more complicated when her best friend is an outcast in Hitler Youth and then her parents secretly hide a Jewish man in their basement for several months during the war.
While this book was told through the eyes of a young girl, it was not exclusively a children's book. Zusak managed to keep the writing simple and the story lively while still describing very adult situations and emotions. His style was reminiscent of Vonnegut - Death (yes, as in 'Death himself') narrated the story and often broke from the action to point out a strange word or frame a story or remind the reader of something. Several times, Zusak has Death reveal a major 'spoiler' from later in the story so as the reader I was forced to pay attention to things other than just the plot.
This might have been the best thing I've read so far this year.
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
The Lake Shore Limited by Sue Miller
I always like Sue Miller's books and this was no exception. It is about a woman who loses her lover on 9/11 and has written a play about a man waiting to hear if he's lost his wife in a terrorist train incident. The book begins when the lover's sister is on her way to see the play. Throughout the book, the characters take turns telling their part of the story. Among the characters are the playwright, her lover's sister, one of the actors in her play, and a man the sister is trying to set her up with.
Miller did a great job of picking an interesting set of characters to act as the narrators. She had them tell slightly different versions of the story which built their personalities quickly and strongly. It reminded me of Irene Dos Santos in how the author used the different points of view to tell a particular story.
Another thing I liked about the book is that it takes place in my neighborhood - Boston's South End - and included scenes in several restaurants and theaters that I go to regularly.
The other book this brought to mind was Dubus' Garden of Last Days, because that was also about 9/11. Also a 9/11 book, that one was a more frantic, more direct, novel about the hijackers. This one, in contrast, commented on the Human Condition simply and expertly.
Miller did a great job of picking an interesting set of characters to act as the narrators. She had them tell slightly different versions of the story which built their personalities quickly and strongly. It reminded me of Irene Dos Santos in how the author used the different points of view to tell a particular story.
Another thing I liked about the book is that it takes place in my neighborhood - Boston's South End - and included scenes in several restaurants and theaters that I go to regularly.
The other book this brought to mind was Dubus' Garden of Last Days, because that was also about 9/11. Also a 9/11 book, that one was a more frantic, more direct, novel about the hijackers. This one, in contrast, commented on the Human Condition simply and expertly.
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