18 posts tagged “novel”

Synopsis: "Oskar Schell is not your average nine-year-old. A budding inventor, he spends his time imagining wonderful creations. He also collects random photographs for his scrapbook and sends letters to scientists. When his father dies in the World Trade Center collapse, Oskar shifts his boundless energy to a quest for answers. He finds a key hidden in his father's things that doesn't fit any lock in their New York City apartment; its container is labeled "Black." Using flawless kid logic, Oskar sets out to speak to everyone in New York City with the last name of Black. A retired journalist who keeps a card catalog with entries for everyone he's ever met is just one of the colorful characters the boy meets. As in Everything Is Illuminated (Houghton, 2002), Foer takes a dark subject and works in offbeat humor with puns and wordplay. But Extremely Loud pushes further with the inclusion of photographs, illustrations, and mild experiments in typography reminiscent of Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions (Dell, 1973). The humor works as a deceptive, glitzy cover for a fairly serious tale about loss and recovery. For balance, Foer includes the subplot of Oskar's grandfather, who survived the World War II bombing of Dresden. Although this story is not quite as evocative as Oskar's, it does carry forward and connect firmly to the rest of the novel. The two stories finally intersect in a powerful conclusion that will make even the most jaded hearts fall." (from School Library Journal)

Impressions: Excellent book! One of the best of the year!

Rating: 5 of 5 stars.

Synopsis: "Like many of Murakami Haruki's English reading fans, I read A Wild Sheep Chase and Dance Dance Dance without knowledge that the former book was the third in a trilogy and that the latter book was an addition that came a few years later. However, if the reader pays closer attention to A Wild Sheep Chase one can really see that the characters within the book seem to be established and that they already have their personal histories which are not coming completely new from the pages of A Wild Sheep Chase. Almost a year after picking up A Wild Sheep Chase for the first time, I read Jay Rubin's highly informative book Haruki Murakami & the Music of Words and learned about Murakami's first two novels: Hear the Wind Sing and Pinball, 1973 both of which had been translated into English by Alfred Birnbaum.

Hear the Wind Sing begins with the narrator, aged 29, talking about writing and how difficult it was for him to finally put down words on paper. It took him eight years in fact to put down his thoughts on the summer of 1970 and the people he was involved with during that year. Why 1970? 1970 was the year after the student activist group the Zenkyoto was forced out of the building they had commandeered and soon afterwards those who had been its greatest supporters were sucked back into the system to become automatons of mainstream society. For Murakami, the destruction of the student movement left a deep wound in his being and it pained him to see his fellows go to a more conservative, rightist path.

However, within the being of the narrator it might be hard to find a politically charged individual. This is instead found within the being of the narrator's best friend the Rat. Yet, the Rat's sense of aggravation towards modern society is quite impotent, so he instead fills his emptiness with beer and liquor. The Narrator, a more introspective fellow, spends his time consumed in the books of dead writers, the memories of his dead girlfriend, and pursuing the girl with four fingers on her left hand.

At the time he wrote this thin tome, Murakami owned a jazz bar called the Peter Cat and had little time for actual writing so his sentences within this volume tended to be quite pithy. Also, the short, pithy styles of Kurt Vonnegut and Richard Brautigan influenced his writing. The book itself is more a collection of vignettes than one coherent novel and the order of the book was originally quite different that the final version.

While it does not hold a candle to some of his later works, Murakami's first novel is quite important in his body of work and it shows his early interest in such subjects as language, memory, China, and the student movement. Definitely a book worth seeking for the Murakami fan, hopefully, one day, along with Pinball, 1973, it will be given a wider release to Murakami's English reading fans." (by Michael W.)

Rating: 5 of 5 stars.

Synopsis: "Fragments of a Great Secret have been found in the oral traditions, in literature, in religions and philosophies throughout the centuries. For the first time, all the pieces of The Secret come together in an incredible revelation that will be life-transforming for all who experience it. In this book, you'll learn how to use The Secret in every aspect of your life -- money, health, relationships, happiness, and in every interaction you have in the world. You'll begin to understand the hidden, untapped power that's within you, and this revelation can bring joy to every aspect of your life. The Secret contains wisdom from modern-day teachers -- men and women who have used it to achieve health, wealth, and happiness. By applying the knowledge of The Secret, they bring to light compelling stories of eradicating disease, acquiring massive wealth, overcoming obstacles, and achieving what many would regard as impossible." (from back of book)

Impressions: Absolute bologna.

Rating: 1 of 5 stars.

Synopsis: "Sparks logs more miles on the winding high road of romance with the story of two middle-aged people who meet by chance in the small North Carolina coastal town of Rodanthe. The impassioned but doomed romance seems to owe much to Robert James Waller's The Bridges of Madison County. Once again, a housewife who has focused on everyone but herself indulges in a brief, intense, secret affair with a stranger who changes her life forever. As the story begins, Adrienne Willis is 60, the divorced mother of three grown children. To help her troubled daughter cope with the untimely recent death of her husband, Adrienne tells her the tale of her love affair, which took place 15 years before. At the time, Adrienne was an uptight matron whose ex-husband had just left her for a younger woman. This rejection colors her entire life, and Sparks realistically portrays a vulnerable and isolated woman who throws herself into raising her children to escape her despair. Paul Flanner, her paramour, is a surgeon and an obsessive workaholic with no genuine connection to his wife or son, whose world completely falls apart when one of his patients inexplicably dies. Sparks builds a taut, plausible relationship between his protagonists, but even fans may be irked by the obviousness of their story and the inevitability of their fate." (from Publishers Weekly)

Impressions: I couldn't genuinly relate to any of the characters. I found the book somewhat... eerie? The retelling of the story from Adrienne to her daughter subtracts from Sparks' presence... but I couldn't really feel like I was there, next to, listening with, or inside her. The book seemed more like a 'tale' (of an affair) than a novel or a work of fiction. Not entirely engaging; somewhat more like a harlequin romance novel. I guess there is a pretty large audience for that genre anyway, despite. I'm still in the midst of reading Sparks' The Rescue and about six other books (by different authors). The Rescue is a bit more fast-paced as the characters are younger and less... nostalgic? There was this one line from Nights in Rodanthe that stuck with me... I think it went something like this: "Young people are always looking towards the future and for what has yet to come in order to discover their happiness, but it is the older generations who are always looking toward the past for that same happiness." Kind of like Fleetwood Mac's "Silver Girl"... people don't know what they want, and if they do...

Rating: 2 of 5 stars.

Synopsis: "America's first psychological novel, Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is a dark tale of love, crime, and revenge set in colonial New England. It revolves around a single, forbidden act of passion that forever alters the lives of three members of a small Puritan community: Hester Prynne, an ardent and fierce woman who bears the punishment of her sin in humble silence; the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, a respected public figure who is inwardly tormented by long-hidden guilt; and the malevolent Roger Chillingworth, Hester's husband--a man who seethes with an Ahab-like lust for vengeance. The landscape of this classic novel is uniquely American, but the themes it explores are universal--the nature of sin, guilt, and penitence, the clash between our private and public selves, and the spiritual and psychological cost of living outside society. Constructed with the elegance of a Greek tragedy, The Scarlet Letter brilliantly illuminates the truth that lies deep within the human heart." (from back of book)

Impressions: What a story! I know that this will sound cheesy, but this book was captivating! The plot, the twits, the turns, the surprises. I was seldom able to imagine what was just around the bend. A very tormenting storyline. Just makes you want to think time and time again about what Oe means by "Teach Us To Outgrow Our Madness"! Damn you societal expectations!

Rating: 5 of 5 stars.

Synopsis: "Part exuberant celebrator, part human Murakami encyclopedia, Rubin, a Harvard professor of Japanese Literature and a Murakami translator, puts about the author's life and writing under a microscope in this homage to all things Murakami. The internationally bestselling Murakami began publishing at age 30, while he and his wife ran Peter Cat, a Tokyo jazz club, and, as the title of this volume suggests, Murakami's writing is filled with musical references. Rubin starts by introducing the reader to "The 1963/1982 Girl from Ipanema," "one of Murakami's most musical stories." Rubin delves into Murakami's obsessions, from animals (particularly cats) to detachment, sex and hunger, by breaking down many of Murakami's stories and all of his novels. Rubin's plot summaries can go on too long before he gets to his critique, but his analyses are colorful and heartfelt, opening new ways of understanding the coolly surreal Murakami. Only in a few instances does Rubin point out a misstep, such as in Sputnik Sweetheart. Quips Rubin: "In one of the worst lines of the book, the narrator actually thinks to himself: 'Sumire went over to the other side. That would explain a lot.' Indeed it would, just as the existence of gremlins would explain how my glasses moved from my desk to the dining-room table." While Rubin states this book is for other Murakami fans, casual Murakami readers and those baffled by the writer's works could gain something from this volume." (from Publishers Weekly)

Impressions: Good book. Good insight. Much of the information I already knew or had picked up. Not much added to my knowledge of Murakami. To other readers, though, probably lots of new info. Not really an autobiography. More a bunch of info about the author and various quotes from interviews. A little bit about his wife who keeps even more private than himself. Interesting.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars.

Synopsis: "In the prologue to his latest novel, Nicholas Sparks makes the rather presumptuous pledge "first you will smile, and then you will cry," but sure enough, he delivers the goods. With his calculated ability to throw your heart around like a yo-yo (try out his earlier Message in the Bottle or The Notebook if you really want to stick it to yourself), Sparks pulls us back to the perfect innocence of a first love.

In 1958 Landon Carter is a shallow but well-meaning teenager who spends most of his time hanging out with his friends and trying hard to ignore the impending responsibilities of adulthood. Then Landon gets roped into acting the lead in the Christmas play opposite the most renowned goody two-shoes in town: Jamie Sullivan. Against his best intentions and the taunts of his buddies, Landon finds himself falling for Jamie and learning some central lessons in life." (from Amazon.com)

Impressions: A bit too cliche. I was able to guess what was coming far too soon for the story to have any real jolt or impact. The characters are a little too unbelievable: There's always this one character like Jaime, no matter what. I liked Spark's small-town setting and community, though. Nice in 1958. Impressionable North Carolina, good country setting.

Rating: 3 of 5 stars.

Synopsis: In 1932, two North Carolina teenagers from opposite sides of the tracks fall in love. Spending one idyllic summer together in the small town of New Bern, Noah Calhoun and Allie Nelson do not meet again for 14 years. Noah has returned from WWII to restore the house of his dreams, having inherited a large sum of money. Allie, programmed by family and the "caste system of the South" to marry an ambitious, prosperous man, has become engaged to powerful attorney Lon Hammond. When she reads a newspaper story about Noah's restoration project, she shows up on his porch step, re-entering his life for two days. Will Allie leave Lon for Noah? What renders Sparks's sentimental story somewhat distinctive are two chapters, which take place in a nursing home in the '90s, that frame the central story. The first sets the stage for the reading of the eponymous notebook, while the later one takes the characters into the land beyond happily ever after, a future rarely examined in books of this nature. Early on, Noah claims that theirs may be either a tragedy or a love story, depending on the perspective. (from Publisher's Weekly)

Impressions: Thus I began book number one. After Message in a Bottle, I wondered how Sparks would write a novel that would elicit similar feelings without readers already knowing the storyline beforehand. I liked the setting in the Southwest; the time period taking place shortly at the end of World War II. It seemed a very short, minimalist, and simple story consisting of very few characters. Because it was so short and enthralling it took just a few hours to read. The beginning was somewhat confusing because I failed to understand who was who due to the omission of names. Sparks carried this forth when switching the setting to a 1990's nursing home where Noah and Allie had been forced to live out the end of their lives. I liked the characters of Noah and Allie more so than Theresa and Garrett. I think the reasons for this are because 1) The story was (though not entirely) a happy ending story and 2) Both Noah and Allie understood each other, even if it was once in the past, and that their devotion for one other stood the test of time. It was very disheartening that Allie was forced to suffer from Alzheimer's, for it was the memory of the love they shared that was made victim of the disease. I know how very devastating it is: My grandmother developed it about several years before and it was hard to watch and be with her and comfort her as it progressed and began stealing her entire memory. At first it was very slow and my mom had spent a long time reading about how to care for and deal with the oncoming progresion... but it took no more than 4 or 5 years before it had taken its final toll, despite our best efforts. The brief moments of sudden realization that Noah helped to inspire in Allie were what radiated the very last rays of hope into this almost fate-decided story. As Sparks I think knew, we are all subject to time-- and the lives that we lead and the lives that we have led, no matter the consequences of age and the results of loss, will forever hold the memory of love and caring for those that we cherish. There is something great in the simplicity of such stories and I believe that Sparks understands well the range of human emotion.

Rating: 5 of 5 stars.

Synopsis: "Outside, even through the shut window pane, the world looked cold. Down in the street little eddies of wind were whirling dust and torn paper into spirals, and though the sun was shining and the sky a harsh blue, there seemed to be no color in anything except the posters that were plastered everywhere." The year is 1984; the scene is London, largest population center of Airstrip One. Airstrip One is part of the vast political entity Oceania, which is eternally at war with one of two other vast entities, Eurasia and Eastasia. At any moment, depending upon current alignments, all existing records show either that Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia and allied with Eastasia, or that it has always been at war with Eastasia and allied with Eurasia. Winston Smith knows this, because his work at the Ministry of Truth involves the constant "correction" of such records. "'Who controls the past,' ran the Party slogan, 'controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.'" In a grim city and a terrifying country, where Big Brother is always Watching You and the Thought Police can practically read your mind, Winston is a man in grave danger for the simple reason that his memory still functions. He knows the Party's official image of the world is a fluid fiction. He knows the Party controls the people by feeding them lies and narrowing their imaginations through a process of bewilderment and brutalization that alienates each individual from his fellows and deprives him of every liberating human pursuit from reasoned inquiry to sexual passion. Drawn into a forbidden love affair, Winston finds the courage to join a secret revolutionary organization called The Brotherhood, dedicated to the destruction of the Party. Together with his beloved Julia, he hazards his life in a deadly match against the powers that be. Newspeak, doublethink, thoughtcrime--in 1984, George Orwell created a whole vocabulary of words concerning totalitarian control that have since passed into our common vocabulary. More importantly, he has portrayed a chillingly credible dystopia. In our deeply anxious world, the seeds of unthinking conformity are everywhere in evidence; and Big Brother is always looking for his chance. (from Amazon.com)

Impressions: Once again, this was another Librivox audiorecording from the public domain that I took advantage of. I really hadn't expressed much interest in the book since I often shy away from general science-fiction. Recently, however, I had been compelled to read something perhaps a little more serious and critical. 1984, of course, was just that. Winston seemed a very odd and simple fellow. The narraration was very satirical and funny in its determined ultimatem-ly styled facts of the future. (.....smiles.....) Orwell's invention of newspeak had my head turning since, like Winston, I was lost in most of its meaning. The story, ending rather grim, left me with a very ill feeling that I think was because of the cruelty of his fate-- something he possessed entirely no control over. Reading science-fiction somewhat reminds me of reading the Bible, I think I will continue no further...

Rating: 2 of 5 stars.

Synopsis: A Tale of Two Cities begins on a muddy English road in an atmosphere charged with mystery and drama, and it ends in the Paris of the French Revolution with one of the most famous acts of self-sacrifice in literature. In between lies one of Charles Dickens’s most exciting books– a historical novel that, generation after generation, has given readers access to the profound human dramas that lie behind cataclysmic social and political events. Famous for the character of Sydney Carton, who sacrifices himself upon the guillotine–“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done”–the novel is also a powerful study of crowd psychology and the dark emotions aroused by the Revolution, and is illuminated by Dickens’s lively comedy. (from back of book)

Impressions: A Tale of Two Cities was definitely not for me. Maybe I didn't know how to enjoy Dickens, but I was more confused than intrigued or moved by his book. His dialogues were very enthralling, though. Oh, and at this point it is worth mentioning that I listened to this book from Librivox at night rather than read it so I think that I may not have fully taken in as much as I could have. In that sense, what I enjoyed more was listening to the different voices of the readers who were reading the story in such very dark tones and manners. Shifts from Books 1, 2, and 3 were non-abrupt. The year 1775. Historical but non-overbearing. Semi-novel-like. Dark and somber. I think I once heard that this was a classic... but it just confused the dickens out of me.

Rating: 2 of 5 stars.