It took me a while to get into this book. I think about halfway through, I forced myself to slow down and pay more attention to the characters and the events going on because I had heard such great things about the book that I new I was missing something. I think it's probably difficult to write a novel about a group of people stuck in the same house for 4+ months, so there were definitely slow parts in the novel, mostly the whole middle section, but in retrospect, Patchett did a really amazing job with this book.
Underneath all of the terrorism and violence, she tells a story of music and love. Both music and love can cross barriers of any sort. In this house are people from all nations, people who can't talk to each other. Luckily, they have Gen, who is most definitely my favorite character, who can translate for everyone. But this is only one person for the whole party, so clearly he can't be translating everything everywhere at the same time. People have to learn to communicate against their differences. Even with these language barriers, love blossoms. Roxane and Mr. Hosokawa fall in love even though they cannot talk to each other. They find different ways to communicate. Love is not bound by language or nationality. Roxane recognizes this power of love as she's singing and pondering her love and "wondered how it was possible to love someone you couldn't even speak to" (238).
Same with music. The whole book is centered on the music of Roxane Coss. She sings in Italian, but not everyone there speaks Italian. Yet, with this language barrier, people still recognize the beauty of her music. They realize what she offers them to the point where they demand she sing every day for them. When she sings in Czechoslovakian, those who share that language know she doesn't understand what she's saying, but it doesn't matter because the music is beautiful. Patchett is showing the power of music in this horrible situation. These people are hostages in a terrorist situation, but when Roxane sings, they manage to forget that for a moment.
Then there's the bit with Gen and Carmen. Carmen, who is one of the terrorists, and Gen who is a hostage, fall in love, which should seem so ridiculous, but at the same time makes perfect sense. They just fit together, and shows again the power of love in crossing barriers.
This Carmen and Gen thing also speaks to another theme I found especially at the end: the enemy is always human. Regardless of what terrible thing the enemy does, they're still human. When the man comes into the house and starts gunning everyone down, the hostages try to protect the terrorists, because throughout the novel, the hostages saw the humanity of the people holding them hostage. They played chess together, they played soccer together, they fell in love with each other, they understood music together, and at the end, they protected each other, which led to some of them dying. Even the enemy is human.
Overall, very great novel with excellent themes and ideas. Although slow in the middle, the ending is well worth the read.
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Friday, August 18, 2017
Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah
Sandra Brown did it again! This might be my new favorite Brown novel. It was full of suspense and tension, and I had no clue how it was going to end because each chapter threw a new wrench into my well-laid out plan.
I really liked the characters in this book. Shaw is a perfect criminal gone good guy, and Jordie is a pretty good damsel in distress who can actually fend for herself if we let her. All along I was waiting for the moment when Brown would let me know that yes, they will end up together. I had a thousand different ways in my head that Shaw and Jordie would end up together, but when Brown hit me with it, it was one avenue I hadn't pursued. Total twister! but, after reading that revelation, I realized, of course. There could be no other way that would bring them together.
I almost didn't like the final twist of the book, because I wanted to like Josh. From the beginning, I wanted there to be a way for Jordie and Josh to reconnect; I thought Jordie was a great sister that could take care of Josh, but Brown let me know I was way off course with that. I was disappointed, but it was a great turn of events, and the book wouldn't have been as good had it ended any other way. Maybe what I didn't like about that ending was that Brown played me so well. I fell for the trap she put out, and I was convinced I was right in my guessing, so when I found out how wrong I'd been, I was kind of upset (in a good way, obviously). Nice job on the ending, Brown.
This is a small thing, too, but I really appreciate all the inter-play with the cops throughout the book. We get a really good back/home story of the main cop, which I really appreciate, and then we get these fun little relationships between all the cops as they come together. This is where I understood how much I like Shaw. When all the other cops find out the truth, they're kinda mad, and I find the future interactions with them entertaining.
All in all, a really great read, with lovable characters and new twists each chapter. Definitely will read again.
I really liked the characters in this book. Shaw is a perfect criminal gone good guy, and Jordie is a pretty good damsel in distress who can actually fend for herself if we let her. All along I was waiting for the moment when Brown would let me know that yes, they will end up together. I had a thousand different ways in my head that Shaw and Jordie would end up together, but when Brown hit me with it, it was one avenue I hadn't pursued. Total twister! but, after reading that revelation, I realized, of course. There could be no other way that would bring them together.
I almost didn't like the final twist of the book, because I wanted to like Josh. From the beginning, I wanted there to be a way for Jordie and Josh to reconnect; I thought Jordie was a great sister that could take care of Josh, but Brown let me know I was way off course with that. I was disappointed, but it was a great turn of events, and the book wouldn't have been as good had it ended any other way. Maybe what I didn't like about that ending was that Brown played me so well. I fell for the trap she put out, and I was convinced I was right in my guessing, so when I found out how wrong I'd been, I was kind of upset (in a good way, obviously). Nice job on the ending, Brown.
This is a small thing, too, but I really appreciate all the inter-play with the cops throughout the book. We get a really good back/home story of the main cop, which I really appreciate, and then we get these fun little relationships between all the cops as they come together. This is where I understood how much I like Shaw. When all the other cops find out the truth, they're kinda mad, and I find the future interactions with them entertaining.
All in all, a really great read, with lovable characters and new twists each chapter. Definitely will read again.
Sting by Sandra Brown
Sandra Brown did it again! This might be my new favorite Brown novel. It was full of suspense and tension, and I had no clue how it was going to end because each chapter threw a new wrench into my well-laid out plan.
I really liked the characters in this book. Shaw is a perfect criminal gone good guy, and Jordie is a pretty good damsel in distress who can actually fend for herself if we let her. All along I was waiting for the moment when Brown would let me know that yes, they will end up together. I had a thousand different ways in my head that Shaw and Jordie would end up together, but when Brown hit me with it, it was one avenue I hadn't pursued. Total twister! but, after reading that revelation, I realized, of course. There could be no other way that would bring them together.
I almost didn't like the final twist of the book, because I wanted to like Josh. From the beginning, I wanted there to be a way for Jordie and Josh to reconnect; I thought Jordie was a great sister that could take care of Josh, but Brown let me know I was way off course with that. I was disappointed, but it was a great turn of events, and the book wouldn't have been as good had it ended any other way. Maybe what I didn't like about that ending was that Brown played me so well. I fell for the trap she put out, and I was convinced I was right in my guessing, so when I found out how wrong I'd been, I was kind of upset (in a good way, obviously). Nice job on the ending, Brown.
This is a small thing, too, but I really appreciate all the inter-play with the cops throughout the book. We get a really good back/home story of the main cop, which I really appreciate, and then we get these fun little relationships between all the cops as they come together. This is where I understood how much I like Shaw. When all the other cops find out the truth, they're kinda mad, and I find the future interactions with them entertaining.
All in all, a really great read, with lovable characters and new twists each chapter. Definitely will read again.
I really liked the characters in this book. Shaw is a perfect criminal gone good guy, and Jordie is a pretty good damsel in distress who can actually fend for herself if we let her. All along I was waiting for the moment when Brown would let me know that yes, they will end up together. I had a thousand different ways in my head that Shaw and Jordie would end up together, but when Brown hit me with it, it was one avenue I hadn't pursued. Total twister! but, after reading that revelation, I realized, of course. There could be no other way that would bring them together.
I almost didn't like the final twist of the book, because I wanted to like Josh. From the beginning, I wanted there to be a way for Jordie and Josh to reconnect; I thought Jordie was a great sister that could take care of Josh, but Brown let me know I was way off course with that. I was disappointed, but it was a great turn of events, and the book wouldn't have been as good had it ended any other way. Maybe what I didn't like about that ending was that Brown played me so well. I fell for the trap she put out, and I was convinced I was right in my guessing, so when I found out how wrong I'd been, I was kind of upset (in a good way, obviously). Nice job on the ending, Brown.
This is a small thing, too, but I really appreciate all the inter-play with the cops throughout the book. We get a really good back/home story of the main cop, which I really appreciate, and then we get these fun little relationships between all the cops as they come together. This is where I understood how much I like Shaw. When all the other cops find out the truth, they're kinda mad, and I find the future interactions with them entertaining.
All in all, a really great read, with lovable characters and new twists each chapter. Definitely will read again.
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