What a page-turner! I felt so many things when reading this book: suspense because I had no idea who did it and every chapter, I changed my guess or Macmillan proved my suspicions wrong; horrible sadness because of what this mother had to go through, basically alone for the most part; anger at the way the public was treating Rachel when she was at the lowest possible point of her life; and then at the end I felt this relief/sadness because no one in that family would ever be the same and even though Ben was found and reunited with his family, they could never go back and he lost all of his childlike innocence at such a young age and in such a horrendous way. Rachel mentioned in the last chapter that he was having difficulty trusting which broke my heart. Of course he was having difficulty trusting people, because the one person he trusted outside of his family turned on him and took him away from all that he loved and knew, taking advantage of his childlike trust and innocence.
Macmillan did a fantastic job with this novel, bringing to light all the horrible effects of kidnapping, especially the ones that people don't always consider: the aftermath, even when the child is found and reunited with his family, the publicity and the attacks against the parents, and the horrible psychological effects on the family and the main detective.
Jim was one of my favorite characters in this novel. He worked so hard to save Ben, to the point where he wasn't sleeping anymore. Then, the he finds out that the woman he loves has betrayed not only him, but Ben and Ben's family as well as the entire police force. So while he loves her, he has to remove her from his life because that kind of betrayal, against everything in his life, is too much. After the case is closed, Jim finds room to blame himself for not solving it sooner and for suspecting the wrong people, and because of all that, Jim can no longer function at work and can't sleep at night.
I really loved the way Macmillan wrote this novel. I loved the interweaving of styles, from Rachel's and Jim's perspective written out in regular narrative, to the addition of emails, blog posts, websites, and then the notes from Jim's counseling, which happened after the matter, but helped bring readers through exactly what Jim was feeling and how he was being impacted by the course of events. This change in writing styles really helped move the story forward and kept me entertained the whole time.
This was a fantastic read, and I would recommend it to everyone. It helps readers understand more what it's like for a family to go through something horrible like this, bringing both the perspectives of the family and the police force. It was captivating and heartbreaking and oh so good.
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
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.
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.
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.
Thursday, June 29, 2017
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivery
I read this book in mid-June, which was nice because it helped me cool off on the really humid days.
It was slow going for the first few chapters: until I met the snow child, but that's to be expected, I think, because the snow child is the main character here.
Once the girl came in, it was a heartbreaking story, with just enough magic to make me see it as a novel, but enough reality to not make it too sappy or unrealistic.
Ivey also brings up a lot of questions that I still don't have answers to. Where exactly did she come from? Is she real? Where did she go? and so on. But this is a good quality in a book because then I'm still thinking about it weeks later. Kudos to Ivey for making it stick with me.
If you're stuck on the first part, keep going. It gets better, and you won't regret making it through that slow beginning. It picks up speed, and it might make you cry a bit (I think my eyes got a little watery).
It was slow going for the first few chapters: until I met the snow child, but that's to be expected, I think, because the snow child is the main character here.
Once the girl came in, it was a heartbreaking story, with just enough magic to make me see it as a novel, but enough reality to not make it too sappy or unrealistic.
Ivey also brings up a lot of questions that I still don't have answers to. Where exactly did she come from? Is she real? Where did she go? and so on. But this is a good quality in a book because then I'm still thinking about it weeks later. Kudos to Ivey for making it stick with me.
If you're stuck on the first part, keep going. It gets better, and you won't regret making it through that slow beginning. It picks up speed, and it might make you cry a bit (I think my eyes got a little watery).
The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra
My English Prof recommended this book to me. I was on a Russian literature kick and had just finished reading Anna Karenina. He told me the book was a collection of short stories that seemed completely separate until the end. When I read through the first two stories, I didn't believe him at all. But as I kept reading, I was shocked by the connections. Marra did an excellent job weaving all of his events and characters together to create this intricately woven tale of love, techno, war, censorship, art...
I really enjoyed the settings in the story. The descriptions are subtle (which I've always liked because it enabled me to envision my own settings to a certain extent) but Marra gives you enough to start picturing the world he writes.
It did take me a while to really get into the story, and I think the only reason I kept going was because my prof gave me a copy and wanted me to let him know what I thought of it, so I had to keep going. I'm so glad I did.
I gained many quotes for my quote book, too, which is always a great indicator for me. When I have to grab a notebook and write something down, I know it's a winner, and I know I will be picking this book of my shelf again someday.
I really enjoyed the settings in the story. The descriptions are subtle (which I've always liked because it enabled me to envision my own settings to a certain extent) but Marra gives you enough to start picturing the world he writes.
It did take me a while to really get into the story, and I think the only reason I kept going was because my prof gave me a copy and wanted me to let him know what I thought of it, so I had to keep going. I'm so glad I did.
I gained many quotes for my quote book, too, which is always a great indicator for me. When I have to grab a notebook and write something down, I know it's a winner, and I know I will be picking this book of my shelf again someday.
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