Review: The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle

The God of Animals
by Aryn Kyle
Fiction
320 pages
published: 2007
3 of 5 stars

About

Twelve-year-old Alice Winston is growing up fast on her father's run-down horse ranch--coping with the death of a classmate and the absence of her older sister (who ran off with a rodeo cowboy), trying to understand her depressed and bedridden mother, and attempting to earn the love and admiration of her reticent, weary father. - from Goodreads

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Let me first say that this book is about many things that either I don't find all that interesting or would just not generally seek out. Like horses. Training, riding, breeding horses. (I missed that girly boat apparently.) Mean fathers. Teacher infatuation. Preoccupation with death. Yet, and it's an important yet, I kept reading. Kyle somehow rendered all this that I don't much care for very  interesting. Especially the horses. 


That goodness in the book was the family dynamics. The sad, sick, oh-so-painfully-honest dysfunctional family dynamics. It was fascinating and heartbreaking to watch Alice try and survive the hand she was dealt. She pined for love. I ached for her. I cringed so many times at the characters decisions. I screamed what the characters should have said inside my head to no avail. This book had plenty of emotional pull. I'm still upset at one of my favorite characters for her ridiculousness at the end.


Another amazing thing was that I finished this book and realized there weren't any good guys. There were awful people who had bright (or bright - er moments) and okay people who turned out not so great. There were misunderstandings, forgiveness, and moments of dull beauty...but it was all sad and painful to me.


Though it is about a teenager, and many of the issues would be familiar to teens, I wouldn't classify it as YA because it had the feel of an adult looking back on childhood. 

If it was all so interesting and powerful, why didn't I rate it higher? Mostly because it left me feeling unhappy, and I doubt I'll ever read it again. (Though I don't regret reading it.) Will you feel this way? I have no idea. It is a moving, realistic, memorable, contemporary read, filled with flawed, oh-so-flawed, people and lots of horses. You could give it a try. Want my copy?

Review: Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Bel Canto
by Ann Patchett
Fiction
318 pages
published: 2001
3.5 of 5 stars


About

Somewhere in South America at the home of the country's vice president, a lavish birthday party is being held in honor of Mr. Hosokawa, a powerful Japanese businessman. Roxanne Coss, opera's most revered soprano, has mesmerized the guests with her singing. It is a perfect evening — until a band of terrorists breaks in, taking the entire party hostage.
But what begins as a life-threatening scenario slowly evolves into something quite different. Friendship, compassion, and the chance for great love lead the characters to forget the real danger that has been set in motion and cannot be stopped. - from Goodreads 

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Let me just talk about the writing for a while. The writing made this book. It was a unique and satisfying experience. While reading, I felt like I was floating through the air, weightless and worry free. Perhaps carried by butterflies. It was strange, surreal, and completely addicting. And while those butterflies carried me, seemingly over a beautiful jungle valley, I noticed a story playing out below and I watched avidly. I floated and hovered and the distance made the frightful situation beautiful. It wasn't always the people or the story that kept me picking up the book, but the glorious weightlessness.

That is not to say the the people and the situation were not interesting. I wanted to know how things would play out. I wanted to watch the interactions. But I was never emotionally invested to the point that I was scared for anyone, or couldn't handle with aplomb how I figured things would end. I was fascinated by my own response, so strange was my floating!

I worry that I have lost you all....waxing too metaphorical...but gall darn it was awesome.

On a more concrete level, this book was a subtle study of psychology, of how things change within people and within relationships when a new dynamic is enforced. I did sympathize with the terrorists (albeit from a distance) and rose and fell with the plight of the hostages. I felt the most for Gen. Gen was my favorite. Yet all the characters felt very real - everyone was terribly flawed, yet redeemable, including the terrorists. The ending was predictable, sudden, and harsh, but it really couldn't have ended any other way. The ending lent the whole story an air of believability and realism. It was good.

I didn't love everything though. I didn't appreciate finding myself rooting for a would-be adulterer. I took a step back at that point. I didn't buy into the idea that when an opera singer sings everything turns to roses - terrorists forgetting their goals, hostages of inconceivable amounts of time finding bliss, and uneducated teenagers swooning. Opera is actually an acquired taste, at least for most of us. I sure wouldn't have been swooning and forgetting I wanted to go home.

And of course, the epilogue was horrendous. Really. I'm still incredulous that that bit of bad taste was tacked on. I am trying to forget it exists and not have the whole book tainted beyond recovery. That icky.

At the end, I would recommend this book. If nothing else, to experience the writing. Maybe you will get carried by butterflies like I was. Enjoy the ride!

Review: Light of the Moon by Luanne Rice

Light of the Moon
by Luanne Rice

Romance
496 pages
published: 2008
For: Live Dangerously Challenge
3 of 5 stars

While shopping with my family at the ever-popular Costco, I had a revelation as to how to start my living dangerously challenge. I always go through the movies at Costco, but rarely spend any time with the books unless I know something big is coming out. Why? Because that flat of books is everything I DON'T read. Those books are contemporary, popular books, written for adults! (And I don't mean popular with librarians, or with fellow writers, or with book reading friends, I mean popular with the masses.) Yes, I am a snob.

So I decided, while staring at the sea of literary pizzas, that I would pick one out and read it. *Gasp* I hesitated. Then I picked one up and read the back. *Bigger gasp* I put that down and read another back. And another. Then another. They were only getting worse! My shuddering became violent as I came to the end of the row where I encountered such authors as Grisham, whom I've successfully avoided all my life. I nearly failed at my resolve...but I staggered back to the beginning and picked up the first book I had looked at. I have to confess that my decision reflected both the fact that my family had moved on and I needed to hurry, and that fact that it was one of the cheapest.

Sidenote: My sweet husband didn't flinch one bit when I told him the strange book in the cart was for my dangerous challenge. :)

First, let me admit that I read this book and was entertained. I am a story sucker. I was also surprised and thrilled to find no swearing and no sex. I didn't know that was even possible these days. I enjoyed learning snippets about a different country and culture, and I enjoyed the info about the main character's career as an anthropologist who studied cave paintings. I cared about the characters and feel fortunate in my random selection.

That being said, this book was based on the whole "fly away to a romantic country to escape your problems and find your true love in the tiny foreign town." It has the obligatory "get rescued by hot cowboy on white horse" (literally) and the "we are so instantly and dramatically attracted to each other physically it is almost more than we can bear" elements. I guess that's what makes a good stirring romance? I admit I happily finished it. But I'm not going to be rereading it, remembering it long, or even keeping it. (Anyone want it?)

My only serious criticism is that I thought the whole thing a bit melodramatic. The love interest's problems just seemed a bit overdone. The main character's need to escape felt exaggerated considering that her problems weren't all the bad.

That's it. Enjoyable. Nothing special.

Recommended For: people who like that kind of thing, anyone wanting a momentary escape

Review: The Blue Castle Review by L. M. Montgomery

The Blue Castle
by L. M. Montgomery
Classic, Fiction
218 pages
published: 1926
4 of 5 stars

I finished reading this book awhile ago...and loved it! I had no idea what it would be about, the back didn't even help much, so I just jumped in.

I was a little worried at first because the tedious and sad beginning seemed to go on and on, but if it had not I doubt I would have enjoyed Valancy's rebellion quite so much. Valancy got some news one day that changed her life - she decided to not do anything to please anyone else anymore. She would only do things she wanted to do. Well, her world fell apart and then got put back together again. And the ride was very enjoyable.

I loved the part near the end when the author started going on about "30 seconds to change everything" and I was imagining horrible, bloody tragedies...but it turned out much more mundane, surprising, plausible, and indeed life changing. Perfect.

My complaint: it got a bit long-winded in the descriptions of the scenery. But I survived. I knew it was important, and in fact a theme of the book, and forgave the author her indulgences.

My bigger complaint: the idiot who did the cover art should be shot. It says specifically in the book that Valancy never wore white except as a very young child. In fact, her clothes were few and deatiled and could easily have been pictured. And her expression! Like some expectant "young" maid who knew she was desirable. Valancy knew she was anything but desirable. But worse...why does Barney look like some prep from the 1980's? He was often dirty, unshaven, and had longish hair! Even if the artist wanted to go for when he did shave, he still wore overalls, not some sweater swung over his shoulder! Okay, I know this is a small thing - but...but...IDIOT!

Things I loved:

• Valancy's snide remarks
• that service released her
• that "love comes softly"
• that the beauty of nature is more valuable than the artifice of "traditions"
• how there was good in even the lowest in the community
• how divine forgiveness is
• how valuable it is to love - even if that love is not returned
• how personality is what makes someone beautiful
• the proposal scene
• the irony of the letter
• that she cut her hair short

I even made my poor husband read it so we could talk about it. It truly is "chick lit" but even he enjoyed it.

Review: My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

My Sister's Keeper

by Jodi Picoult

Fiction

423 pages

published: 2004

2 of 5 stars

For an upcoming book club I needed to read a book by Jodi Picoult, and my friend Michelle very obligingly brought over 3 for me to choose from. I was worried when I read the backs of these books - not one interested me in the slightest. So, I picked the one most highly recommended by Michelle and started.

I was immediately surprised by how interesting it was, and how involved I became. It quickly got to the point where I couldn't put it down. I was loving it! The book was amazing me with its honestly and rawness. The subject was controversial and heart rending. I enjoyed how it cycled through the points-of-view of the main characters. It was fascinating and disconcerting that the character whose actions and decisions I agreed with the least was the character whose chapters made me cry. I didn't agree with her, but I sympathized and understood her motivations.

The book was moving forward, the characters and the plot was developing. Near the end, new and surprising information came out. Everything was going great! (From a story point of view, life actually really sucked for the poor characters.) I was getting ready to add this book to a list of favorites, to admit I was totally wrong about my presumptions and attitudes towards books like this....and then the author dropped the ball.

I've read a few reviews, and most people think the ending was bad, weird, shocking...but it was worse than that. It was lazy. The author took the easy way out. Even in stories, some inevitable things are...inevitable. It would have been harder to write the end where the characters have to go through with their decisions and the consequences. It would have been traumatizing to watch someone you love die because it was what they wanted, and to watch a child learn to define herself when the reason she existed was gone. It would have been difficult to write about how that family would, or would not, put themselves back together when the center they all lived around no longer held everyone together. Instead, Picoult whipped out an unlikely and implausible ending, throwing in a insupportable miracle for good measure.

Whatever. How do these manuscripts get past editors?

Final review: 95% of this book was amazing. The end was impossible to swallow, and I can't get the horrible taste out of my mouth whenever I think about the book.

Note to Remember: If there is going to be horrible part of a book that you write, don't make it the end. The ending is what people take away and remember your book by.