Tag Archives: fiction

The Kitchen God’s Wife by Amy Tan

Posted by melydia on October 27, 2005 None comments

The Kitchen God’s Wife by Amy Tan: I almost put down this book after the first fifty pages or so, but I’m glad I stuck with it. I had two major concerns that turned out to be unfounded. This book was neither a recycled Joy Luck Club nor a tiresomely preachy precautionary tale about the dangers of keeping secrets from your loved ones until it’s too late. Sure, it starts off with secrets being kept by a Chinese woman, Winnie, from her Chinese-American daughter (and vice versa) but the bulk of the book is Winnie telling her daughter the story of her life in China during WWII. It reads like your grandmother telling you about her childhood in the old country: very personal and occasionally exaggerated, with a lot of unimportant details – much like all human memories. A few times I tired of the constant “oh my life in China was so horrible” refrain, but the ending is satisfying, uplifting, and very much worth it. I don’t know if I’ll actively search out more books by Amy Tan – I can only read about women who escape oppression in China so many times – but her lyrical prose and poetic metaphors were very lovely. If I ever find something by her with a vastly different plot I’ll scoop it up immediately, just to immerse myself in her gorgeous writing style once again.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns

Posted by melydia on October 16, 2005 None comments

Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns: Will Tweedy was 14 years old and living in Cold Sassy, Georgia, in the summer of 1906 when his grandpa came home one day to announce he was marrying a woman half his age, not three weeks after the death of his first wife, Will’s grandmother. The town, of course, is scandalized, and continues to be so as the story wears on. This is more of a “slice of life” depiction than much of a story – the author starts with a setting (the town of Cold Sassy) and a premise (Grandpa’s new bride), and meanders through clever little anecdotes and asides for a while until the author decides it’s time to end the story and starts killing off characters. This is not a bad story, just a fairly standard one. I don’t have very strong feelings about it either way. The constant backcountry dialect got kind of old, but I feel that way about all books narrated in dialect so that’s not exactly serious criticism. On the other hand, I could hear all the characters in my head with no problem. In the end, if you like this era of historical fiction, you’ll enjoy the feeling of living in Cold Sassy; if you prefer more plot-driven stories where everything happens for a reason, you might want to skip this one.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Posted by melydia on October 5, 2005 None comments

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold: Susie Salmon was murdered at age 14 in the early 1970s. Susie herself narrates this story as she looks down from heaven, starting with her death and following her family over the next decade. My feelings about this book are fairly tepid. It’s well-written but a little heavy on the grief and family drama. While this is understandable given the circumstances, I felt like I was reading a cross between “Cold Case Files” and “The Wonder Years,” with a dash of “Seventh Heaven” thrown in. I also felt like the author couldn’t decide between supernatural fantasy and gritty realism, never quite reaching a happy medium either. A decent read, but don’t go into it expecting a murder mystery. It’s a touching family drama through and through.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

And She Was by Cindy Dyson

Posted by melydia on September 10, 2005 None comments

And She Was by Cindy Dyson: Brandy is a young woman who drifts through life, moving from man to man, following each wherever he takes her. At the start of this book she has just followed the latest all the way to Dutch, a tiny town on the Aleutian Island of Unalaska. Intertwined with her story is that of several generations of Aleutian women, each sacrificing so that her people may live. The first half of the book is kind of slow, paddling around in shallow waters to thoroughly set the scene. After that it picks up, both the story and its characters gaining depth as Brandy begins her slow transformation at the edge of the world.

This is an atmospheric book, in that it involves highly detailed characters with highly detailed backstories living in a highly detailed world, but not a whole lot actually happens. It is not the kind of book that keeps you up at night, dying to read just one more chapter. This is not necessarily a bad thing – this is a good book to curl up with on a quiet afternoon and just let yourself travel to the Aleutians of twenty years ago.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Me, Dead Dad, and Alcatraz by Elvin Bishop

Posted by melydia on August 21, 2005 None comments

Me, Dead Dad, & Alcatraz by Chris Lynch: First of all, I have absolutely no idea why Alcatraz is mentioned in the title, as it is not so much as even referenced in the text, but the title is so catchy I can overlook it. Elvin Bishop is a 14-year-old, self-conscious, fat kid who lives alone with his mother. He comes downstairs one morning to find his uncle Alex, whom Elvin had always been told died in a plane crash years before, very much alive and lying on his livingroom couch. Alex has come out of hiding, seeking redemption from those he hurt. He’s done a lot of terrible things but he wants to do right by his nephew. He does this by completely disrupting Elvin’s life for a few days through gym membership, casting doubt on the intentions of his two best friends, and exposing him to spicy food. The narration in this book, which is from Elvin’s point of view, is quite clever and often gave me an out-loud chuckle. There was a bit of white room syndrome (where you can’t tell where the characters are because there’s no description), but I’ve come to expect that from YA fiction. (As this was an advanced reader copy I can also forgive the constant misspelling of “yeah” as “ya.”) The plot was interesting but didn’t seem to be heading anywhere specific. I enjoyed the little episodic adventures but the ending was abrupt and unexpectedly preachy. I like Elvin as a character but he would do better in wacky comedies than the coming-of-age drama this book tries to be.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Wolfpointe by Rick Buda

Posted by melydia on July 23, 2005 None comments

Wolfpointe by Rick Buda: A man is found dead from a propane fire at a construction site. Though it is officially declared an accident, rookie cop Mac MacKurghdy smells a rat. His suspicions lead him through a tangled web of lies and corruption as he tries to get to the bottom of a major environmental threat lurking in the swamps. For a little spice, a supernatural killer also stalks the area. Its relation to the main story is tenuous at best, but it makes for a nice bit of drama at the very end.

Despite the otherwise interesting premise, I had a lot of trouble getting through this book. To say it was poorly edited is an understatement. The grammar is awkward and often incorrect, as in this sentence from the very first paragraph: “He’d dreamed of; of it, again.” Though Buda is far from the first author I’ve wanted to pelt with copies of Strunk & White, I found myself stopping too often to decipher sentences, disrupting the flow of my reading and distracting me from the story. However, the punctuation flaws and numerous typos are easily fixable, as are the more general writing errors (e.g., needlessly repeated details). Buda shows real promise as a storyteller; I can only hope his next book is more technically sound.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner

Posted by melydia on May 25, 2005 None comments

In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner: This is my second Weiner book (the first being the popular Good In Bed), and I must say her writing is some of the most indulgent I’ve ever come across. The author insertion is so obvious – all the characters are Weiner (or her opposite, or a person she wishes she knew) in a different costume. The thing that separates her books from your average teen-penned romance is that her themes are so universal that author insertion becomes reader insertion. You see her characters and think, “That’s me. That’s my life.” Therein lies her appeal.

As with most chick lit, the plot was fluff and totally predictable from the start, but that did not make it any less enjoyable. Rose is the older, successful, overweight sister. Maggie is the younger, trouble-making, gorgeous sister. Throw in an intersecting story about an elderly woman named Ella who lives in Florida with her entertaining neighbors at the Golden Acres senior citizen community and you have a fun little romp of a story.

My only real complaint about this book was the all too convenient flashbacks. Too often someone would make some comment which would be followed by an explanation of some childhood event or something they “always” did, which for whatever reason had never been mentioned before. One glaring example of this was Sydelle’s strict adherence to the Jewish faith, which was never brought up until it became an issue. Such “oh by the way” moments made it feel like the character development was done on the fly.

All the same, this was a fun, quick read. Weiner’s always good for one-liners and amusing exchanges, and a happy ending is guaranteed. I don’t imagine most men would enjoy this book (though I think it could teach them a lot about the female psyche), but I would definitely recommend it to any woman looking for little bit of literary candy.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Lamb by Christopher Moore

Posted by melydia on April 2, 2005 None comments

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore: The title says it all. Levi who is called Biff is raised from the dead 2000 years later to share his account of the life of Jesus (who here is called Joshua), most notably the thirty years missing from the other Gospels. During this time Josh and Biff traveled to the East for 17 years, where they shared many adventures, and when they returned he began his ministry.

This book is pretty funny. Biff is a bit of an ass but a total joy to read. He claims to have invented all kinds of things, from sarcasm to pencils, and his witty but straightforward storytelling is a delight. But however irreverent this book may be, it remains true to the person of Jesus – his kindness, his generosity, his honesty. It also does not dance around his divinity: he was the Son of God and the Messiah, but not quite in the way the Jews expected. Biff’s devotion to him is understandable both as a faithful disciple and a lifelong friend.

For most of this book I thought I would be beginning my review with a hearty recommendation against it for any serious Christian. While I still don’t know if a Biblical literalist would enjoy this story, I think any Christian (or anyone else) with a fair sense of humor would get a big kick out of it. Moore’s epilogue, in which he describes his sources and sheds light on what could have been and what was sheer fiction, sums it up very well: “This story was not meant to challenge anyone’s faith; if one’s faith can be shaken by stories in a humorous novel, one may have a bit more praying to do.”

Originally posted on BookCrossing.

Be Cool by Elmore Leonard

Posted by melydia on January 30, 2005 2 comments

Be Cool by Elmore Leonard: The opening scene, where Chili Palmer is having lunch with a man who ends up getting shot by a hitman, is pretty good. But don’t expect the story to be about that crime. There are vague murmurings about possible connections with the Russian mafia but by and large the scene is nothing more than a hook to get you into the story, then forgotten about soon after. This book is a lot like Get Shorty except that it’s about a singer instead of a laundromat owner. The whole “let’s describe what’s really happening as if we’re making a movie” thing comes back full force, and it gets a little old. There’s even the formerly evil thug that has a change of heart and saves the day, just like in the last one. My suggestion would be to read either Get Shorty or Be Cool, but not both. The story just isn’t good enough to be read twice in a row.

[Note: I’ve seen the preview for the Be Cool movie that’s coming out. As far as I can tell, they’ve changed basically everything – removed a major character, added a few new characters, and beefed up or totally changed several minor characters. And it looks funnier than the book.]

Also posted on Bookcrossing.

Get Shorty by Elmore Leonard

Posted by melydia on January 9, 2005 None comments

Get Shorty by Elmore Leonard: I’m still a little unclear on who Shorty is. Anyway, this is a rather convoluted story about loan shark Chili Palmer who goes to Hollywood to track down a guy who faked his own death (but still owes money), and ends up getting embroiled in a movie deal in the process. This is not a book I would have read had I not accidently purchased its sequel at a book sale, but I enjoyed it all the same. I was amused by a good bit of it, especially Chili’s no-bullshit way of looking at the inanity of the movie business. My only real complaint was that I had quite a bit of trouble following the story for about the first half. There were so many names that I kept forgetting who was who, but by the end I had it all straightened out. I’ll be curious to see what the movie is like.

Originally posted on Bookcrossing.

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