Saturday, June 27, 2020--San Antonio
The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall is a story steeped in Christian belief and non-belief and the factors that lead to either of those states of mind, including events that can cause one to question belief or to suspend it all together. As a non-believer, it's not a topic I would normally explore, but the book has gotten good reviews and it is so well written that reading it is a pleasure. It revolves around two couples whose lives become tied to each other when the two men become co-pastors of the same church. But the book starts much earlier than that with the stories of the lives of each of the four persons that led them to find each other. I found myself wanting to continue to read even when I should have gone to sleep or been doing something else. I gave the book 4 1/2 stars out of 5.
Saturday, June 27, 2020
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
Less by Andrew Sean Greer
Tuesday, June 23, 2020--San Antonio
Less by Andrew Sean Green is the story of a young gay writer known more for his good looks, his famous poet lover, and the quality of his first published novel than for anything else in his life. It is set when Less is about to turn 50 and is embarking on an around-the-world trip hobbled together from fortunate opportunities since he is low on funds and his latest book has been rejected by his publisher who seems to be cutting ties with him. He looks back on his life with the realization that it has been far less than a successful one, career-wise or lover-wise, than he would have wished. The author was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for this book. In respect to that, the novel reinforces my experience, based on other Pulitzer winners I have read, that I have no idea what the criteria are for winning the prize since quality of writing seems often NOT to be a major factor. I also was disappointed by something I often observe in novels and never appreciate; the author seemed to have collected lots of observations throughout life with the intent of working them into his writing and did so very often in this book whether they actually contributed significantly to the story or not. Furthermore, there were times that his wording seemed to be chosen more for showing the reader what a witty or knowledgeable writer he is than for the purpose of adding to the story itself. Due to these factors, there were times I almost quit the book. But parts of it were very interesting and keep me going to the end. As general literature, I would rate this book 3 stars out of 5. As gay literature, since the category seldom has really high quality writing, I would boost it on up to 3 1/2 stars out of 5
Less by Andrew Sean Green is the story of a young gay writer known more for his good looks, his famous poet lover, and the quality of his first published novel than for anything else in his life. It is set when Less is about to turn 50 and is embarking on an around-the-world trip hobbled together from fortunate opportunities since he is low on funds and his latest book has been rejected by his publisher who seems to be cutting ties with him. He looks back on his life with the realization that it has been far less than a successful one, career-wise or lover-wise, than he would have wished. The author was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for this book. In respect to that, the novel reinforces my experience, based on other Pulitzer winners I have read, that I have no idea what the criteria are for winning the prize since quality of writing seems often NOT to be a major factor. I also was disappointed by something I often observe in novels and never appreciate; the author seemed to have collected lots of observations throughout life with the intent of working them into his writing and did so very often in this book whether they actually contributed significantly to the story or not. Furthermore, there were times that his wording seemed to be chosen more for showing the reader what a witty or knowledgeable writer he is than for the purpose of adding to the story itself. Due to these factors, there were times I almost quit the book. But parts of it were very interesting and keep me going to the end. As general literature, I would rate this book 3 stars out of 5. As gay literature, since the category seldom has really high quality writing, I would boost it on up to 3 1/2 stars out of 5
Saturday, June 20, 2020
Olive, Again by Elizabeth Stout
Saturday, June 20, 2020--San Antonio
I read the original Pulitzer Prize winning novel entitled Olive Kitteredge a few years ago and really enjoyed its series of short stories about life in a small coastal town in Maine with Olive being the central character in several of the stories and occasionally tied to some of the others. Then, last year, I read and heard the great reviews for Olive, Again, Elizabeth Stout's follow-up novel which I have just now read. Written as before as a series of short stories, Olive is the central character in more of them this time and seems to be tied in some way to the rest of them. It carries Olive into the second and final part of her later life as she has a second marriage and as she eventually has to learn to be alone and begins to suffer the difficulties that come with old age. She's a character who is grating at times, but is lovable, too, and she mellows a bit as time passes. It was pleasant to be with Olive again in this second novel with stories just as well written and just as many occasional laugh-out-loud lines as the first one. I gave the book 4 1/2 stars out of 5.
I read the original Pulitzer Prize winning novel entitled Olive Kitteredge a few years ago and really enjoyed its series of short stories about life in a small coastal town in Maine with Olive being the central character in several of the stories and occasionally tied to some of the others. Then, last year, I read and heard the great reviews for Olive, Again, Elizabeth Stout's follow-up novel which I have just now read. Written as before as a series of short stories, Olive is the central character in more of them this time and seems to be tied in some way to the rest of them. It carries Olive into the second and final part of her later life as she has a second marriage and as she eventually has to learn to be alone and begins to suffer the difficulties that come with old age. She's a character who is grating at times, but is lovable, too, and she mellows a bit as time passes. It was pleasant to be with Olive again in this second novel with stories just as well written and just as many occasional laugh-out-loud lines as the first one. I gave the book 4 1/2 stars out of 5.
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
Tuesday, June 16, 2020--San Antonio
I decided to read Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks because it is set in a village in England suffering from the plague in 1665-1666, a village which voluntarily decides to self-quarantine to try to stop the spread of the disease. I thought it would be interesting to read it while we are voluntarily self-quarantining in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The book is very well written and the story is riveting. I found myself feeling as if I were there and, as a reader, not wanting to take a break. It would make a great Masterpiece Theater series on PBS/BBC. I gave the book 4 1/2 stars out of 5. (It would have been 5 stars except I agree with some readers that the ending seems so implausible.)
I decided to read Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks because it is set in a village in England suffering from the plague in 1665-1666, a village which voluntarily decides to self-quarantine to try to stop the spread of the disease. I thought it would be interesting to read it while we are voluntarily self-quarantining in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The book is very well written and the story is riveting. I found myself feeling as if I were there and, as a reader, not wanting to take a break. It would make a great Masterpiece Theater series on PBS/BBC. I gave the book 4 1/2 stars out of 5. (It would have been 5 stars except I agree with some readers that the ending seems so implausible.)
Friday, June 12, 2020
Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips
Friday, June 12, 2020--San Antonio
Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips was a finalist for the National Book Award and was named the 7th best book of 2019 by Entertainment Weekly. Its setting is Kamchatka Peninsula in far northeastern Russia where the author spent a year as a Fullbright Scholar doing research and writing. The story details what life is like in the remote area which, even though it is a peninsula, can only be exited by ship or plane due to a large range of mountains blocking it from the rest of the country. It is built around the disappearance of two young girls. All the people in the stories are tied together in one way or another, although the number of them can make it difficult to keep track of who all of them are. It's a good story which I rated 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.
Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips was a finalist for the National Book Award and was named the 7th best book of 2019 by Entertainment Weekly. Its setting is Kamchatka Peninsula in far northeastern Russia where the author spent a year as a Fullbright Scholar doing research and writing. The story details what life is like in the remote area which, even though it is a peninsula, can only be exited by ship or plane due to a large range of mountains blocking it from the rest of the country. It is built around the disappearance of two young girls. All the people in the stories are tied together in one way or another, although the number of them can make it difficult to keep track of who all of them are. It's a good story which I rated 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.
Thursday, June 4, 2020
The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat
Thursday, June 4, 2020--San Antonio
The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat is historical fiction set along the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It follows the story of a Haitian woman who was taken into the home of an upper class Dominican family when she was found at the riverside immediately after her parents had drowned. The story is based on an actual event that took place when the Dominican dictator decided that his country was being overrun by illegal Haitian immigrants who had crossed the river to mainly do manual labor related to the raising of sugar cane. There was a massacre in which many Haitians died and most others barely made it back across the river to Haiti. Families were divided, what happened to friends and relatives was unknown, etc. The reader will not be able to read it at the current without thinking of the right-wing movement in America to seal off the border between the US and Mexico and to send all illegal Mexicans and Central Americans back to their home countries. The book is well written, but it took me about 50 pages to get really involved in the story. I gave the book 4 stars out of 5.
The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat is historical fiction set along the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It follows the story of a Haitian woman who was taken into the home of an upper class Dominican family when she was found at the riverside immediately after her parents had drowned. The story is based on an actual event that took place when the Dominican dictator decided that his country was being overrun by illegal Haitian immigrants who had crossed the river to mainly do manual labor related to the raising of sugar cane. There was a massacre in which many Haitians died and most others barely made it back across the river to Haiti. Families were divided, what happened to friends and relatives was unknown, etc. The reader will not be able to read it at the current without thinking of the right-wing movement in America to seal off the border between the US and Mexico and to send all illegal Mexicans and Central Americans back to their home countries. The book is well written, but it took me about 50 pages to get really involved in the story. I gave the book 4 stars out of 5.
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