Another Oprah book club entry. Probably never would have read this if it
was not on the list and just sitting around the house (my girlfriend bought it).
A straightforward read, but not my cup of tea.
Well written, good story. Pretty much a straight forward
narrative about folks going thru the usual tribulations and strife.
After recently reading several 'trying-to-be-different' books,
this was restful to just read a well told tale. Recomended.
Interesting book. I liked it. It was another story about family dynamics
with a undertone of a intersex protagonist. The influence of modern film and TV is
apparent here. It starts in the present day, and tels the story in a series of flashbacks
mixed with slices of present time. I think by now we are all comfortable with non-linear
narrative, and a writer needs to do something quite different to 'be different'. Hence
the odd narrative methods like the next book on the list. FYI, this book would make
my top 20 list, but maybe not the top 10.
This is a "slavery" story. It is set in Virginia just post civil war.
It has some interesting themes, black people owning slaves, and how black America
worked in this confusing time. The one thing that stood out for me about
the book was the tidal wave of names. I had a hard time keeping track of
the charaters. And this was compounded by two main protagonists having the
same name, Henry. This could be a compelling book if you can get with Jones writing style,
otherwise you may have a hard time.
Read this one out of order. This is told as sort-of a written soliloquy.
It is a long letter by an elderly pastor to his son. There are no chapter breaks and
sometimes the sentences do run on. Also little dialog. Kinda interesting peek into
a family dynasty of ministers, but didn't do much for me.
Robinson was shortlisted in 1982 (over 20 years before), so it pays to keep trying.
Portland tie-in: Nigel Jaquiss of the Willamette Week
wins the Pulitzer for Investigative Reporting this year.
Post apocalyptic. About a man and a boy traveling somewhere. Some things
never seem to be explicitly stated. Also not a particularly happy book for
those of you who like your reading light. I read this one after No Country for
Old Men (after seeing the movie). I like No Country better.
Another long titled book. I suspect that book titles go thru fads just like
writing styles, cover art, etc. This book was interesting in its mix of fiction
and reality. It is written in a strange first person narrative. As with most
modern books, there is swearing, sex, violence. This book is probably the
closest to trying to be (modern) television as any book on the list. Blehhhh.
A set of linked short stories about a small town on the Maine coast.
Disjointed in places, but not bad. Only a couple of the stories are
written from the title characters POV.
