tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060047013304842896.post3229249213092048806..comments2024-03-27T05:13:25.241-05:00Comments on The New Dork Review of Books: Cornucopia of October Mini Reviews Greg Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08122230426442946518noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060047013304842896.post-78802603994812712412014-11-01T13:33:59.010-05:002014-11-01T13:33:59.010-05:00Quite different cities to travel to! Vegas would ...Quite different cities to travel to! Vegas would be appealing right about now. My husband read 4th of July Creek and thought it pretty good, pretty wacky.thecuecardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08870323589682197091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060047013304842896.post-22879064223917671672014-10-30T08:23:25.561-05:002014-10-30T08:23:25.561-05:00I've been hearing a lot of really mixed things...I've been hearing a lot of really mixed things about Brutal Youth.<br /><br />Aghh I'm sad to hear The Handmaid's Tale was a slog! It's one of my favorites, but I can see how reading a book to fill in the gaps might not lead to the most favorable experience. I just kind of did the same thing with Rebecca and was pretty disappointed in it. (It turned out I knew less about it than I thought; it didn't feel, to me, like the romantic suspense everyone made it out to be, and it therefore fell pretty flat.)Leah @ Books Speak Volumeshttp://booksspeakvolumes.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060047013304842896.post-61342190329852566372014-10-29T15:19:17.051-05:002014-10-29T15:19:17.051-05:00So much to unpack in FOURTH OF JULY CREEK - just a...So much to unpack in FOURTH OF JULY CREEK - just an amazing timely book, even though it takes place in the early 1980s!<br /><br />Yeah, there was a lot to like about BRUTAL YOUTH, but after Stein goes away, the whole thing was less interesting. That would an odd choice - he was BY FAR the most interesting character. And then I just couldn't believe all the kids were terrified of Hannah and her secret journal. That didn't ring true to me. <br /><br />Agree, also, re the ending of the Eggers. Really, that sentiment could apply to the whole thing - just hoped for a little more. I think I was hoping for something as good and profound as Daniel Quinn's ISHMAEL, and sadly, this doesn't quite approach that. But I did like it, and I'm glad I read it. Greg Zimmermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08122230426442946518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060047013304842896.post-10633527831020692272014-10-29T14:59:45.591-05:002014-10-29T14:59:45.591-05:00Totally agree with Fourth of July Creek. I read it...Totally agree with Fourth of July Creek. I read it in the middle of a big reading month and didn't take time to sit down and properly write about it, so I still haven't been able to get all of my thoughts out...one of my favorites this year, for sure. <br /><br />I was iffy on Brutal Youth. I thought it was stronger in the first half and kind of fell apart a bit toward the end, but I definitely think that Breznican is talented, though, and will be looking forward to whatever he writes next. <br /><br />I was kind of surprised by how much I liked Your Fathers, Where Are They? I skipped The Circle (though I have it and plan to get to it at some point), so I wasn't really sure what to expect. I loved some of the conversations and ideas, but was really hoping for a little more with the end. Shannon @ River City Readinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02024137897685829669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060047013304842896.post-56822138158422747372014-10-29T12:43:35.632-05:002014-10-29T12:43:35.632-05:00I think you'll love FOURTH OF JULY CREEK - jus...I think you'll love FOURTH OF JULY CREEK - just fantastic. A good place to start with Mitchell would actually be BLACK SWAN GREEN - some of his other stuff, CLOUD ATLAS, especially, is a bit...more difficult? But very, very good.<br /><br />THE HANDMAID'S TALE - I know, I've girded my loins for a fair amount of abuse. I can't even imagine what it must've been like to read it in high school not knowing what it was about - that would've been an entirely different experience with it than mine. You're right, it IS shocking, and extremely original.Greg Zimmermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08122230426442946518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060047013304842896.post-37034140995709184612014-10-29T12:11:59.115-05:002014-10-29T12:11:59.115-05:00I have Fourth of July Creek out from the library, ...I have Fourth of July Creek out from the library, but I left it at home while I'm at a conference through the weekend, and now I'm kicking myself over that decision because this sounds SO GOOD.<br /><br />Black Swan Green: I've never read Mitchell. Any advice on the best starting point, if you're combing through his backlist?<br /><br />Handmaid's Tale: Kind of surprised at this one! Although I know what you mean about just filling in the gaps. I first read it in college with no knowledge of what it was, and it was one of the most radical things I'd read at the time (I went to a small private high school; our reading list was pretty conservative), so it's stuck with me as a long-time favorite. I re-read recently (the Claire Danes audio version) and loved it just as much. But I've definitely done the read-to-fill-in-the-gaps before (Jane Eyre, looking at you), and found it's not usually my best approach for finding something I love.Kerry Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10624436758426097032noreply@blogger.com