"Good in Bed": What a Narrator

I've been following Jennifer Weiner on Twitter and thought for sure I'd like her books. I picked her debut to start, and I have several complaints, not the least of which is how convenient it is the Cannie ends up meeting a gazillionaire right around the same time she's going to become a single mother. Nevermind Cannie having to figure out how to really live, she has a sugar-mama now. That's an exaggeration, but not much, considering that she sold her screenplay and made a ton of money through this connection.

I am a Former Fat Girl and I found serious contradictions in Cannie's character. (I acknowledge that experiences are not universal, and mine may not speak for every fat girl, but here are my impressions.) Like Cannie, I grew up heavy, was heavy all of my teen years and into my 20s. Unlike Cannie, I never had a boyfriend or even a first kiss because I so lacked confidence in myself. If Cannie really feels that she is unlovable to the extent she claims, there's no way she would have a relationship with Bruce wherein she teaches him the art of lovemaking. She doesn't seem particularly self-conscious as she makes jokes and snide comments about every thing and person she sees. It's like Cannie is supposed to be both: a fat woman with crippling self-esteem problems AND the fat woman who can get a guy and have awesome rock star friends and not let her size hold her back.

I also was so horrified by Cannie's treatment of her mother's partner. I was especially appalled by the conversation she and her siblings have at a holiday where she does so many impressions of Tanya. As someone who so desperately wants to be loved, she shows an astonishing lack of awareness that her mother also deserves to love and be loved as well.

And, is it just me or is the way she thinks she'll be viewed as a single mother straight out of the 1950s? This is the 21st century, after all, with women choosing their own paths to motherhood that do not all involve a man. It was weird.

The more I think about it, the more I hate Cannie!
And I listened to the audio version and detested the reader.

All in all, 2 stars.

Distinctive Voice, Powerful Story

I'm a slow reader, but I love books. Therefore, I have shelves and shelves of unread books, all the best intentions, and an ever-growing list of "to-read" while my "read" (past-tense) list grows slowly but steadily.

I also have about an hour in the car each day. And not a lot of disposable income. So, I went to my trusted local library and checked out an audiobook by Joshilyn Jackson, whose blog I find hilarious. I own Between, Georgia, and it's squarely on my "to-read" list.

A Grown-up Kind of Pretty is Jackson's most recent novel, and I'm so glad it was my introduction to her. Not only was the narration amazing--read by the author--but the story, characters, and message all spoke to me. I couldn't wait to get into the car for my commute, sometimes wishing for a traffic jam!

This is a story of mothers and daughters, of what it means to call someone "mine" and what it means to be claimed by someone in love. (I mean that in the best sense of the word, claimed. To be welcomed and accepted and fought for by someone.)

It is a story of loss, redemption, growing up, and being accepted for who you are. It is a story of grace for those who are different and for those who have made mistakes.

I didn't want the story to end. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Gone Girl: Amazing Writing, Creeptastic Villain

If yout haven't read this book, I recommend you not read this review or any others, actually. Part of the fun is not having any idea what's going to happen. You will be [[SPOILED]] if you keep reading.

My MIL recommended this book to me, and I am so glad she did. I loved Gillian Flynn's writing. I haven't read a book written with really high-quality writing in a while, and this book was delicious just for its use of language alone. I also thought she mastered the unreliable narrator device in Part 1. I didn't feel like it was contrived, and I felt like with mere clauses, Ms. Flynn cast doubt on Nick's motives and with each revelation, I felt a "wow" moment.

The character of Amy Elliott Dunne is one of the creepiest villains in modern literature. She is a real psychopath. It was amazing how I did a complete 360 within pages of starting Part 2. The depth of her psychosis is terrifying.

For the quality of writing and the plot, which kept me turning pages right to the end, I give this book 4.5 stars. For the story itself, closer to 4 stars, and the ending, as far as my sense of personal satisfaction, about 2.5 stars.

The problem with making Nick seem so suspicious in Part 1: We never get to understand WHY he was acting cold and distant, not worried, and in fact why he kept saying "This is how the worried husband is supposed to act now." I believe it is because Nick was so consumed with making people like him, with acting "right," that he was unable to act genuinely at all. I feel sorry for him, especially by the end, because I think he really has no identity. He is who Amy makes him/wants him to be.

I was quite disappointed in the ending. I wanted Amy to "get hers" so badly. I wanted to see her taken down as meticulously as she took down those she felt wronged her. I wish Flynn could have orchestrated Amy's take-down as masterfully as she created such a demented character. I believe this likely was the ending Flynn wanted, though. The villain wins. NIck lives in terror and fear. And God help the child!

Part of me wonders if we'll see Nick and Amy again. I feel like this ending lends itself perfectly to a sequel!

Definitely Not in my Top 10

I finished Definitely Not Mr. Darcy on Friday night, a book that was too long for its own good and much better in concept than execution. I wish I had come up with the idea of a reality show based in 1812. I feel I could have written it better than the author; the writing had some weird tics that annoyed me throughout, and also there were some real holes in the story.

I also hated that the author constantly referred back to the 1995 A&E adaption of "Pride and Prejudice," a miniseries that did indeed inspire much swooning on my part as well. It was clear the author was basing her setting and the main hero's looks on this series.

And, as even my beloved Deanna Raybourn is wont to do, the heroine sometimes acted like an outraged female just for the sake of drama in the story. In the end, the heroine was annoyed she'd been lied to, but it was a product of the reality show, not the hero's personal failings. And the "I can do this all by myself" conclusion at the end felt forced and contrived.

So, it's a beachy read with not much substance. Three stars--so recommended, but not with raves.

Sookie #3: A Man for All Seasons

 [Spoilers]

I enjoyed Club Dead more than Living Dead in Dallas. Seeing that I didn’t enjoy season 2 of “True Blood” that much, I think #2 is just a weaker story. I enjoyed getting to meet Alcide and Russell Edgington, though I wish he was more of a baddie in the book like in the TV show. I also weirdly enjoyed reading about cold weather during the 100-degree heat.

A couple things that bothered me:

-- Everyone (well, most “supes”) wants Sookie. This is true in the show also. It’s a bit annoying. It makes her a little one-dimensional.

-- I was completely confused how she knew what Bill’s secret project was. Clearly, she looked at his computer program, but didn’t tell the reader what she found out. This seemed like deliberate withholding on the author’s part, and it was awkward. I felt like I was missing something when Sookie kept talking about how much she knew.

-- The biggie: Bill did rape her in this book. I understand that he was in a primal state and he didn’t realize what he was doing. But it was a very hard scene to read, as she thrashed around and tried to scream as he held his hand over her mouth. The reaction to what happened on Sookie’s and Bill’s part seemed very understated. Bill didn’t seem too horrified by what he’d done. But Sookie—not a few pages later, she was already yearning for him to have sex with her. That seemed so wrong. I don’t feel like I can look at book Bill the same way after this incident, and it troubles me that Sookie is so able to dismiss such a serious issue.

End of the Millenium

I'm a little late to the party, but I finished The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest and therefore the Millenium Trilogy. I shall miss Lisbeth and her quirks and totally unique way of looking at the world.

[[Spoilers]]

The end leaves me feeling slightly empty, emotionally. I don't know if this may have to do with the fact that the book is from a Swedish author, and perhaps the international sensibilities are different from my preferences, or if it simply has to do with the fact that Stieg Larsson was a man. But I was quite uninterested in what happened with Niedermann and would much rather have spent the final pages watching Lisbeth reconnect with those who supported her throughout her problems: Armansky, Holger, even Erica, and, of course, Mikael Blomkvist.

I've read that there was at least a fourth book planned, and I'm rather devestated to hear that Larsson may have even planned to write 10 books in this series. How I wish he could have had the chance, because I think he would have really expanded on Lisbeth's emotional life. And, if this was his plan, then probably he didn't want to give everything in the third book. What a loss for his fans not to have the full picture of Lisbeth Salander, whom he clearly had envisioned in brilliant and vibrant colors.

And, call me a romantic or a melodramatic, but I desperately wanted Lisbeth and Blomkvist to rekindle their love affair. I wanted to see her "claim" him, and demand that he claim her in return.

Maybe that's what's fan fiction is for?