The farther I got into this book, the less I enjoyed it. The book has an extremely depressing mood. I will say that Grossman is very skilled in drawing the reader into the story. However, I cannot say that I enjoy being drawn in. Quentin's entire attitude throughout the book is incredibly frustrating. It is physically impossible for him to be happy. No matter the situation, he has to find or create some issue that complicates it and ensures his continued depression and disatisfaction with life. I don't like any of the characters, they are all extremely self absorbed.
The book also felt more and more like a rip off of the Chronicles of Narnia as the reader learns more about Fillory. It is the same plot, the only difference is the names of the characters. Also, I have already finished the book so spoiler alert, but by the time they all go into Fillory, I was pretty annoyed with Grossman. It feels like he took another author's construction and distorted the world into this grotesque vision that seems to parallel Quentin's emotional isuues. I won't say anything about it since we aren't supposed to have read it yet, but I also really hated the ending.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
The Magicians
So far I am enjoying The Magicians. It definitely does not throw you right into the action like Hunger Games does but it has a much quicker start than Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. However, I think that one of the reasons that I am already interested is because the book is so reminiscent of Harry Potter and Narnia.
The whole concept of Fillory, the main character finding a secret world in a hidden cabinet in a grandfather clock in a "dark, narrow back hallway at his aunt's house" seems like a scene straight out of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. However, as the story progresses and Quentin is transported to the hidden college for magic, I feel as though we're moving to Hogwarts. I'm not sure if I like this mix of books. I love both series and feel intrigued by this novel but it does not feel like a new or original idea.
I know it's impossible to accurately judge a book based on the first 47 pages so I am interested in reading further and seeing where Grossman is going with the novel and whether or not new ideas will emerge.
The whole concept of Fillory, the main character finding a secret world in a hidden cabinet in a grandfather clock in a "dark, narrow back hallway at his aunt's house" seems like a scene straight out of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. However, as the story progresses and Quentin is transported to the hidden college for magic, I feel as though we're moving to Hogwarts. I'm not sure if I like this mix of books. I love both series and feel intrigued by this novel but it does not feel like a new or original idea.
I know it's impossible to accurately judge a book based on the first 47 pages so I am interested in reading further and seeing where Grossman is going with the novel and whether or not new ideas will emerge.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Hunger Games
Hunger Games is by far my favorite book that we've read this semester. I was unable to put the book down and read the whole thing in one sitting. I think it is an extremely well written and engrossing story. Suzanne Collins manages to incorporate so many different elements so effectively that it's obvious why this book is a bestseller. It has aspects that can appeal to many different audiences. This book also reminded me of many others that I have read such as The Giver, Lord of the Flies, 1984, and more.
Although I think that Collins created a very interesting world she doesn't develop it very much or explain a great deal to the reader. However, as much as I would like to know more about the Districts and the Capitol and the whole world in which the characters live, Collins doesn't need to in order to make the book a success. I think her entire construction of the novel around the Hunger Games was very clever. She is able to build up the world, the characters, and the story around it and it adds a sense of mystery that further engrosses the reader.
My one issue is that I found the book very predictable. Since it is the first in a trilogy, I was never really concerned for Katniss' safety, it seemed guaranteed. Also, the book seemed to follow a very predictable progression of events. The reader immediately knows that Katniss will end up participating in the games and that something will develop between her and Peeta. It's very apparent that they will be the final two. I also felt that Collins doesn't really resolve the issue of Peeta and Katniss. This might be because it is the first book in a trilogy and this is Collins' way of holding onto the readers' interest, however, I felt that the end was unsatisfying and a little lackluster. There is also the issue of Gale. In the beginning it appears as though he will be an important character, yet he his main role in the rest of the book seems to be to complicate Katniss' feelings about Peeta.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and I will definitely be finishing the trilogy.
Although I think that Collins created a very interesting world she doesn't develop it very much or explain a great deal to the reader. However, as much as I would like to know more about the Districts and the Capitol and the whole world in which the characters live, Collins doesn't need to in order to make the book a success. I think her entire construction of the novel around the Hunger Games was very clever. She is able to build up the world, the characters, and the story around it and it adds a sense of mystery that further engrosses the reader.
My one issue is that I found the book very predictable. Since it is the first in a trilogy, I was never really concerned for Katniss' safety, it seemed guaranteed. Also, the book seemed to follow a very predictable progression of events. The reader immediately knows that Katniss will end up participating in the games and that something will develop between her and Peeta. It's very apparent that they will be the final two. I also felt that Collins doesn't really resolve the issue of Peeta and Katniss. This might be because it is the first book in a trilogy and this is Collins' way of holding onto the readers' interest, however, I felt that the end was unsatisfying and a little lackluster. There is also the issue of Gale. In the beginning it appears as though he will be an important character, yet he his main role in the rest of the book seems to be to complicate Katniss' feelings about Peeta.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and I will definitely be finishing the trilogy.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
The City The City
As of now, this book is reminding a lot of the slow start of Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I've found the first fifty pages very dense and hard to get into. It is a bit of a sensory overload, being thrown into this world with absolutely no background information. I feel like I'm just reading blindly, trying to find something concrete to hold onto to pull me into the world that Miéville has created. However, it is extremely difficult. His blending of this fictional world of Beszel with little inserts about the real world, like his mentions of Turkey, are especially challenging. I'm having a hard time distinguishing the fantasy from the reality. I am also not at all invested in the characters right now. I think this is partially to do with their unfamiliar names, but also to do with the complete lack of personal or background information
However, I do find the book intriguing. The constant, ambiguous mentions that Miéville makes of the divide between the two cities, Beszel and Ul Qoman are interesting, especially because it seems that the cites are practically intertwined yet the inhabitants cannot acknowledge the other's existence. Borlú's comments about accidently seeing or noticing people who I'm assuming are from Ul Qoma and this being practically taboo is very intriguing. I'm looking forward to reading more of the book but hoping that my confusion will be resolved.
However, I do find the book intriguing. The constant, ambiguous mentions that Miéville makes of the divide between the two cities, Beszel and Ul Qoman are interesting, especially because it seems that the cites are practically intertwined yet the inhabitants cannot acknowledge the other's existence. Borlú's comments about accidently seeing or noticing people who I'm assuming are from Ul Qoma and this being practically taboo is very intriguing. I'm looking forward to reading more of the book but hoping that my confusion will be resolved.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
House Rules Disappoints
I was very dissatisfied with the ending of House Rules. I felt that the ending was a complete contradiction to the rest of the book and that Picoult after writing a book about a very difficult and emotional subject, took the easy route out by creating a cheesy "happy" ending.
Picoult spends the majority of the book focusing on Jacob's aspergers and the limitations and problems it presents both him and his family. She focuses on how Jacob's life is defined by rules that must be adhered to for his ability to function. His life and sense of responsibility is completely defined by these rules and he lives his life according to them. It is beyond Jacob's capabilities to act beyond these rules' limitations. This at least is the message I got from Picoult. Jacob's ability to act is incumbent on these rules. However, in the end, Picoult contradicts this by having Jacob stage Jess' murder because he is protecting Theo. While Picoult does state that Jacob is still following the rules at this point, the rule to "take care of your brother, he's the only one you've got," she also implies the happy ending that Jacob can overcome the Asperger's, "To all those experts who say that because I have Asperger's, I can't empathize: so there. People who can't empathize surely don't try to protect the people they love, even if it means having to go to court." However, at least from my perspective this seems to completely contradict the rest of the book. Jacob protects Theo because he applied the rules that govern his life to the situation, not out of love for Theo.
Picoult spends the majority of the book focusing on Jacob's aspergers and the limitations and problems it presents both him and his family. She focuses on how Jacob's life is defined by rules that must be adhered to for his ability to function. His life and sense of responsibility is completely defined by these rules and he lives his life according to them. It is beyond Jacob's capabilities to act beyond these rules' limitations. This at least is the message I got from Picoult. Jacob's ability to act is incumbent on these rules. However, in the end, Picoult contradicts this by having Jacob stage Jess' murder because he is protecting Theo. While Picoult does state that Jacob is still following the rules at this point, the rule to "take care of your brother, he's the only one you've got," she also implies the happy ending that Jacob can overcome the Asperger's, "To all those experts who say that because I have Asperger's, I can't empathize: so there. People who can't empathize surely don't try to protect the people they love, even if it means having to go to court." However, at least from my perspective this seems to completely contradict the rest of the book. Jacob protects Theo because he applied the rules that govern his life to the situation, not out of love for Theo.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
House Rules
I have read Jodi Picoult before and I have never really enjoyed her writing. Unfortunately the same can be said about House Rules. While I was immediately drawn into the story and motivated to keep reading, I have not found the book satisfying. I think this is partially because I finished the book already and was not satisfied with the ending. I feel as though there are a lot of details Picoult throws into the novel for no particular reason and then proceeds to ignore. I think she puts in the details such as Emma writing the advice column and Rich enjoying it to try and temper the serious and largely sad subject matter of the book. However, I just felt as though they were very out of place and disconnected from the story.
I also feel that while Picoult does an amazing job of developing Jacob and his issues with Aspergers for the reader, she doesn't sufficiently address or develop all the issues or characters in the book. At the beginning, I thought that Rich would have a larger role in the story since he is initially focused on quite a bit. However, by the end he seems to serve no real role and his narration is just thrown in as an afterthought. Also, Theo's obsession with breaking into houses is never really addressed although it is central to solving the mystery.
While I may have issues with Picoult's writing, I cannot deny that she does an amazing job with creating the character of Jacob. She obviously has some sort of insight into the world of a person with Aspergers and she does a very effective job of bringing and incorporating the reader into that world. I think that Theo's and Emma's narration that Picoult includes does a lot to enrich the story. They are the characters that the reader can relate to. While we may empathize with Jacob and relate to him on a more superficial level, in the sense of feeling like in outside on occasion, we cannot truly understand him or his disease. Therefore, by including his family's perspectives, the people who besides Jacob are most affected by his condition, Picoult is doing a masterful job of making the reader care about the story and characters.
I also feel that while Picoult does an amazing job of developing Jacob and his issues with Aspergers for the reader, she doesn't sufficiently address or develop all the issues or characters in the book. At the beginning, I thought that Rich would have a larger role in the story since he is initially focused on quite a bit. However, by the end he seems to serve no real role and his narration is just thrown in as an afterthought. Also, Theo's obsession with breaking into houses is never really addressed although it is central to solving the mystery.
While I may have issues with Picoult's writing, I cannot deny that she does an amazing job with creating the character of Jacob. She obviously has some sort of insight into the world of a person with Aspergers and she does a very effective job of bringing and incorporating the reader into that world. I think that Theo's and Emma's narration that Picoult includes does a lot to enrich the story. They are the characters that the reader can relate to. While we may empathize with Jacob and relate to him on a more superficial level, in the sense of feeling like in outside on occasion, we cannot truly understand him or his disease. Therefore, by including his family's perspectives, the people who besides Jacob are most affected by his condition, Picoult is doing a masterful job of making the reader care about the story and characters.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
GWTDT Deconstruction
I think the theme of the victim is a very interesting one in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. There are many different opposing representations of the victim. Lisbeth Salander is a contradiction as she has the appearance of a victim, and is viewed as a victim or the perfect candidate for a victim by Armansky and Bjurman, however, she refuses to be victimized or allow herself to be characterized as a victim; her behavior is often that of a hero. Even when she is sexually assaulted by Bjurman, "Advokat Bjurman had chosen her as a victim," she refuses to play the role of one (277). She knows that she has to rescue herself, so she is her own rescuer, her own hero. However, Salander does not just rescue herself but also Blomkvist when he is being strangled by Martin. She rejects the role of the victim.
This is in contrast to the behavior of Harriet Vanger. She is the victim of the sexual abuse of both her brother and her father and instead of gaining revenge like Salander, she allows this victimization to define her. She is so conditioned to the role of the victim that the only we she can escape is to change her identity, she can't fight back.
Wennerstrom and his corporation play the role of the victim when Mikael publishes his initial story about them because it allows them to be viewed in a sympathetic light. Mikael, however, is the true, unsung victim of the company's deceit. He is forced to go to jail for writing a story that Wennerstrom had set up, for falling into the trap.
This is in contrast to the behavior of Harriet Vanger. She is the victim of the sexual abuse of both her brother and her father and instead of gaining revenge like Salander, she allows this victimization to define her. She is so conditioned to the role of the victim that the only we she can escape is to change her identity, she can't fight back.
Wennerstrom and his corporation play the role of the victim when Mikael publishes his initial story about them because it allows them to be viewed in a sympathetic light. Mikael, however, is the true, unsung victim of the company's deceit. He is forced to go to jail for writing a story that Wennerstrom had set up, for falling into the trap.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)