"Conveniently" Engrossing......
While I found this novel somewhat slow reading at first, I was thoroughly absorbed and loved learning about the ways in which women were treated in the 1880s, especially in New York "high society." It is such a testament to how far we have come from being "inconvenient."
"The Inconvenient Wife" has so much to offer any reader....part Frankenstein, part court battle, part mystery, part historical fiction, part coming-of-age story, and part scientific discovery, this novel certainly has it all!
It reminded me so much of Chopin's "The Awakening" from the themes of women as property, isolation vs. solitude, the need of a person to be taken seriously, the "call to art" as providing escape and freedom, sociatal pressures, sexual and artistic desire in women, and freedom from male control. I highly recommend reading the two together! I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to all readers, especially women!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Friday, September 5, 2008
Not Me by Michael Lavigne
Yes, You....
What a wonderful, enriching and though-provoking novel! I can't imagine a more clever premise, or a better choice for a book club this year. While I read it on my own, I am so thankful I have passed it along to others who have since read and loved it, because there is so much to talk about and share!
While the main focus of the story centers around the narrator's father's candid diaries of his transformation (for lack of a better word) from SS officer to devoted Jew, the thematic focus was less on how the reader would feel about this and more on how his son deals with these revelations. One of the most prevalent themes in this novel, which any reader can relate to, is the idea of having a secret and whether those around you know, avoid/deny knowing, or have "clues" about the secret or even the fact one exists. Indeed, the most interesting part of the modern-day storyline was the chapter in which the narrator examines whether he "knew" all along. He clearly didn't suspect as a child that his father was a former Nazi, but rather, whether he suspected growing up that things weren't always what they seemed.
I would have preferred the story to have had more of the father's diaries and his storyline and much less of the narrator's modern-day storyline, although it worked well and was a fast, compelling read nonetheless.
I HIGHLY recommend this novel to everyone who has ever had a secret, learned of a secret, or told a secret (which bascially includes everyone). I look forward to reading more from such a talented writer. I also highly recommend "The Book Thief" and think the two books really compliement each other.
What a wonderful, enriching and though-provoking novel! I can't imagine a more clever premise, or a better choice for a book club this year. While I read it on my own, I am so thankful I have passed it along to others who have since read and loved it, because there is so much to talk about and share!
While the main focus of the story centers around the narrator's father's candid diaries of his transformation (for lack of a better word) from SS officer to devoted Jew, the thematic focus was less on how the reader would feel about this and more on how his son deals with these revelations. One of the most prevalent themes in this novel, which any reader can relate to, is the idea of having a secret and whether those around you know, avoid/deny knowing, or have "clues" about the secret or even the fact one exists. Indeed, the most interesting part of the modern-day storyline was the chapter in which the narrator examines whether he "knew" all along. He clearly didn't suspect as a child that his father was a former Nazi, but rather, whether he suspected growing up that things weren't always what they seemed.
I would have preferred the story to have had more of the father's diaries and his storyline and much less of the narrator's modern-day storyline, although it worked well and was a fast, compelling read nonetheless.
I HIGHLY recommend this novel to everyone who has ever had a secret, learned of a secret, or told a secret (which bascially includes everyone). I look forward to reading more from such a talented writer. I also highly recommend "The Book Thief" and think the two books really compliement each other.
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