A Review of The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
08 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
in Book Reviews Tags: books, literature, margaret atwood, reading, reviews, the blind assassin
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I have decided that books are a little like chicken. When undercooked, the color and texture are all wrong, and the experience is a risk to your health. When overcooked, they are tasteless and tough, a labor to get through.
This book is, in my opinion, well overcooked.
The plot is not a bad one – but why it took so many words to tell is beyond me. It’s not just the length, but the frills. Too many scholarly quotations (what a show-off) and stories within a story within a story. The complexity level speaks of an author trying way too hard for an award-winner instead of writing for the pleasure of telling a great story.
I have a thing about finishing books that I start; if I didn’t, I would have given up on this one almost as soon as I started. As things stand, I’m not sure I would have missed much.
Mother of Pearl
19 Aug 2011 Leave a Comment
in Book Reviews Tags: books, fiction, literature, melinda haynes, mother of pearl, oprah's book club, reading, reviews
I’ve been reading a lot recently – something I used to love to do and was number four on my list of things to do in the rest of 2011. It’s hard to believe it’s only been two months since I made that list…
Anyway, most recently, I finished Mother of Pearl by Melinda Haynes. I bought it at our monthly library used-book sale for a dollar. It has a little “Oprah’s Book Club” label on the front and I figured that was a good sign I might enjoy a good story and feed my female need for vicarious emotions. Here’s what I thought:
Mother of Pearl by Melinda Haynes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Sometimes, people just aim too high.
The story and characters were well-crafted, I’ll grant that much – but the book gave off the distinct vibe of an author that was trying too hard for a literary masterpiece. So much was overdone: too many characters with involved story-lines, too much sexuality and crass language, too much abstract literary and poetic allusion, too much.
And yet the really big moments – the emotional pivots and climax of the book – are understated, like the author is trying to trick you. If you’re not reading closely, you’ll miss them. It seems arrogant, like she wants to catch you confused.
I loved the characters, but I am glad to be done with the book.
More Musings on the Founding Fathers
11 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
in Book Reviews, faith Tags: america, american history, book, book review, books, christ, christian, christianity, deism, deist, deists, founding fathers, george washington, george washington's sacred fire, god, historical revisionism, history, jesus, jesus christ, religion
I recognize that my last post on this blog was a book review, but I have recently re-discovered my local library, and so this might be a theme for a while. But don’t worry, this one won’t be nearly as scathing (nor as long) as the last one was.
Remember when I posted a while back about the founding fathers not being deists, as secular history claims? Well, the day after I posted that blog, I heard Peter Lillback, author of George Washington’s Sacred Fire, speaking on the Christian radio station in town.
I picked up the book at the library as soon as I could, and while I didn’t read all of it (one of the reasons this review is much shorter than the last), I was extremely impressed by the overwhelming wealth of scholarship and evidence (read: this is a really thick book with about a billion end notes) indicating that Washington was a man of great faith. I’d also like to add that the author is fairly impartial. This is not to say that it isn’t obvious he is a Christian or that he is attempting to prove Washington’s religion, merely to note that he does not leave out those points which would undermine his thesis – in fact, he devotes several chapters to those points.
It is quite obvious to me even after reading only parts of this book that Washington was a Christian and definitely not a deist. I can’t say how strong his faith was, nor can I say whether he would have been a Christian today since the church’s influence on society is nowhere near what it was in his age, but the fact remains that whether through his own individual study or by indoctrination as a young man, he chose to honor Christ as Lord. And though it may be presumptuous of me to say, I do believe he would be quite offended – if not horrified – to hear what is being taught about him in the classroom today.
Pick up the book, Ivory Tower. I dare you.
Eat, Pray, Love (or Gluttony, Vanity, Idolatry)
09 Aug 2010 1 Comment
in Book Reviews, faith, truth Tags: 1 jn 1:9, 1 john, 1 john 1, 1 john 1:9, book, book review, books, christ, christian, christianity, eat pray love, elizabeth gilbert, first john, first john 1:9, gluttony, god, idolatry, jesus, jesus christ, jn 14:6, john, john 14, john 14:6, pantheism, religion, vanity
So I just finished reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.
First, let me say that I think she is an absolutely fabulous author. I don’t think there is anybody like her, actually. I have never laughed out loud so many times or for so long while reading a book. I enjoyed myself while reading it so much, in fact, that despite what you are going to read in the rest of this review, I will probably see the movie when it comes out.
Second, let me say that I do recognize that she inserted a disclaimer into a very early chapter of her book that warned me that, as a Christian, I wasn’t going to like some of what she had to say. She states that she doesn’t disagree with all Christians, just those who think that Christianity is the only way. Since that is, in my opinion, the only kind of authentic Christianity (and if you disagree, take it up with Jesus, please), I knew what I was getting into.
Still, I was surprised at how, well, ridiculous some of the “truths” she discovered on her spiritual journey were. At times, they were almost laughable. How can a person seriously set out to seek God on a journey to find herself? If God is you, then why are you miserable – why change, why grow?
It seemed to me that most of Ms. Gilbert’s journey (which could have been more accurately entitled Gluttony, Vanity, Idolatry) centered around her desire to rid herself of the guilt she felt for leaving her husband to indulge her own selfishness. I hate to say something like that, because I do not know her or her husband and it sounds terribly judgmental, but she admits as much herself in the book when she finds herself pursuing pleasure without limit and wondering how she could possibly justify to her ex-husband that this was what she left him for. The only real issue I took with this theme was that in the end, she did in fact excuse herself for her actions.
In fact, in one very strange chapter, Gilbert describes the moment when she actually forgave herself on behalf of her husband for her part in their divorce. As a Christian, I do understand the power of guilt and the damage living with it can do, especially when you have already been forgiven by the one against whom you have sinned. However, if you have not been forgiven, well… All I’m saying is that an imaginary conversation with your ex-husband, whom you left for selfish reasons and then proceeded to ruthlessly criticize throughout your best-seller, can’t really wash away your sins.
But mostly, what kills me about this book is that even if I were to accept that everything she says is true – that seeking pleasure and self and a life without responsibility was the way to go – how likely is it that I could actually walk that path? Gilbert was lucky enough to sell her manuscript in advance and basically receive an all-expenses paid year-long vacation around the world. Could you or I really take such a journey to find spiritual enlightenment? Those of us with children we love (a myth, it seems, in Gilbert’s opinion, since children are only the status quo for those of us too afraid to break out of the box, like she did) and husbands whom we don’t desire to leave, or – God-forbid – a day-job don’t really have the luxury of taking off for a year with a notebook and a dream.
Mostly, I found this book to be extremely unfair to those in the general public with a thirst for (but not a knowledge of) the divine. One: it is misleading, in that it tells people that worship of self counts as worship of God; and two: who of those desperate for a similar experience will have the same kind of opportunity Gilbert had to worship herself anyway? What a bummer for those poor souls wishing to gain some kind of legitimate spiritual enlightenment from Gilbert’s journey. I guess a vicarious experience will have to do.
