August’s book reviews: war, love, and stamp conspiracies
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Anyway, here’s a quick rundown of my August reads. If anyone wants more thorough reviews, just let me know.
The Crying of Lot 49
by Thomas Pynchon
Try as I might, I couldn’t get into the language or the story. The writing is long-winded and obtuse, and the characters are offensive. I was unable to sympathize with the main character, a woman, who was completely pitiful to me, nor could I, as a moral person, take a liking to a number of the repulsive men she met.
The plot itself eluded me in many spots and was terribly dry and uninteresting. Whenever the story dove into thoughtful meditation, it swerved back to Pynchon’s rambling, mind-labyrinth style of writing, and I was bored all over again. Probably the only reason I finished was so I could get to the bottom of the Tristero/Pierce nonsense, and none of it satisfied me.
Slaughterhouse-Five
by Kurt Vonnegut
Slaughterhouse-Five got better the further into it I read. I’m usually a fan of WWII-themed literature in general, but Vonnegut’s sad and beautiful narrative goes beyond the average retelling of the war and bombing of Dresden. He presents a disordered world that’s very much ordered, an insane man who’s very much sane, and a shocking series of events that are very much the way of the world. Pay attention to the details, and you’ll see how everything comes together, all the inseparable little pieces of life, war, and peace.
Paper Towns
by John Green
John Green makes writing look as easy and simple as everyday thought, but underneath this high school coming-of-age story is a much deeper acknowledgment of human nature. The chapters are perfectly paced, and by the end of the book, you’ll find yourself as transfixed with the idea of a perfect ending as Quentin is with Margo.
(And finally …
… the conclusion to His Dark Materials, the whole of which I’ve reviewed on Goodreads.)
The Amber Spyglass
by Philip Pullman
I didn’t enjoy this book nearly as much as the first two. Pullman calmed the story down in the last third, but most of the time there was too much going on and it just wasn’t as consistent.
The ending [SPOILER] is, by most people’s standards, depressing, but it’s not necessarily uncalled for. If you think about Pullman’s message of how joyous being one with the universe is, you’ll understand that even though Lyra and Will are forced to live apart, they’ll be rejoined one day, and sitting on the same bench in their different Oxfords holds a certain power, as well. That spiritual connection, something we could all do well to learn from, is more powerful and real to Pullman than a belief in God. [END SPOILER]
Agree or disagree with anything written here? Read anything good/bad/horribly atrocious lately? I’m open to recommendations.
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