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3.16 AVERAGE
3.16 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3,5. The first half was quite wonderful, the second seemed all over the place. I might check out her short stories though.
Moore is a great author and knows how to inject the intricacies of daily life full of rich meaning and nuance. This is the story of Tassie Keltjim (great name), a Midwestern college girl who is suddenly immersed in an eccentric (and dangerous) family when she takes a nannying job for them. There are tons of issues dealt with in the book: 9/11, adoption, parenting, race, sexuality and terrorism, but they are sidenotes to Tassie's ongoing maturation and ultimately, devastation. This was a deep read, a good one, but I was glad to shake it off for something lighter. Still, I recommend it. You can tell that Moore is deeply, fiercely intelligent and at times it's intimidating. I wasn't sure how to feel at the end, but it was definitely worth the journey.
Moore astonishes me with her austere humor and unsentimental characters navigating the most difficult times of their lives. This book's seemingly-simple title alone has so many layers and references sprinkled like signposts throughout the book. I want to press this into the hands of friends, to see if they are similarly absorbed and moved, but I don't think I can let go of my copy.
This book had me laughing unreasonably just minutes before making me sob, just minutes before suffocating me with the weight of grief, before slowly lifting me back on my feet again, and finally even laughing again. And that was just in the last 50 pages. Aside from the mood swings at the end, this book contains the most delightfully astute, clever, gorgeous writing I think I have ever seen. You can feel a playfulness in the language, through Moore's character's quips and linguistic foibles and gorgeously detailed descriptions. This book feels so real, its characters so accurate, you're sure you've not only met them before, but have known them all along.
Eh...the beginning was charming, but I felt Moore overdid the schtick between the main female character and everyone else throughout the book (too much punnery, jokey-jokeyness, etc). And her foreshadowing grew tiresome too--just let the story unfold, already. You see where some of the story is going from a mile away, but the part that I didn't see coming was heartwrenching and too much to bear without more of a framework set up to cushion the blow. A pretty large issue wasn't revisited or resolved. I have a hard time reading about characters' consistent bad decisions, carelessness, and callousness and the dire consequences of them, and that's what this book explores.
I read the last lines of Moore's novel and was left frustrated and conflicted. The protagonist's relationships with every other character are half-formed and fragile. Maybe this was the point, but it clearly did not resonate. There was entirely too much talking. Not in dialogue, but by the narrator in some indistinct future. And a weird interlude where a major scene is retold, not by the participant, but by the narrator, robbing us of being able to see understand the impact of the woman's choices. I cannot understand why this book appears on so many best-of-2009 lists.
What an odd little book this was! It was beautifully written and kept my attention throughout, but the plot was weak and the characters not really likable or interesting, yet, I still enjoyed it. So take that for what it is worth!
What a writer! Every page sparkles with new metaphors and insights. A wonderful story and beautiful literary writing.