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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A librarian becomes tangled in the life of a 10 year old avid reader and find herself no longer in control of a road trip. Very interesting, hard to put down.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved this story, the characters, even the way it ended. Am so glad I stopped avoiding it. I love how the characters are smart and funny, but also flawed in a believable way and not hopelessly flawed but able to understand their own limitations and coming to terms with them. I think the stories are very original yet with characters that are familiar to me. Just love this author!
I always figured that librarians, especially children’s librarians, were heroes to their patrons. Luci is Ian’s hero, although, in some ways, Ian is Luci's. Ian is 10, and has run away from gay conversion classes, and fundamentalist parents. He runs to the library, where Luci finds him. And so? They embark on a journey, although the end destination is vague. And the farther away they get, the more Luci realizes the trouble she could be in, and the trouble Ian is in. (Different troubles, for sure.) But in the end, she saves him. Although she does not believe she has.
“I no longer believe I can save people. I’ve tried and I've failed, and while I"m sure there are people out there with that particular gift, I’m not one of them. I make too much of a mess of things. But books, on the other hand, I still do believe that books can save you….l believed that books might save him, because I knew they had so far, and because I knew the people books had saved.”
“I no longer believe I can save people. I’ve tried and I've failed, and while I"m sure there are people out there with that particular gift, I’m not one of them. I make too much of a mess of things. But books, on the other hand, I still do believe that books can save you….l believed that books might save him, because I knew they had so far, and because I knew the people books had saved.”
The cover--gorgeous!
The story--sounds fantastic... Only on pg 67.
There was so much to like about the storyline, but some of it didn't flesh out very well. Thank god the story wrapped up fairly well. I really felt like the author got her groove going once they left the library.
I still enjoyed the story. It made me think about my own religion, and how natural is is to want to protect your children from outside influences. I love books. I can't imagine what my childhood would have been like had I been kept from certain books, let alone feeling like I must reprogram my whole being to be accepted by my parents.
The story--sounds fantastic... Only on pg 67.
There was so much to like about the storyline, but some of it didn't flesh out very well. Thank god the story wrapped up fairly well. I really felt like the author got her groove going once they left the library.
I still enjoyed the story. It made me think about my own religion, and how natural is is to want to protect your children from outside influences. I love books. I can't imagine what my childhood would have been like had I been kept from certain books, let alone feeling like I must reprogram my whole being to be accepted by my parents.
Imagine if "Lolita" was a) a farce; and b) not about sex. Imagine if Charlotte Haze had been a really bad mother, and some well-meaning fellow named Humbert had simply been trying to protect poor Dolores but then things kind of got out of hand, although to a much lesser degree than they did in the original.
In the opening chapters, ten-year-old Ian is a very believable character, and there is no question that a nice young woman working in a library would feel very protective of him, especially when his freedom to read(!) and to live(!) are threatened by his cartoonishly evangelical family. Naturally she would wonder if she could save him. She does not wonder this exactly -- more that he might be saved. Passive voice.
But then the opportunity arises and, even though she has no plan, things definitely do not go according to any plan she might have had. Things do not go all that poorly for them, of course. Even their Quilty is a kinder, gentler version.
"You can always count on a librarian for a derivative prose style." This line almost merits a fifth star for this rating, but tonight I am Russian judge.
In the opening chapters, ten-year-old Ian is a very believable character, and there is no question that a nice young woman working in a library would feel very protective of him, especially when his freedom to read(!) and to live(!) are threatened by his cartoonishly evangelical family. Naturally she would wonder if she could save him. She does not wonder this exactly -- more that he might be saved. Passive voice.
But then the opportunity arises and, even though she has no plan, things definitely do not go according to any plan she might have had. Things do not go all that poorly for them, of course. Even their Quilty is a kinder, gentler version.
"You can always count on a librarian for a derivative prose style." This line almost merits a fifth star for this rating, but tonight I am Russian judge.
My local independent bookstore recommended this book, so I thought I'd give it a try. At first, I really loved this book. The author is very witty, and being the child of a librarian, I could identify with the setting. But after a while, I found the plot to be a bit unbelievable. Who would embark on a road trip with an eleven year old without letting the parents know he's ok? I could buy the premise of the big escape, just not the premise that it is morally acceptable to not inform the parents their missing child is healthy and alive. Still, I will look for more by this author.
Ian Drake es un niño de diez años que va a la biblioteca siempre que puede. Ian tiene una familia profundamente religiosa y una madre que no quiere que lea cosas tan terribles como Harry Potter, historias de Roald Dahl ni nada que tenga que ver con la teoría de la evolución de las especies. De frente se topa con la bibliotecaria, Lucy Hull, incapaz de negarle al niño ningún libro (porque además, al parecer, eso atentaría contra la primera enmienda a la constitución de los Estados Unidos, la que preconiza que no habrá leyes que establezcan una religión oficial; y que hay libertad de religión y de expresión; tomen nota nuestros próceres patrios). Lucy proviene de padres rusos, no tiene pareja aunque sale con un tipo y deja que su vida transcurra entre libros de cuentos y talleres de origami.
Ian, además, es visto como homosexual por cuantas personas le conocen en el cole y en la biblioteca, razón por la cual sus padres le apuntan a una especie de cursillo para que se le pase, en algo parecido a una secta.
El círculo viciado y opresivo de Ian se va estrechando entre unas cosas y otras, pues apenas puede leer nada ya que la canguro le vigila cuando no lo hace su madre. Así que Ian hace lo único que puede hacerse en esos casos: fugarse. Y se fuga a la biblioteca, donde lo encuentra Lucy, que decide, a su pesar, devolverlo a su casa. Pero la cosa se complica y acaban llegando a la frontera con Canadá en el estado de New Hampshire, 2.000 kilómetros más allá. En una huida en la que Lucy trata de sonsacar algo a Ian que la haga pensar que está haciendo bien. Es una escapada un tanto delirante a los ojos de cualquiera con dos dedos de frente. Ella misma se cuestiona lo que está haciendo, a dónde le va a llevar todo eso, cómo va a ser su vida después del secuestro de Ian. Porque aunque en realidad Lucy no le haya secuestrado, legalmente es un secuestro.
La resolución de la huida es un tanto macarrónica y difícil de creer, pero esta es una obra de ficción. Y aunque en muchos sentidos apoye los motivos que llevan a Lucy a escapar con Ian, no creo que sea tan fácil resolver un entuerto así. Aunque, como dice ella misma,
En cambio, los libros... Sigo creyendo que los libros sí que pueden salvarte.
Ian, además, es visto como homosexual por cuantas personas le conocen en el cole y en la biblioteca, razón por la cual sus padres le apuntan a una especie de cursillo para que se le pase, en algo parecido a una secta.
El círculo viciado y opresivo de Ian se va estrechando entre unas cosas y otras, pues apenas puede leer nada ya que la canguro le vigila cuando no lo hace su madre. Así que Ian hace lo único que puede hacerse en esos casos: fugarse. Y se fuga a la biblioteca, donde lo encuentra Lucy, que decide, a su pesar, devolverlo a su casa. Pero la cosa se complica y acaban llegando a la frontera con Canadá en el estado de New Hampshire, 2.000 kilómetros más allá. En una huida en la que Lucy trata de sonsacar algo a Ian que la haga pensar que está haciendo bien. Es una escapada un tanto delirante a los ojos de cualquiera con dos dedos de frente. Ella misma se cuestiona lo que está haciendo, a dónde le va a llevar todo eso, cómo va a ser su vida después del secuestro de Ian. Porque aunque en realidad Lucy no le haya secuestrado, legalmente es un secuestro.
La resolución de la huida es un tanto macarrónica y difícil de creer, pero esta es una obra de ficción. Y aunque en muchos sentidos apoye los motivos que llevan a Lucy a escapar con Ian, no creo que sea tan fácil resolver un entuerto así. Aunque, como dice ella misma,
En cambio, los libros... Sigo creyendo que los libros sí que pueden salvarte.
This is the 2nd book by this author that I read and she has impressed me again! It's so pleasing to find a consistent clever new author that produces complex tales.
I really enjoyed the characters in this one, the super creative chapters inspired in fun children's adventure books and how it doesn't try to magically bring everything together into a dreamy ending.
I really enjoyed the characters in this one, the super creative chapters inspired in fun children's adventure books and how it doesn't try to magically bring everything together into a dreamy ending.