You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
I enjoyed this book. The author has a very clear voice and the characters are rich and well-drawn, if one or two may seem to be a bit of a stereotype. The best way to describe the story, I think, would be to call it a youth fiction book for grown-ups.
This book is about a children's librarian and a 10 year old boy. The boy is a passionate reader, and is probably gay. His mother tries to censor what he reads, and sends him to an evangelical class to make him heterosexual. When the boy runs away to the library, the librarian helps him, and essentially kidnaps him. What makes this book great--the references to children's literature, the reverence with which it treats reading, and the growing, learning, and forgiving process of the librarian. It took me to the end to appreciate what a great book it is.
Clever and wordy, this is a book that pulls from classic literature of all categories. It is a book that uses writing and book tropes to write a book. The writing is clever, but also lengthy. The ending brings things full circle in a way I wouldn’t have guessed.
Lucy, a children's librarian, somehow ends up kidnapping Ian, a 10 yr old who ran away from home. They go on a 6 day drive across the country and he eventually goes back home by bus, never telling that it was Lucy he was with
This book leaves me very conflicted. If you are a reader and have an appreciation for what good YA fiction can mean to a developing young person, you will love the literary references throughout the story. If you are a person who believes that acceptance of those who are different is a core value you'll love how Lucy stands up for and in her own way nurtures Ian.
However, I'm still stuck with the implausibility of the plot....a seemingly mentally stable, responsible 26 year old Kidnaps or aids in the running away of a 10 year old, driving him first to Chicago, then to Pittsburgh, then to Vermont before finally putting him on a bus back to Hannibal, Missouri, with no repercussions and a neat tidy ending....willing suspension of disbelief is definitely required.
I wanted to love this book, as I love each character and the entire "moral of the story", but it was all too far-fetched. That said, I'll definitely read the next book by this author.
However, I'm still stuck with the implausibility of the plot....a seemingly mentally stable, responsible 26 year old Kidnaps or aids in the running away of a 10 year old, driving him first to Chicago, then to Pittsburgh, then to Vermont before finally putting him on a bus back to Hannibal, Missouri, with no repercussions and a neat tidy ending....willing suspension of disbelief is definitely required.
I wanted to love this book, as I love each character and the entire "moral of the story", but it was all too far-fetched. That said, I'll definitely read the next book by this author.
Such a fun book! You must suspend disbelief because several things are completely ridiculous, but, my oh my, it is fun and very profound at times.
A nice light book about two people who are finding their way and do so with the backdrop of books. The something they both seem to be running away from is revealed by the end of the story. Both Lucy and Ian are likable characters as are those they meet along the way. Travelling across country with these two was a delight. Their banter was of two people covering up their emotions, something I enjoyed. And when they reached the unlikely conclusion I was satisfied.
adventurous
funny
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
No, this book is not realistic. If the MC did what she did in real life (no spoilers) the consequences would have been very severe no matter what, and if that is a reading turn off then you definitely won't want to read this book.
I, however, loved it. It was whacky, fun, outrageous, and so unrealistic that it may as well be called a fantasy (/nsrs), and growing to understand the two protags was delightful and insightful, all in one.
I've seen manh readers conflating "morally grey" or "unreliable narrator" to "awful book", whereas I think it deserves a lot more nuance than that. From the first page our MC says she is the villain in the story, and spends much of the book either being in denial over her actions, or talking about how she was in denial over her actions, but I think we as an audience are unused to seeing true morally grey MCs, and we don't know how to truly respond to them anymore.
(Morally grey characters don't iclude Megamind by the way, he is more of an antihero/villain-turned-hero.)
I really liked this book, I liked the themes and constant questioning of morals, or reality vs imagination, of being right vs doing right, and I would highly recommend if you want to experience the magic of libraries as we never see it.
I, however, loved it. It was whacky, fun, outrageous, and so unrealistic that it may as well be called a fantasy (/nsrs), and growing to understand the two protags was delightful and insightful, all in one.
I've seen manh readers conflating "morally grey" or "unreliable narrator" to "awful book", whereas I think it deserves a lot more nuance than that. From the first page our MC says she is the villain in the story, and spends much of the book either being in denial over her actions, or talking about how she was in denial over her actions, but I think we as an audience are unused to seeing true morally grey MCs, and we don't know how to truly respond to them anymore.
(Morally grey characters don't iclude Megamind by the way, he is more of an antihero/villain-turned-hero.)
I really liked this book, I liked the themes and constant questioning of morals, or reality vs imagination, of being right vs doing right, and I would highly recommend if you want to experience the magic of libraries as we never see it.
Reading The Borrower is like having a long sit-down with an old friend, full of asides and references you're supposed to know. It's great!
I could pick this book apart, if I wanted to: Lucy is not a believable character: She's super-smart, but has no career plans, gorgeous, but doesn't date or have friends, "falls into" a job that requires an advanced degree she doesn't have, and allows herself to be led into a criminal act by a ten year old boy.
BUT
It is a fantastically enjoyable read. Makkai gives a great turn of phrase, and the book is fun! At the same time, it's about the fictions we allow ourselves to believe about ourselves and just about everyone else we meet, and how that keeps us apart.
Passages I want to remember:
"Excepting the books, I never liked to amass more possessions than could be moved in a cartop U-Haul. You never know when the Cossacks are going to invade." (p.31)
"In a library in Missouri that was covered with vines
Lived thousands of books in a hundred straight lines
A boy came in at half past nine
Every Saturday, rain or shine
His book selections were clan-des-tine." (p. 35)
"Too Much Tequila, by Margaret Wise Brown. The Very Obvious Nose Job, by Eric Carle." (p. 59)
"I'd watched The Music Man enough times as a child to be wary of smiling musicians. The way they waltz into your library singing, swinging that con man briefcase and telling you to be spontaneous. They tell you this town could be saved with a little luck and a good marching band." (p.68)
I do crazy miss being a children's librarian.
I could pick this book apart, if I wanted to: Lucy is not a believable character: She's super-smart, but has no career plans, gorgeous, but doesn't date or have friends, "falls into" a job that requires an advanced degree she doesn't have, and allows herself to be led into a criminal act by a ten year old boy.
BUT
It is a fantastically enjoyable read. Makkai gives a great turn of phrase, and the book is fun! At the same time, it's about the fictions we allow ourselves to believe about ourselves and just about everyone else we meet, and how that keeps us apart.
Passages I want to remember:
"Excepting the books, I never liked to amass more possessions than could be moved in a cartop U-Haul. You never know when the Cossacks are going to invade." (p.31)
"In a library in Missouri that was covered with vines
Lived thousands of books in a hundred straight lines
A boy came in at half past nine
Every Saturday, rain or shine
His book selections were clan-des-tine." (p. 35)
"Too Much Tequila, by Margaret Wise Brown. The Very Obvious Nose Job, by Eric Carle." (p. 59)
"I'd watched The Music Man enough times as a child to be wary of smiling musicians. The way they waltz into your library singing, swinging that con man briefcase and telling you to be spontaneous. They tell you this town could be saved with a little luck and a good marching band." (p.68)
I do crazy miss being a children's librarian.