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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really, really enjoyed this. It was the most random page-turner of a book but I loved it so much. A librarian MC, a nerdy, snarky 10 year old? Count me in. This book was so implausible but it was a pure delight to read. I can’t wait to read more of this author’s works.
The premise of this book drew me in from the start--a suspenseful tale of a precocious, conflicted child and a subdued librarian turned vigilante with rebellion in her blood. The heroine, if you'd chose to call her that, wrestles continuously with the ethics of her escapade and creeping self-doubt. I was surprised at several points, and overall, I found it to be a truly enjoyable read.
The novel had some very clever and charming elements--the parodies of famous children's books, the parallels between Lucy's family history in Russia and her current experience with Ian, and the potentially life-saving lists she delivered to him at the end. My biggest disappointment was the fairly anticlimactic conclusion of a journey that felt too long-winded. I only wish the ending had been as strong as the promising beginning.
The novel had some very clever and charming elements--the parodies of famous children's books, the parallels between Lucy's family history in Russia and her current experience with Ian, and the potentially life-saving lists she delivered to him at the end. My biggest disappointment was the fairly anticlimactic conclusion of a journey that felt too long-winded. I only wish the ending had been as strong as the promising beginning.
See my review at http://topplingbookpile.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-borrower-by-rebecca-makkai-new.html
La verdad es que no sé qué pensar de este libro. Me ha parecido un tanto absurdo, pero la verdad es que me lo he leído casi del tirón.
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's a fun premise that was consistently hampered by how much it strained my credulity. Lucy's a bit of a drip. But Ian's an interesting kid, and the dynamic more or less works. The cast of family and family friends they visit did a lot of the heavy lifting keeping me engaged - those parts are good fun. Otherwise I felt it dragged a bit. A decent story, but not one I'll re-read.
challenging
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Child abuse
I'd actually give this 3.5 stars, but that's not an option.
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
A young children's librarian in a small town in Missouri has a favorite patron, an effeminate and brilliant ten-year-old boy who loves reading but whose parents are evangelical conservatives who place tight controls on what books he's allowed to read. She tries to help him as best she can, but sees him becoming more and more unhappy, and she suspects his mom might be abusing him. Then she finds out he's being sent to a program run by a pastor who claims he can "cure" homosexuality in boys.
This is where the story gets implausible. When the boy runs away and hides in the library, she... kidnaps him. They run away together on a road trip to an unknown destination. The children's librarian is a frustrating character. She knows that what she's doing is wrong and crazy. But she justifies her actions because she can't stand not being able to help him and she finds intolerable the idea of having to watch him as years pass and he gets squashed down and trampled because of his differences, and never grows into the person he deserves to become, the person whose life is changed by books and ideas:
"I believed that books might save him because I knew they had so far, and because I knew the people books had saved. They were college professors and actors and scientists and poets. They got to college and sat on dorm floors drinking coffee, amazed they'd finally found their soul mates. They always dressed a little out of season. Their names were enshrined on the pink cards in the pockets of all the forgotten hardbacks in every library basement in America. If the librarians were lazy enough or nostalgic enough or smart enough, those names would stay there forever.”
I found this book frustrating because I couldn't see how it would end in a realistic way. But I ended up liking it; recommended reading for youth services librarians especially.
This is where the story gets implausible. When the boy runs away and hides in the library, she... kidnaps him. They run away together on a road trip to an unknown destination. The children's librarian is a frustrating character. She knows that what she's doing is wrong and crazy. But she justifies her actions because she can't stand not being able to help him and she finds intolerable the idea of having to watch him as years pass and he gets squashed down and trampled because of his differences, and never grows into the person he deserves to become, the person whose life is changed by books and ideas:
"I believed that books might save him because I knew they had so far, and because I knew the people books had saved. They were college professors and actors and scientists and poets. They got to college and sat on dorm floors drinking coffee, amazed they'd finally found their soul mates. They always dressed a little out of season. Their names were enshrined on the pink cards in the pockets of all the forgotten hardbacks in every library basement in America. If the librarians were lazy enough or nostalgic enough or smart enough, those names would stay there forever.”
I found this book frustrating because I couldn't see how it would end in a realistic way. But I ended up liking it; recommended reading for youth services librarians especially.
Oh my gosh, I LOVED this! It was such a quick read for me--one of those books you can't put down, but that you hate for it to end. I really felt like I could identify with the protagonist. I especially appreciated that the author listed so many titles of books that she felt would be great for this kid to read--several were books I've read (as a kid or as an adult), and there were even more that I'm going to be adding to my To Read list!
I borrowed this from my local library, to read on my Kindle Fire. However, I'll be attending a conference next month that the author's supposed to be at--I'm thinking I'm going to buy a copy to have her sign. I really enjoyed this and would love to read it again!!!
I borrowed this from my local library, to read on my Kindle Fire. However, I'll be attending a conference next month that the author's supposed to be at--I'm thinking I'm going to buy a copy to have her sign. I really enjoyed this and would love to read it again!!!