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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
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Gut Instinct Rating - 4
Characters - 4
Believability for type and topics - 2
Similarity to other books - 4
Writing Style - 3.5
Excitement Factor - 3.5
Story Line - 4
Title Relevance - 2
Dust Jacket Art - 3
To read or not to read? If you enjoy books about books and mystery's, this is definitely your book. But if you're not someone who enjoys an endless story with many answers, I would pass.
Movie? None
Goodreads users gave this book a 3.46. I think it was more deserving of a 3.33.
Published on January 1, 2011
Pages: 234
Publishing Company: Viking Publishing
Number of books by author: 15 Novels
Genre: Fiction, Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Books About Books
This is a book that I would recommend, but only to a specific audience. This book was good, and I laughed out loud a few times - but it was the type of book that requires two things - the right mood, and the right reader. I feel like this book could escape someone's interest if they didn't care for mystery-like novels.
The characters were well done, but I just wanted more. I wanted more about Ian's parents, because we never got any information about the dad (was there a dad? Was he as conservative as the mom? If there wasn't a dad, is that why the mom reacted the way she did?) and I felt like that hole in the story could've been filled with one sentence. But we focused primarily on the mom, but her presence wasn't filled well. She was sporadic, and when she was involved in the story, it wasn't clear how close her and Ian were, since often the babysitter's name was mentioned or re-mentioned in passing.
The believability really killed me in this book. This is the crime-junkie in me coming out, and that's what really hurt me throughout this process. The story was missing some crucial moments... say for example, an amber alert was never called out for a missing 10-year old boy?! And furthermore, this book was written 6 years ago in 2011, so it's not as if this book was written in the 80s and the technology isn't around. Easily, the technology that would've been needed to track this boy, could've been brought in quickly -even for a small town. But it never was, and I felt like this could've added to the story itself, as well as the excitement factor.
It was a unique story, nonetheless. We see a young librarian facing her world of books, and trying to make them a reality for this little boy, Ian. When in reality, she's trying to make him her reality. Maybe the tone of that story line is slighted in the beginning, but it's definitely an interesting idea that Lucy is indeed a psychopath. If nothing else, her odd family history could account for her strange social behaviors. In addition, we know she likes to make lists, but who makes a list with a list of instructions or choices, and then gives them back to themselves? It was an odd thing that was written into the book - these poems, or lists. I didn't really understand the purpose of them, so in general, I skimmed and skipped these few pages of the book. The story was getting a bit repetitive in the middle, anyways, and these little snippets of "personal writing" didn't help alleviate that feeling. Towards the end, we saw more excitement come into play, but it was all very gradual, and there wasn't a moment of true climax. Which led to a serious lack of closure. I would really love to see a novella about where Ian and Lucy ended up - did they reunite? Did he get to live out his personality? All these questions that a writer can answer, and we just got shut out with a "I wish you well, I wish you the best," type of create your own ending.
The title didn't really mesh well with me... someone have any idea what's at play there?
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Gut Instinct Rating - 4
Characters - 4
Believability for type and topics - 2
Similarity to other books - 4
Writing Style - 3.5
Excitement Factor - 3.5
Story Line - 4
Title Relevance - 2
Dust Jacket Art - 3
To read or not to read? If you enjoy books about books and mystery's, this is definitely your book. But if you're not someone who enjoys an endless story with many answers, I would pass.
Movie? None
Goodreads users gave this book a 3.46. I think it was more deserving of a 3.33.
Published on January 1, 2011
Pages: 234
Publishing Company: Viking Publishing
Number of books by author: 15 Novels
Genre: Fiction, Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Books About Books
This is a book that I would recommend, but only to a specific audience. This book was good, and I laughed out loud a few times - but it was the type of book that requires two things - the right mood, and the right reader. I feel like this book could escape someone's interest if they didn't care for mystery-like novels.
The characters were well done, but I just wanted more. I wanted more about Ian's parents, because we never got any information about the dad (was there a dad? Was he as conservative as the mom? If there wasn't a dad, is that why the mom reacted the way she did?) and I felt like that hole in the story could've been filled with one sentence. But we focused primarily on the mom, but her presence wasn't filled well. She was sporadic, and when she was involved in the story, it wasn't clear how close her and Ian were, since often the babysitter's name was mentioned or re-mentioned in passing.
The believability really killed me in this book. This is the crime-junkie in me coming out, and that's what really hurt me throughout this process. The story was missing some crucial moments... say for example, an amber alert was never called out for a missing 10-year old boy?! And furthermore, this book was written 6 years ago in 2011, so it's not as if this book was written in the 80s and the technology isn't around. Easily, the technology that would've been needed to track this boy, could've been brought in quickly -even for a small town. But it never was, and I felt like this could've added to the story itself, as well as the excitement factor.
It was a unique story, nonetheless. We see a young librarian facing her world of books, and trying to make them a reality for this little boy, Ian. When in reality, she's trying to make him her reality. Maybe the tone of that story line is slighted in the beginning, but it's definitely an interesting idea that Lucy is indeed a psychopath. If nothing else, her odd family history could account for her strange social behaviors. In addition, we know she likes to make lists, but who makes a list with a list of instructions or choices, and then gives them back to themselves? It was an odd thing that was written into the book - these poems, or lists. I didn't really understand the purpose of them, so in general, I skimmed and skipped these few pages of the book. The story was getting a bit repetitive in the middle, anyways, and these little snippets of "personal writing" didn't help alleviate that feeling. Towards the end, we saw more excitement come into play, but it was all very gradual, and there wasn't a moment of true climax. Which led to a serious lack of closure. I would really love to see a novella about where Ian and Lucy ended up - did they reunite? Did he get to live out his personality? All these questions that a writer can answer, and we just got shut out with a "I wish you well, I wish you the best," type of create your own ending.
The title didn't really mesh well with me... someone have any idea what's at play there?
As a children's librarian that works in a library that sounds surprisingly similar (although mine is definitely smaller) to Lucy Hull's library, I may be partial to this book. But I have to say, I couldn't put it down. I adored it. I read another review that said it was unrealistic and it didn't matter. At first I thought that was a useless review, but upon finishing the novel, I realized it was entirely perfect, and you won't quite understand until you finish it yourself. What matters it that it is well-written, that it incorporates favorite children's tales, and that you love the characters. Read it. Read it if you've ever read a children's story. Just read it.
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this story about a children's librarian and a misunderstood ten year old boy - with very clever renditions of childhood classics like Goodnight Moon and A Very Hungry Caterpillar that made me laugh out loud. It dragged a tad bit toward the end, or I would have given in five stars.
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
There is just too much in this book, and also I think a bit too little. Let's start with the too much.
The writing style suffers from an abundance of the narrator's meandering thoughts and conjectures. Like most people the narrator (Lucy) has numerous false starts before she says (or doesn't say) something, but here we are given free access to these stumbles; way too much information. Furthermore, Lucy spins out endless scenarios of what other characters may be doing, which bogs down the flow because the author never does anything with these thoughts, just lets them pile up. A character's conjecturing is like highlights in your hair - best when used sparingly and with careful placement, otherwise it's a hot mess.
And speaking of meandering conjectures, Lucy does a lot - A LOT - of this about herself. And here it would generally work because she is on the run, and imaging the outcomes of various actions is logical.
So Lucy's inaction brings us to the heart of the too little portion. Lucy AT NO POINT asks Ian why he is running away! They are together a week, most of that time alone in a car, and she never asks him! She assumes she knows why, but even so a real person would still ask a child for an explanation, would try to talk about it again and again until there was some clarity. It makes no sense at all, and when I realized that she was never going to ask him about his reasons, well, for me the book shattered.
There were some bright spots in the book, to be sure. First, I really liked the idea that a kid can force an adult into uncomfortable/dangerous/illegal actions and situations by threatening to lie about the adult to authorities. Kids actually have a lot of power over adults, and this explored that dynamic in an interesting way. Second, I liked the literary allusions and poems the author sprinkles throughout; they were fun and made me smile. Third, I liked that the author took on the damaging (and illegal) practice of " reprogramming" gay and lesbian people to become heterosexual. She does a pretty good job of creating a fun, interesting, smart, happy child whose parents are trying to break him to fit into a specific mold that matches their religion, and to show what can be lost if they succeed. I LOVE that she specifically talks about how the Bible's prohibition against homosexuality is in the same sentence as a prohibition against eating shellfish, which is in itself sandwiched among rules about menstruation and crop rotation, and all the latter are freely ignored in modern Western society while the former is used to justify every conceivable physical and psychological torture. We need more contemporary, popular novels that unmask this dangerous hypocrisy, although hopefully better written.
The writing style suffers from an abundance of the narrator's meandering thoughts and conjectures. Like most people the narrator (Lucy) has numerous false starts before she says (or doesn't say) something, but here we are given free access to these stumbles; way too much information. Furthermore, Lucy spins out endless scenarios of what other characters may be doing, which bogs down the flow because the author never does anything with these thoughts, just lets them pile up. A character's conjecturing is like highlights in your hair - best when used sparingly and with careful placement, otherwise it's a hot mess.
And speaking of meandering conjectures, Lucy does a lot - A LOT - of this about herself. And here it would generally work because she is on the run, and imaging the outcomes of various actions is logical.
Spoiler
But here's where the too much starts to overlap with the too little: we have pages and pages and pages devoted to Lucy's meandering conjectures about what she could do, but she barely does anything at all! She just keeps driving, and aside from stops in Chicago and Pittsburgh this driving is completely aimless. The contrast between her overabundant imaginings and her complete lack of action is perhaps intentional, but it does not make for good reading.So Lucy's inaction brings us to the heart of the too little portion. Lucy AT NO POINT asks Ian why he is running away! They are together a week, most of that time alone in a car, and she never asks him! She assumes she knows why, but even so a real person would still ask a child for an explanation, would try to talk about it again and again until there was some clarity. It makes no sense at all, and when I realized that she was never going to ask him about his reasons, well, for me the book shattered.
There were some bright spots in the book, to be sure. First, I really liked the idea that a kid can force an adult into uncomfortable/dangerous/illegal actions and situations by threatening to lie about the adult to authorities. Kids actually have a lot of power over adults, and this explored that dynamic in an interesting way. Second, I liked the literary allusions and poems the author sprinkles throughout; they were fun and made me smile. Third, I liked that the author took on the damaging (and illegal) practice of " reprogramming" gay and lesbian people to become heterosexual. She does a pretty good job of creating a fun, interesting, smart, happy child whose parents are trying to break him to fit into a specific mold that matches their religion, and to show what can be lost if they succeed. I LOVE that she specifically talks about how the Bible's prohibition against homosexuality is in the same sentence as a prohibition against eating shellfish, which is in itself sandwiched among rules about menstruation and crop rotation, and all the latter are freely ignored in modern Western society while the former is used to justify every conceivable physical and psychological torture. We need more contemporary, popular novels that unmask this dangerous hypocrisy, although hopefully better written.
adventurous
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I liked it, but I thought it could've been way more exciting, considering the premise that is set up. A 28 yr-old librarian finds one of her favorite 10 yr-old patrons, Ian, hiding out in the library because he has run away from home. She lets him talk her into fleeing on an impromptu road trip. As a 1st person narrator, the librarian says she didn't know what her motivation was, except that she must've been wanting to run away herself. (She ties this into her family's history of running away from Russia). I would've liked if she really loved Ian, and had more emotional invested. She just liked sneaking books to him that his religious mother disapproved of. She should have gone to jail; because really, she is a kidnapper; I don't believe that the authorities and parents would have bought Ian's story. She wouldn't have gotten away with it.