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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
After I finished this book, my sister asked me what it was about. “A librarian who steals a boy,” I replied. She seemed nonplussed by this answer. “She’s Russian. Well, half Russian. Something about potatoes in exhaust pipes. Chocolate factories…” I trailed off, as she stared at me as though I was in the process of losing my mind.
What this tale serves to illustrate is that it’s quite hard to put into words what exactly happens in this novel, and even harder to explain why it’s so charming. While not exactly believable, The Borrower is realistic in the sense that it describes the day-to-day comings and goings of Lucy Hull, a children’s librarian in a small American town who seems to have stumbled into her job almost by accident. One of the regular features in her ordinary, unsatisfying life is Ian Drake, a young boy with a voracious appetite for literature, and a troubled home life. One night while she is locking up the library, she finds Ian hiding there and the two of them set off on an unplanned adventure.
The narrator’s constant references to her Russian heritage teeter on the edge of being annoying. On the whole I found these references quite amusing and touching, though other readers may find them tiring. Lucy isn’t the most likeable character, and I struggled slightly in sympathising for her seemingly non-existent problems.
However, this novel was charming and enjoyable. Waterstones sent me a free copy after I entered a competition on their website, and while I might never have chose it myself, I’m glad that I was given the chance to read it.
What this tale serves to illustrate is that it’s quite hard to put into words what exactly happens in this novel, and even harder to explain why it’s so charming. While not exactly believable, The Borrower is realistic in the sense that it describes the day-to-day comings and goings of Lucy Hull, a children’s librarian in a small American town who seems to have stumbled into her job almost by accident. One of the regular features in her ordinary, unsatisfying life is Ian Drake, a young boy with a voracious appetite for literature, and a troubled home life. One night while she is locking up the library, she finds Ian hiding there and the two of them set off on an unplanned adventure.
The narrator’s constant references to her Russian heritage teeter on the edge of being annoying. On the whole I found these references quite amusing and touching, though other readers may find them tiring. Lucy isn’t the most likeable character, and I struggled slightly in sympathising for her seemingly non-existent problems.
However, this novel was charming and enjoyable. Waterstones sent me a free copy after I entered a competition on their website, and while I might never have chose it myself, I’m glad that I was given the chance to read it.
Fun book. Totally improbable. I liked the library connection and the librarian's Russian connection. It felt like it should have been a young adult book and could have been with some editing out of some stuff about her boyfriend, and maybe her family history.
I really wanted to like this book. But I disliked the main character so much it just made the whole thing frustrating. Now the dad? I would read an entire saga about the dad and his friends. That would be a great book.
Wish you could give 1/2 stars because while I don't think this was quite a 5 star book (which is supposedly amazing), I think it deserves more than "I really liked it." As, in I really, really liked it and would read it again.
I read this one quickly because it was easy to read and because the story compelled me to keep going. You may have to suspend your belief a little bit (Could Lucy really have gotten away with what she did?), but do it. There were times where I wondered if Lucy's story was even "real." It doesn't matter. Suspend any qualms you may have and just immerse yourself in the tale. (And if you're an avid reader, enjoy all the "literary" nods. If you don't outright laugh, you will smile.)
If you're not moved by the ending (no spoiler), you call the Tinman and ask for your heart back.
I read this one quickly because it was easy to read and because the story compelled me to keep going. You may have to suspend your belief a little bit (Could Lucy really have gotten away with what she did?), but do it. There were times where I wondered if Lucy's story was even "real." It doesn't matter. Suspend any qualms you may have and just immerse yourself in the tale. (And if you're an avid reader, enjoy all the "literary" nods. If you don't outright laugh, you will smile.)
If you're not moved by the ending (no spoiler), you call the Tinman and ask for your heart back.
In contrast to my previous read, this book was pretty squarely up my alley. I definitely put being a reader high on my list of qualities that define me and I have a love for books about readers and books. I'd actually been looking out for a copy of this one (discounted/used) for a while and was very excited when it arrived.
The protagonist of The Borrower is a children's librarian who pretty much happened upon that line of work when she was looking to use an English degree (a bit of a nitpick here in that I have lots of friends who have gotten master's degrees to pursue library careers and didn't so much buy her falling into the work). The librarian feels a special attachment to one young patron who shows a love for books but has a very controlling mother who tries to limit his reading choices and sends him to a group intended to reverse suspected homosexual tendencies. One day, the librarian finds the young boy has run away and is hiding in the library and the two take off on a road trip.
As with many books that I've been anticipating, I did feel a bit let down with this one but I'm still happy to give it 4 of 5 stars. I enjoyed the young boy's character the most and felt a bit mixed on the librarian. I did appreciate that the narrator very much acknowledged she might ot have made the smartest choices. I do like my flawed characters, especially when they are a bit self-aware, and the book clearly didn't attempt to make her actions seem perfect or even heroic (she wants to be a hero, but knows she's a flawed one). There was a bit of writer-magic in the ending but it also didn't fall victim to the too perfect, all-wrapped-in-a-bow finale....I wasn't thrilled my the former but appreciated the latter. I'm rambling so will try to sum up...it isn't a book I'd put on a shelf-of-honor but it was a fun read for a book fan (and rewarded being well read with lots of references).
The protagonist of The Borrower is a children's librarian who pretty much happened upon that line of work when she was looking to use an English degree (a bit of a nitpick here in that I have lots of friends who have gotten master's degrees to pursue library careers and didn't so much buy her falling into the work). The librarian feels a special attachment to one young patron who shows a love for books but has a very controlling mother who tries to limit his reading choices and sends him to a group intended to reverse suspected homosexual tendencies. One day, the librarian finds the young boy has run away and is hiding in the library and the two take off on a road trip.
As with many books that I've been anticipating, I did feel a bit let down with this one but I'm still happy to give it 4 of 5 stars. I enjoyed the young boy's character the most and felt a bit mixed on the librarian. I did appreciate that the narrator very much acknowledged she might ot have made the smartest choices. I do like my flawed characters, especially when they are a bit self-aware, and the book clearly didn't attempt to make her actions seem perfect or even heroic (she wants to be a hero, but knows she's a flawed one). There was a bit of writer-magic in the ending but it also didn't fall victim to the too perfect, all-wrapped-in-a-bow finale....I wasn't thrilled my the former but appreciated the latter. I'm rambling so will try to sum up...it isn't a book I'd put on a shelf-of-honor but it was a fun read for a book fan (and rewarded being well read with lots of references).
Struggling with how to rate this, and even if I liked it or didn't like it. Sometimes I did, sometimes I didn't.
Likes:
**All the talk of children's literature!!! mmm.
**Some of the clever parallels to classic kids' books, such as "If You Give a Librarian a Closet", and the "Where's Ian" one had me giggling. "Nooo, that's just an evangelical windbag!"
**It was engrossing and kept me wondering how they were going to get out of this mess.
Dislikes:
**Main character Lucy. Ugh! Sooo I'm pretty sure she's crazy. A kid wants to run away and you just drive off across the country with him? I don't care if you don't agree with how he's being raised. You are a grown woman, and he is 10, and his parents don't know where he is or even if he's alive. FOR TEN DAYS.
**Swearing, of course.
**Derision of Christianity. I agree that they were wrong in the way they were raising their maybe-homosexual son... but the entire faith shouldn't be put down for one family/sect's choices.
Likes:
**All the talk of children's literature!!! mmm.
**Some of the clever parallels to classic kids' books, such as "If You Give a Librarian a Closet", and the "Where's Ian" one had me giggling. "Nooo, that's just an evangelical windbag!"
**It was engrossing and kept me wondering how they were going to get out of this mess.
Dislikes:
**Main character Lucy. Ugh! Sooo I'm pretty sure she's crazy. A kid wants to run away and you just drive off across the country with him? I don't care if you don't agree with how he's being raised. You are a grown woman, and he is 10, and his parents don't know where he is or even if he's alive. FOR TEN DAYS.
**Swearing, of course.
**Derision of Christianity. I agree that they were wrong in the way they were raising their maybe-homosexual son... but the entire faith shouldn't be put down for one family/sect's choices.
Children's librarian Lucy Hull is kidnapped by her 10 year old patron, Ian. Would be a good book club book. A bit disappointed, but not a bad read.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
sad
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Facendomi fregare dal talloncino, ma solo in parte questa volta. La storia è abbastanza convincente, nonostante la totale confusione con cui viene raccontata. Mi ha dato fastidio l'insistenza sul concetto di voler cambiare la sessualità di Ian, il modo in cui viene trattato dai genitori e anche dalla bibliotecaria. E la bibliotecaria, così confusionaria e noiosa e piena di paranoie.
Ecco, è uno di quei libri che proprio non ti piacciono perchè odi la protagonista.
E poi il padre, che riempe la figlia di bugie e le parla in modo così criptico...non lo butterei via come libro, ma sarebbe assolutamente da sistemare. Alla fine l'idea era buona.
Ecco, è uno di quei libri che proprio non ti piacciono perchè odi la protagonista.
E poi il padre, che riempe la figlia di bugie e le parla in modo così criptico...non lo butterei via come libro, ma sarebbe assolutamente da sistemare. Alla fine l'idea era buona.
Well. I kind if wanted to give this one 3.5 stars because in the end I was okay with it, despite reading almost the whole thing with a bit of dread in the pit of my stomach. While I agree with the librarian's opinions, I feel her instincts were all wrong, and I am a librarian and a parent. So although the characters are relatable, I couldn't quite enjoy this story. I don't think I ever quite understood the story of her father, like maybe I dozed off during a crucial point in the story, and missed something. But I suppose it fed into the savior/redemption theme that kind of ties it together in the end. I will say this for the story though: I wondered the whole time how it would end because it seemed like there was no possible way it could end well, but I think it did, and with only a modicum of deus ex machina.