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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
The premise of this novel excited and worried me. I wasn't sure if it was going to be overly twee or if it was going to be grueling (I mean, Mrs. Drake does enroll her son Ian in a 'pray the gay away' class). To my relief, the book was neither.
Lucy Hull's safe, dull, routine twenty-something existence as a children's library in Hannibal, Missouri is shaken by a 10 year old voracious reader named Ian Drake. When it turns out he has run away from home to camp out in the library, Lucy comes to the mature, sensible, adult decision to... randomly drive across America, from Hannibal to Chicago to Pittsburgh to Burlington, with Ian as the navigator. That decision is glaringly implausible (as a narrator who frequently champions freedom and the 1st Amendment, you'd think she'd realize taking a young library patron away from his parents without permission is a crime) but it is also the impetus behind Lucy's journey of self-discovery. Although Lucy is the narrator, she doesn't feel like the protagonist, and her story is less interesting to me than the issues her story raises: myths vs. history, truth vs. one absolute Truth, and can books save your life?
As the title suggests, the story is about borrowing: borrowing books, borrowing time,abducting borrowing a precocious minor, and borrowing myths and fiction to make sense of our lives.
Ms. Makkai raises an important issue in relation to Ian's alleged sexual orientation (as Lucy says, 'He's ten years old. I doubt he's anything-sexual.') While people focus on celebrating (or reviling) gay marriage, there are many runaway and homeless lgbtq youth who are at risk and in need of support.
Lucy Hull's safe, dull, routine twenty-something existence as a children's library in Hannibal, Missouri is shaken by a 10 year old voracious reader named Ian Drake. When it turns out he has run away from home to camp out in the library, Lucy comes to the mature, sensible, adult decision to... randomly drive across America, from Hannibal to Chicago to Pittsburgh to Burlington, with Ian as the navigator. That decision is glaringly implausible (as a narrator who frequently champions freedom and the 1st Amendment, you'd think she'd realize taking a young library patron away from his parents without permission is a crime) but it is also the impetus behind Lucy's journey of self-discovery. Although Lucy is the narrator, she doesn't feel like the protagonist, and her story is less interesting to me than the issues her story raises: myths vs. history, truth vs. one absolute Truth, and can books save your life?
As the title suggests, the story is about borrowing: borrowing books, borrowing time,
Ms. Makkai raises an important issue in relation to Ian's alleged sexual orientation (as Lucy says, 'He's ten years old. I doubt he's anything-sexual.') While people focus on celebrating (or reviling) gay marriage, there are many runaway and homeless lgbtq youth who are at risk and in need of support.
medium-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
fast-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The entire time reading this I kept saying, to myself, that if anything bad happens to Ian I'm metaphorically throwing this e-book across the room!
I really enjoyed this book, it was quirky and thought provoking, and I really couldn't put it down. I wasn't sure how it would end and was pleased with the way it all wrapped up. I loved the underlying theme of becoming who we are and all the things that influence that along the way.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
no one’s writing style is quite like makkai’s. you spend half the book in anxiety for the character’s decisions, but the narrative is so enticing you forget to worry
I only ready the first 60 pages or so and skimmed the rest. I didn't buy the plot at all. The main character is pathetic and a little whiny. There are a lot of coincidences in the plot and it felt a little heavy handed. In full disclosure, I am a librarian so that might be a reason I had such a big problem with it. I just didn't find it realistic and an adult who gets tricked by a 10 year old, even a smart 10 year old, should be working at a fast food joint and not a library.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes