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vspinazola 's review for:
Divisadero
by Michael Ondaatje
The prose was lovely and I was initially into this book but could NOT get past two major factual errors. One, maybe I could live with but TWO?! Where were the editors?
First, "Tahoe" is not a singular place. It is a constellation of towns in BOTH California and Nevada. You are not just in Tahoe, but Tahoe City, or Incline Village. Further, if you are gambling at a casino by Lake Tahoe YOU ARE IN NEVADA. YOU ARE NOT IN CALIFORNIA. You can't then also say, multiple times, that you leave the casinos and "drive toward Nevada." CUZ YOU ARE ALREADY THERE. IN NEVADA.
Second, what the HELL would someone from the San Francisco Public Defender's Office be doing that far east of Sacramento? Let's just assume that somehow he meant California side of Lake Tahoe, and not Nevada (where, again, most of the Tahoe scenes actually take place) - that is still WAY out of the jurisdiction of the SFPD. Also, investigating a school board case? Who exactly would a public defender be representing in a school board case....?
And then I totally do NOT understand how Lucien's story just took over the end of the book and Claire, Coop, and Anna were abandoned. The last page and a half by Anna seemed a hasty attempt to tie it all together, and I wasn't buying it. Of course by that time I was already aggravated and not willing to suspend any further disbelief for this book. Got two stars instead of one because the writing was beautiful in places.
First, "Tahoe" is not a singular place. It is a constellation of towns in BOTH California and Nevada. You are not just in Tahoe, but Tahoe City, or Incline Village. Further, if you are gambling at a casino by Lake Tahoe YOU ARE IN NEVADA. YOU ARE NOT IN CALIFORNIA. You can't then also say, multiple times, that you leave the casinos and "drive toward Nevada." CUZ YOU ARE ALREADY THERE. IN NEVADA.
Second, what the HELL would someone from the San Francisco Public Defender's Office be doing that far east of Sacramento? Let's just assume that somehow he meant California side of Lake Tahoe, and not Nevada (where, again, most of the Tahoe scenes actually take place) - that is still WAY out of the jurisdiction of the SFPD. Also, investigating a school board case? Who exactly would a public defender be representing in a school board case....?
And then I totally do NOT understand how Lucien's story just took over the end of the book and Claire, Coop, and Anna were abandoned. The last page and a half by Anna seemed a hasty attempt to tie it all together, and I wasn't buying it. Of course by that time I was already aggravated and not willing to suspend any further disbelief for this book. Got two stars instead of one because the writing was beautiful in places.