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mythilisk's Reviews (237)
Wonderfully told short stories that absorb you so much so that characters almost bleed into the following stories. I finish this at a particularly odd time in my life of love, family, and profession - using the past to explain the present and (hilariously, inaccurately) predict the future. Perhaps that's why each of these resonated so much or maybe it was just Lahiri's perfect pace of unfolding a story and knowing just how to end them.
Meh. I thought the book would be far more fascinating. The parts of the book detailing art techniques were very interesting but Clare just seemed annoying, selfish, and ultimately kind of life-stupid. It always spells trouble for me when I don't like the main character or even the antagonists. The last few chapters felt quite rushed as well, like Shapiro had run out of time and just turned in whatever she had at the time to her editor. It wasn't satisfying at all but it was a decent light read to start off the year.
This is my second time reading Ms. Fey's brilliant anthology on all things awkward women, funny, and Sarah Palin. I laughed just as much as the first time. It's a good book to read when you feel overwhelmed and kind of like everyone around you is successful (at not eating a lot and everything else) and never cries in their office (according to Fey triennially is right on point). Find your thing and do it well, everyone is faking it and it will all be fine.
I miss Carrie Fisher so much. I love love love Leia Organa, the Princess and General. I actually listened to the audiobook because Fisher narrates it in her wry and honest voice. Even if you read-read it though, you'll her her voice. There was a portion that dragged on a bit (an excerpt from an old diary she had kept - it wasn't uninteresting but a little redundant. In fairness, it was something she wrote at 20 during the filming of Episode IV) but it was nevertheless an insight into someone who never wanted to be famous like her troubled parents, became troubled too, and laughed through it.
Written exceptionally well by Flynn. I've never hated, I mean 100% die in a fire hated, a character as much as Amy - from page 1 until the end. Though I admit, it took a bit for me to realize that I hated certain characters and not the actual book - I was just that engrossed in it because of Flynn's narrative. So many twists, turns, and gut checks. It's a great read but don't expect a tidy package in any aspect of the story.
I give this book 4 stars not because it's particularly well written - not being any kind of military expert I was lost more than a few times - but because it shows well the stage for what's going on now in the world. It also provides a strange, twisting, and even sad side of the biography of a controversial TE Lawrence. Trust me, make it to the epilogue. It will probably stun you more than any other part of this story. I read it as a story rather than a history book so perhaps I have a different take on it than someone with a background in studying history and military. It, more than most stories, shows that diplomacy and war-making are inherently dependent on personalities whether we realize it while that diplomacy or war-making are taking place at the moment. Just think of Obama and Trump and what they have both wrought in the Middle East - 'good'(Obama's speech in Cairo) and 'bad' (Trump's brash demeanor and redlines on chemical weapons use in Syria). I highly recommend this book if you're at all interested in how conflict used to be in the age before computers and drones. The argument is that these make conflict easier but really they just make them more impersonal imho. Sixteen million still died in WWI and Lawrence ended up dying alone in a fate that was less than glamorous, not on some battlefield.
