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Content by jennykay
Commentateur n° : 29,623
Votes Utiles:
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Reviews Written by
"jennykay" (Temple, TX USA)
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Reviewer Rank:
29623 |
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Lethem nails the hardboiled voice, Nov 25 2002
I'm reading this one right now, and I think I'm going to just love it. It's a witty sci-fi/mystery. Lethem's books are always interesting and usually funny, and I seem to be able to "hear" them as I'm reading because he captures the narrator's voice so well. In this book, the narrator is a Private Inquisitor named Conrad Metcalf. Metcalf sounds exactly like a Raymond Chandler PI. Chandler's style is often imitated, but Lethem really seems to nail it - enough to bring a huge grin to my face as I read. Here's an example:She and Stanhunt had been freshly separated, and the electricity between them had still been going strong--back when Stanhunt was still capable of generating electricity. Now there was a blackout. I wondered if the lady behaved any differently in the dark. I wondered if maybe she was the one who cut the wires. Now, if you watch "Between the Lions" at all, use your best "My name is Spud, Sam Spud..." voice to read that and you'll know just what I mean. Lethem's got a heck of an imagination too. Metcalf's world has evolved animals in addition to the regular people, and Lethem really knows where to insert them. There's a kitten who gives Metcalf the opportunity to use the line: "Hello, little girl." There are rabbits in the dentist's office and an Irish Setter who delivers for the local deli. Good stuff. This book is going to be so much fun to finish. I hope I can make it last more than a day or two!
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Safety Of Objects
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de A M Homes
Édition : Paperback |
| Availability: Currently unavailable |
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Creepy, Nov 20 2002
This is a very well-written, very disturbing collection of short stories. Reading this book felt like finding a partially decomposed bird or squirrel on the fringes of a child's playground. The stories are dark. One of the cover reviews said they were witty; I didn't agree. Homes has tremendous talent. I was just repulsed by her characters.If you're into exploring the seedy underbelly of suburbia, this is the perfect book for you. If you'd rather be transported to a pleasant place when reading fiction, find something else.
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Marvelous short story collection, Nov 11 2002
This is a marvelous collection of short stories. I read the first story and thought, "Well, this is probably going to be my favorite of the lot." Then, I read the third story and thought, "No, this is the one. It's perfect." And so on, and so on.Mary Ladd Gavell was born in Cuero, Texas and she died at the age of 47 in 1967 - the year I was born. Mrs. Gavell's stories capture the voices of the women I've known so much better than some of the newer "Southern fiction" I've read lately. I feel sure this will be my next book club selection, and I think I'm going to want to go back and reread some of these stories regularly. Please, buy a copy of your own. I promise you'll enjoy it.
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Wonderful short story collection, Nov 8 2002
This is a marvelous collection of short stories. I read the first story and thought, "Well, this is probably going to be my favorite of the lot." Then, I read the third story and thought, "No, this is the one. It's perfect." And so on, and so on.Mary Ladd Gavell was born in Cuero, Texas and she died at the age of 47 in 1967 - the year I was born. Mrs. Gavell's stories capture the voices of the women I've known so much better than some of the newer "Southern fiction" I've read lately. I feel sure this book is going to be my next book club selection, and I think I'm going to want to go back and reread some of these stories regularly. Please, buy a copy of your own. I promise you'll enjoy it.
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Lucky
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de Alice Sebold
Édition : Hardcover |
| Price: CDN$ 20.78 |
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| Availability: In Stock |
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Important reading, Nov 6 2002
I finished this book last night, but I'll be thinking about it for quite some time. When she was 18 years old, Alice Sebold was raped. Obviously, the event changed her life. "Lucky" is the story of the rape, the trial and how both affected her life. It's disturbing and graphic, but I think that was necessary. After reading the book, I was amazed by Ms. Sebold's strength and intelligence. Although I can't understand what she's been through, I think I can imagine it a litttle bit. Maybe that was her goal; to have me see her as a person rather than a victim.I also think I can see some of the origins of "The Lovely Bones" in this experience. That book has become even more meaningful to me after reading this one. "Lucky" is not an easy book to read, but I think it is worthwhile - in the telling for Ms. Sebold, and in the reading for me.
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Lucky
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de Alice Sebold
Édition : Hardcover |
| Price: CDN$ 20.78 |
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| Availability: In Stock |
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Important reading, Nov 6 2002
I finished this book last night, but I'll be thinking about it for quite some time. When she was 18 years old, Alice Sebold was raped. Obviously, the event changed her life. "Lucky" is the story of the rape, the trial and how both affected her life. It's disturbing and graphic, but I think that was necessary. After reading the book, I was amazed by Ms. Sebold's strength and intelligence. Although I can't understand what she's been through, I think I can imagine it a litttle bit. Maybe that was her goal; to have me see her as a person rather than a victim.I also think I can see some of the origins of "The Lovely Bones" in this experience. That book has become even more meaningful to me after reading this one. "Lucky" is not an easy book to read, but I think it is worthwhile - in the telling for Ms. Sebold, and in the reading for me.
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Lucky
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de Alice Sebold
Édition : Hardcover |
| Price: CDN$ 20.78 |
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| Availability: In Stock |
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Important reading, Nov 6 2002
I finished this book last night, but I'll be thinking about it for quite some time. When she was 18 years old, Alice Sebold was raped. Obviously, the event changed her life. "Lucky" is the story of the rape, the trial and how both affected her life. It's disturbing and graphic, but I think that was necessary. After reading the book, I was amazed by Ms. Sebold's strength and intelligence. Although I can't understand what she's been through, I think I can imagine it a litttle bit. Maybe that was her goal; to have me see her as a person rather than a victim.I also think I can see some of the origins of "The Lovely Bones" in this experience. That book has become even more meaningful to me after reading this one. "Lucky" is not an easy book to read, but I think it is worthwhile - in the telling for Ms. Sebold, and in the reading for me.
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The Dress Lodger
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de Sheri Holman
Édition : Paperback |
| Price: CDN$ 15.33 |
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| Availability: In Stock |
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This history hasn't been "prettied up", Nov 1 2002
Very interesting historical fiction set in Sunderland, England at the time the first of the cholera outbreaks struck. The novel is graphic in its portrayal of poverty, prostitution and dissection of cadavers, so if you don't want the gory details, you probably should avoid this book. The author uses a unique narrative style with multiple mystery narrators and frequent questions of the reader. At first, it annoyed me, but it grew on me after awhile. If you like historical fiction and aren't put off by the subject matter, I think you'll enjoy this book.
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Kids AND adults will love this one, Oct 31 2002
I picked this book up at a book fair for my kids' preschool. I'd heard LOTS about Lemony Snicket, but had never read one of the books. Boy, am I glad I did. They're a hoot. Kids will love the creative ways the Baudelaire children escape never-ending peril, and adults will get a kick out of the many literary references worked into the story. This book had references to Woolf, Salinger, the Jonah story from the Bible and much more. Just check the names of the patients in the hospital.If your child is 8-12 years old, get these books. Even better, read them aloud together. These books beg to be read out loud.
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Bel Canto
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de Ann Patchett
Édition : Paperback |
| Availability: Currently unavailable |
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Lyrical, Oct 28 2002
Patchett's book is about a group of people taken hostage in a South American country. It's about the relationships that develop between the hostages and their captors, and it's a wonderful study of the importance of music and art in life.
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