Breathing Lessons
has been on my tbr list for ages not only because it won the Pulitzer Prize, but also because I'm an Anne Tyler fan. While I enjoyed it, I'm always of the mindset that a prize-winning book should be in the 4 1/2 to 5 star range for me, and this one was slightly under that with a 4 star rating. An interesting note is that
The Accidental Tourist
and
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant
were both finalists for the Pulitzer Prize as well.
The story takes place in a single day and doesn't have much of a plot, but the characters are so believable that that didn't really bother me. Maggie and Ira Moran seemed like a very real couple to me. The novel centers on their marriage but also branches out into Maggie's relationship with her friend Serena and the couple's relationships with their children and grandchild. In the novel Maggie is portrayed as a flighty woman who just wants everyone to get along and quite frequently tries to encourage reconciliation between injured parties. Ira is somewhat aloof but has a habit of whistling tunes that betray his inner mindset. He can be blunt at times and doesn't appreciate Maggie's well-intentioned meddling. However, in the end we are left wondering which of the two has really done the most damage by his or her actions.
I could identify with Maggie's wish to be more involved in her children's and granchild's lives. I also identified with some of Ira's issues and their issues as a married couple. I think almost everyone would know a couple like Maggie and Ira Moran. Perhaps that is what Tyler does so well, though. She brings those 'typical' characters to life in a way that makes us wish we could continue the relationship with them even after the story is finished.
I own all of Anne Tyler's novels published after
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant
, although this is only my third book read. The other two were
The Amateur Marriage
and
Saint Maybe
, which I also enjoyed.
I really, really was into the first half or so of
Breaking Dawn,
but did not like the second half at all. I read the first half or so immediately after
Eclipse
and
absolutely couldn't put the book down until the end of the birth scene. I thought it was really intense and I was totally engrossed. Then, afterwards... what a let down. For starters, I actually was a little disappointed that she had to 'cross over.' I understand the reasons why, but it was so much more interesting to me before she did. And the way they told Charlie was totally hokey. I didn't think that part was written well at all. Jacob's new love interest seemed a little bizarre, but it did keep everyone in the same family so I guess I can live with it. And the vampire showdown? It went out with a whimper instead of a bang, didn't it?
Oh, well, now it's over, and I can feel great that once again this 40-ish woman is up on a small portion of pop culture. It's difficult keeping up with the youngsters, but the Twilight series (at least most of it) made it a little more fun to do so. Now I'm just looking forward to the release of the movies!
2008, 754 pp
[Disclosure: This book was not received from the publisher. It's hard to admit, but I actually purchased a copy.]
Nothing here was part of her. It was false, empty...
Longlisted for The Man Booker Prize (though it did not make the shortlist), Colm Toibin's book is about young Eislis Lacey's journey from Ireland to Brooklyn and from girlhood to womanhood.
I did enjoy reading about Eislis's immigrant experience and her struggles in her new surroundings, but the story was a bit slow moving. I normally don't mind that at all in books, but the novel was perhaps a bit
too
muted. In some ways I do expect that that could have been Toibin's intent, however, and perhaps was an indication of Eislis's character.
I heartily sympathized for Eislis at the end, but I also felt that she made the right decision. If you've read the book as well, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
2009, 262 pp.
[Disclaimer: This book was obtained using my public library.]
I will keep this review short because I just didn't like this book. At all. This book was just not my cup of tea. Plainly put, it was quite vulgar and crass and just not at all what I want in my reading. I'm not necessarily sorry that I read it, though, as I do have a commitment to reading all of the Pulitzers. I just wish the committee had chosen a different book.
There was a section in the middle that was quite interesting about the brutal reign of Trujillo in the Dominican Republic. If not for that section, the book would have only received a 1 star rating. It did have quite a few literary references that were somewhat enjoyable as well, but no, that does not make up for the rest of it I did not enjoy. I am just glad that I can now mark this one off my tbr list.
(By the way, the finalists in 2008 were
Tree of Smoke
by Denis Johnson and
Shakespeare's Kitchen
by Lore Segal. If you've read
Oscar
and one or both of the finalists, how did they compare?)
2007, 339 pp.
[Disclaimer: This copy was obtained from my public library.]
"And where would we be in a world without the old Botswana morality? It would not work, in Mma Romatswe's view, because it would mean that people could do as they wished without regard for what others thought. That would be a receipe for selfishness, a recipe as clear as if it were written out in a cookery book:
Take one country, with all that the country means, with its kind people, and their smiles, and their habits of helping one another; ignore all this; shake about; add modern ideas; bake until ruined."
It is clear from this series that Alexander McCall Smith loves Botswana and the people in it. His respect is such that with each book that I read, he makes me want to visit Botswana someday all the more.
In this installment, we have an advice columnist, a cook, a hornbill, high blood pressure, uncomfortable chairs, and questions about being 'traditionally built' and feminism. Good fun as always!
Did you know it was
Jewish Book Month
? I didn't, but when I found out, I wanted to read a title from a Jewish author. Lara Vapnyar won the 2004 Goldberg Prize for Jewish Fiction by Emerging Writers for
There Are Jews in my House
. She emigrated from Russia in 1994 when she was in her early twenties and now lives in New York.
"A Bunch of Broccoli on the Third Shelf" tells the story of Nina, a Russian immigrant who loves to shop for vegetables but rarely cooks them.
"Borscht" is a sad story about two people who come to the States to earn money for their families, but then their loved ones are indifferent to them going back home to Russia.
"Puffed Rice and Meatballs" is about Katya's memory of a childhood incident that she refuses to share with her American boyfriend.
In "Salad Olivier," a mother tries to find her daughter a boyfriend -- but he must be Russian.
"Luda and Milena" was my favorite story. Two older women fighting over an older man with their cooking.
In "Slicing Sauteed Spinach," Ruzena lets her lover choose her food for her. Until...
I really enjoyed this collection, but especially "Luda and Milena." It was a pure gem. I now plan on reading
There Are Jews in My House
for the Jewish Literature Challenge.
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (
John 13:34-35
,
ESV
)
Nothing here was part of her. It was false, empty...
I will keep this review short because I just didn't like this book. At all. This book was just not my cup of tea. Plainly put, it was quite vulgar and crass and just not at all what I want in my reading. I'm not necessarily sorry that I read it, though, as I do have a commitment to reading all of the Pulitzers. I just wish the committee had chosen a different book.
