4 posts tagged “books”
Meh, not quite. I enjoyed the first few chapters where she reflected on Japan's various tranditions and her own internal struggles being the all-American girl. All of the meaty hostessing chapters with its wide cast of characters never really developed far enough. I kept forgetting who was who and why were they doing the things that they needed to do. She wasn't great at describing her own addictions and their precursors so you don't really feel any empathy for her. All in all, kind of bleh. Think it's time I pick up the book that Sarah lent: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay.
I've only read one other book by Weiner, Good in Bed, which was good but quite predictable. Many of the short stories in this book revolve around the same themes of body image, family struggles and building relationships. Some stories are touching while others fall kind of flat. A bit of a letdown but then again it's only short stories and there's very little to commit to. The Author's Interview at the end notes that many of these stories were written when she was still struggling to get a book together. The characters definitely were not fully developed but many went on to inform her subsequent books. It's a fast read if anything. Pick it up if you plan to sit on the beach with nothing to do.
I purchased the book without reading any reviews or hearing any recommendations from friends. I picked it up mostly because of all the historical details of seventeenth century China. Her portrayal of China and its customs would intrigue anyone with an interest in ancient and modern China.
While the book is categorized as historical fiction, it borders more along the lines of fantasy and the super natural. Most Asian and Buddhist customs contain heavy elements of life after death, so it's not surprising that the book focuses on that. This may not be everyone's cup of tea but Lisa crafts a very good story from these ancient traditions. Some reviews note that the prose is too flowery but I found it very fitting to a historical period drama with lovesick maidens, an enamored poet and an epic opera. It's sweet, informative, and leaves you aching a bit in the heart.
I am quite possibly the only person in my group of friends that doesn't love this book. Anita pestered me all summer about it, rambling on and on about how spiritual and meaningful it would be for me. Isn't that what therapy and yoga are for? For Christmas Cindy gave me a stack of books along the lines of "know yourself and love life". Not sure if I need to be worried about my girlfriends or me here...
This book was the first in the pack and I just finished it last week. Despite the rave reviews and the soft spot I have for stories on perseverance and the human soul, this book was disappointing and at times downright boring. The only saving grace was probably the author's wit and humor but even that was lost in the lengthy descriptions of love and life gone bad.
"Eat" was interesting enough as I could relate to the joys of food and even more so, the love of pasta. But it took me two months to get through "Pray". Good lord, I was literally crawling through the deserts of India searching for inner peace with Elizabeth. That many pages on praying and meditation? Not so much. Mom should hear me now. "Love" moved a lot quicker and had the most interesting bits (and the sex with the Brazilian expat), though it was perhaps much more flighty than the rest of the book.
But hey, maybe that's the read I was looking for.
