Susan H. Taft

Delicious!

Revisado: 01-07-23

A long but very well-paced and engaging story of a superficially elite but troubled Brooklyn family. Author develops the characters so well that I feel I almost know them, an attribute of good fiction that pulls me fully into the story. I agree with the various accolades other appreciative readers have recorded. And Julia Whelan as reader ... the BEST.
I have read all of Korelitz's books, loved them all, but I think this story was the best.
Some readers have posted their dislike of the political themes expressed by the characters toward the latter part of this book. I think this criticism is reflexive and thin-skinned. Of course the 3 (out of 4) Oppenheimer children would hold the political views they did as Jewish residents of New York City and the products of an ultra-progressive K-12 education. The political themes and their effects were timely as well as consistent with the family members' identities and fit the narrative. During the time period of the story, to ignore the profound and divisive effects the Trump presidency had on Americans would have been disingenuous.

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Slow build

Revisado: 12-01-20

Tana French fans such as myself likely choose to read her latest book hoping it will deliver the same compelling narrative, exciting pace, sharp detective-on-detective interactions, and rich Irish accents her previous works provided. But The Searcher is an atmospheric book, not fast moving, not action-packed but nonetheless compelling in its characters within their locale. Critical reviews of this book, largely from prior French readers, express disappointment, expecting more of the same. But I found it useful, instead, to adopt a new mindset; accept French’s choice to move into new territory, and place the Dublin Murder Squad on a shelf for a while because, well, French continues to be a lovely and accomplished writer. My recommendation here is that her aficionados do the same as she has done - let go of expectations from her previous works, take a few breaths, shift gears, and enter into this latest book with an open mind.

The Searcher is a slow-building, incrementally tension-tightening story, consistent with the place where Cal Hooper, a retired Chicago cop, has moved to - rural Ireland - to detach himself from his past and start a new kind of life. A young local teen, Trey, approaches him to help find a beloved brother who has disappeared. Although Cal is initially reluctant to become involved and has no formal position to act in a policing capacity, he is persuaded to deploy his detective skills to the task. French brings her well-crafted observations of the sociological and tribal nature of the place, the insider-newcomer tensions, the regional economy, as Cal seeks to understand and join the local culture. There are rich and evocative descriptions of the land, the air, the smells, the animals, the dreariness, and rural living. The ending is more denouement than climax.

The story called on my empathy, to enter this world as depicted through Cal’s experience. Character development over time, nuance, nature, local talk, and the relationship between Cal and Trey are the stuff of this novel, while the mystery itself takes second place. It’s a fine excursion for readers who enjoy immersing themselves in the characters and place as the storyline slowly advances.

In spite of opening myself to enjoy French’s new direction, I confess to missing her well-known strong female roles (women are minor players here), characters with rich Irish accents (the American accent dominates the story), and snappy police-partner interactions.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Best of the series, IMHO

Revisado: 02-09-20

I found this compelling read to be the best of the Cormoran Strike series: a smooth story line not too difficult to follow audibly, well-differentiated characters, and a furthering of the back story of both Cormoran and Robin. Superb narration, as with Books 1 & 2. It's certainly grisly in parts (isn't that expected in this series of murder mysteries??), but getting some background into the psychology of the villains is illuminating, not just regarding the villains but also re: the less attractive characteristics common to all human behavior. I particularly loved the further development of the Cormoran/Robin/Matthew triangle.

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I agree with citizen, jazzmania's review

Revisado: 02-09-20

Engaging if you like psychology (maybe even psychobabble), child/adolescent and adult development, looking into midwestern US culture, a touch of politics (this swings to the liberal end of the continuum), and marital dynamics. It also bends toward the more cerebral and open-minded reader who strives to understand the nuances of varying individual realities. I completely agree with citizen, jazzmania's comments about the bad narrator for Adam's character, but also with the reviewer who found too much of the content to be meaningless drivel from inside a character's head (especially from Adam). After listening to the book, I would have preferred to have read it hardcover because of the sometimes difficulty of identifying transitions among various characters. But overall a substantive book with points of view and experiences to attract different interests among readers.

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This book dug deep

Revisado: 04-22-19

I agree with all the positive reviews of this book - the writing, narration, storyline, renditions of the power of community, and learning about survival in Alaska. But I can say that no other book has brought me as much pain as this one did. Poisonwood Bible and Educated came close, but this was more than a page-turner and tale of abuse.
As another reviewer noted, I could sense the potential train wreck coming. To myself I whispered, "please don't let this character ..." My silent wish was not honored.
If you're an empathetic person, this story can repeatedly stab you. When considering whether to read the book and immerse yourself in the experiences of the characters, I just want to warn you: Kristin Hannah is a brilliant writer, and she can be merciless. I read fiction for many reasons; confronting the worst of human nature in a book theme doesn't scare me away, but start this read understanding that some degree of emotional assault might land on you along the way.

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Agree with all the kudos and 5+ star ratings

Revisado: 03-24-19

Other reviewers have fully described the beauty and richness of this book and the expert narration. I have just finished, and it does and will continue to linger inside me.

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Immersed

Revisado: 02-03-19

I read this book because I recently heard David Leonhardt of the New York Times praise the author. Thank you David!
A suspenseful, engaging, well-written, beautifully-narrated murder mystery involving a group of graduate students living together in a large house - NOT your normal, tired, semi-predictable plot-driven mystery. Loved the full character development. The story is intricate but the character development and relationships are the strength of this book. Great for patient readers who enjoy well-fleshed-out characters and slow plot development. I'm now a Tana French fan planning to read the rest of her books through Audible.
Added later: I've now read all but one of Tana French's mysteries, and I'm a French-ophile. The Likeness is my favorite of the lot. A word of advice: the reader's accent is so effective that I slowed the pace of the book to 0.75 after reading the first hour or so; this makes it more understandable for American English readers.

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Doesn't "go" anywhere

Revisado: 06-13-18

JoJo is the main character of this story, a teenage boy living with his unloving black mother, white dad (who is in and out of prison), sweet 2 year old sister, who is more like his own child than a sister, staunch and wise but dying grandmother, and mighty grandfather, a man of character bearing life's wisdom as well as scars from racist southern American practices. The story includes some supernatural appearances by an uncle killed by white racists, and a 13-year-old boy who was imprisoned while young with JoJo's grandfather. Beautiful lyrical writing in different voices, lovely imagery. The theme of "home" was central to the structure of the story.
The different narrators/voices were great in this book - except for the mother, Leoni, who sounds altogether more soft and caring than her character suggests. There was also a disconnect between the woman Leoni became and the mothering she had received from "Mam," who is portrayed as a wise and loving woman at the end of her life.
JoJo is a beacon absorbing life's lessons and, potentially, rising above the situation he's given, but he alone was not enough to give me satisfaction from reading the book. Except for Leoni, the authenticity of the characters is well-grounded in the the different narrators' stories. This is a book about strife, societal wrongs, racial injustice, family dys/function, the importance of a pivotal male role model (the grandfather), and good/bad choices, but ultimately the story didn't "take me anywhere" that offered hope or new understandings.

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Kinda boring, main character not very likeable

Revisado: 03-09-18

I listened to this book all the way through, but it became a bit of a struggle. It primarily focuses on the main character, Georgie, who is worried that her awesome husband Neal (he was far and away the best character in the book) is drifting away from being married to her because she has a career (he doesn't, he's a stay-at-home Dad), Neal's day-to-day life is to take care of Georgie and their two girls, and she is not very appreciative of him and all his efforts (my opinion). Georgie is totally herself all the time and I found her personality to be somewhat off-putting - she's pretty much non-empathetic toward others. She unapologetically leaves her co-writer stranded without her while a career-making deadline comes due/overdue. Thus it was a bit hard to stay with her and have much sympathy through the many hours of her self-inflicted angst over Neal.
I've read other Rowell stories, felt mediocre about them, and think this will be my last. I generally like "relationship" stories that are well-developed and filled with nuance (Jonathan Safran Foer comes to mind as a good model), but I really don't like some of Rowell's writing tics, such as repetitiously using the same greeting between people of, "hey;" response, "hey." Over and over again. In this book there's also "gawd" [god] strung out, and "Neal Neal Neal" repeatedly in Georgie's mental handwringing. It gets wearing. And, other characters in the story, such as Georgie's half-sister Heather, have potentially interesting storylines that are given short shrift, which I've found to be a shortcoming as well in other Rowell stories.

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Little Fires Everywhere a perfect title for book

Revisado: 02-21-18

A previous reviewer wrote, "It was simply a story of the life of different families and their struggles. ...," and this is accurate. If you don't like this kind of story, then don't choose to read the book.
I live in Cleveland and know Shaker Heights extremely well. Ng describes the community, its well-planned layout, attractions, schools, local haunts, streets and shops, with verisimilitude. She doesn't fully capture the considerable diversity within its boundaries, perhaps because diversity has not changed its overall character, except by including supporting characters who are African- and Asian-Americans. I found this to be a low-profile and fair way to provide some hints that the town is not all lily-white.
I totally enjoyed this story and couldn't wait to get back to it at the end of my day when I do my pleasure reading. Character development of the main figures, including teenagers, is reasonably strong and includes unveiling new information about many of them as the story develops. The book was not inspirational, dramatic, or earth-shaking but it is crafted well to keep readers who like understanding other people and their complicated identities interesting. Main themes are conventionality vs. idiosyncrasy, variations in life patterns and circumstances, the power of tribal assumptions, and instrumentality vs. compassion. As with her previous work, a Chinese character or two keeps ethnicity present in the story line.
I liked this book much better than Everything I Never Told You - it is a more mature work, not trite, and the characters are more nuanced and believable. She didn't end this book or Everything I Never Told You with a "happy-ever-after" conclusion, but the reader does participate in the characters' self-development and deepening understanding of self and other.

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