For future reference here is my book rating system:
0: waste of time
1: entertaining throwaway read
2: striking page turner, interesting throughts, but might not read again
3: very good, would read again, but not quite fave
4: one of fave books
Monday, January 5, 2009
Drop City by T.C. Boyle
This was a story about hippees, who claimed to strive to be close to nature, be free to do whatever you want, live in a close community, and share free love - but their lifestyle was anything but that, especially when contrasted with a true mountain man from Alaska.
The hippees wanted to be close to nature, but didn't know anything about it. One of the characters in the story notes that they'd all have starved to death if it wasn't for supermarkets and food stamps. They want to be free to do whatever you want, but then no-one wants to clean the dishes, dig ditches for the toilets, or take care of the pool, and the society turns into filth. They want to live in a close community, but when resources get tight people start to get suspicious about those who aren't pulling their weight and want to turn people out. They want to share free love, but couples quickly form and soon things aren't free at all.
It felt like to me that this book was showing that all of the fundamental goals of being a hippee were wrong. I mean here they were out in the Alaska wilderness, but they were all so bored and miserable and the only high point of their day was to take artificial drugs and get stoned. However it seemed like there was something good about the hippee lifestyle - sometimes there were true friendships and true community, something that was missing out in the all-man-for-himself wilderness of Alaska.
I really liked the character Sess in the book - he was admirable for his know-how and ability to truly survive off the land. I was glad he found a wife - and I choose to imagine things working out for him. Would I like to live a life like his? I don't know - there are a lot of pleasures in life that he is missing out there in that lonely cabin.
Rating: 2/4 (riveting page turner, definitely worth reading, but probably won't read again).
The hippees wanted to be close to nature, but didn't know anything about it. One of the characters in the story notes that they'd all have starved to death if it wasn't for supermarkets and food stamps. They want to be free to do whatever you want, but then no-one wants to clean the dishes, dig ditches for the toilets, or take care of the pool, and the society turns into filth. They want to live in a close community, but when resources get tight people start to get suspicious about those who aren't pulling their weight and want to turn people out. They want to share free love, but couples quickly form and soon things aren't free at all.
It felt like to me that this book was showing that all of the fundamental goals of being a hippee were wrong. I mean here they were out in the Alaska wilderness, but they were all so bored and miserable and the only high point of their day was to take artificial drugs and get stoned. However it seemed like there was something good about the hippee lifestyle - sometimes there were true friendships and true community, something that was missing out in the all-man-for-himself wilderness of Alaska.
I really liked the character Sess in the book - he was admirable for his know-how and ability to truly survive off the land. I was glad he found a wife - and I choose to imagine things working out for him. Would I like to live a life like his? I don't know - there are a lot of pleasures in life that he is missing out there in that lonely cabin.
Rating: 2/4 (riveting page turner, definitely worth reading, but probably won't read again).
The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble
Do I enjoy reading books where the protagonist is described as intelligent, admirable, historical, while doing absolutely nothing with her life? Do I enjoy reading books where the protagonist asks question after question in an annoying repetitive manner? Do I enjoy reading a historical fiction where the author is deathly frightened of writing anything that may not be a historical fact? Do I think this book was worth reading?
Maybe I just slogged through this book since it was on the list and I am eager to finish it as a personal challenge. Maybe I would have thrown this book on the floor after the first few pages otherwise. Maybe I think the damn princess and her fat professor are both incredibly boring and vacant souls. Maybe I'm being too cruel, but after hearing so many questions, maybes, and terrible writing I just couldn't take it anymore.
Rating: 0/4 (do not read unless you're sadistic and more so than Sado!)
Maybe I just slogged through this book since it was on the list and I am eager to finish it as a personal challenge. Maybe I would have thrown this book on the floor after the first few pages otherwise. Maybe I think the damn princess and her fat professor are both incredibly boring and vacant souls. Maybe I'm being too cruel, but after hearing so many questions, maybes, and terrible writing I just couldn't take it anymore.
Rating: 0/4 (do not read unless you're sadistic and more so than Sado!)
Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry
I haven't enjoyed a book as much as this in ages. And the odd thing about it is I don't even consider this book "my type." I tend to like science fiction stories with strong plots - but this was all about the characters.
And characters indeed! The forever likable and affable Nariman, the sharp tongued and clear headed Yezad who drifts astray as the book proceeds, selfish and despicable Coomy, and angelic little Jal. The characters were so human and so believable, and their conversations were so interesting and just plain funny! I haven't laughed out loud so often with a book in a long time, such as Jal being so pleased when he was able to use one of his grandfather's phases, as children often do.
One of the themes in the book was corruption. It took you deep inside the dead-end job of Yezad as manager of a sports good store - everyone expected Yezad to scoop a little profit from under the table, including his boss, but he never did out of honor. And it did him no good - in the end he loses his job in a belittling manner. Jal becomes a homework monitor in his teacher's attempt at showing the children how to form their own perfect society - but ends up taking money from other children for their grades in order to give it to his father to pay the bills. It was interesting because in the end, I was really wishing Yezad would just give it up and take some of the money - but I think that was the point of the author, to show how corruption is so deeply ingrained in Indian society that it can come to almost anyone and it's very hard to get out of that rut.
There were other themes - religion, old age, family. I was touched by the family's care for Nariman, even in very difficult times. I was sad to see religion estrange Yezad from his family, and turn him into everything he hated as a younger man. Maybe it was his way of dealing with his failures in life.
I feel like this is a book you could get more and more from each time you read, and that it would be enjoyable each time.
Ratiing: 4/4 (one of my favorite books, would gladly read again).
And characters indeed! The forever likable and affable Nariman, the sharp tongued and clear headed Yezad who drifts astray as the book proceeds, selfish and despicable Coomy, and angelic little Jal. The characters were so human and so believable, and their conversations were so interesting and just plain funny! I haven't laughed out loud so often with a book in a long time, such as Jal being so pleased when he was able to use one of his grandfather's phases, as children often do.
One of the themes in the book was corruption. It took you deep inside the dead-end job of Yezad as manager of a sports good store - everyone expected Yezad to scoop a little profit from under the table, including his boss, but he never did out of honor. And it did him no good - in the end he loses his job in a belittling manner. Jal becomes a homework monitor in his teacher's attempt at showing the children how to form their own perfect society - but ends up taking money from other children for their grades in order to give it to his father to pay the bills. It was interesting because in the end, I was really wishing Yezad would just give it up and take some of the money - but I think that was the point of the author, to show how corruption is so deeply ingrained in Indian society that it can come to almost anyone and it's very hard to get out of that rut.
There were other themes - religion, old age, family. I was touched by the family's care for Nariman, even in very difficult times. I was sad to see religion estrange Yezad from his family, and turn him into everything he hated as a younger man. Maybe it was his way of dealing with his failures in life.
I feel like this is a book you could get more and more from each time you read, and that it would be enjoyable each time.
Ratiing: 4/4 (one of my favorite books, would gladly read again).
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