Post by amanda at work on Nov 10, 2008 13:19:59 GMT -5
Very seldom do I find books that are absolutely impossible to put down. I love books, and many of them I look forward to reading. But some actually put me in physical pain while I'm away from them (at work, etc.) and I can't think about anything but going home and finishing them!
I found one recently called "American Wife," which is in light of all our political discussions probably an appropriate book to read right around now.
Basically, it's by the author of "Prep," which I read about 2 years ago and was similarly addicted to. I wouldn't classify either book as fun in the sense of Twilight or even particularly creative/ingenious like HP, but they are books that make you think about certain issues and their storylines stick with you. The author is also a fantastic storyteller.
Before I get into "American Wife," I might as well mention about the author's first book (the reason I picked up "AW", which is actually not her 2nd but her 3rd; her 2nd book got such bad reviews I skipped it altogether, although I'll probably eventually give it a chance.) Prep is about a smart, but lower-middle class girl from the Midwest who's fed up with her public school and gets into an elite prep school in the East. It's really an interesting story of coming to age and moving away from your family very early on. A lot of the issues that come up are things anyone of any age can relate to. Class, race, peer pressure, pretty much every theme is explored.
"American Wife" is an interesting book because the author basically fictionalizes the life of Laura Bush. Her angle is essentially "how did a nice, smart, intellectual, down-to-earth, impressive woman get tangled up with the Bush empire, and how in the world could she have possibly fallen in love with George?" In my mind the author definitely took some liberties with Laura's story, but basically the point is there... how a nice, smart young democrat fell for a Bush. I'm only 1/2 way through the book at this point but cannot stop.
Why I like it: the story is addicting, the narrative flows smoothly and has quite a few surprises despite the fact this is a subject matter we all roughly know. The main character is very likable. The author realistically portrays how an independent-minded intellectual could fall for a goofball guy with a silver spoon in his mouth from birth. She also ties in quite a few social themes that most certainly shaped anyone growing up in the 50s right through the present day. And I just can't wait to finish the story.
Why it's not perfect: It's an addicting story, but there are a couple of things that bugged me. As a warning to potential readers, some scenes in the book are a bit graphic (even needlessly so). It's not too overbearing, but it's there. If you have a problem with graphic scenes, steer away from the book. Also, the author took a few liberties with the story. It's not supposed to be a biography about Laura, but on the other hand you can't help but imagine Laura in the story, and some parts of it I felt were a bit unbelievable. Then again, that could have been the point.
Overall, it's a solid, thought-provoking, entertaining read (so far) so if anyone else reads it, let me know and we can chat!
Back to work... I miss those days when I could sit in class and read books under my desk.
Alas, not so easy to do at work.
I found one recently called "American Wife," which is in light of all our political discussions probably an appropriate book to read right around now.
Basically, it's by the author of "Prep," which I read about 2 years ago and was similarly addicted to. I wouldn't classify either book as fun in the sense of Twilight or even particularly creative/ingenious like HP, but they are books that make you think about certain issues and their storylines stick with you. The author is also a fantastic storyteller.
Before I get into "American Wife," I might as well mention about the author's first book (the reason I picked up "AW", which is actually not her 2nd but her 3rd; her 2nd book got such bad reviews I skipped it altogether, although I'll probably eventually give it a chance.) Prep is about a smart, but lower-middle class girl from the Midwest who's fed up with her public school and gets into an elite prep school in the East. It's really an interesting story of coming to age and moving away from your family very early on. A lot of the issues that come up are things anyone of any age can relate to. Class, race, peer pressure, pretty much every theme is explored.
"American Wife" is an interesting book because the author basically fictionalizes the life of Laura Bush. Her angle is essentially "how did a nice, smart, intellectual, down-to-earth, impressive woman get tangled up with the Bush empire, and how in the world could she have possibly fallen in love with George?" In my mind the author definitely took some liberties with Laura's story, but basically the point is there... how a nice, smart young democrat fell for a Bush. I'm only 1/2 way through the book at this point but cannot stop.
Why I like it: the story is addicting, the narrative flows smoothly and has quite a few surprises despite the fact this is a subject matter we all roughly know. The main character is very likable. The author realistically portrays how an independent-minded intellectual could fall for a goofball guy with a silver spoon in his mouth from birth. She also ties in quite a few social themes that most certainly shaped anyone growing up in the 50s right through the present day. And I just can't wait to finish the story.
Why it's not perfect: It's an addicting story, but there are a couple of things that bugged me. As a warning to potential readers, some scenes in the book are a bit graphic (even needlessly so). It's not too overbearing, but it's there. If you have a problem with graphic scenes, steer away from the book. Also, the author took a few liberties with the story. It's not supposed to be a biography about Laura, but on the other hand you can't help but imagine Laura in the story, and some parts of it I felt were a bit unbelievable. Then again, that could have been the point.
Overall, it's a solid, thought-provoking, entertaining read (so far) so if anyone else reads it, let me know and we can chat!
Back to work... I miss those days when I could sit in class and read books under my desk.
Alas, not so easy to do at work.
