Wow! I have to give this book 5 stars. Proulx’s writing was amazing and engaging, despite the story being about as bleak as possible. Any romantic notions one might have had about rural Vermont living are pretty much ripped to shreds by this story. It follows multiple characters across 40+ years, watching the lives and farm of the Blood family unfold (or implode, depending upon how you look at it.) The oldest son is forced to leave home under circumstances that are never really explained- […]
Like Jane Eyre meets Jane Austen meets V.C. Andrews
Well, this book wasn’t what I expected at all. I picked it because I saw it had won the Orange award, and went into it not knowing much else about it. The cover made me think I was in for a romance novel with heaving bosoms and complicated schemes to bring about unexpected and perhaps diasapproved but fortuitous marriage proposals. However, the beginning quickly disabused me of those notions, as it started with a description of a decaying body being carried clumsily down stairs, and […]
A Modern Adventure Tale for the Middle Aged Yuppie-Hippie
I vacillated between 3 and 4 stars and finally went with three for a few different reasons. For starters, the title, while super cute, is a bit misleading. I picked the book up off of the library shelves knowing nothing about it, looked at the title, and flipped through the photos section. Lots of pictures of the author’s adorable small children and wife hanging out in Churchill, Manitoba. Looked cute, heartwarming, a family adventure. However, the book actually goes in a lot of different directions, […]
A sad little book that never got asked to the dance
What a peculiar little book. I happened to be browsing through the stacks at the local public library, and came across it. The title caught my eye, and then I saw it was authored by a psychiatrist with whose work I am familiar in the area of catatonia. I did not expect to find a book on this topic written by a well-known professor of psychiatry tucked away amongst the more popular titles. My confusion only grew when I actually read the book today, as […]
Wacky Pyschiatric Hijinks
3.4 stars, after debating whether to rate this book on the basis of what the author intended to do versus what she managed to execute, finally rating it based on what was actually on the page & the amount of enjoyment I got from reading it. Admittedly, I likely have a different take on this novel given that it’s about a psychiatrist with Capgras’ syndrome. I think this set up for the story peaked my interest, yet it was less exotic than it would be […]
Have some watered down tea and a dry scone
Good Lord, am I glad this book is done. It was a complete slog for me. I think a lot of my disappointment comes from how promising it sounded- a Welsh teenager who talks to fairies and some kind of mystery involving black magic. It was nothing like what I expected. To briefly summarize some of things I did not like: It was written in the format of a daily journal kept by the 15 year old protagonist, and it begins after all the real […]