The book begins with a Prelude in Blue, which is absolutely beautifully written. Our story begins with the death of Victor van Gogh, which some of his friends see as a mystery to be solved. It is the beginning, but not always the focus. The mystery leads to others, and our main characters of baker/painter Lucien Lessard and his bon vivant/painter friend Henri Toulouse-Lautrec find themselves involved in a plot that has a much farther reach than they could have ever anticipated or imagined. As […]
I hope you appreciate how I didn’t just quote the entire book at you
Oh people, how do I even start reviewing this book? I’m pretty sure I devoured the whole thing in less than two hours total (in between running errands, meeting up with friends, working and other stuff). I can tell you that for the bits that worked for me (about 75% of the book), I laughed so hard on occasion that my abs hurt. If I’d actually got the final 25%, this book would have been 5 stars, for sure. I kept quoting bits out loud […]
We could have had it all
Americanah centers on a love story between Ifemelu, beautiful and outspoken, and Obinze, self-assured and thoughtful. They fall head over heals for each other as teenagers in troubled Nigeria, still under military dictatorship. Constant strikes put strain on the educational system so Ifemelu heads to college in the United States while Obinze stays in Africa. In the States, Ifemelu deals with culture shock, isolation, and depression. Eventually she starts a successful blog where she writes about race from the perspective of a non-American black person. […]
Unpopular Gals
There should be a separate category called “Margaret Atwood”. So much of her stuff defies categorization. This book is no different, and I really enjoyed it. A book of short stories published in 1992, I fervently wish my freshman in highschool self could have stumbled upon Atwood, instead I was reading Stephen King. No shade on King, but Atwood’s feminist sensibilities could have really helped me figure out some important things so much sooner than I did. Not all of these short stories are winners, […]
The Birth of the Bimbo
… kissing your hand may make you feel very good but a diamond and safire bracelet lasts forever. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was one of the most popular books of its day. First serialized in Harper’s Bazaar in 1924 (published as a book in 1925), it was an immediate hit among the general public and was widely acclaimed among writers such as George Santayana, H.L. Mencken, William Faulkner, and Edith Wharton. Gentlemen seems to have been the inspiration for the “dumb blonde” trope, immortalized by Marilyn […]
Yet another example of how messed up people can be
Gone Girl, of the so-called domestic noir genre (check wikipedia for more details), is a voyeuristic journey into disaster. While you might find Flynn’s characters unbecoming, there’s enough drama and intrigue to keep you reading. We begin with Nick Dunne, our Girl’s husband, who has just reported her missing to the police. Of course, being the husband, Nick is suspect number one. As he tries to search for his wife, work with the police, and deal with his wife Amy’s parents, Nick’s every move is […]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 369
- 370
- 371
- 372
- 373
- …
- 434
- Next Page »