By the middle of Independence Day, I decided that I just really don't like Frank Bascombe. He's the kind of guy who really would believe someone like me would care about his endless drives around the New Jersey landscape. And what was Ford thinking with the ending? So out of place.
If you enjoy Victorian literature, this is a glorious read. Take Jane Austen and Charles Dickens and then mix in a bit of Neil Gaiman (there's even a story set in Wall) and you've got a delightful mix. Clarke's use of language is magnificent, and the subject matter of these short stories takes the r
... (continue)
If you enjoy Victorian literature, this is a glorious read. Take Jane Austen and Charles Dickens and then mix in a bit of Neil Gaiman (there's even a story set in Wall) and you've got a delightful mix. Clarke's use of language is magnificent, and the subject matter of these short stories takes the reader on a trip through both Faerie and England. This is a wonderful follow-up to Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.
A huge improvement over her previous novel, Case Histories (which many people loved). This is a unique, literate mystery/crime thriller with characters that are easy to love.
A complex, intertwined narrative featuring two key players, Kafka on the Shore meanders back and forth between a 15-year-old Japanese runaway who calls himself Kafka and an elderly man, Nakata, who is "slow" due to an accident suffered in childhood. While each story is basically an entity into itsel
... (continue)
A complex, intertwined narrative featuring two key players, Kafka on the Shore meanders back and forth between a 15-year-old Japanese runaway who calls himself Kafka and an elderly man, Nakata, who is "slow" due to an accident suffered in childhood. While each story is basically an entity into itself, Kafka and Nakata are connected through a very significant incident that eventually leads them to the same city.
Kafka sets on his path as he is hoping to avoid a fate his father has predicted. Never able to connect to the man, Kafka's opinion deteriorates when his father predicts he will be murdered by Kafka, and then Kafka will go on to sleep with his mother and sister. It all sounds a lot like any number of Greek tragedies, which is probably no mistake as Murakami references these throughout the book.
Kafka ends up finding shelter at an unsual library, which becomes his home and refuge for a period. Meanwhile, Nakata is on his own path. Able to exist thanks to a government subsidy arranged by his family, Nakata earns a little money on the side by finding lost cats. He is able to do this because he is one of the few people - perhaps the only person - who can speak their language. His occupation eventually leads him to a man who calls himself Johnny Walker. Their encounter directly links him to Kafka, and puts Nakata on a quest of his own.
Kafka on the Shore relies heavily on a variety of dream worlds, so that at times even the "real world" story has an ethereal feel to it. It's difficult to describe without revealing too much, but the book is quite entrancing.
Absurdistan chronicles the adventures of Misha Vainberg, a character who puts me in mind of a Russian Ignatius J. Reilly. Like the infamous character in A Confederacy of Dunces, Misha is hugely fat, comments frequently on his toilet habits, and is on his own personal quest - though it's not quite th
... (continue)
Absurdistan chronicles the adventures of Misha Vainberg, a character who puts me in mind of a Russian Ignatius J. Reilly. Like the infamous character in A Confederacy of Dunces, Misha is hugely fat, comments frequently on his toilet habits, and is on his own personal quest - though it's not quite the same as that of Reilly's.
Misha loves the United States. Thanks to his father's decision to send him to America for college, Misha has experienced all that the US has to offer and he likes it. He loves the food, he enjoys the music (especially rap) and he misses his Bronx girlfriend, Rouenna, terribly. Trouble is, he's back in Russia and is no longer allowed to travel to the US thanks to the fact that his father killed a man from Oklahoma. With help from friends, Misha hatches a plan to break through the red tape. He'll journey to Absurdsvanï, where he'll be able to obtain a Belgian passport and sneak his way overseas. Of course, complications arise when fighting breaks out in the small nation. The airport is closed, and Misha is stranded. Havoc and hilarity ensue.
Absurdistan can be very, very funny. It can also be quite graphic when it comes to descriptions of sexual acts, which Misha is quite prolific at performing throughout the novel. While the book is compulsively readable, I sometimes found myself wondering what the point was. Early on, Absurdistan seems to present itself as a reflection on 9/11 from a different point of view, and while Misha's story takes place in the days leading to the tragedy, the dots are never really connected. Author Gary Shteyengart is gifted when it comes to style. I'm hoping his next effort provides a little more substance.
The Lay of the Land
By the middle of Independence Day, I decided that I just really don't like Frank Bascombe. He's the kind of guy who really would believe someone like me would care about his endless drives around the New Jersey landscape. And what was Ford thinking with the ending? So out of place.
The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories
If you enjoy Victorian literature, this is a glorious read. Take Jane Austen and Charles Dickens and then mix in a bit of Neil Gaiman (there's even a story set in Wall) and you've got a delightful mix. Clarke's use of language is magnificent, and the subject matter of these short stories takes the r ... (continue)
If you enjoy Victorian literature, this is a glorious read. Take Jane Austen and Charles Dickens and then mix in a bit of Neil Gaiman (there's even a story set in Wall) and you've got a delightful mix. Clarke's use of language is magnificent, and the subject matter of these short stories takes the reader on a trip through both Faerie and England. This is a wonderful follow-up to Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.
One Good Turn
A huge improvement over her previous novel, Case Histories (which many people loved). This is a unique, literate mystery/crime thriller with characters that are easy to love.
Kafka on the Shore
A complex, intertwined narrative featuring two key players, Kafka on the Shore meanders back and forth between a 15-year-old Japanese runaway who calls himself Kafka and an elderly man, Nakata, who is "slow" due to an accident suffered in childhood. While each story is basically an entity into itsel ... (continue)
A complex, intertwined narrative featuring two key players, Kafka on the Shore meanders back and forth between a 15-year-old Japanese runaway who calls himself Kafka and an elderly man, Nakata, who is "slow" due to an accident suffered in childhood. While each story is basically an entity into itself, Kafka and Nakata are connected through a very significant incident that eventually leads them to the same city.
Kafka sets on his path as he is hoping to avoid a fate his father has predicted. Never able to connect to the man, Kafka's opinion deteriorates when his father predicts he will be murdered by Kafka, and then Kafka will go on to sleep with his mother and sister. It all sounds a lot like any number of Greek tragedies, which is probably no mistake as Murakami references these throughout the book.
Kafka ends up finding shelter at an unsual library, which becomes his home and refuge for a period. Meanwhile, Nakata is on his own path. Able to exist thanks to a government subsidy arranged by his family, Nakata earns a little money on the side by finding lost cats. He is able to do this because he is one of the few people - perhaps the only person - who can speak their language. His occupation eventually leads him to a man who calls himself Johnny Walker. Their encounter directly links him to Kafka, and puts Nakata on a quest of his own.
Kafka on the Shore relies heavily on a variety of dream worlds, so that at times even the "real world" story has an ethereal feel to it. It's difficult to describe without revealing too much, but the book is quite entrancing.
Absurdistan
Absurdistan chronicles the adventures of Misha Vainberg, a character who puts me in mind of a Russian Ignatius J. Reilly. Like the infamous character in A Confederacy of Dunces, Misha is hugely fat, comments frequently on his toilet habits, and is on his own personal quest - though it's not quite th ... (continue)
Absurdistan chronicles the adventures of Misha Vainberg, a character who puts me in mind of a Russian Ignatius J. Reilly. Like the infamous character in A Confederacy of Dunces, Misha is hugely fat, comments frequently on his toilet habits, and is on his own personal quest - though it's not quite the same as that of Reilly's.
Misha loves the United States. Thanks to his father's decision to send him to America for college, Misha has experienced all that the US has to offer and he likes it. He loves the food, he enjoys the music (especially rap) and he misses his Bronx girlfriend, Rouenna, terribly. Trouble is, he's back in Russia and is no longer allowed to travel to the US thanks to the fact that his father killed a man from Oklahoma. With help from friends, Misha hatches a plan to break through the red tape. He'll journey to Absurdsvanï, where he'll be able to obtain a Belgian passport and sneak his way overseas. Of course, complications arise when fighting breaks out in the small nation. The airport is closed, and Misha is stranded. Havoc and hilarity ensue.
Absurdistan can be very, very funny. It can also be quite graphic when it comes to descriptions of sexual acts, which Misha is quite prolific at performing throughout the novel. While the book is compulsively readable, I sometimes found myself wondering what the point was. Early on, Absurdistan seems to present itself as a reflection on 9/11 from a different point of view, and while Misha's story takes place in the days leading to the tragedy, the dots are never really connected. Author Gary Shteyengart is gifted when it comes to style. I'm hoping his next effort provides a little more substance.