The New Tana French

Broken Harbor by Tana French

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I had very mixed feelings about this book.  I see it's the first French that I haven't rated 5 stars.  In the beginning, I didn't like the detective at all.  The book is written in first person, from his point of view.  I quickly became suspicious that he was going to be an unreliable narrator, or at least an insufferable SOB.  Then layers unfolded and he became more sympathetic.  Then I got caught up in the crime.  I was fairly certain that the guy they arrested didn't do it, but couldn't imagine who had.  The second suspect didn't seem likely, either.  I never did suspect the one who was finally revealed, but I found the whole thing unbelievable.  As the murderer began telling the story, the book lost me.  I just didn't buy it.  And if it's true, then these were the most superficial people imaginable and they all were better off dead.  The detective's story was believable.  His tight lid on his inner chaos, his crazy, fragile sister, his guilt.  All of that is quite believable and sympathetic.  Whatever my misgivings about the actual crime and the perp, the book kept me deeply engaged for most of the read.  Tana French is very adept at the psychological stuff.  Too bad about the murderer.



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Thomas Friedman Declares An End To Math, Urges Working Class To Get Awesome!

Sigh.  I may have to end my love affair with Apple.  I was mad anyway that the latest software update to my iPhone no longer allows me to play my books from Audible.com.

Thomas Friedman Declares An End To Math, Urges Working Class To Get Awesome!

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Gotta love Maxine!

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HOLSTEE - Holstee Manifesto Poster

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Rooted in Politics, Austerity Worsens the Greek Tragedy | Truthout

Rooted in Politics, Austerity Worsens the Greek Tragedy | Truthout

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Awesome article exposing all those austerity advocates.  Austerity - the classic stance of the negative, withholding mother. 

Book review - Deerskin by Robin McKinley

Deerskin by Robin McKinley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Oh my, I scarcely know what to say about this book.  It's actually not quite 5 stars, but I'd feel bad only giving it four.



It's wrenching, maddening, lyrical, unflinchingly honest in the way of fairy tales, and it's terribly sad.  If it weren't for the dogs, I'm not sure I could've read it.  I knew it was about a woman who was raped by her father when I bought it.  It was on a list compiled by NPR of books about strong women.  That's why I bought it.  I thought I was prepared for it.  I work as a practicing psychotherapist, and have sat in my office with women (and men) who have been through this same thing.  I have been enraged before by the way families and society blame the victim in situations like this.  And yet when I read it in this book, I was so upset I had to stop reading for a while.



I got up and cleaned my kitchen, walked the dogs, cast around for some light hearted simple minded book to read.  Then I decided to pick it up again.  I'd put it aside right after the rape and his killing of her beloved dog.



But the dog was not dead.  The rest of the book is about her healing, and her recovery, and the way she comes into her own power.  It's also about the dog, and then dogs, as she finds her way to the court of the man who'd given her the dog in the first place, and she nurses a litter of puppies whose mother died and she keeps them alive along with herself.



I hadn't read Robin McKinley before, but now will have to look at her other books.  I love dogs.  :-)  And they save this book from being unbearable.



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A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I'd give it more than 5 stars if I could.  It's going in my 'favorites' pile.  I don't know when I've read a book with so much humor, tragedy, love, truth, love, and plain old deep understanding of human nature.

I listened to this book and it's one of the few I've listened to that I didn't 'zone out', fall asleep, get bored, or whatever.  There are parts, thankfully, that are less intense, but they didn't bore me.  At times I was weeping and laughing out loud at the same time.  Drove my dogs nuts.


I read his other famous novels years ago and while I liked them a lot, they nowhere near moved me as much.  I kept trying to imagine if I would be as involved if I were reading it instead of listening, and can't really say, as the narrator was absolutely perfect.  His voice for Owen Meany was so true to the description that it was hard to believe there wasn't a second person involved in the narration.

Since I was born about the same time as the story teller, John Wheelwright, perhaps parts of the story were more meaningful to me.  I completely remember the chaos of the Viet Nam war, the craziness of Iran-Contra.  I, too, did not know my father but had a stepfather who did a fairly decent job of parenting me.  I'd like to think, though, that people without those commonalities could enjoy the book as much as I did.

Some reviewers have complained about the time span and how the story moves back and forth in time.  That was so not an issue for me.  It was woven so completely together that I was never confused.

This book is a good example of how it often doesn't matter what a book is about.  If someone had told me it was about a friendship between two boys in New Hampshire, one of which never grows taller than five feet and never outgrows his high, squeaky voice, I probably wouldn't have been much interested.  It's also a good example of how little complexity depends on vast numbers of characters, changing landscapes, and endless new plot elements.  Irving's ability to develop complexity in relationships and emotions is enough.



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