Ahh…the good old summertime. I look forward to summer for so many reasons, but one of them is that I get the excuse of carving out time to actually *read*. Like, as in GROWN-UP books. Books with chapters and multi-syllabic words. Books with hundreds of pages and small type. Books with at least 3 letters on the spine, not just a big “E”. Books with NO PICTURES.
So, I’m going to return to the tradition I started two summers ago (and quickly abandoned last summer) and provide a book review of the books I read this summer. Feel free to comment or provide suggestions of great books you’ve read!
My mother is convinced I’m drawn to books with long titles. Whether or not that is true, I saw this book on the “new books” shelf at the library and thought the premise was interesting. It’s a book about writers – poets, specifically – at a writing school. Seemed a bit ironic, and since irony can be fascinating I decided to give it a try.
I was a little disappointed. About halfway through the book, I just stopped caring: about the characters, their issues, their angst, their effort at their craft. I found the main character, Roman, especially wearying: continually unable to be honest with himself and others; unable to loose himself of the perceived “burdens” of his past; unable to forgive his own weaknesses and celebrate his strengths. I finished the book, but felt no sympathy toward Roman, no sense of loss for what he suffered, no sadness at the turn of events that concluded the story.
All in all, I’d say I enjoyed the book, though it certainly didn’t live up to the hype on the back cover or the summary on the jacket. It was well-written with rich and beautiful phrases, even if the characters seemed shallow and 2-dimensional. But for the ease of reading, and the deft storytelling, I’d say it was a good way to kick off the summer reading club!