Plenty of Simple Book Reviews
The Fall by Simon Mawer: Simon Mawer has given us a good novel, just not a great one. It can be electrifying and dizzying at one point and then detached and mired in its characters’ own lack of inertia the next. A more even novel would have been received better, but The Fall is still an enjoyable read that will leave you guessing the truth until the very end.
December 6 by Martin Cruz Smith: December 6 is a novel that succeeds on many levels. It’s an education into the mindset and culture of pre-war Japan. It’s an indictment of those beating the drums of war behind their own self-righteousness. Best of all, it’s a great story, and the description of Harry’s predicament is peeled back layer by layer, and by the end we’ve come to understand and sympathize with him completely. There’s a bit of Harry in all of us, trying to do the right thing while taking advantage of the situation at the same time.
The Highest Tide by Jim Lynch: The Highest Tide is a short book, less than 250 pages, and can be read in one afternoon. Jim Lynch’s debut novel spends a wonderful summer with Miles O’Malley and the interesting and peculiar life that abounds in Puget Sound. Take an afternoon and enjoy it for yourself.
Divisadero by Michael Ondaatje: This is Michael Ondaatje’s gift to the rest of us, his net for holding everything dear to us, even if it eventually leads to heartache and the divisions in our lives. There is nothing predictable in Divisadero and each thread leads to another story that mirrors each other, turning back on itself, so that even its divisions are blurred. This is the poetry of this novel, and the poetry of our lives, that has been expertly captured here.
The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh: For the most part, The Hungry Tide is a compelling book about ordinary people bound together in an exotic place that can consume them all. It’s the basest of human emotions, love, jealousy, pride, and trust, that will make the difference. That’s a lesson we all can learn, again, as we follow Piya, Kanai, and Fokir into the heart of tide country.
Easter Island by Jennifer Vanderbes: Easter Island is a satisfying read that explores the mysteries of the human soul in the most isolated place in the world, the navel of the earth. Both Elsa and Greer find that searching for oneself can be fraught with peril, since no man, or woman, is an island.
The Echo Maker by Richard Powers: The Echo Maker never loses its emotional power. As Richard Powers navigates the landmarks of his characters’ lives, his artful prose keeps the novel moving forward in the year that follows Mark’s accident, a year that will redefine all of their lives. It’s a moving tribute to the human condition, that search for the emotional truths of our lives and how that defines our sense of self.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer: If you only read perfect novels, then there would be very few books to read at all. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close can be uplifting and soul searing at different times. With the horrors and wounds of the 9/11 attacks still fresh, this novel may hit too close to home for some people. By the end of this book, how that awful day happened for all members of Oskar’s family is known, and beyond the pain lies hope, and Oskar is not as alone as he thinks he is. Oskar Schell’s story is one to cherish, and perhaps that metaphor for the lost innocence of the world is one we all ought to acknowledge and embrace.
Annette Lybacki hopes that you found this piece helpful and invites you to read her articles on Do You Need a DUI Lawyer? for some Hints and Tips on DUI Lawyers.
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