More mini-reviews, of books I read March - July 2008:
Middlesex - A rare homerun from the college book club. The immigrant experience of the American century. I prefer Philip Roth - perhaps because this is Greek instead of Jewish - but I'm splitting hairs. Read it.
A Black Englishman - More typical of the college book club: mediocre. The scent and feel of India lingers appealingly, though.
Day of Battle - Volume 2 of a as-yet-unfinished 3-volume history of America's involvement in WWII in Europe. This covers the invasion of Sicily and Italy, an intriguing contrast. Sicily is Patton, Monty, and a rip-roaring success. Italy, rarely the focus of pop historys of WWII, is a winter slog.
Winter's Tale - Grand and grandiose. A time-leaping paean to NYC.
Expectant Father - A useful alternative perspective, though less needed than its author thinks.
The Nine - A pop biography of the justices of the US Supreme Court. A very fast, fun, insightful read. But, damn, it makes you realize that the Conservatives have already won this battle.
Razor's Edge - The college book club goes for a classic, but still I'm not won over. First half of the book feels like Fitzgerald (yay!) but the second half feels like a very tentative inquiry into bohemianism (boo!).
Baby Whisperer - Another perspective on raising babies. Seems good - the compromise position between kids-first and Ferber - but the compromise is ambiguous and hard to execute on. Not recommended.
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Well, I read Winter's Tale, and once I got over my initial disappointment that we were not reading the Shakespeare play, I continued to be disappointed. It struck me silly and pretentious. I think it might be the worst book I've ever read.
ReplyDeleteBut I know it got a good review in the Times, and others in the family liked it, so maybe I am missing something.
Thoughts?
Oh I didn't realize this was Jesse's post. Jess, you already know my thoughts on this.
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