Book Review - Henry's Sisters by Cathy Lamb

Henry's Sisters by Cathy Lamb

As you can guessed from the book title, this book is about Henry and his 3 sisters - and how they dealt with a family crisis when something happened to mum. I thought the book started out okay... then 5 days later and about half way through, I just got bored. Normally I would have stopped, but since this was for a book club, I thought I'd try a little harder, so I skimmed the rest to see what happened instead (yes I cheated!) Well, not much happened until maybe the last couple of chapters, so I didn't feel like I missed much. The book could have been a lot shorter (funny, both goodreads and amazon said it is 352 pages? But I made a note that it was 430 pages?! Maybe it had been shortened since?!?!)  Regardless of the actual number of pages, it still felt too long.

But the main reason I didn't like it was because of the characters - it seemed like EVERYBODY was a stereotype. EVERYBODY had to have an extreme flaw. Now, I get that we are not perfect and we all have flaws, but what is the likelihood that everyone in the family had a different behavioral disorder from The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV)? It just seemed quite unrealistic. Henry just happened to be the glue that brought everyone together because he... well I am not going to spoil it for you if you decide to read it. Just know that everything was so contrived, and everything was tied in a nice little bow at the end of the story as someone else from the book club put it. Though most of the people at the book club did liked it (except me and my friends, who are younger than the rest of the group).

This book reminded me a bit of The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown (see my review here) minus the Shakespeare reference. This book was published prior to the Weird Sisters though.

I did find a few quotes I liked (I do have 2 younger sisters after all):

"And we were never locked in closets. We chose to go there all on our own. To hide." (p14)

To me, the wind has always seemed like a person, with all the mood swings and rampaging, out-of-control emotions that we have. Sometimes it's angry and whips around corners, sometimes it ruffles the river as it hurries toward the ocean, sometimes it puffs on by, gentle, caressing. (p25)

The problem I see with fights between sisters is that the fights can degenerate to scorching meanness so quick, the words cutting right to the marrow, because sisters know how to hurt each other with pinpoint accuracy. They have history and hurts and slights and jealousies and resentment and they don't know how to rein it in, filter, or how not to be brutally honest with one another. (p95) 

1 / 5 .

Note - The book was borrowed from the library.



All reviews and posts are copyrighted by Christa @ Mental Foodie. Please do not use or reprint them without written permission.

Book Review - Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down by Irene Schram

 

(image from amazon)

Title: Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down
Author: Irene Schram 
Year: 1972
Page: 192
Genre: Dystopian

FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary:
I couldn't find a description anywhere on the web. Basically a group of young students (who were 9? 10? I don't remember now) and their teacher got kidnapped.

First Sentence:
Our whole class of students was on the grass, in the park, for a picnic: it was April and time for a picnic after a long winter full of weeks and months of rain, boring rain.

My Thoughts:

• It seemed like not many people had heard of this book. I heard about it from a forum - someone remembered reading a book about a bunch of children got kidnapped with their teacher. S/he did not remember the name of the book, but the story left a lasting impression. S/he found out someone else online had the same experience. After some searching, they found out the name of the book. I was able to track down a copy from another library in our network.

• The story was written in a diary format, from several different people. The voices were strong, especially since the main protagonist was a young girl who enjoyed writing. You could sense the innocence. 

• The book started out strongly, and was intriguing. It really made you want to find out what happened. Some commented that the plot was very violet and disturbing, especially given that the characters were young children. However, what made me give this book such a low rating was its ending, which I'd elaborate more in the next point, but it'd include spoiler.

• [SPOILER]I found that the story didn't explain ANYTHING. It didn't explain why they were kidnapped, who kidnapped them, and the ending was very ambiguous, almost without an ending! So it was almost like an unfinished story. I agreed that the story line was memorable, but it was just frustrating, dissatisfying and disappointing when it read like an incomplete story. It was all about the journey, but without a cause, or a destination. Apart from the fact that PERSISTENCE was kept being brought up as a theme.[/SPOILER]

Quote:

You cannot laugh just because someone tells you to, can you. (p38)

Overall Rating:

1 Stars. Had a lot of potential but fell short. Seemed unfinished.


All reviews and posts are copyrighted by Christa @ Mental Foodie. Please do not use or reprint them without written permission.

Book Review - The End of Everything by Megan Abbott

Title: The End of Everything
Author: Megan Abbottx 
Year: 2011
Page: 256
Genre: Fiction

FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from goodreads.com):
Thirteen-year-old Lizzie Hood and her next-door neighbor, Evie Verver, are inseparable, best friends who swap clothes, bathing suits, and field-hockey sticks and between whom -- presumably -- there are no secrets. Then one afternoon, Evie disappears, and as a rabid, giddy panic spreads through the balmy suburban community, everyone turns to Lizzie for answers. Was Evie unhappy, troubled, or upset? Had she mentioned being followed? Would she have gotten into the car of a stranger?

Compelled by curiosity, Lizzie takes up her own furtive pursuit of the truth. Haunted by dreams of her lost friend and titillated by her own new power as the center of the disappearance, Lizzie uncovers secret after secret and begins to wonder if she knew anything at all about her best friend. MEGAN ABBOTT has taught literature, writing, and film at New York University and the State University of New York at Oswego. In 2002, Palgrave Macmillan published her nonfiction study, The Street Was Mine: White Masculinity in Hardboiled Fiction and Film Noir. She is also the author of the Edgar Award -winning Queenpin.

First Sentence:
She, light-streaky out of the corner of my eye.

My Thoughts:

• I wanted to read this book after reading BermudaOnion's review (see here). She loved it, even though she said it was a bit creepy. But this sentence, "It’s a book that will really make you think and question what you see." sold me.

• I'd say it up front - I don't like this book AT ALL. Mostly because of the content, but I did not like the writing either. I even had to re-read the first sentence (see above), not a good start. Some reviewers described her prose as lyrical - definitely not my style (State of Wonder by Ann Patchett may have been an exception for me as I was drawn in with her "lyrical" writing. My review here). I glazed over parts of the book, or I found myself reading the book and not really taking it in and having to re-read paragraphs... and that happened quite a few times throughout the book. I just couldn't really get engaged or absorbed in the story. I thought about giving up but somehow didn't as I wanted to find out what happened. Should probably have given in because her writing was the least of my problem

• The protagonist was a 13 years old girl, but her voice sounded way older. While the premise was about a missing girl (which was why I was interested in reading, being a thriller lover), nothing much really happened until the last 20 pages. I really wouldn't call this a thriller / mystery / murder / suspense at all. Some called it a coming-of-age story, and well since I don't really like reading this genre, I'd just trust their opinion. Several reviews compared it the Lovely Bones but I have not read that book or watched the movie, so I couldn't compare.

• The plot also seemed not quite plausible - unless the cops were really incompetent.  The ending was okay since it was a twist and involved a "what if" scenario so that did make you think.

• But the content really disturbed me and made me uncomfortable - and this is coming from someone who typically do not get disturbed reading about serial killers or body parts being dissected or internal organs spilling out. I guess we all have different level of tolerance on different topic. In this case, I don't think anyone under 18, especially girls, should read this book. While it is NOT graphic, it is what is implied that is disturbing. If I have a daughter I wouldn't want her getting ideas. It made me question why the author decided to write this book - what was her goal? What was the message she was trying to deliver? My first reaction after finishing this book was disgusted. Granted, things like this story may happen in real life, but I still wonder about the author's motivation on writing such a book. I'd elaborate a little bit more but will put in a spoiler tag in case you don't want to know: [SPOILER] a reviewer called it a reverse of a pedophile story, and I agreed. This is about 13yo girls' desire to get older men's attention (male figures related to them or not), and this is to put it mildly. [/SPOILER]

• There are LOTS of very positive reviews of this book out there though, so it's probably just me. And this topic just touched my nerve I guess and made me feel uneasy. Some reviewers also said those who like psychological thrillers or crime novels would love it. I want to know if my fellow-bloggers who are into murder/mystery/suspense/thrillers genre would agree.
   

Overall Rating:

1 Star. Not for me at all because of the content. Also too slow-paced and too "lyrical" for me.


All reviews and posts are copyrighted by Christa @ Mental Foodie. Please do not use or reprint them without written permission.

Book Review - The Family Fang: A Novel by Kevin Wilson

Title: The Family Fang: A Novel
Author: Kevin Wilson
Year: 2011
Page: 320
Genre: Fiction 

FTC Disclosure: ARC from HarperCollins in exchange for an unbiased review

Summary (from goodreads.com):
Mr. and Mrs. Fang called it art.

Their children called it mischief.

Performance artists Caleb and Camille Fang dedicated themselves to making great art. But when an artist’s work lies in subverting normality, it can be difficult to raise well-adjusted children. Just ask Buster and Annie Fang. For as long as they can remember, they starred (unwillingly) in their parents’ madcap pieces. But now that they are grown up, the chaos of their childhood has made it difficult to cope with life outside the fishbowl of their parents’ strange world.

When the lives they’ve built come crashing down, brother and sister have nowhere to go but home, where they discover that Caleb and Camille are planning one last performance–their magnum opus–whether the kids agree to participate or not. Soon, ambition breeds conflict, bringing the Fangs to face the difficult decision about what’s ultimately more important: their family or their art

First Sentence:
Mr. and Mrs. Fang called it art.

My Thoughts:

• I decided to pick this ARC to review because this sounds like a fun book. Something quirky. Something I normally won't pick and I want to be surprised!

• When I first started this book, I had no idea where it was going. When I was in the middle of the book, I had no idea where it was going.  I almost gave up the book then, but thought I'd stick with it since I had no idea where it was going, and may be I'd surprised by the turn of events. As I neared the end of the book, I had no idea where it was going. After I finished reading the book, I still had idea what the book was trying to tell me. I guess in short, this book really wasn't for me.

• The chapters alternated between past and present. During the past, it was about one of the "performances" the Fangs put together. During the present, it was alternated between Annie (Child A) and Buster (Child B), the two Fang children as adults. I did like that format, as it gave us a glimpse of how Annie and Buster got to where they were today. But it was almost like just reading vignettes of their lives, and nothing really happened until about half way through the book [SPOILER] when their parents disappeared, and the cops feared they had been kidnapped by a serial killer. It got a little bit more interesting then, and I wanted to find out what happened to them. Were they killed, or was it just one of their acts? [/SPOILER] I still think the pacing was a bit too slow for my liking. The twist just kinda happened, without any climax.

• I also didn't like any of the characters. Mr and Mrs Fang were dysfunctional parents, but I understood they were just passionate about their "art". I just didn't agree with their "art". While I felt bad for Annie and Buster for what they had to go through, I didn't like them as adults either. I was hoping this would be a more inspiring story, that the plot and character development would be different. 

• I just wasn't emotionally invested in the book. In the end, I just really didn't care about the characters, and how the book ended didn't win me over either. It wasn't so much an ending as just another vignette. 

• Some reviewers said they found the book funny. I didn't think I laughed out loud once. I guess it was just not my sense of humor. Some had compared it to The Royal Tenenbaums. I had never watched this movie, so wouldn't know if it was a good comparison. 

• I guess just as most people who didn't appreciate the Fang's art in the book, I couldn't appreciate this book either. Maybe like Caleb Fang (the dad) said, it's not to appreciate, but to experience" (see quote below.)

• But don't let my review stop you from reading this book, if you like reading about quirky characters from a dysfunctional family. This is definitely more of a character-driven than plot-driven books. In fact, currently there are 57 reviews on goodreads (none on amazon yet as this book is not out until next Tuesday 8/9/11), all of them are 3 stars or above (11 3-stars, 29 4-stars and 16 5-stars), except mine. So yeah, it's probably just me.

Quote: 

"It was so perfect," Caleb had explained to Annie when she was still a child. "He forced the art onto unsuspecting people; he made them a part of the piece, and they didn't even know it."

"But if they didn't know what was going on," Annie asked, confused, "how would they appreciate it?"

"They're not supposed to appreciate it," Caleb said, slightly disappointed with her. "They're supposed to experience it." (p194)

He tried to think of all the people in his life as chemicals, the uncertainty of mixing them together, the potential for explosions and scarring. (p239)

Overall Rating:
1 Star. It took me 6 days to read and I wished I had spent the time reading something else from my big pile of To-Be-Read books. Fang's art is not for everybody, just as this book is not for me.

All reviews and posts are copyrighted by christa @ mental foodie. Please do not use or reprint them without written permission.

Book Review - The Faculty Club by Danny Tobey

Title: The Faculty Club
Author: Danny Tobey
Year: 2010
Page: 320
Genre: Fiction - Thriller

New to me author? Yes
Read this author again? Probably not
Tearjerker? No
Where did it take place? US
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from goodreads.com):
At the world’s most exclusive law school, there’s a secret society rumored to catapult its members to fame and fortune. Everyone is dying to get in...

Jeremy Davis is the rising star of his first-year class. He’s got a plum job with the best professor on campus. He’s caught the eye of a dazzling Rhodes scholar named Daphne. But something dark is stirring behind the ivy. When a mysterious club promises success beyond his wildest dreams, Jeremy uncovers a macabre secret older than the university itself. In a race against time, Jeremy must stop an ancient ritual that will sacrifice the lives of those he loves most and blur the lines between good and evil.

In this extraordinary debut thriller, Danny Tobey offers a fascinating glimpse into the rarefied world of an elite New England school and the unthinkable dangers that lie within its gates. He deftly weaves a tale of primeval secrets and betrayal into an ingenious brain teaser that will keep readers up late into the night.

Packed with enigmatic professors, secret codes, hidden tunnels, and sinister villains, The Faculty Club establishes Danny Tobey as this season’s most thrilling new author.

First Sentence:
I remember my mother's reaction when I got accepted to the greatest law school in the world. 

  
Why did I pick this book?
I saw it on the "new book" shelves at the library a few months back and borrowed it - I was attracted by its cover and the premise. I ended up not having time to read it and returned it. Then I saw it again a couple of weeks back, the premise still sounded very interesting (Secret Club!) so thought I'd try it again.


My thoughts:

• It started off very promising and interesting... and then it went downhill from there. It got unrealistic and then weird. I think it was trying too hard to be a story (think Indiana Jones or the Da Vinci Code) full of puzzles and adventures that it became too much of a cliche.

• I didn't quite like any of the characters, and some characters didn't get to develop much (and they set up to have bigger roles)

• The ending was disappointing too

• I guess I did learn a couple of new things: Ship of Theseus (p259) and "Shepardizing" legal cases

Rating: 1 Star

 

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!

Challenges:
100+ Reading

Book Review - The Piano Teacher: A Novel by Janice Y. K. Lee

Title: The Piano Teacher: A Novel
Author: Janice Y. K. Lee
Year: 2009
Page: 328
Genre: Fiction - Historical

New to me author? Yes
Read this author again? No
Tearjerker? No
Where did it take place? Hong Kong
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from goodreads.com):
In the sweeping tradition of The English Patient, a gripping tale of love and betrayal set in war-torn Hong Kong. 

First Sentence:
It started as an accident.

  
Why did I pick this book?
It was part of book club read. Actually I suggested it as a pick, after reading numerous good reviews on different blogs. I was really interested in in as I lived in Hong Kong for 13 years, and played the piano, so I felt like I could relate to the book. This book eventually was voted to be part of this month's book club choice.


My thoughts:

• Meh. Why did I waste my time? I was so looking forward to it as I wanted to read another good historical fiction ("The Help" was a great read, and I usually don't like historical fiction). I thought the combination of a story setting in Hong Kong and something about the piano would make me like it a little bit at least!

• Seriously, after I read it, I thought, what was the point of the story? What was the author trying to say? And I couldn't think of a good reason... to me, the author wanted to pack too much into a book, and because of that, everything was just left hanging and not gone into depth enough - it had a somewhat love triangle (I won't even call it a romance), a mystery of the Crown Collection, expats / high society living in Hong Kong, before / after the WWII, a twist about the identity of one of the minor characters, etc etc etc...
  
• I don't even know why the title was chosen as that wasn't even a big part of the story
  
• Some of the actions by the characters made you go huh? What did that add to the story (for those who had read it - it's about Claire and what happened in the first chapter - wasn't really explained)

• The characters weren't likable either. 

• Some chapters were quite choppy, and the writing style wasn't consistent throughout the book. I caught myself re-reading the lines several times to see if I really read what I thought I read. It was almost like the author wanted to reveal something big, but it ended up being pretentious and confusing. (I should've noted the page numbers, but forgot)

• The love triangle wasn't that great - they happened too easily and I don't see how they could be so memorable

• The mystery/twist also wasn't that shocking

• I was hoping to read more about how WWII and its brutality. It touched on it a bit but not a whole lot.

• I just felt like I wasted my time reading this - it has potential but everything was just left hanging instead. In fact, it probably would have been a better story if it was just about Trudy and Will, and leave the part about Claire. But then, since Claire was the piano teacher, the title would have to be changed! Not that it is a good title for the current story... 

 
Rating: 1 Star

 

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!

Challenges:
100+ Reading

Book Review - The Accidental Tourist: A Novel by Anne Tyler

Title: The Accidental Tourist: A Novel
Author: Anne Tylerx  
Year: 1985 
Page: 342 
Genre: Fiction


New to me author? Yes 
Read this author again? No 
Tearjerker? No 
Where did it take place? US
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library (inter-library loan)

Summary (from amazon.com):
Scarred by grief after their 12-year-old son's senseless murder (he was shot by a holdup man in a Burger Bonanza), Macon and Sarah Leary are losing their marriage too. Macon is unable to cope when she leaves him, so he settles down ``safe among the people he'd started out with,'' moving back home with two divorced brothers and spinster sister Rose. Author of a series of guidebooks called ``Accidental Tourist'' for businessmen who hate to travel, Macon is Tyler's focus here, as she gently chronicles his journey from lonely self-absorption to an ``accidental'' new life with brassy Muriel, a dog trainer from the Meow Bow Animal Hospital, who renews and claims his heart. Not a character, including Macon's dog Edward, is untouched by delightful eccentricity in this charming story, full of surprises and wisdom. All of Tyler's novels are wonderful; thisher tenthis the best yet.

First Sentence:
They were supposed to stay at the beach a week, but neither of them had the heart for it and they decided to come back early.  

Why did I pick this book?
Book club read for May. Definitely wouldn't pick this on my own. But that's part of the reason I join the book club, so I'll read books I won't even know about otherwise!

My thoughts:

• Argh, can I have my 3 days back please?

• I almost gave up after a few chapters. If it weren't for the book club, I wouldn't have stuck to it. Now, it's not required that we finish the book for the meeting (I didn't finish one before), but it is easier to discuss the book when you do finish it, so I kept on reading... hoping for the best...

• While the characters were a bit different to your average everyday people, I didn't care for them at all. The only character I was slightly interested in was Muriel's young son Alex, and I was glad that Macon (the protagonist) at least was a somewhat positive influence on him

• I thought the story could have been a bit more interesting - I mean, Macon had an interesting job! He got to travel and try out hotels and restaurants! But the book really had no plot... it definitely was a character study and nothing really happened. You could sum up the plot in a couple of sentence. 

• The ending also ended quite abruptly that made you think, where did that come from? How did he come up with that decision? It wasn't explained, unlike the rest of the book which was quite descriptive of everything else...

• The cover isn't very attractive. But the quote I put below explain why there were wings on an armchair... 

• Apparently there is a movie based on the book too. This is not a book I would've picked to make a movie on. Won't be watching it... I will be bored.

• But there are lots of other good views online. So judge for yourself! You know I don't like slow books with no plot though :) Will be interesting to hear what the others say at the book club!

Quote:

"While armchair travelers dream of going places," Julian said. "traveling armchairs dream of staying put. I thought we'd use this on the cover." (p89)

 
Rating: 1 Star

 

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!

Challenges:
100+ Reading

Book Review - We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Title: We Have Always Lived in the Castle    
Author: Shriley Jackson  
Year: 1962  
Page: 160  
Genre: Fiction - Horror 

New to me author? Yes
Read this author again? Not sure
Tearjerker? No
Where did it take place? US?
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library (thanks to inter-library loan!)

Summary (from amazon.com):
Taking readers deep into a labyrinth of dark neurosis, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a deliciously unsettling novel about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and the struggle that ensues when a cousin arrives at their estate.

First Sentence:  
My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood.

Why did I pick this book?
After I read Liar by Justine Larbalestier, other people asked on the author's website if there are similar books. Since I thought Liar has such potential (and spoiled by the ending, in my opinion), I thought I'd give this book a try as others have said this is a similar type of book. The author has also said she loved this book.

My thoughts:

• I think my expectation was way to high and I was very disappointed by this book! I can see why the readers said this is a similar type of book as Liar (I don't want to explain as it'd spoil it), but it is just not my cup of tea. Many reviews said this is creepy, horrifying, scary, disturbing, haunting, strange... I thought it was boring and could guess the twist 1/3 way of the book (and it's a pretty thin book!) I wasn't scared or creep out or disturbed or haunted at all (unlike after watching IT the TV movie in 8th grade... I almost didn't want to turn on the faucet to wash my hands!)

• As I was reading the story (would have given it up had I not wanted to find out what was so great about this book), I kept thinking, how old is Mary Katherine the protagonist? It was very hard to guess her age by her voice/behavior. When I read some amazon reviews, some reviewers mentioned she was 18 and I was wondering how they came up with that age. When I looked back at the first page of the book to write out what the first sentence was - the 2nd sentence said, "I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance." Duh! But really, I'd already forgotten about that fact as I read the book...

• I still don't get why this book is so popular... have you read it? Could you share your thoughts please?? I didn't even find a quote I liked in the book...

• The only thing I like about it is this - the protagonist, Mary Katherine, is called Merricat, by her sister. I thought that was cute. 

Rating:    1 Star

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!

Challenges:
100+ Reading 

Book Review - Postcards from a Dead Girl: A Novel by Kirk Farber

 














Title: Postcards from a Dead Girl: A Novel
Author: Kirk Farber
Year: 2010
Page: 272
Genre: Fiction

New to me author? Yes
Read this author again? No
Tearjerker? No
Where did it take place? US
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from amazon.com):
Sid Higgins, the appealing, self-deprecating narrator of Farber's poignant, funny debut, has been receiving postcards from his old girlfriend Zoe. Unfortunately, the whimsical Zoe has disappeared, and the postmarks on the cards are more than a year old. Though he doesn't really expect to find her, Sid travels to Europe in search of Zoe. Since Sid works for a travel agency, a slick telephone operation that uses the amusingly named Randomizer to dial potential clients, the trip is easy to arrange. Sid plaintively and self-mockingly relates his interactions with his boss, Steve; his neighbor, Gerald the Post Office Guy; and, most of all, his dog, Zero, whose deftly described postures convey so much, though perhaps not quite as much as Sid reads into them. Sid's older sister, Natalie, a doctor who provides welcome perspective on Sid, is by turns affectionate, irritated, supportive, and occasionally fed up. The reader is likely to feel the same.

First Sentence:
The postcard is everything, but looks like nothing.

Why did I pick this book?
First read the review on Sasha & the Silver Fish's blog. Nothing something I'd normally pick but she made it sounded like a fun read - that's what I love about reading others' blogs - to discover the little gems I won't otherwise find myself.


My thoughts:

• Okay, I admit it. I don't get this book.

• There are so many positive reviews out there (in fact, I only saw one not-as-positive review from Mrs Q) so it's probably me. I think I need to be cautious when I see "A Novel" as part of the title (see my other review 31 Hours). I think this is more a character-driven book, than plot-driven. I think I prefer the latter (but of course, best of all is to have both plot and characters well developed).

• Many people found it funny (giggling while reading it) but I don't think I laughed or giggled once. Just not my type of humor I guess. 

• There is supposed to be this big twist or big reveal... I wonder if I missed it??? Is it the chapter about how Sid got Zero? If so... it was anti-climatic for me. I am either too dumb or tired (still suffering jet lag...) to figure out the mystery about where the postcards came from? If you could let me know, I'd appreciate it!! (either email me or leave a comment but say SPOILER ALERT so others can avoid it if they want). I hate not knowing the answer of a puzzle!

• 1 Star because I felt like I did waste my time :( 

• But I still like the cover - it is cute.

Quote

I do like this paragraph - only because I "memorize" my husband too.

She hummed a random melody, as if I'd never asked the question, and continued to draw odd shapes on my back and shoulders and arms. "I' memorizing you." she finally said. She grabbed my right hand and studied it intensely, brushing her palm against it, gentle repetitions to match her little song. I felt so happy she'd want to memorize me. I felt like God had given me a gift.

But I knew what she was doing. This was another piece of Zoe's cryptic puzzle that, when finally assembled, would reveal the realty that she and I would not always be together. It had never been explained why this was our destiny, but she said things like this to me on a regular basis, like she was waiting for my departure, that separation was a natural, inevitable stage in our relationship. The funny thing is, I think I finally understand she was right. People never stay together forever. If they don't break up or divorce, one will die first, leaving the other in pain. And Zoe knew. (p32-33)

Rating:

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think!
I'll link your review here if you wish!

Challenges:
100+ Reading

Book Review - Liar by Justine Larbalestier

 







Title: Liar
Author: Justine Larbalestier
Year: 2009
Page: 384
Genre: Fiction - Young Adult

New to me author? Yes
Read this author again? Don't know... she said this book is very different to her other books...
Tearjerker? No
Where did it take place? New York, US (though the author is Australian)
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from amazon.com):
Micah will freely admit that she’s a compulsive liar, but that may be the one honest thing she’ll ever tell you. Over the years she’s duped her classmates, her teachers, and even her parents, and she’s always managed to stay one step ahead of her lies. That is, until her boyfriend dies under brutal circumstances and her dishonesty begins to catch up with her. But is it possible to tell the truth when lying comes as naturally as breathing? Taking readers deep into the psyche of a young woman who will say just about anything to convince them—and herself—that she’s finally come clean, Liar is a bone-chilling thriller that will have readers see-sawing between truths and lies right up to the end. Honestly.

First Sentence:
I was born with a light covering of fur.

Why did I pick this book?
I became aware of this book when I read about the cover controversy on different blogs (it originally had a Caucasian girl on the cover, when book said she was half African American/half Caucasian), and thought the premise sounds interesting.

My thoughts:

• Have you ever finished a book, and wanted to toss it across the room? This hardly ever happened to me, but that was exactly how I felt after I was done. The start of this book was so promising (I finished it in one day) but the ending frustrated me so much that I'm giving it 1 star only!
  
  
• A lot of reviews said they like her writing style, but to me, it sounded more like rambling. But I suppose, since the book was written in first person as a 17 year-old girl, that could just be her personality... but I thought this book could well be shorter
  
  
• After the whole book cover controversy, I still think the revised cover didn't really capture Micah (the protagonist) - apart from looking bi-racial, how Micah was described in the book simply didn't match up with the cover (I don't want to explain how they differed - but if you read it, you'd know what I mean)
  
  
• Now - if the ending was different (if it ended the way I'd hope it ended - and nope, that doesn't necessarily mean happy endings, in fact, I usually prefer non-happy endings...), I probably would've given this book 4-4.5 stars. AFTER YOU HAVE READ THE BOOK, YOU CAN COME BACK TO THIS REVIEW AND WE CAN DISCUSS!! :)
  
  
• Interesting tidbit I found from Normal Public Library Teens: Justine Larbalestier is married to Scott Westerfeld, writer of the Uglies and Midnighters trilogies! I have read Uglies, and enjoyed that (may read the rest of the series)
  
  
• It's hard to talk about this book (or explain why I got so frustrated with it) without giving away spoilers - so, SPOILERS ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't read the review below if you don't want to know what happened!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  
  
• Now supposedly there is this big twist in the book that many people were saying "OMG"! (that Micah said she's a werewolf, p170) - while I didn't guess it, I didn't think it was that big of a deal, so this wasn't what got me frustrated. In fact, I thought they way the she explained the whole werewolf story with menstruation, and how guys couldn't change without girls were kinda interesting, that it could actually be plausible
  
  
• I also don't get the whole attraction among Micah, Sarah and Tayshawn? How did that add to the story? I understood they were all grieving, but huh?
  
  
• What frustrated me was that there was no ending!!! It was way ambiguous. So did she lie about being a werewolf? Did she kill anybody and if so whom? How did she get back to the city from the farm if she had no money? Why did her parents treat her the way they did? How did the brother die or did she really have a brother? Who is Pete? There were so many questions, with no answers... I seriously had no idea what the message the author was trying to send... maybe I'm too dense
  
  
• So, since we could google, I found that the author actually had a spoiler thread on her on website where people could speculate what happened - and WOW, how did they come up with all these theories?!?! The mental institution / sexual identities / multiple personality theories seemed to make sense... normally I'd probably re-read to see what I missed, BUT, the author wrote the following when answering some questions about the book (on her website):
  
  Q: Can you tell me what really happens at the end of Liar?
  
  A: No. I deliberately wrote the book to be read in at least two different ways, which means that there is no one ending, and thus no way I can tell you what really happens. You’re on your own.
  
  and
  
  Mel: How much do you know that the reader doesn’t? I mean, I know you’re not going to tell us whether Jordan was real, or whether Micah is really a wolf, or where she ends up at the end — but are all the answers clear to you?
  
  Q: You know even if I did know I would not tell you because admitting that I do know is just an invitation for people to bug me to tell them the truth. Thus I will tell you that I have no idea. Which I don’t. Trust me!
  
  
  
  So, what would be the point to re-read when there is no answer? She also said there will be no sequel, so I am not about to waste my time to re-read and speculate what might have happened when I would never know the truth anyway! So I felt like I wasted my time reading a book without an ending - it's like reading a murder/mystery without knowing who the killer was... now I know that in real life, we don't always have answers, that there are many cold murder cases... but this is fiction! I don't even care that the protagonist betrayed the reader's trust by lying, since well, she was a liar, but I just don't like having no solutions to a puzzle (no answers to crossword puzzle? no solution to some IQ problems?)
  
  
• Had the author included an epilogue or author's note or something to wrap it all up to tie up the loose ends, this book would have been much, much better. It'd definitely give the a-ha! moment (remember The Sixth Sense?) So, it's not worthwhile to invest my time to re-read, when I have so many other books waiting for me. Which is a shame, as it'd have been worth a re-read just to spot the clues! It would have been clever
  
  
• It reminded me of another book I read, Life Sentences: A Novel by Laura Lippman. Now, that book did have an ending, but there was this BIG SECRET that was supposed to be so important that just disappeared in the end, making me think "Huh? Did I miss something? Why was it such a big deal?" So of course I googled again (what would I do without the internet!) to try to find some spoilers and I was not alone thinking so! At that time (I read this book about 8 months ago), the only link I found was the author commenting in a Barnes & Nobles discussion board - she didn't give the answer, but said she will if people were interested... I checked back a couple of times and didn't see an update, and gave up. After reading Liar, I thought of it, and decided to google again, and found out she explained the big secrecy on her facebook page! (if you are interested... my question was about Aubrey.) See? It would have made the book that much better if she had just explained it in the book... instead, the book just felt unfinished.
  
  
• Okay, < end > venting < / end >!
  
  

*** Spoilers Ended! ***

Rating:

You may also like these books:
I haven't read any of these books - but on the author's website, people asked if there were other books like Liar, and here are some suggestions - I may read some just to see if I'd like them better!

• If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson
  
• I Am the Cheese by Robert Cormier
  
• We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
  
• Letters from the Inside from John Marsden

(Actually, I'd read Letters from the Inside when I was in High School... but I seriously don't remember what happened... I remember liking it back then, but don't recall how it is similar to Liar)

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think!
I'll link your review here if you wish!

Challenges:
100+ Reading
Young Adult