Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Bel Canto

by Ann Patchett

Rating: **** (4 stars)

Genre: Litterature, fiction

I truthfully had no idea what to expect when picking up Bel Canto. The title was a bit intimidating and I was afraid it was going to be some fluffy classic piece of work. However, Bel Canto is nothing like I expected.

The book was first published in 2005, so it is still a relatively modern piece of work. The title comes from the opera which is a central theme in this novel. You could probably summarize the entire book as opera is life. Except that I am not a big fan of opera and I did enjoy this book.

Bel Canto is a character novel. It is the characters more than the action that moves along the plot. The male characters are portrayed in such detail and with such depth that I could not help but fall in love with the book. The female characters, however, are cartoon characters only described by how they impact the males around them. Most of the wives are just random people who happen to raise their children. The main female character, the opera soprano, is just an idol for male affection. Everyone loves her yet she never becomes real. This is emphasized by how the story ended. The only female characters that are ever seen as people are the two female terrorists. Yet, they both start and end the book being categorized as boys, which seems to be the only way that this depth is acceptable.

The story is a very romantic idealization, that actually makes sense from a psychological standpoint. When you spend a lot of time with a person you start to see them as actual people. They no longer are just filtered by your stereotypes. There is an entire syndrome characterizing individuals who become devoted to those who are holding them hostage. This novel is an entire fictionalized account of Stockholm syndrome in beautiful prose.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl

by Gillian Flynn

Rating: ** (2 stars)

Genre: thriller, fiction, mystery

The honest truth is that Gone Girl is a very forgettable book. I am trying to catch up on my reviews of books on Amazon's 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime. Gone Girl was one of my most recent books I finished and to be honest I had to go refresh myself about what is the twist ending.

I remember the characters. I remember hating the characters and wondering how to despicable people ever ended up marrying. I also remember the writing being engaging. I read it over a few day period - although that is not abnormal for me. What is abnormal is completely forgetting how the book ended.

I admit I did an internet search to refresh myself on the ending. Then it all came flooding back. Maybe it is not that the ending is forgettable as much as I chose to forget. I mean it is about as screwed up as you can imagine. I remember finishing the book and waiting the next day to talk to a coworker who had seen the movie. I just stared at her. She shook her head and said, "I know."

It is a brilliantly written book with a fairly consistent plot. It took a lot of talent to write. It took a lot of talent to create such deplorable people. Yet, the book itself is screwed up on so many levels.

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen

by Christopher McDougall

Rating: ***** (5 stars)

Book Length: 287 pages

Genre: Non-fiction, Sports, Fitness, Running, Adventure

I hate running. I have hated running my entire life. Now I think that I may have just been doing it wrong. I have a sudden urge to go spend the next six hours running. Unfortunately, my parental responsibilities preclude me from having that time. That being said, McDougall has given me an appreciation for the art of running that I have never had before.

One of the reasons I like picking a reading project, such as tackling the Amazon's 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime, is because I end up picking up books that I would have never read. I end up finding books that I would never have thought I could love. This is one of those books.

Born to Run is not about how to run. It is about the history of running presented alongside the history of human evolution. It is about different cultures such as the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico. However, what this book is mostly about is people. The best part of the book is how McDougall describes the people that you encounter on his journey to learn how to run. They are colorful and real. You could meet them in real life for the first time and feel like you already know them. It takes a talented writer to make people so alive.

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Beloved

by Toni Morrison

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Page Length: 324 pages

Genre: African American, Literature

I have very mixed emotions about this book. On one hand, it is a brilliant story of an African American family transitioning from slavery to freedom. In that regards it is a brilliant piece of literature and I can understand why it is cherished.

Yet, the writing is extremely confusing. The story seems so abstract at times that I found myself completely lost. When I would catch up on what was happening I was still very disconnected to the characters. A huge part of that may be my own cultural disconnection. However, I think it was also done on purpose by Morrison.

The story was disturbing. How it was told was even more disturbing. I am not a huge fan of disturbing. However, even with that opinion, I do see value in reading this book. There is also a high likelihood
that you will fall in love with it. It seems to be the type of book that you love or you hate. While I can appreciate both sides I ultimately was not very fond of this book. I did rate it three stars because Morrison is a genius writer, the story has value, and I could understand how others could really connect to this book.

All the President's Men by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward

All the President's Men

by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward

Rating: ***** (5 stars)

Page Length: 480 pages

Genre: Nonfiction, Politics, True Crime, Journalism

Sometimes books are situational. How you feel about them depends on the period of your life that you are in. I feel like this is the case with this book. 

No matter when I would have picked it up it would have been well written with engaging storytelling. Yet, I do not think it would have held my interest as much as it has now. 

I picked this book up because it is on Amazon's 100 Books To Read in Your Lifetime. Coincidently I started reading the same time the comparisons between Trump and Nixon began. I am not a history buff, and my knowledge of politics is confined to basic Political Science courses. None of these ever covered Nixon. Reading this book helped me to understand why comparisons were being made between administrations. 

There is another amazing component about this book. It was fascinating reading about the journalistic pursuits of Bernstein and Woodward. For one, they had to put aside their differences in personalities to work together on a story of a lifetime. It was evident in the writing that both were aware of potential conflicts of personality and tried to create a clear picture without causing offense. It also showed how their relationship changed from conflict to check and balances, using each other's differences to make sure they did not cross a line in their story. 

It also showed their journalistic integrity. They created rules about the number of sources they would have at a minimum when publishing. They held off on publishing when they did not feel there was enough evidence to support their claim. They also became the bad guys of D.C. for a while. It leads me to wonder how Journalism has changed with the increase of technology. 

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

by Ishmael Beah

Rating: ***** (5 Stars)

Book Length: 229 pages

Genre: Memoir, War, Nonfiction, African Nonfiction

Imagine your entire world changing one day while you are going about an innocent childhood day. That is what happened to Ishmael Beah. One day he was working on a rap group with his friends. The next he was struggling to survive. 

The story is one that everyone should hear. 

Unfortunately, Ishmael's story is not unique. What is unique is his gift to share that experience with the rest of the world. He is clearly a highly intelligent and communicative young man. This was realized long before the book was released when he was chosen to represent his country at the United Nations. That experience gave him a way to get out of his country. Yet, how many children were left behind?

Once you read this book it will become a part of you. It is due to the topic, children as young a six picking up a gun to defend their country is not something that will leave your mind. Yet, it is also due to Ishmael Beah's gift with words.