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Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 32,521,793 times
Reputation: 28896
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So, I'm 36% into The Dry Grass of August and there's a problem.
Here's the synopsis of the book:
Quote:
In this beautifully written debut, Anna Jean Mayhew offers a riveting depiction of Southern life in the throes of segregation, what it will mean for a young girl on her way to adulthood--and for the woman who means the world to her. . .
On a scorching day in August 1954, thirteen-year-old Jubie Watts leaves Charlotte, North Carolina, with her family for a Florida vacation. Crammed into the Packard along with Jubie are her three siblings, her mother, and the family's black maid, Mary Luther. For as long as Jubie can remember, Mary has been there--cooking, cleaning, compensating for her father's rages and her mother's benign neglect, and loving Jubie unconditionally.
Bright and curious, Jubie takes note of the anti-integration signs they pass, and of the racial tension that builds as they journey further south. But she could never have predicted the shocking turn their trip will take. Now, in the wake of tragedy, Jubie must confront her parents' failings and limitations, decide where her own convictions lie, and make the tumultuous leap to independence. . .
Infused with the intensity of a changing time, here is a story of hope, heartbreak, and the love and courage that can transform us--from child to adult, from wounded to indomitable.
I feel no connection between Jubie and Mary. All of the characters -- none of whom are fleshed out enough for me, save for Mary (somewhat) -- are their own little entities. I don't feel like they're connected in any solid way -- to each other and to me.
The beginning of the story intimates that there's a car wreck and that something bad (death?) happens to Mary in this wreck but I'm really doubting that I'll read past where I am. I'm not enveloped in this story. I don't feel these characters -- none of them have worked their way under my skin, not even remotely.
It's too bad, really. It could have been a great story. Alas, it's not.
The author also has a habit -- well, not a habit yet, really, since it's her first novel -- of writing in very short sentences. Thankfully, they're not sentence fragments, but they're very short and some of them just feel like she's trying to fill in gaps that weren't there in the first place. I don't mind a staccato writing style, but her sentences seem juvenile and the "extra" short sentences don't serve a purpose, almost as if her editor said, "Let's turn this book from 299 pages to 350 pages... by tomorrow, OK?"
Uh. I wasn't sure that I was going to bail on this book but, now, looking back on what I wrote, I guess that I will.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 32,521,793 times
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I'm going to start The Etiquette of Illness by Susan Halpern tonight. I learned about this book while reading The End of Your Life Book Club.
Synopsis of The Etiquette of Illness:
Quote:
The Etiquette of Illness is a wise, encouraging, and essential guide to navigating the complex terrain of illness. This collection of anecdotes and insights will help those who feel awkward and unsure about responding to a friend, colleague, or relative who is suffering. The book is also for people who are ill and want to engage with their loved ones effectively. We read about a range of people who are dealing with chronic illness, doctor-patient communications, and end-of-life issues-and who are striving to find their way with awareness and compassion.
Drawing on her years of counseling people with serious illness, as well as her own experiences with cancer, Susan Halpern presents an insightful book of the utmost relevance for patients, their caregivers, and their family and friends - a group which will, at some point, include all of us.
I bought myself a copy for my Kindle. After having two cancer "incidents" in my family in the last year or so, I realized that I was at a loss for words. With one of them -- the one for which it was fatal -- when I sent him a card, all I could write in it was "I love you." As for the one that was, happily, NOT fatal -- my aunt, who has been like a mother to me for 40 or so years -- all I could do, when talking to her from 350 miles away, was cry and feel frustrated that I wasn't there to hug her.
Further to that, I know that I stumble in these situations. Case in point: About 15 years ago (and I'll never forget it), I had a co-worker friend whose mother had died. At her funeral, my friend thanked me for coming. My response: "My pleasure." Really??? My pleasure???
I also bought a (used) hardback copy for my husband. He has many patients who are suffering from serious and/or terminal illnesses and I think this could be an important book for him to read.
My response: "My pleasure." Really??? My pleasure???
Dawn, it speaks volumes that you are reading such a book to increase your awareness, but seriously, having gone through the loss, it isn't what people say that means so much, but that they care enough to be present and acknowledge the loss. You've done both.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 32,521,793 times
Reputation: 28896
Quote:
Originally Posted by LookinForMayberry
Dawn, it speaks volumes that you are reading such a book to increase your awareness, but seriously, having gone through the loss, it isn't what people say that means so much, but that they care enough to be present and acknowledge the loss. You've done both.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 32,521,793 times
Reputation: 28896
Quote:
Originally Posted by phonelady61
Hey dawn I think that you are just too hard on books LOL !!! I loved the dry grass of august and I bought it .
I just loved the whole book .
That could very well be, but you've got to understand something: It's not only the story that matters to me but, as an editor, I see things that BUG me in a really big way. I see things that, in a day's work, I get to correct... but because I can't correct a published book, it grates on me more than it does someone who doesn't get the opportunity to make the written word clearer and cleaner.
So, yeah, you're right -- I *am* hard on books. I can't help it, though. I wish that I could take off my editor's cap sometimes and just relax, but I'm not built that way.
Well, I didn't go to the city to buy books. I just couldn't do it with rain forecast for the rest of the week and winter coming. But I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and since it is supposed to rain all day, I'll go then, from the doctor's office. I don't think I would have enjoyed myself today, just thinking about all the work I have to do outside before winter. I would have rushed myself and not browsed to my heart's content.
So now I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. I know I'm going to want to read The Twelve by Cronin the minute I have it in my hot little hands, but I finished The Passage last night, so I have to start a new book that I will end up putting aside tomorrow. I am thinking of starting The Lacuna by Kingsolver. I think I started it once before but I can't remember why it didn't keep my attention. I remember nothing about it.
Well, I didn't go to the city to buy books. I just couldn't do it with rain forecast for the rest of the week and winter coming. But I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and since it is supposed to rain all day, I'll go then, from the doctor's office. I don't think I would have enjoyed myself today, just thinking about all the work I have to do outside before winter. I would have rushed myself and not browsed to my heart's content.
So now I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. I know I'm going to want to read The Twelve by Cronin the minute I have it in my hot little hands, but I finished The Passage last night, so I have to start a new book that I will end up putting aside tomorrow. I am thinking of starting The Lacuna by Kingsolver. I think I started it once before but I can't remember why it didn't keep my attention. I remember nothing about it.
I was totally disappointed in The Lacuna and I never finished it. After reading her Poisonwood Bible I just knew The Lacuna would be great but it wasn't.
That could very well be, but you've got to understand something: It's not only the story that matters to me but, as an editor, I see things that BUG me in a really big way.
Well, THAT explains EVERYTHING! No WONDER you can read several books a week! You're super human!
Quote:
Originally Posted by netwit
I don't think I would have enjoyed myself today, just thinking about all the work I have to do outside before winter. I would have rushed myself and not browsed to my heart's content.
...
I am thinking of starting The Lacuna by Kingsolver. I think I started it once before but I can't remember why it didn't keep my attention. I remember nothing about it.
I used to love browsing bookstores, but when we stopped buying books, I browsed libraries. Now, I browse the Overdrive ebooks online, check them out, and dump them onto my Kindle. Have you tried downloading the ebooks to your PC/laptop? Voila! Minutes and they are yours for a whole three weeks, or whatever.
I haven't actually READ Kingsolver, but I did listen to her Small Wonders essays (nonfiction), read by the author, and enjoyed them, but I noticed a little of her work went a very long way. I've intended to try some of her fiction, but hers is never a name that pops up for me.
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I just couldn't do it with rain forecast for the rest of the week and winter coming. But I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and since it is supposed to rain all day, I'll go then, from the doctor's office. I don't think I would have enjoyed myself today, just thinking about all the work I have to do outside before winter. I would have rushed myself and not browsed to my heart's content.
