Comments for MostlyFiction Book Reviews

Comment on UNION ATLANTIC by Adam Haslett by Judi Clark

Judi Clark — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:00:10 +0000

I decided to give UNION ATLANTIC a read to see what side I came out on…. I’m only one third of the way through, but so far I am liking it very much. Poornima, describing it as a “snapshot of our times” seems quite accurate to me — and the writing is superb. So far, I am not bothered by the nature of the characters, as it is one of the reasons the reasons I read is to get under the skin of others. At this point, I’m just curious about how it will work itself out, and of course, knowing the sequence of real events in the last decade, makes this fiction all the more interesting. I’ll comment again when I get to the end.

Comment on UNION ATLANTIC by Adam Haslett by poornima

poornima — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 03:03:36 +0000

I definitely thought it was well-done even if it would not go on my best of the year list–it needs more heft for it to. I did see a couple of good and bad reviews of the book so yes, it’s interesting to see people’s takes on it.

After all the news headlines, I imagined it would be very easy to hate Doug Fanning and I very often did. But I do believe that at the end, he comes across as a person with his own motivations. Sure those motivations are greed and avarice but he definitely didn’t come across as caricature–not to me.

Comment on UNION ATLANTIC by Adam Haslett by Kirstin

Kirstin — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:28:21 +0000

Poornima, it is nice to read a review that actually likes this book. I’m afraid I can’t count myself in that group. I had high hopes when I read the advance summary, but when I actually read the novel and became familiar with the characters, I found myself hard-pressed to have any sympathy for anyone, except perhaps Henry. To me, this seems a study of addiction to various things, and I found it difficult to enjoy the book when the characters were so unrelentingly themselves and pursuing those addictions.

Comment on SHADOW TAG by Louise Erdrich by coordinating conjunctions | Grammarist

coordinating conjunctions | Grammarist — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 04:55:14 +0000

[...] 3. Correlative conjunctions: Correlative conjunctions can function as joint coordinating conjunctions, as do neither and nor in this example: Neither Gil nor Irene is lovable or even right . . . [...]

Comment on SHADOW TAG by Louise Erdrich by brody

brody — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:30:08 +0000

Debbie, I read this book and your review has made it richer and more meaningful for me. Thank you. Bonnie

Comment on SUMMERTIME by J. M. Coetzee by brody

brody — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:07:01 +0000

Thanks Poornima. I’ll definitely order ‘Waiting for the Barbarians’. If you haven’t read ‘Disgrace’, I highly recommend it. Bonnie

Comment on SUMMERTIME by J. M. Coetzee by poornima

poornima — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:25:11 +0000

Wonderful review, Bonnie. I have found Coetzee delivers a different sort of book every time even if one can detect a style that is uniquely his. “Waiting for the Barbarians” remains my favorite. Should pick this one up.

Comment on THE BROKEN TEAGLASS by Emily Arsenault by booklover10

booklover10 — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:06:27 +0000

Thanks to Kirstin and Lawrence for your comments.

I was expecting a great deal from this novel, but for me, it worked more as a character study than as a mystery. Still, I admire anyone who adores words as much as I do. I am and always have been a “word junkie.”

Comment on DEVOTION by Dani Shapiro by booklover10

booklover10 — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:02:41 +0000

Thank you to brody and dbrandis for your comments.

I agree with dbrandis that no one should reject a book based on one review. As you all know, intelligent people can and do disagree. Even reviewers that you admire can find fault with a book that you enjoy. That being said, I stand by what I said in my review. “Devotion” did not move me. It is difficult to sympathize with a woman who has a loving husband, a healthy child, and a fulfilling career, yet claims that her life is empty. I agree that we should all seek meaning in our lives. However, in my humble opinion, the best remedy for emptiness and even mild depression is to seek out people who are less fortunate than you and donate time and energy to help them. Service to others may go a long way towards filling up that inner void.

Comment on THE BROKEN TEAGLASS by Emily Arsenault by lawrence

lawrence — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 11:20:20 +0000

I just cannot wait to read the book of an Author whom i know what inspired her to write the first novel.We are waiting for it in South Africa