I have admired Alice Munro's writing for a while, so I was eager to read her latest collection of stories Too Much Happiness.
The first few stories were wonderful I particularly found Dimensions, Wenlock Edge and Free Radicals some of the best of Munro's stories. Each started out ordinary but then took a twist I wasn't expecting.
However, when I got to Woods and Too Much Happiness, the two last stories in the collection, I wasn't as impressed. I was especially surprised by Too Much Happiness since it is the title story. It was just a little unclear and jumped around too much - and I think there was a typo of the name in two places in my edition which just distracted and confused me.
I would still recommend this collection, and her others.
Saturday, January 07, 2012
Thursday, January 05, 2012
Man in the Woods
I read A Ship Made of Paper by Scott Spencer many years ago and still remember loving it, so when I came across one of his newer books, Man in the Woods, at the library, I picked it up.
Man in the Woods tells the story of Paul who is driven to an act of violence which he keeps secret from everyone in his life but it eats away at him. His relationship with a successful writer, Kate, and her daughter, Ruby, is put at risk as he becomes obsessed with the crime and the conflicting fear of being found out and of having to live with the secret forever.
As Paul's life unravels, you feel sympathy toward him, more so than for the victim who was not innocent nor a very good person. You fear for what will become of him and the impact all of this is having on Paul, Kate and Ruby.
However, there were some parts that read a little unrealistic or convoluted, where the characters just don't feel real or have realistic reactions to emotions or experiences.
Man in the Woods tells the story of Paul who is driven to an act of violence which he keeps secret from everyone in his life but it eats away at him. His relationship with a successful writer, Kate, and her daughter, Ruby, is put at risk as he becomes obsessed with the crime and the conflicting fear of being found out and of having to live with the secret forever.
As Paul's life unravels, you feel sympathy toward him, more so than for the victim who was not innocent nor a very good person. You fear for what will become of him and the impact all of this is having on Paul, Kate and Ruby.
However, there were some parts that read a little unrealistic or convoluted, where the characters just don't feel real or have realistic reactions to emotions or experiences.
Sunday, January 01, 2012
Never Knowing
Chevy Stevens is a new mystery writer who is often recommended to me based on my reading and browsing history on Amazon and other sites, so I was excited to find Never Knowing at the local library.
Stevens is a great mystery writer and I have found her story staying with me for weeks after I completed the novel. I didn't pay too much attention to the plot recap when I picked up the book, so I was a little thrown when I started reading and found that the story is about an adopted woman who searches for her biological mother and then figures out that her father was a serial killer and rapist.
The story is told through a series of therapy sessions in which the adopted woman, Sara, recounts what is happening as she learns the truth and her biological father reaches out to her and she develops a relationship with him in order to help capture and stop him. Riveting and frightening, it was like watching a great episode of Law & Order SVU or Criminal Minds.
I have Stevens' other book, Still Missing on my shelf, but it is written in the same format of therapy sessions, so I feel I need a little more time before picking up a book with such a similar format.
Stevens is a great mystery writer and I have found her story staying with me for weeks after I completed the novel. I didn't pay too much attention to the plot recap when I picked up the book, so I was a little thrown when I started reading and found that the story is about an adopted woman who searches for her biological mother and then figures out that her father was a serial killer and rapist.
The story is told through a series of therapy sessions in which the adopted woman, Sara, recounts what is happening as she learns the truth and her biological father reaches out to her and she develops a relationship with him in order to help capture and stop him. Riveting and frightening, it was like watching a great episode of Law & Order SVU or Criminal Minds.
I have Stevens' other book, Still Missing on my shelf, but it is written in the same format of therapy sessions, so I feel I need a little more time before picking up a book with such a similar format.
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