Book Reviews
Sep. 27th, 2011 04:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
next_to_normalI am thisclose to giving in to the urge to write epic, detailed Farscape reviews. Kind of wishing I'd taken notes as I watched (as I did with Lost), but will likely make do with recaps or transcripts if I can find them. In the meantime, books!
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Okay, yes, let us all take a moment to boggle at the fact that until now, I'd never read this book. But I apparently have a future dystopia kink, so I had to get around to it sometime. Although The Handmaid's Tale was published nearly thirty years ago, it's sort of frightening how it's still relevant to current events. Post-9/11, terrorized by amorphous, unseen enemies, people allowed their freedoms and rights to be curtailed in the name of safety. Far from being considered extremist, religious fundamentalism and oppression of women are views espoused by some of our Presidential candidates. And though we don't have color-coded uniforms delineating our place in society, we use more subtle enforcement of class structures and gender roles to "keep people in line."
It's interesting, because when I first started reading and was immediately thrown into the Republic of Gilead, with all its repressive rules, I thought, "No way. This could never happen in America." Other places, sure, but here? People wouldn't allow it. Particularly the suppression of individuality, which is an American ideal to a much greater extent than most countries. But as the story continues, and we get more background on how it happened, it starts to feel terrifyingly plausible.
One Day by David Nicholls
This is the book on which the movie starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess was based. The premise really intrigued me - I am a sucker for books that are told in an unusual format, so the idea of checking in on these two characters once a year on the same day definitely grabbed my attention. And although I did feel like a few too many events in their lives coincidentally happened on July 15th, overall the structure worked fairly well in holding my interest. Each day requires some exposition to explain how we got here from where we were last year, which sometimes was handled well and other times was rather clumsy, but it is interesting to see how things change over time and the "one day" time limit give the author an excuse to leave you hanging at the most inopportune times, lol.
Unfortunately, that was about ALL that was holding my interest, because the characters are pretty unpleasant. Emma is uncomfortably familiar - she has a crush on Dex, but despite their initial romantic encounter, he prefers to settle into a friendship (otherwise, it might interfere with all the hot chicks he is trying to hook up with). So while she secretly pines, feeling sorry for herself and yet doing nothing to change the situation, he obliviously recounts his many, many sexual exploits and ruins his life with drugs and alcohol. I never really understood why Emma liked him at all, which is sort of crucial to the ongoing friendship. In real life, it would've been an awkward one-night stand and left at that. Instead, the awkwardness drags on, the schoolgirl crush inexplicably doesn't fade, and so Dexter continues to take advantage of Emma's affection, and in general is an enormous narcissist and douchebucket. And then FINALLY, after twenty years of this, he opens his eyes, realizes he is in love with Emma, and is redeemed by THE LOVE OF A GOOD WOMAN. And then she gets hit by a bus and dies.
No, really. Sorry for the spoilers, but trust me, you're better off. I'm all for "angstily ever after" endings, but this is just... pointless. In order for a character death to have an impact, it kind of helps if you actually care whether the character lives or dies, you know?
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
This one actually has a lot of similarities to The Handmaid's Tale. It's another dystopian future in which an oppressive government controls people's personal lives. Except instead of suppressing licentiousness and sex positivity, the society in Delirium takes aim at love. Love is now considered a disease - amor deliria nervosa - and a cure has been developed to eradicate it, which is administered on one's 18th birthday. Until then, boys and girls are strictly segregated. Marriages are arranged and sex is purely for procreation. Romeo & Juliet is considered a cautionary tale.
Seventeen-year-old Lena Haloway has always looked forward to the procedure that will render her cured. She cannot wait to be rid of the fear of becoming infected, and the pain she has felt ever since her mother committed suicide after three failed procedures could not cure her of love. Lena worries that the disease is in her blood, so her birthday cannot come soon enough. Then, of course, she meets the mysterious Alex, and the unthinkable happens: Lena falls in love.
It's a little slow getting started, but the writing is beautiful and skilled, and once you get into it, the story is compelling. Teen romances are a dime a dozen, but what makes it feel fresh is that it's a girl who's not merely falling in love for the first time, but discovering the wonder and beauty of something she'd always believed was horrible and even deadly. This is one of those books (like The Hunger Games trilogy) that started out as something to read on the bus home from work and ended with me finishing it late at night, all in one long stretch because I didn't want to put it down. This is apparently also going to be a trilogy (THANK GOD! I'm not sure I could live with that ending, lol) and potentially a movie, as well.
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Okay, yes, let us all take a moment to boggle at the fact that until now, I'd never read this book. But I apparently have a future dystopia kink, so I had to get around to it sometime. Although The Handmaid's Tale was published nearly thirty years ago, it's sort of frightening how it's still relevant to current events. Post-9/11, terrorized by amorphous, unseen enemies, people allowed their freedoms and rights to be curtailed in the name of safety. Far from being considered extremist, religious fundamentalism and oppression of women are views espoused by some of our Presidential candidates. And though we don't have color-coded uniforms delineating our place in society, we use more subtle enforcement of class structures and gender roles to "keep people in line."
It's interesting, because when I first started reading and was immediately thrown into the Republic of Gilead, with all its repressive rules, I thought, "No way. This could never happen in America." Other places, sure, but here? People wouldn't allow it. Particularly the suppression of individuality, which is an American ideal to a much greater extent than most countries. But as the story continues, and we get more background on how it happened, it starts to feel terrifyingly plausible.
One Day by David Nicholls
This is the book on which the movie starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess was based. The premise really intrigued me - I am a sucker for books that are told in an unusual format, so the idea of checking in on these two characters once a year on the same day definitely grabbed my attention. And although I did feel like a few too many events in their lives coincidentally happened on July 15th, overall the structure worked fairly well in holding my interest. Each day requires some exposition to explain how we got here from where we were last year, which sometimes was handled well and other times was rather clumsy, but it is interesting to see how things change over time and the "one day" time limit give the author an excuse to leave you hanging at the most inopportune times, lol.
Unfortunately, that was about ALL that was holding my interest, because the characters are pretty unpleasant. Emma is uncomfortably familiar - she has a crush on Dex, but despite their initial romantic encounter, he prefers to settle into a friendship (otherwise, it might interfere with all the hot chicks he is trying to hook up with). So while she secretly pines, feeling sorry for herself and yet doing nothing to change the situation, he obliviously recounts his many, many sexual exploits and ruins his life with drugs and alcohol. I never really understood why Emma liked him at all, which is sort of crucial to the ongoing friendship. In real life, it would've been an awkward one-night stand and left at that. Instead, the awkwardness drags on, the schoolgirl crush inexplicably doesn't fade, and so Dexter continues to take advantage of Emma's affection, and in general is an enormous narcissist and douchebucket. And then FINALLY, after twenty years of this, he opens his eyes, realizes he is in love with Emma, and is redeemed by THE LOVE OF A GOOD WOMAN. And then she gets hit by a bus and dies.
No, really. Sorry for the spoilers, but trust me, you're better off. I'm all for "angstily ever after" endings, but this is just... pointless. In order for a character death to have an impact, it kind of helps if you actually care whether the character lives or dies, you know?
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
This one actually has a lot of similarities to The Handmaid's Tale. It's another dystopian future in which an oppressive government controls people's personal lives. Except instead of suppressing licentiousness and sex positivity, the society in Delirium takes aim at love. Love is now considered a disease - amor deliria nervosa - and a cure has been developed to eradicate it, which is administered on one's 18th birthday. Until then, boys and girls are strictly segregated. Marriages are arranged and sex is purely for procreation. Romeo & Juliet is considered a cautionary tale.
Seventeen-year-old Lena Haloway has always looked forward to the procedure that will render her cured. She cannot wait to be rid of the fear of becoming infected, and the pain she has felt ever since her mother committed suicide after three failed procedures could not cure her of love. Lena worries that the disease is in her blood, so her birthday cannot come soon enough. Then, of course, she meets the mysterious Alex, and the unthinkable happens: Lena falls in love.
It's a little slow getting started, but the writing is beautiful and skilled, and once you get into it, the story is compelling. Teen romances are a dime a dozen, but what makes it feel fresh is that it's a girl who's not merely falling in love for the first time, but discovering the wonder and beauty of something she'd always believed was horrible and even deadly. This is one of those books (like The Hunger Games trilogy) that started out as something to read on the bus home from work and ended with me finishing it late at night, all in one long stretch because I didn't want to put it down. This is apparently also going to be a trilogy (THANK GOD! I'm not sure I could live with that ending, lol) and potentially a movie, as well.
no subject
Date: Sep. 27th, 2011 08:14 pm (UTC)Speaking of future dystopia, did you ever read The Giver?
no subject
Date: Sep. 27th, 2011 08:24 pm (UTC)Hmmm... do we think THAT'S where this dystopia kink came from? LOL
no subject
Date: Sep. 27th, 2011 08:30 pm (UTC)