What Was She Thinking: Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller made me feel alone. I related a bit too much to the narrator, Barbara. I saw myself in her in 30 years when I'm still single and have only a small number of close friends. In some ways it was refreshing having someone talk about how things really are for everyone, married and single people alike. Both envy the life of the other. Both make mistakes and errors in judgment.
The book addresses the subject of love on numerous occasions and I am delighted in the fashion it was mentioned. Sheba swears undying love for her student while still having love for her husband. But, the author shrewdy implies the student was just acting out of lust instead of love when he pursued his teacher. His nonchalance about the whole relationship showed his indifference toward his lover. It pains me when Sheba does not realize how much Connolly (her student) does not care about her. She is just a passing fad in a young boy's life, a boy who is only starting to make the shift to manhood.
What Was She Thinking lives up to its name. Throughout the entire unfolding of the story, I couldn't help but think, "what was she thinking" for Barbara as well as Sheba. I recommend this book to readers who don't mind seeing life as it is. Just promise me you won't delusion yourself the way the characters have if you find yourself in a similar situation. It was painful watching Sheba destroy herself while believing she was doing it for true love even though it was clear her lover was no longer interested.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
The Glass Castle: A Memoir
What can I say about The Glass Castle? I was telling my mom a little bit about it and when I told her it started from when the girl was 3 years old, my mom did not believe it could truly be a memoir. "Who remembers when they're three?" Well, perhaps a little girl who caught fire would have some pretty clear memories from when she was three.
From the beginning to the end, I was in shock, and yet not. Jeannette Walls told her story in such an off-hand way that it did not seem to matter that her life wasn't what people would expect. Don't we all expect people to have "normal" lives? We want children to have a solid home, toys, a father who is not an alcoholic and a mother who willingly works if she has to. But not all children have lives like this. Jeannette or "Mountain Goat" had what most people would consider a rough life, but she was clearly loved, which is more than what some children receive.
I moved around a lot when I was growing up, but it was nothing compared to the life Jeannette Walls lived. I had a sturdy home to live in each time we moved, and for us, it was never to do "the skiddadle" as Jeannette and her family had to do several times. And "several times" is an understatement.
I literally could not put the book down. Every spare second I had, I was reading this book. I finished more than half of it in one sitting. It was one of those books you can get so lost in that you don't hear the clock chiming in the background even though it rings every fifteen minutes.
To Jeannette Walls: I'm glad you found a place to call home. I am still searching, though my life has not quite been the adventure yours has been.
From the beginning to the end, I was in shock, and yet not. Jeannette Walls told her story in such an off-hand way that it did not seem to matter that her life wasn't what people would expect. Don't we all expect people to have "normal" lives? We want children to have a solid home, toys, a father who is not an alcoholic and a mother who willingly works if she has to. But not all children have lives like this. Jeannette or "Mountain Goat" had what most people would consider a rough life, but she was clearly loved, which is more than what some children receive.
I moved around a lot when I was growing up, but it was nothing compared to the life Jeannette Walls lived. I had a sturdy home to live in each time we moved, and for us, it was never to do "the skiddadle" as Jeannette and her family had to do several times. And "several times" is an understatement.
I literally could not put the book down. Every spare second I had, I was reading this book. I finished more than half of it in one sitting. It was one of those books you can get so lost in that you don't hear the clock chiming in the background even though it rings every fifteen minutes.
To Jeannette Walls: I'm glad you found a place to call home. I am still searching, though my life has not quite been the adventure yours has been.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Darkly Dreaming Dexter
If I thought being in the mind of the main character from Crime and Punishment was a wacky trip, that was nothing compared to being in the mind of a serial killer. Especially one that seemed so...charming.
I couldn't help but like the character of Dexter. He was a very likable person despite the "Dark Passenger" who snuck into his mind every so often, reminding the reader that the narrator is not all there.
Can anyone really not like Dexter, though? He is a serial killer who kills serial killers. Talk about a catch-22! He must know that some day someone will either kill him or he'll be caught in the act of killing someone. Granted, the fact that he works in the blood spatter area of the police department, he makes it easier to avoid getting caught. He knows what he has to do in order not to get caught and can fudge on something if he's working a murder he has committed. No one would question his word because no one else in the department can do his job.
This book was a wild ride. I look forward to reading more books about Dexter, and I may even cave and start watching the series!
I couldn't help but like the character of Dexter. He was a very likable person despite the "Dark Passenger" who snuck into his mind every so often, reminding the reader that the narrator is not all there.
Can anyone really not like Dexter, though? He is a serial killer who kills serial killers. Talk about a catch-22! He must know that some day someone will either kill him or he'll be caught in the act of killing someone. Granted, the fact that he works in the blood spatter area of the police department, he makes it easier to avoid getting caught. He knows what he has to do in order not to get caught and can fudge on something if he's working a murder he has committed. No one would question his word because no one else in the department can do his job.
This book was a wild ride. I look forward to reading more books about Dexter, and I may even cave and start watching the series!
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