The Custodian of Paradise, by Wayne Johnston.
It was meh. The author set it up so you couldn't NOT finish it, though, so I suffered through til the end. The story is about an eccentric woman in Newfoundland who has a drinking problem and survived TB. This is where I spoil the plot line, so just a warning. At 16 she gets pregnant with twins. She is shipped off to New York to live with her mom who abandoned her when she was 6. She is locked in a room so that everyone thinks her mom is the one having the babies. She never sees the babies and returns home to Newfoundland where she is to act as if she never were pregnant. The story is told as she lives on a deserted island where she is trying to avoid her mysterious "Provider" who showed up on her way home after giving birth.
The plot line sounds intriguing, but stretch that out over 500 pages and it's a big snooze.
I also just read Ray Bradbury's collection of short stores, We'll Always Have Paris.
Normally I am not a short story fan. I get too attached to characters to lose them so quickly. This collection of stories was wonderful. They were all so clever, and so vague. I'm typically a fan of stories that tie up all the loose ends (I'm unimaginative like that) but I didn't mind a bit with this book. It was a really quick read, and most of the stories were no more than 5 pages long. It was nostalgic, as many of the stories focused on picturesque small-town life.
Every book I picked up in January was fantastic, but I've started at least a dozen books and put them down because they weren't worth finishing. I'm just not having a lot of luck this month!
I just started The Angel Maker by Stefan Brijs, it is really good so far.
What are you reading?
Have you read The Devil in The White City by Erik Larson? It was my favorite book of 2009--I am still talking about it! Basically, it's two plotlines throughout the whole book, and it's a true story--the tale of the Chicago World's Fair in 1893, and simultaneously, the story of a handsome doctor turned serial killer operating in Chicago around the same time. The author really presents both stories well (not gorily), and the tales obviously intersect as the book goes on. It took a minute to get into, but the story really grabs you! Highly recommended.
ReplyDeleteAs for what I am reading right now...Harry Potter #5 (for like the 5th time, haha). :)
Currently I am reading Bee Season. You know the one where they made it into an indie film with Richard Gere? Horrible cast but great book. Her prose is just haunting and I haven't even finished it yet!
ReplyDeleteToo many wedding blogs!
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