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mrs_a_is_a_book_nerd's reviews
456 reviews
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
3.0
I thought it was a good read, but hard to get into. I didn't find it nearly as compelling as A Thousand Splendid Suns. Still, Hosseini writes giftedly and I will read his third novel when I have the opportunity.
House Rules by Jodi Picoult
4.0
I would actually give the book 4 1/2 stars. It's one of Picoult's good ones, for sure! Besides being a compelling page-turner, I learned quite a bit about Asperger's Syndrome; it's clear Picoult did her research. Part mystery and part character portraits, the shifting narrative perspective makes the book a great read!
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
3.0
The Handmaid's Tale is first bizarre. It took me a good quarter of the book to even get the sense of what was going on. All the same, I was intrigued enough to keep reading, even through the surreal sex ritual and birthing scenes. Atwood's narrative choices and stylisms make the book equally odd and confusing in many moments. All the same, I was still intrigued. I was fairly sure I wouldn't discover a happily ever after at the end, but it didn't stop me from cheering on the main character to some sort of justifyable ending. However, I didn't expect the (unsatisfying) ending I got.
There are certainly some thought-provoking notions within Handmaid's pages, and they make the novel perhaps worth the read. However, in the end, I wish I had read it for a class taught by someone smarter than I; maybe I'd have "gotten" it a bit more.
There are certainly some thought-provoking notions within Handmaid's pages, and they make the novel perhaps worth the read. However, in the end, I wish I had read it for a class taught by someone smarter than I; maybe I'd have "gotten" it a bit more.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
3.0
I'm afraid I have to agree with some other reviews I read. It was an okay book. There were some bright and poignant moments, to be sure... some clever passages. However, I'm afraid that many of those readers who are so life-changingly moved by the novel may merely be victims of emotional manipulation. Who wouldn't feel emotional about compelling teenage characters fighting cancer, facing their fate, daring love and friendship in the face of uncertainty and imminent mortality? In all, the book was a decent read, but I didn't think it lived up to its hype.