tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8407679229975998493.post1509902954222221988..comments2024-03-28T06:24:25.829-06:00Comments on The Quivering Pen: Most-Anticipated Fiction of 2015David Abramshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013514596973186440noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8407679229975998493.post-16999533351648507672015-01-03T15:34:12.796-07:002015-01-03T15:34:12.796-07:00Thanks for this well-balanced run-down of the book...Thanks for this well-balanced run-down of the books!<br /><br />The first two books in your list--"The Fever" and "A Confederacy of Dunces"--are my first two books of 2015. I'm partway into each of them (and am inclined to plug my ears and sing "la-la-la!" when people talk about "The Fever" because I can tell it's a book that's full of surprises like you mentioned). So far, I think both are tremendous, each in their own way. As you advised, I am paying close attention to the clues Megan Abbott drops along the way (though, of course, it's hard to tell when you see a clue at the time--only in retrospect), but I am glued to the page, just as you were through part of "The Descent."<br /><br />As for "Confederacy," I realize it's not for everyone's tastes and you're the second person this week to tell me that you thought it was "stupid." I certainly respect that opinion and can see how the farting, masturbating, gluttonous Ignatius J. Reilly wouldn't be to everyone's liking. I'm digging Toole's outrageous style, though, and am stretching out my reading of the novel in order to keep the laughter going.<br /><br />At any rate, thanks again for your take on these books. <br /><br />Read on!David Abramshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06013514596973186440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8407679229975998493.post-30392906374216208662015-01-02T05:55:08.225-07:002015-01-02T05:55:08.225-07:00I'm the only comment on so many books? I alrea...I'm the only comment on so many books? I already read some of these, and I'll comment on what you can expect.<br /><br />THE FEVER-- What a pleasant surprise! A book that seems at first to be just another young-adult novel, THE FEVER turns out to be a darned good mystery. That is better than just a good mystery. Add "darned" because everybody is suspect, anything could be it, and the solution is a surprise. Plus, although YA bores readers like me who shy away from "easy reading" and prefer more complex novels that deal with adults and adult situations, THE FEVER becomes almost unputdownable even though its main characters are teenagers and it's an easy read.<br /><br />There are lots of high school settings and teenager dilemmas. So, if you shy away from YA, it will be tempting to skim some of the story. If you do, though, you may miss clues to what is to blame. Abbott sticks clues everywhere, in many teenager conversations and situations.<br /><br />Even if you think you're above this YA reading level, if you like good mysteries, you'll probably enjoy this one.<br /><br />I won a finished hardcover copy of this book through librarything.com.<br /><br />A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES--I hated this book. It was silly and stupid.<br /><br />DESCENT-- It has been a couple years since I have been as riveted to a book as I was to DESCENT. Problem, though: it wasn't riveting until around page 130.<br /><br />Caitlin was a high school track star and will now attend college on a track scholarship. But she is abducted, first. After that are descriptions of how her mother, father, and brother each go on living with this for nearly three years. Chapters are short. No problem. But the chapters also seem scattered, not chronological.<br /><br />Also, throughout this book Caitlin's brother, Sean, is referred to as "the boy" almost always. This is annoying. Such constant impersonal usage in seemingly personal chapters is confusing, and the repetitiousness of that phrase makes it ridiculous.<br /><br />About halfway through the book, though, the suspense becomes so great, DESCENT is unputdownable.<br /><br />For this excellent suspense, DESCENT would rate five stars. But the several uninteresting chapters in its first half and its ridiculous constant use of "the boy" downgrades it to four. Why not three? Because its second half is truly stupendous.<br /><br />I won this book from the publisher through librarything.com.<br /><br />THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN-- Riverhead, the publisher, is doing a great marketing job for this book, right down to its very clever cover. But be warned: after all this hype, THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN may disappoint. While it will keep your attention, it probably won't be as unputdownable as claimed until the last couple of chapters. It wasn't for me.<br /><br />The girl on the train is Rachel. She's a raging alcoholic who has opinions about people that are often based on nothing and are always wrong. The entire book is about her alcoholic blackouts and figuring out what really happened.<br /><br />Some things about this book are aggravating. For instance, during tense moments, characters, especially Rachel, bite their lips, often so hard they draw blood. I could just imagine all the people walking around with bloody mouths they had chewed.<br /><br />The biggest aggravation is difficult to describe without saying too much and spoiling the story. It has to do with how everything is explained in the end. It too hard to swallow. It just seems to easy for an author to explain everything in the end.<br /><br />Yet, even considering these and other faults, the book still rates four stars. That is simply because it kept my attention more than books I've rated with three stars.<br /><br />I won this ARC from the publisher and librarything.com.techeditorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01713987832589573174noreply@blogger.com