I ran
across The Great Gatsby about a month ago, while I was browsing through
our public e-library. I remembered
reading it years ago, so I decided to try the audio version. It was a good decision. The 2007 Blackstone Audio version was
enjoyable. The narrator was very true to
the feeling of the time and the story.
It definitely was not a glitzy Leonardo Dicaprio version, but probably
much closer to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s original intent. Definitely a good listen!
Ex
Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman
I loved Ex
Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman. First, I love Anne Fadiman as an author. Her first book, The Spirit Catches You and
You Fall Down, had a very significant impact on me when I was in graduate
school. Also, I love books about
books. Ex Libris had a slightly
different slant than other “books about
books” that I’ve read recently. The book
contains a series of 18 essays written about books and Fadiman’s life
experiences with them. These are life
stories, not just summaries or a critique.
They are about books and life.
They are charming and real.
Reading the book was like having a cup of tea with Fadiman. The small, used copy has found a permanent
place on my book shelf. Definitely a
great read for anyone who loves books!
How the
Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
I really
wanted to like How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, and if each
chapter was taken individually, I did. It
did highlight the Hispanic cultural and immigration experience, which is what I
was looking for. However, the overall organization of the book was very
confusing. The story was told in a
series of flashbacks. It started at the
end in New York City, and moved back in time toward the beginning of the Garcia
girls’ journey in the Dominican Republic.
It took me a while to realize that was what was happening. It wasn’t explained or obvious at the
beginning of the book. I also kept getting
the characters and situations confused, and had to repeatedly look back to
figure out what was happening. I think
the book probably would have been more successful either in a different
sequential order or as a series of short stories.
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