The Road

Loved it.

Opinion:

As I already said, I loved this book. The images and lessons I devoured from the pages of The Road stayed with me for a very long time, and continue to influence my thought. This is a wonderfully vivid novel where the characters are reduced to nothing, and then forced to answer: "Are you one of the good guys?"

I work in the public school system, and, on a day I was heavily into this book, I happened to walk passed a boy who has some very wrong opinions about the world. My stomach churned, and I felt more than livid to hear his mouthy 14-year-old self shout the filthy words, "All Jews belong in ovens." And even more disgraceful, I know an adult had to of given him such an idea.

I couldn't help but reflect on my position in the world, and question whether or not I am a "good guy." If pushed to a state of desperation, who would I become? Would I have turned in my neighbors during WWII? Would I share my limited food? Would I kill another to help my own family? Is "good" during time of peace the same as "good" during time of catastrophe, or do we play by a different set of values and morels?

Still chewing on this one.

And yes, definitely cried at the end. Even thought I knew what was going to happen, I still cried.

Recommend: YES
Read Again: Maybe, one day

* * *

Author: Cormac McCarthy
Award: Pulitzer Prize

Summary:

The Road is a very emotional account of a young boy and his father struggling to survive in a postapocalyptic world. The walk together, often hand-in-hand or hand on gun and hand on shopping cart, down a road that leads to, well, hopefully somewhere good.

The father is sick, and the boy is sensitive. They struggle for food, and they are low on hope. They meet people along the way who try to take their lives or their food or both. And some people stoop low enough to eat other people.

All the while, the boy is trying to be a good guy. And the father is trying to remember that the reason they fight for life is love. 

Also a movie. Never seen it, so no comment for now.

Pages: 287

The Lacuna

Liked it.

Opinion:

Kingsolver receiving the Orange Prize

The Lacuna is quite a dense read, and it did take me several weeks to plow through. I had a love-hate relationship with the work, as my opinion of the story oscillated so frequently it was originally hard for me to know whether or not to recommend it.

This is my first taste of Barbara Kingsolver, and I would have to say I enjoyed her writing very much. She did a wonderful job of giving the characters incredibly distinct and personalized voices through style and word selection. I also enjoyed the collision of Mexican, Russian and American history through the eyes of both historical and fictionalized characters. In fact, my favorite section of the book portrayed an account the events surrounding Leon Trotsky's exile and murder.

I wouldn't say this is a good one to casually pick up before the kids get home, especially as you're just getting into the book. However, if you're looking for a well-written depiction of history, saturated in emotionally charged political activism, and you have the spare time, pick up The Lacuna.

Recommend: Sure
Read Again: No

* * *

Author: Barbara Kingsolver
Award: Orange Prize

Summary:

Because this entry has been sitting in my post bank for over a month, simply because I felt the summary of 528 pages to be an incredibly daunting task, I've decided to relinquish the responsibility of said task. If you're interested, here are a few reviews and summaries to give you a flavor of the novel:

Main Characters,  Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera

NPR

The New York Times

The Washington Post

Book Browse

enotes


Pages: 528