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Book report
Dec. 20th, 2007 06:20 pmBook report time again!
-- Practically Perfect in Every Way by Jennifer Niesslein – This book tells us of the author’s two-year quest in taking self-help advice, in an effort to become a better, happier person. With a healthy dose of skepticism but not devoid of earnestness as well, she researches and undertakes improvement projects in the areas of the home, finances, marriage, child-raising, health, and spirituality. I found her account witty, insightful, and tremendously fun to read. I liked hearing about her life, I laughed out loud a few times, and I did get ideas for a few things I might try. Grade: B+
-- Dancing in a Distant Place by Isla Dewar – A novel about a woman in Ireland in the 1960’s who loses her husband and has to build her life anew. She moves to a very remote town and has to deal with small-town life in a community where everybody knows everybody. It wasn’t the most riveting thing I’ve ever read, but it was good; the author really does a great job creating characters who feel real and she also excels in transporting you to the place she describes. The protagonist was a confident lady; I liked reading how she dealt with situations she encountered. One thing I didn’t like about this book is that it employs a technique I’ve encountered in a lot of novels. The first chapter takes place decades after the rest of the novel. So as I read the rest of the book, I knew exactly how things would turn out for the main characters. Perhaps in this novel it wasn’t such a big deal since this book was never designed to be a suspenseful page-turner, but I still felt it detracted from the impact of the story. Grade: C+
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-- Practically Perfect in Every Way by Jennifer Niesslein – This book tells us of the author’s two-year quest in taking self-help advice, in an effort to become a better, happier person. With a healthy dose of skepticism but not devoid of earnestness as well, she researches and undertakes improvement projects in the areas of the home, finances, marriage, child-raising, health, and spirituality. I found her account witty, insightful, and tremendously fun to read. I liked hearing about her life, I laughed out loud a few times, and I did get ideas for a few things I might try. Grade: B+
-- Dancing in a Distant Place by Isla Dewar – A novel about a woman in Ireland in the 1960’s who loses her husband and has to build her life anew. She moves to a very remote town and has to deal with small-town life in a community where everybody knows everybody. It wasn’t the most riveting thing I’ve ever read, but it was good; the author really does a great job creating characters who feel real and she also excels in transporting you to the place she describes. The protagonist was a confident lady; I liked reading how she dealt with situations she encountered. One thing I didn’t like about this book is that it employs a technique I’ve encountered in a lot of novels. The first chapter takes place decades after the rest of the novel. So as I read the rest of the book, I knew exactly how things would turn out for the main characters. Perhaps in this novel it wasn’t such a big deal since this book was never designed to be a suspenseful page-turner, but I still felt it detracted from the impact of the story. Grade: C+
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( Read more... )
