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Book report
Jul. 23rd, 2008 06:58 pmTime for another Book Report!
Around the Bloc: My Life In Moscow, Beijing, and Havana by Stephanie Elizondo Griest - I absolutely loved reading about Griest’s time spent in these three cities, which were all under Communist rule at the time she lived there. Griest does the impossible: she writes of really sad and difficult circumstances in these cities but somehow makes it palatable. Her sense of humor and wit really help. There were still times I had to set the book down because the material was painful, such as when reading about a Russian orphanage or the workplace harassment that Russian women are simply expected to endure. But it’s still fascinating to read, all the way through. She shares her thoughts, observations, and just enough about her life and background to make it interesting without displaying the self-absorption that some memoirists exhibit. She’s insightful about people, their motivations, their politics. I loved her sense of adventure – she’s up to trying anything or going anywhere – and I wish I had a fraction of that. I had to get my copy of this book from Paperbackswap.com because my local library doesn’t have this book of hers, nor does it carry the one she just released. I am really ticked at my library for this. Grade: A
The Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea – This novel is in the format of a narrator sending emails to an eager group of recipients, and in those emails she tells us stories about four young women in wealthy Saudi families, their lives and loves – though mostly, their loves. The book had its flaws but I liked it. Each chapter begins with a note from the narrator, in which she usually comments on the reaction her stories are generating. I found that really tedious especially since there are like 50 chapters. There is also a lot of “showing, not telling” in here, but maybe that’s okay given the format of this novel. I was struck by how rich all the main characters were. They travel the world and wear designer clothing without a second thought. Yet they are still relatively powerless in Saudi society, despite their wealth. Anyway, the book held my interest throughout despite its negatives. Grade: B
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Around the Bloc: My Life In Moscow, Beijing, and Havana by Stephanie Elizondo Griest - I absolutely loved reading about Griest’s time spent in these three cities, which were all under Communist rule at the time she lived there. Griest does the impossible: she writes of really sad and difficult circumstances in these cities but somehow makes it palatable. Her sense of humor and wit really help. There were still times I had to set the book down because the material was painful, such as when reading about a Russian orphanage or the workplace harassment that Russian women are simply expected to endure. But it’s still fascinating to read, all the way through. She shares her thoughts, observations, and just enough about her life and background to make it interesting without displaying the self-absorption that some memoirists exhibit. She’s insightful about people, their motivations, their politics. I loved her sense of adventure – she’s up to trying anything or going anywhere – and I wish I had a fraction of that. I had to get my copy of this book from Paperbackswap.com because my local library doesn’t have this book of hers, nor does it carry the one she just released. I am really ticked at my library for this. Grade: A
The Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea – This novel is in the format of a narrator sending emails to an eager group of recipients, and in those emails she tells us stories about four young women in wealthy Saudi families, their lives and loves – though mostly, their loves. The book had its flaws but I liked it. Each chapter begins with a note from the narrator, in which she usually comments on the reaction her stories are generating. I found that really tedious especially since there are like 50 chapters. There is also a lot of “showing, not telling” in here, but maybe that’s okay given the format of this novel. I was struck by how rich all the main characters were. They travel the world and wear designer clothing without a second thought. Yet they are still relatively powerless in Saudi society, despite their wealth. Anyway, the book held my interest throughout despite its negatives. Grade: B
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