Nursenblack's Reading List 2013

[nursenblack]

Nursenblack's Reading List 2012

 

Goal for 2013: After last years disappointment, I have decided to skip the goal this year.

 

Rating Scale

1-5

1)awful. only fit for a birdcage liner.

2)so so. will not recommend to anyone.

3)Just ok. I liked it, but nothing special

4)enjoyable read. will recommend to others

5)excellent. loved it!

 

Currently reading: Timepiece by Myra McEntire

 

 

TBR Pile

 

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Hick by Andrea Portes

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

Reached by Ally Condie

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

The Neverending Story by Michael Ende

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo

Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

The Girl with Glass Feet by Ali Shaw

Anita and Me by M. Syal

Jasmyn by Alex Bell

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb

Kafka By the Shore by Haruki Murakami

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

[nursenblack]

Finished Jan. 10th

 

#1

 

Timepiece by Myra McEntire

synopsis from amazon.com

"A threat from the past could destroy the future.

Kaleb Ballard was never supposed to be able to see ripples--cracks in time. Are his powers expanding, or is something very wrong? Before he can find out, Jonathan Landers, the man who tried to murder his father, reappears. Why is he back, and what, or whom, does he want?

In the wake of Landers's return, the Hourglass organization is given an ultimatum by a mysterious man. Either they find Landers and the research he has stolen on people who might carry the time gene, or time will be altered--with devastating results for the people Kaleb loves most. Now Kaleb, Emerson, Michael, and the other Hourglass recruits have no choice but to use their extraordinary powers to find Landers. But where do they even start? And when? Even if they succeed, just finding him may not be enough ...

The follow-up to Hourglass, Timepiece blends the paranormal, science fiction, mystery, and suspense genres into a nonstop thrill ride where every second counts."

 

 

Timepiece, the second novel in the Hourglass series, is told from Kaleb's (a womanizing teen who is also an empath) POV. I loved Kaleb in Hourglass, but wasn't sure about McEntire's decision of making him the main character. It absolutely worked though, and made the novel even faster paced and much more unisex.

Some of the magic I felt with Hourglass seemed lost but the romance and action kept me entertained. I’m really curious to see who narrates Infinityglass. (4/5)

 

 

Currently reading: Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay

[frankie]

Hi nursenblack, I'm sorry to hear last year was a bit of a disappointment to you But here's hoping the year 2013 will be a whole lot better, I hope you read a lot of wonderful books!

[Kylie]

From your list, I have only read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, which I loved. I have about half a dozen others on my TBR pile, and you will probably get to them before I do, so I look forward to reading your thoughts. Happy Reading!

[nursenblack]

Hi nursenblack, I'm sorry to hear last year was a bit of a disappointment to you But here's hoping the year 2013 will be a whole lot better, I hope you read a lot of wonderful books!

Thanks so much. I intend to do better.

 

From your list, I have only read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, which I loved. I have about half a dozen others on my TBR pile, and you will probably get to them before I do, so I look forward to reading your thoughts. Happy Reading!

I've had Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children for about a year and still haven't gotten to it, but I will soon. I just have to find the right mood first. Thanks

[poppy]

Of your list I've read Stardust and The Color Purple, both of which I thought were excellent.

I'd love to read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. Ooh, and the Wally Lamb one too, his I Know This Much Is True is very good.

 

Happy reading nursenblack

[nursenblack]

Finished January 19th

 

#2

 

Hick by Andrea Portes

synopsis from amazon.com

Though its first-person narrating voice is fast-paced, powerful and unquestionably authentic, Hick is a debut novel. Beyond this voice, what makes the book so extraordinary is that, although all of the worst things imaginable do befall this 13-year-old girl, she is never defeated by them. Luli always fights back; she always resurfaces. Set as a coming-of-age novel, Hick tracks the real perils that modern teenagers so often face. And it does so with bright wit, energy, and an indomitable spirit. This is a book that will grab the reader from the first page and not let go. And it is written by a woman who is becoming a cultural force in the hippest parts of Los Angeles.

 

I've had Hick on my wishlist for years and finally got it after watching the movie (not my usual approach).  But I absolutely fell for this novel because of it and not any preconceived feelings. Luli's voice is so real, so alive that I felt like I knew her and her story is unexpected but also genuine.  If you haven't read this or seen the movie, do so and do it soon. (5/5)

 

 

[nursenblack]

Finished January 31st

 

#3

 

Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay

 

synopsis from amazon.com

The most tragic love story in history . . .
Juliet Capulet didn't take her own life. She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, a sacrifice made to ensure his own immortality. But what Romeo didn't anticipate was that Juliet would be granted eternity, as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light. For 700 years, she's fought Romeo for the souls of true lovers, struggling to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent. Until the day she meets someone she's forbidden to love, and Romeo, oh Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy that love.
 

In the YA romance, Juliet Immortal, the story of Romeo and Juliet takes a surprising and wildly inventive turn.  Just a brief synopsis was enough to get me on board with this paranormal love story.  Romeo is a bad guy?!  Yep, and he'll do anything to stay immortal, even if it means destroying Juliet.  I can't wait to read Romeo Redeemed.  (4/5)

 

[nursenblack]

Finished Feb. 11th

 

#4

 

 

Calling Invisible Women by Jeanne Ray

 

snynopsis from amazon.com

   A mom in her early fifties, Clover knows she no longer turns heads the way she used to, and she's only really missed when dinner isn't on the table on time. Then Clover wakes up one morning to discover she's invisible--truly invisible. She panics, but when her husband and son sit down to dinner, nothing is amiss. Even though she's been with her husband, Arthur, since college, her condition goes unnoticed. Her friend Gilda immediately observes that Clover is invisible, which relieves Clover immensely--she's not losing her mind after all!--but she is crushed by the realization that neither her husband nor her children ever truly look at her.  She was invisible even before she knew she was invisible.
   Clover discovers that there are other women like her, women of a certain age who seem to have disappeared.  As she uses her invisibility to get to know her family and her town better, Clover leads the way in helping invisible women become recognized and appreciated no matter what their role.  Smart and hilarious, with indomitable female characters, Calling Invisible Women will appeal to anyone who has ever felt invisible.

 

Calling Invisible Women is a fun and witty novel about Clover, a woman who wakes up and finds that she has no reflection in the bathroom mirror.  She's invisible.  Her busy husband and distracted children don't even notice.  No one notices, except for her best friend. Clover is distraught.  But after she attends a meeting for invisible women, Clover discovers a new view of life.  I think this is a perfect rainy day read. (3/5)

 

[frankie]

 

 

 

This sounds like a really interesting read, thanks for the review! I'm adding it to my wishlist

[nursenblack]

I can't believe it's been so long since I've updated.  I'm just terrible.  Thanks to my lapse, I have forgotten which books I checked out from the library in february and march.  So when I figure it out I will add those, but will have to skip for now.

 

 

Finished sometime in April

#5

 

The Lover by Marguerite Duras

 

synopsis from goodreads.com

An international best-seller with more than one million copies in print and a winner of France's Prix Goncourt, The Lover has been acclaimed by critics all over the world since its first publication in 1984.
Set in the prewar Indochina of Marguerite Duras's childhood, this is the haunting tale of a tumultuous affair between an adolescent French girl and her Chinese lover. In spare yet luminous prose, Duras evokes life on the margins of Saigon in the waning days of France's colonial empire, and its representation in the passionate relationship between two unforgettable outcasts.
 

I was very interested in reading The Lover after having watched the film and glad to enjoy the same tone of sadness and desire.  I did find it a bit hard to follow at times and with an odd flip flopping of point of view, which I assume is intentional.  This book is supposedly autobiographical and I imagine that Duras writes from the past as if seeing a ghost or image of herself, and uses "the girl" or "I" interchangeably. If you want something short, unique, and sensual on a rainy summer day, this is it.  (3/5)

 

 

 

[nursenblack]

Finished sometime in May

 

#6

 

Requiem (Delirium Book 3)  by Lauren Oliver

 

synopsis from amazon.com
This exciting finale to Lauren Oliver's New York Times bestselling Delirium trilogy is a riveting blend of nonstop action and forbidden romance in a dystopian United States.Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has transformed. The nascent rebellion that was underway in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.
After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven. Pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels.
As Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain of the Wilds, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor. Requiem is told from both Lena and Hana's points of view. They live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.
With lyrical writing, Lauren Oliver seamlessly interweaves the peril that Lena faces with the inner tumult she experiences after the reappearance of her first love, Alex, the boy she thought was dead. Sophisticated and wide-ranging, Requiem brings the Delirium trilogy to a thrilling conclusion.

 

I really don't have too much to say about Requiem other than I was very disappointed.  I was expecting adventure and romance, but instead I felt that those elements were missing.  Each chapter switches from Lena to Hana's (Lena's former best friend)  point of view, and I became more taken by Hana's story than Lena's, who had been the MC from the beginning of the trilogy.  The reviews are really mixed on this one, either love it or hate it.  Readers tend to go polar opposites, as it was with myself and a friend of mine.  I do think the writing is beautiful as always, but the story just didn't do it for me.  Also, I loved the first two, so I'm not biased.  (2/5)

 

[nursenblack]

Finished May 26th

 

#7

 

Reached (Matched Book #3) by Allie Condie

 

 

 

synopsis from amazon.com

 

Cassia’s journey began with an error, a momentary glitch in the otherwise perfect façade of the Society. After crossing canyons to break free, she waits, silk and paper smuggled against her skin, ready for the final chapter.
The wait is over.
One young woman has raged against those who threaten to keep away what matters most—family, love, choice. Her quiet revolution is about to explode into full-scale rebellion.
With exquisite prose, the emotionally gripping conclusion to the international–bestselling Matched trilogy returns Cassia, Ky, and Xander to the Society to save the one thing they have been denied for so long,

the power to choose.

 

After having a major disappointment from another trilogy ending, I was pleasantly surprised by Reached, the last of the Matched trilogy.  After an underwhelming 2nd book, I was nervous, but Condie delivered the goods.  The stakes are higher, lives are threatened, secrets are revealed, all that a trilogy should be.  I had closure, but not everything is wrapped up too neatly because that would be too unbelievable for a dystopian. I just wish I could remember more details from the other two books. That is my only quam with trilogies and series, the waiting between books really tests my memory.  Anyways, if you like dystopian, romance inspired novels, read this trilogy. (4/5)

 

 

Currently reading: Life After Life by Jill McCorkle

[nursenblack]

Ah ha!! Thanks to a browsing a thread I remembered one of the books I had forgotten.  I could I forget this gem of a book!

 

 

Finished sometime in March

#8

 

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

 

 

synopsis from amazon.com

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.
Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning-author John Green’s most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

 

The Fault in Our Stars was wonderfully uplifting and heartbreaking.  I loved Hazel, and felt as if I knew her from another life.  Even if you absoultely hate "cancer books", put those feelings aside and read this. Considered YA, but meant for everyone. (5/5)

[nursenblack]

I finally remembered the book that I couldn't remember.

 

 

Finished sometime in March

 

#9

 

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl (via Library loan)

 

 

synopsis from amazon.com

There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.
Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.
Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.
In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

 

Beautiful Creatures had been on my wish list for awhile, but I finally got around to reading it because of the movie, which I still haven't seen.  I'm glad I read this and really need to get the rest of the series. 

 I loved the fact that the novel is told in first person through the eyes of Ethan Wate- not your typical love story narrator.  It's nice to have a guy swooning once in a while instead of the typical shy girl meets handsome vampire, werewolf, etc. and falls madly in love.  Witches are making a comeback and I'm interested to see if they take the #1 spot among the supernatural beings. 

If you like YA supernatural romances, then I recommend Beautiful Creatures. (4/5)

[nursenblack]

Finished June 5th

 

#10

 

Life After Life by Jill McCorkle (library loan via kindle)

 

synopsis from goodreads.com

Jill McCorkle s first novel in seventeen years is alive with the daily triumphs and challenges of the residents and staff of Pine Haven Estates, a retirement facility, which is now home to a good many of Fulton, North Carolina s older citizens. Among them, third-grade teacher Sadie Randolph, who has taught every child in town and believes we are all eight years old in our hearts; Stanley Stone, once Fulton s most prominent lawyer, now feigning dementia to escape life with his son; Marge Walker, the town s self-appointed conveyor of social status who keeps a scrapbook of every local murder and heinous crime; and Rachel Silverman, recently widowed, whose decision to leave her Massachusetts home and settle in Fulton is a mystery to everyone but her. C.J., the pierced and tattooed young mother who runs the beauty shop, and Joanna, the hospice volunteer who discovers that her path to a good life lies with helping folks achieve good deaths, are two of the staff on whom the residents depend.
McCorkle puts her finger on the pulse of every character s strengths, weaknesses, and secrets. And, as she connects their lives through their present circumstances, their pasts, and, in some cases, through their deaths, she celebrates the blessings and wisdom of later life and infuses this remarkable novel with hope and laughter.

 

Life After Life, centers around retirement home, Pine Haven Estates, with eccentric characters from a resident who only pretends to be insane, to a little girl, who finds comfort in her much older friends.  Each chapter is told in a different character's pov, which I don't mind as long as they are obviously distinct, which they are in Life After Life.  There were some chapters, like Joann's notebook entries that seemed unnecessary, but I get it. The story really picks up have way through, but I was a little disappointed with the ending - too much of a shocker for one character that didn't sit well with me.  Still a pretty good read. (3/5)

[vodkafan]

Hi Nursenblack you have some good stuff on your blog this year! I will be stealing some for my wishlist. The Invisible Woman looks fun.

[pontalba]

 

I can't believe it's been so long since I've updated.  I'm just terrible.  Thanks to my lapse, I have forgotten which books I checked out from the library in february and march.  So when I figure it out I will add those, but will have to skip for now.

 

 

Finished sometime in April

#5

 

The Lover by Marguerite Duras

 

synopsis from goodreads.com

An international best-seller with more than one million copies in print and a winner of France's Prix Goncourt, The Lover has been acclaimed by critics all over the world since its first publication in 1984.

Set in the prewar Indochina of Marguerite Duras's childhood, this is the haunting tale of a tumultuous affair between an adolescent French girl and her Chinese lover. In spare yet luminous prose, Duras evokes life on the margins of Saigon in the waning days of France's colonial empire, and its representation in the passionate relationship between two unforgettable outcasts.

 

I was very interested in reading The Lover after having watched the film and glad to enjoy the same tone of sadness and desire.  I did find it a bit hard to follow at times and with an odd flip flopping of point of view, which I assume is intentional.  This book is supposedly autobiographical and I imagine that Duras writes from the past as if seeing a ghost or image of herself, and uses "the girl" or "I" interchangeably. If you want something short, unique, and sensual on a rainy summer day, this is it.  (3/5)

 

 

 

I loved both the book and film.  The first paragraph of the book was just stunning.

 

Finished Feb. 11th

 

#4

 

 

Calling Invisible Women by Jeanne Ray

 

snynopsis from amazon.com

   A mom in her early fifties, Clover knows she no longer turns heads the way she used to, and she's only really missed when dinner isn't on the table on time. Then Clover wakes up one morning to discover she's invisible--truly invisible. She panics, but when her husband and son sit down to dinner, nothing is amiss. Even though she's been with her husband, Arthur, since college, her condition goes unnoticed. Her friend Gilda immediately observes that Clover is invisible, which relieves Clover immensely--she's not losing her mind after all!--but she is crushed by the realization that neither her husband nor her children ever truly look at her.  She was invisible even before she knew she was invisible.

   Clover discovers that there are other women like her, women of a certain age who seem to have disappeared.  As she uses her invisibility to get to know her family and her town better, Clover leads the way in helping invisible women become recognized and appreciated no matter what their role.  Smart and hilarious, with indomitable female characters, Calling Invisible Women will appeal to anyone who has ever felt invisible.

 

 

Calling Invisible Women is a fun and witty novel about Clover, a woman who wakes up and finds that she has no reflection in the bathroom mirror.  She's invisible.  Her busy husband and distracted children don't even notice.  No one notices, except for her best friend. Clover is distraught.  But after she attends a meeting for invisible women, Clover discovers a new view of life.  I think this is a perfect rainy day read. (3/5)

 

I really like the look of this one too, will investigate.  Thanks.

[nursenblack]

Hi Nursenblack you have some good stuff on your blog this year! I will be stealing some for my wishlist. The Invisible Woman looks fun.

 

My blog is always open for your pilfering pleasure. 

 

I loved both the book and film.  The first paragraph of the book was just stunning.

 

 

I really like the look of this one too, will investigate.  Thanks.

I saw the film first before I even new the book existed, and then I ended up getting a used copy on goodreads, back when they used to support a book exchange.

 

Calling Invisible women is cute and clever.   Definitely look into it.

 

 

 

[nursenblack]

I have failed to keep up with my list again.  I have no idea the dates I read them but will try to recall what I liked or didn't about them.  I can barely remember some of them.  So in lieu of my usual format, I will just list the book, author, rating and anything I recall.

 

#11  Sacred by Elana Arnold. (3/5)  I remember it being okay, but definitely not a stand out read.

 

#12  The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin.

This is the second novel in the Mara Dyer trilogy and it was just as engaging as the first novel. I'm pretty excited to read what happens next. (4/5)

 

#13  The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.  I really enjoyed this dystopian novel, written long before dystopian became a trend, about a society where handmaids are the upper crusts' baby makers.  As dystopians go, this was orginal and frightening. (5/5)

 

#14 Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter.  Not bad, but not particularly memborable. (3/5)

[nursenblack]

Finished July 30th

 

 

#15

The Selection by Keira Cass (via Kindle per library loan)

 

 

synopsis from goodreads.com

"For thirty-five girls,
the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the
life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of
glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete
for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.
But for America Singer,
being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret
love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a
fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that
is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.
Then America
meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans
she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed
of may not compare to a future she never imagined."

 

The Selection had been on my wishlist for awhile, so I was excited when it became available for checkout from my library.  I had high expectations for this novel (just look at that beautiful cover), but was sadly disappointed. The book started out interesting enough but just ended up being like a boring episode of The Bachelor.  The characters are mediocre at best and the plot is beyond predictable.  I'm only the teeny tiniest bit curious to find out what happens. (2/5)

Edited August 3, 2013 by nursenblack

[nursenblack]

Finished Aug 23rd

 

#16

 

The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud

 

synopsis from goodreads.com

Nora Eldridge, a
37-year-old elementary school teacher in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is on
the verge of disappearing. Having abandoned her desire to be an artist,
she has become the "woman upstairs," a reliable friend and tidy
neighbour always on the fringe of others' achievements. Then into her
classroom walks a new pupil, Reza Shahid, a child who enchants as if
from a fairy tale. He and his parents--dashing Skandar, a half-Muslim
Professor of Ethical History born in Beirut, and Sirena, an effortlessly
glamorous Italian artist--have come to America for Skandar to teach at
Harvard.
But one afternoon, Reza is attacked by schoolyard
bullies who punch, push and call him a "terrorist," and Nora is quickly
drawn deep into the complex world of the Shahid family. Soon she finds
herself falling in love with them, separately and together. Nora's
happiness explodes her boundaries--until Sirena's own ambition leads to a
shattering betrayal.
Written with intimacy and piercing emotion,
this urgently dispatched story of obsession and artistic fulfillment
explores the thrill--and the devastating cost--of giving in to one's
passions. The Woman Upstairs is a masterly story of America today, of being a woman and of the exhilarations of love.

 

First, I must say that I feel totally misled by the the brief synopsis I first skimmed (I never read a synopsis in its entirety).  It hinted of drama and intrigue, maybe of something risque.  What I discover in The Woman Upstairs was none of those things.  The novel began interesting enough, but then I waited for something to happen and then I waited some more...then nothing happened.  The only thing I half liked was the voice of the narrator, Nora Eldridge, the sort-of antihero, who is so lonely that she worms her way into a family, but not in a evil way, just in a boring "pick me! pick me!" way.  If you enjoy character study novels with little plot, then you may enjoy this.  Not for me. (1/5)

[nursenblack]

#17

 

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

synopsis from Goodreads.com
Galen is a young
soldier returning from war; Rose is one of twelve princesses condemned
to dance each night for the King Under Stone. Together Galen and Rose
will search for a way to break the curse that forces the princesses to
dance at the midnight balls. All they need is one invisibility cloak, a
black wool chain knit with enchanted silver needles, and that most
critical ingredient of all—true love—to conquer their foes in the dark
halls below. But malevolent forces are working against them above ground
as well, and as cruel as the King Under Stone has seemed, his wrath is
mere irritation compared to the evil that awaits Galen and Rose in the
brighter world above.
Captivating from start to finish, Jessica Day George’s take on the Grimms’ tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses demonstrates yet again her mastery at spinning something entirely fresh out of a story you thought you knew.

 

I've always enjoyed the Grimms' story of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, and I found this novel to be a sweet and exciting retelling.  From what I recall about the traditional tale, it seems to follow pretty soundly.  The story moved along at a good adventure pace, but I would have liked to seen a bit more character development.  Though, I did fall for Galen a little bit myself.  He can shoot a musket and knit, maybe even at the same time.   Princess of the Midnight Ball is the perfect "get away from it all", romantic read. (3/5)

[frankie]

Finished Aug 23rd

 

#16

 

The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud

 

 

 

 

Oh crap! Too bad it didn't live up to your expectations. You're right: the summary sounded really intriguing, and I was already thinking I would add this to my wishlist, but then I read your thoughts on the book. I really dislike it when the summary of a novel is so misleading.

[pontalba]

Finished Aug 23rd

 

#16

 

The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud

 

synopsis from goodreads.com

Nora Eldridge, a

37-year-old elementary school teacher in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is on

the verge of disappearing. Having abandoned her desire to be an artist,

she has become the "woman upstairs," a reliable friend and tidy

neighbour always on the fringe of others' achievements. Then into her

classroom walks a new pupil, Reza Shahid, a child who enchants as if

from a fairy tale. He and his parents--dashing Skandar, a half-Muslim

Professor of Ethical History born in Beirut, and Sirena, an effortlessly

glamorous Italian artist--have come to America for Skandar to teach at

Harvard.

But one afternoon, Reza is attacked by schoolyard

bullies who punch, push and call him a "terrorist," and Nora is quickly

drawn deep into the complex world of the Shahid family. Soon she finds

herself falling in love with them, separately and together. Nora's

happiness explodes her boundaries--until Sirena's own ambition leads to a

shattering betrayal.

Written with intimacy and piercing emotion,

this urgently dispatched story of obsession and artistic fulfillment

explores the thrill--and the devastating cost--of giving in to one's

passions. The Woman Upstairs is a masterly story of America today, of being a woman and of the exhilarations of love.

 

First, I must say that I feel totally misled by the the brief synopsis I first skimmed (I never read a synopsis in its entirety).  It hinted of drama and intrigue, maybe of something risque.  What I discover in The Woman Upstairs was none of those things.  The novel began interesting enough, but then I waited for something to happen and then I waited some more...then nothing happened.  The only thing I half liked was the voice of the narrator, Nora Eldridge, the sort-of antihero, who is so lonely that she worms her way into a family, but not in a evil way, just in a boring "pick me! pick me!" way.  If you enjoy character study novels with little plot, then you may enjoy this.  Not for me. (1/5)

 

/waving/ I do, I do!! 

 

I will pick it up, soon(ish). heh