Discussion & Reviews

Discussion & Reviews

   The other day, I was at a local bookstore pitching my game and having a good conversation with the staff, when the owner passed by to show how authors access his website;  he happened to mention to one of his clerks to simply type in a sample author's name, say, Anthony Doerr (an author I recognized due to his highly praised book, All the Light We Cannot See).  When I asked what he thought of the book, he replied that he and his staff thought the book was fantastic, to which I politely replied that I had a bit of trouble totally agreeing with the rave reviews, having finished the book and finding it not quite as jaw-dropping as described.  And boom, the sale of my game was dead in the water.  The discussion, however politely phrased, had (at least to my thinking) come to an end (as an aside, here's the review I wrote for my library of Doerr's book:  Okay, some of my favorite authors (Abraham Verghese & J.R. Moehringer), not to mention many recognized literary critics absolutely loved this book...but after reading it, I feel that this 10-year work might not be for everyone.  Yes, I was quite disappointed, not only in the wrap-it-up Hollywood ending but in the short segments (and I mean short as in one or two page "chapters") throughout the book.  Cute style to use a new title to introduce your next character; but to do it for every single section??   In other words, you'll zip through this 530 page book because it really is equal to only about 200 pages.  But what about the story? WWII is coming, a blind German girl is cared for by her museum worker papa; the Nazi invasion begins and they flee to Saint-Malo, destruction now all around from which the father tries to hide.  Move forward and a young German boy who loves radios begins to grow and is recruited by the German camps.  The kids grow older.   Jump ahead two years and the father goes missing and the boy is now a soldier trapped beneath rubble.  Go back two years plus a month and the father is saying he's off on an important mission and his mentally unstable brother will care for the girl; the German boy makes more points in the camp.   Jump ahead (again) two years plus a week and the food is running out in both places; things look bleak under the rubble.  Go back, no, go forward, no, go back.  Keep up!  You're on the next "chapter."  Hmmm, after all the rave reviews, I really looked forward to reading this; but honestly, I ended this book with a sigh of resignation as if I'd been gypped.   Unlike Donna Tart and Pat Conroy, author Doerr just seemed lacking in vivid descriptions and despite the 10-year effort, seemed to emerge from this exhausted as he wraps up the entire book in the final 30 pages (really equal to about 8 pages).  But, the critics DID love this book and perhaps I shouldn't have read this after reading such a wonderful book as "The Goldfinch."   In other words, plow through this book and see what you think; it's the joy of reading that makes one reader give it five stars and another (me) giving it two.

   This was all fine, things happen, until just a few days ago I found myself talking to a friend who is an avid reader and when she asked what books I had been reading, I happened to mention Cheryl Strayed's book, Wild, to which my friend began gushing praise about how terrific the book was.  And again, I mentioned that while it started out well, I found that the book ran out of gas towards the end, primarily because the author was so unprepared in her trek.  Perhaps she needed to be so, my friend replied, for thinking too much about it might have found her changing her mind.  It was important to have a just do it attitude, before you turn back.  And nice talking with you...conversation over (again, as an aside, here's my library review of Strayed's book:  It's easy to dismiss this book (soon to be a movie with Drew Barrymore) since author Chery Strayed (not her real name, by the way, but a name she adopted after her divorce) really does whine a lot.  A lot!  And she truly is, or was, perhaps the most UNprepared hiker ever, which only adds to the whining.  But still, she accomplished something few of us would attempt or perhaps even be capable of doing, that of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, often with only pennies in her pocket.  So, here begins her youthful journey, a trip to forget the early death of her mother, her failing marriage, her unending urge for limitless sex and drugs and you name it, all the excess of youth (more whining).  But slowly, though carelessly losing a boot --a boot!-- on a ledge (which opens the book), you get pulled into her adventure.  She has a way with words, making you root for her, urge her onward from afar and yet glad you're not on the trail hiking with her to hear all her whining.  And as the final five chapters or so approach, you, too, are tired, ready to be at the end, not only of the trail but of the book itself.  Luckily, you can skim to the finish, pleased that you've completed the journey but somehow feeling that the entire thing just sort of ran out of gas, as if Cheryl Strayed herself had grown tired of reliving the journey and simply wanted to finish.  One too many tales of her personal life and reflections, very little background of plants or animals or places, and a lot of whining.  Still, she has a lot to brag about, having accomplished much in her life (now happily married and with two children) and all while still in her twenties.  More than most of us can say.  Worth a read...once.

   So what's happening to the old left-right-and center discussions?  I can remember meeting with friends and not entirely agreeing with them on everything.  But books?  Isn't that what readership is all about, starting a conversation which leads to a discussion that stays civil.  This was evident to me when visiting a friend in Germany, his friend from Rome arriving and the wine flowing.  Soon a discussion about the Vatican during WW II began, one side saying that the Pope condoning the arrival of Hitler was wrong, the other saying that it was necessary.  Tempers rose, more wine flowed, and still, the strongest comment I heard was, "Francesco, I disagree with you."  Civil, and impressive.  Voices didn't grow louder, fingers didn't point, and everyone fell asleep just fine.

   So what's happening over here?  Have our extreme politics begun to spread into other arenas?  Have our tweets and reviews and comments inflamed us so much that it affects us emotionally?  And is this a reflection of the pressure of today's society to respond so immediately?  Perhaps there still is wisdom in the phrase, count to 10.

   Yes, I will call my friend in a week or so (I did send her a letter the very next day thanking her for her call and acknowledging how much I had missed our talks).  And the owner of the store is well, the owner, and I respect his decision, one which might have been made for an entirely different reason that I imagined (no shelf space, no barcode for inventory, not right for his audience of buyers, etc.).  But I rather enjoy hearing different perspectives, even as I disagree with many of them.  After all, it's what makes us individuals.  We should treasure our ability to disagree, to voice our opinions, to be able to hear what others are actually thinking at the moment.

   What's interesting is how WIKI leads from the world of disagreement to the world of controversy: 
Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view.  The word was coined from the Latin controversia, as a composite of controversus – "turned in an opposite direction," from contra – "against" – and vertere – to turn, or versus, hence, "to turn against."  The most applicable or well known controversial subjects, topics or areas are politics, religion and sex.  Other areas of controversy include history and philosophy... Controversial issues are held as potentially divisive in a given society, because they can lead to tension and ill will, as a result they are often taboo to be discussed in the light of company in many cultures.

   Sadly, I might have to add the subject of books (and perhaps blogs) to their definition.  Happy reading.