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katietotallybooked's Reviews (785)
A worthwhile read for any fan of Disney's Beauty & The Beast story and characters.
This book was brought to my attention during research for a work-related project. I am not an avid historical fiction reader so I would say that the books I do read in this genre are either ones directly recommended to me, are book club reads, or are ones that have been getting a lot of buzz or literary attention. I would say that historical fiction is a genre that classifies a smaller portion of my sweet reads.
What can I tell you about The Purchase? It is a book that spans over several years at the turn of the 19th century (1798 to 1813ish?). It follows the Dickinson family, led by Daniel who is a widowed Quaker father, who are forced to leave their home in Pennsylvania to establish a new life. As pioneers, they develop a new homestead and experience the challenges, trials, joys, and tribulations that come with this reality during that time period. The book touches on themes of racism, slavery, pioneer life, grief, and the diversity of relationships between humans.
I think that because of the book’s time setting of a 15 year span, there was a lot of key events that happen to all of the characters. This helped keep the story moving and stopped it from getting boring. I made a lot of notes while reading this book about events, themes, and points of discussion. There is a lot that could be unpacked after reading this book. It would be a great read for book clubs or a novel study.
I think what I enjoyed the most about this book were all of the relationships between characters. I made a list of 13 pairs of characters that I was introduced to throughout the story. These characters are friends, lovers, parents & children, siblings and even enemies. It was interesting as a reader to see in action how different people bond with each other, where in a positive or negative way. Sometimes these bonds are forced by life circumstances and other times they are chosen relationships, just like in real life. We don’t always have control over who we interact with every day, but we do have control over how. So after this sweet read, I say let's choose to be kind, authentic, and fair to all.
What can I tell you about The Purchase? It is a book that spans over several years at the turn of the 19th century (1798 to 1813ish?). It follows the Dickinson family, led by Daniel who is a widowed Quaker father, who are forced to leave their home in Pennsylvania to establish a new life. As pioneers, they develop a new homestead and experience the challenges, trials, joys, and tribulations that come with this reality during that time period. The book touches on themes of racism, slavery, pioneer life, grief, and the diversity of relationships between humans.
I think that because of the book’s time setting of a 15 year span, there was a lot of key events that happen to all of the characters. This helped keep the story moving and stopped it from getting boring. I made a lot of notes while reading this book about events, themes, and points of discussion. There is a lot that could be unpacked after reading this book. It would be a great read for book clubs or a novel study.
I think what I enjoyed the most about this book were all of the relationships between characters. I made a list of 13 pairs of characters that I was introduced to throughout the story. These characters are friends, lovers, parents & children, siblings and even enemies. It was interesting as a reader to see in action how different people bond with each other, where in a positive or negative way. Sometimes these bonds are forced by life circumstances and other times they are chosen relationships, just like in real life. We don’t always have control over who we interact with every day, but we do have control over how. So after this sweet read, I say let's choose to be kind, authentic, and fair to all.
I remember when this book was first published. I had just started working at my public library and it was in demand. The hold lists were long and you couldn’t keep copies on the shelves. At that time, the book did not appeal to me - it was really long (just shy of 800 pages), it became a Pulitzer Prize winning novel (I don't read literary and coveted award-winning titles too often), and the story just didn’t interest me.
Fast forward over 4 years to now and I can say that The Goldfinch is probably the longest book I have ever read cover to cover. Now, If this wasn’t my book club’s pick for February, I may not have finished or even attempted. But what is most interesting is that I do believe there is timing to reading a book, whether we are conscious of that timing when we choose the book or not. Theo Decker is a 13-year old boy who loses his mother in a terrible accident. He calls his mother’s death the dividing mark - The Before and now, the After. I too have thought this way about losing my own mother. Even though I was older (aged 26), my life changed after the loss because of how pivotal and important my mom was in my life, just like in Theo’s. You find your new normal and I think what really started Theo’s personal journey is because of how challenging it was for him to do.
This book reminded me of the film Boyhood because I really felt like the reader was witnessing Theo grow up and come of age in such great detail and with a high level of attentiveness. The writing is terrific. Tartt is a talented author and her use of language is intelligent. The balance between description and conversational text is perfect. I would say The Goldfinch is probably one of the best written books I’ve ever read, but that didn’t make me love it. The book is long. There is a lot to the story and there is a lot that happens. Art, antiques, and art history is a large theme of the book and that is an area that I really have no personal interest in. I found it difficult to witness the downward spiral that Theo was having, especially when it involved drug and substance abuse, depression, and suicide. But there were parts of the story that made me smile - like his relationships with Pippa, Andy, and Boris who were probably the truest friends he ever had. And how despite his challenges, Theo grew up, worked hard, and did try to make something of his life even though he may have gone about it in a crooked, shady, and borderline illegal way. But I guess that’s how this book mimics life. We can’t always control what happens to us. We can only control how we handle it - sometimes that is with strength, grace, and beauty. Other times, it is with hurt, disaster, and harm.
If you are a patient reader who enjoys literary fiction and prize-winning novels, then this book maybe for you. If you also like to read books before seeing the movie, The Goldfinch is being adapted film and is scheduled for release in 2019. All I can say right now is that I am glad I finished it!
Fast forward over 4 years to now and I can say that The Goldfinch is probably the longest book I have ever read cover to cover. Now, If this wasn’t my book club’s pick for February, I may not have finished or even attempted. But what is most interesting is that I do believe there is timing to reading a book, whether we are conscious of that timing when we choose the book or not. Theo Decker is a 13-year old boy who loses his mother in a terrible accident. He calls his mother’s death the dividing mark - The Before and now, the After. I too have thought this way about losing my own mother. Even though I was older (aged 26), my life changed after the loss because of how pivotal and important my mom was in my life, just like in Theo’s. You find your new normal and I think what really started Theo’s personal journey is because of how challenging it was for him to do.
This book reminded me of the film Boyhood because I really felt like the reader was witnessing Theo grow up and come of age in such great detail and with a high level of attentiveness. The writing is terrific. Tartt is a talented author and her use of language is intelligent. The balance between description and conversational text is perfect. I would say The Goldfinch is probably one of the best written books I’ve ever read, but that didn’t make me love it. The book is long. There is a lot to the story and there is a lot that happens. Art, antiques, and art history is a large theme of the book and that is an area that I really have no personal interest in. I found it difficult to witness the downward spiral that Theo was having, especially when it involved drug and substance abuse, depression, and suicide. But there were parts of the story that made me smile - like his relationships with Pippa, Andy, and Boris who were probably the truest friends he ever had. And how despite his challenges, Theo grew up, worked hard, and did try to make something of his life even though he may have gone about it in a crooked, shady, and borderline illegal way. But I guess that’s how this book mimics life. We can’t always control what happens to us. We can only control how we handle it - sometimes that is with strength, grace, and beauty. Other times, it is with hurt, disaster, and harm.
If you are a patient reader who enjoys literary fiction and prize-winning novels, then this book maybe for you. If you also like to read books before seeing the movie, The Goldfinch is being adapted film and is scheduled for release in 2019. All I can say right now is that I am glad I finished it!
I enjoyed this book. It's out of my normal range of reading interests, but that is why I like participating in a book club and why I wanted to complete the Evergreen reading program this year because you do get a chance to read outside of your normal realm. I definitely wouldn't have read this book, or even known about it, had it not been for this program.
Glass Beads is a very character-driven book. You get to know the four friends' personalities and traits more so then having descriptions of their surroundings or writing that is lyrical and literary. I find the short stories read more like chapters though. There is a linear path with each chapter occurring in a disjointed manner throughout the time span and the focus may be a different character each time. It's a fast read, but you do get drawn into each character and I found that I was rooting for one or more at a time as they went through certain periods of their lives. I was also not liking each character at times too! It’s a serious novel that gives you a peek into how life differs for Aboriginal Canadians and what some of the unique challenges they face are that may not even cross our minds or be relatable to Canadians of white heritage.
Glass Beads is a very character-driven book. You get to know the four friends' personalities and traits more so then having descriptions of their surroundings or writing that is lyrical and literary. I find the short stories read more like chapters though. There is a linear path with each chapter occurring in a disjointed manner throughout the time span and the focus may be a different character each time. It's a fast read, but you do get drawn into each character and I found that I was rooting for one or more at a time as they went through certain periods of their lives. I was also not liking each character at times too! It’s a serious novel that gives you a peek into how life differs for Aboriginal Canadians and what some of the unique challenges they face are that may not even cross our minds or be relatable to Canadians of white heritage.
This work of southern fiction is startling to begin with as you’re thrown into the abusive life of Sadie Blue and the lives of her fellow neighbours in Baines Creek. The writing style features vignettes of different characters, and I found that the synopsis on the back cover really didn’t encompass exactly how the story is told. However, it’s an affectively written novel that vividly shares its characters’ lives to the readers.
I found that I was routing for Sadie as I was really attached to her character from the first line. She was a victim in many ways and had been through so much hardship in her young life. I only wish there could have been more of her in the novel.
I found that I was routing for Sadie as I was really attached to her character from the first line. She was a victim in many ways and had been through so much hardship in her young life. I only wish there could have been more of her in the novel.
