kurtwombat's Reviews (902)

After 1903 - What?

Robert Benchley

3.5

funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Here we have a bountiful collection of Robert Benchley’s gentle witted humor with about 100 short pieces teasing at absurdity. Benchley famously of the Algonquin Round Table, and close friend of personal icon Dorothy Parker, also appeared in movies—including creating and writing a series of humorous shorts. The version of himself that you will see on screen is the version you get through his writing—gentle self-effacing rib poking with subtle depths. With this many pieces the quality is bound to fluctuate but mostly I enjoyed them. I recommend you read them few at a time—read too many in a row and their gentility will melt in your hands. If you like James Thurber or S. J. Perelman or even Stephen Leacock (if you don’t know them try them), then you will find this a very nice ride.

Putting It Together

James Lapine

4.25

challenging informative inspiring medium-paced

I have had an attachment to the musical SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE since seeing the PBS broadcast of the original play almost 40 years ago. It single handedly broadened my expectations of music and theater and art. Thus my expectations were pretty high approaching this book. They were mostly met. Second to Sondheim, the author of the book and the play James Lapine would seem the person to deliver such a story. Mostly I am happy with his execution—it can be a difficult play to understand and discuss—but in the end I was hungry for an outside voice. Sometimes the narrative feels insulated—as I imagine theater people can be. There are brief interviews with many of the people involved but would have loved deeper dives. (I listened to the audio version where they had different actors voicing each of those being interviewed—nice but most of the women sounded the same with the same hint of aristocratic snob. Len Cariou as Stephen Sondheim was sublime). That being said I enjoyed the nuts and bolts building the play from the ground up structure of the book. Easy to be swept up in the magic of a painting come to life without wondering how that was achieved. The story behind that alchemy is definitely worth reading if you are interested in any creative art.

Penance

Kanae Minato

3.25

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

To it’s advantage, this book is full of odd feelings--deranged creepy mystery. Unfortunately for me, one of those feelings was thinking I was enjoying the book more than I was. I was so keen on the structure of this nefarious balloon that I failed to realize air was escaping the whole time. There is an initial murder and four lives that branch out from that event—each incorporates tales sidling up close to horror in interesting ways but each is also a bit redundant, a bit too long and presented with voices that seem a bit arrested. This last might make sense, childhood trauma can arrest your development but I was never sure if that was intentional. Or even if it was a result of translation. I did enjoy the overall affect and where the ending went—though the ending was oddly abrupt and off camera after some longwinded narrative. Don't want to say too much because there are some nice surprises. Still a worthwhile read—perhaps I needed to be more patient.

The Specialists

Lawrence Block

2.5

adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Mildly enjoyable if thin exercise in crime fiction. The central idea of ex-military being brought together by a former commander to right wrongs likely ripped off by TV’s THE A TEAM, down to sharing a character named Murdock, and even the first LEATHAL WEAPON where the movie flipped them to bad guys. THE SPECIALISTS always seems about to cook then the heat is turned off. There is surprisingly little action—I assumed that the central heist the book was leading up to would be a nice action set piece but unfortunately it is rushed through to get to another bit of action that is even more anti-climactic. Finding out in the afterward that this was the first and only book of an aborted series explained the nagging feeling during the book that the whole thing was formulaic. The author admits in the afterword that when the writing of the second book was delayed, he lost interest in following up the series—I know how he feels.

The Turnout

Megan Abbott

4.25

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

James

Percival Everett

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Prisoners of the Castle: An Epic Story of Survival and Escape from Colditz, the Nazis' Fortress Prison

Ben Macintyre

4.5

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

It’s almost like I’ve always been waiting to read this book. The hook was set early….as a kid I watched a lot of Hogan’s Heroes and loved THE GREAT ESCAPE with James Garner & Steve McQueen (just a tidbit, Garner was one of the few people to intimidate the cool McQueen). This compelling account of the Renaissance era Colditz Castle turned WW II era German prison camp satisfies the kid and adult versions of me. PRISONERS OF THE CASTLE follows the lives of those working and imprisoned there. Lots of rousing yarns are to be had yet the seriousness of their situation is never forgotten. The book is very good at balancing the two. The excitement, ingenuity and hutzpah of the escape attempts balance against the mind numbing drudgery of captivity and the lingering threat of dying even hundreds of miles behind the lines. Presenting the tedium of imprisonment without becoming tedious, is quite the achievement.

Gathered at Colditz were captured officers of the allied forces—especially those that had shown a strong desire to escape from other camps. The narrative introduces us to many of them—thoroughly vetting quite a few so that I felt personally acquainted. At times amusing—partly from the insanity but largely from the efforts to remain sane. So many bright and motivated people suddenly rendered immobile created the need for outlets. Harassing guards, putting on randy plays, creating sports that make rugby look tame but most of all making plans to escape all served restless minds. The narrative moves briskly avoiding getting bogged down in backstories—long winded diversions being it’s own kind of imprisonment. As I was reading I looked forward to the end of the war for the benefit of the prisoners but not myself. I wanted to keep reading. And of course, the final days of the war offered their own quite dramatic complications. Compelling all the way through.