Intermezzo by Rooney
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@nick I didnāt hate them but Rowling lost my trust, for want of a better word, with the later books. I will gladly buy into pretty much any world an author builds, so long as the plot makes sense within that world.
I enjoyed reading all the Harry Potter books with our children, but my personal interest waned in book 3 when pre-teen Hermione is given a time turner allowing our young heroes to not just observe the recent past but to change it; but meanwhile it doesnāt occur to the Ministry of Magic to do the same. That was the first of a number of plot contrivances that I found difficult to overlook.
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The Women by Kristen Hannah. Didnāt hate it, but did NOT like it ! After reading Nightengale and the Great Alone, I was very disappointed in The Women, finding it trite and not meeting my expectations.
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I agree, @Davina_Morgan-Witts. I really enjoyed the first two books, but not only did they start dropping the ball on things like the time turner, as you mention, but I thought the plots got excessively complicated and dark.
That is mine, too! Loved A.J. Fickry but not Tomorrow. . .
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I agree. With so few books written about the nurses who served in Vietnam, I was expecting so much more. I feel the authorās first flaw was in creating the main character as a privileged young woman seeking an adventure rather than portraying her as a woman who received her nursing degree with an Army ROTC scholarship. The 60s were a time of transition for nursing; many hospital 3-year programs where the graduates received a RN degree were folding in favor of 4-year BS in nursing degrees at colleges. Obviously, the 4- year program was far more expensive, so the nursing students were seeking alternative ways to pay for their education. The Army ROTC program served that purpose.
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How about The Covenant of Water?
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I havenāt read The Covenant of Water. It is on my list.
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Lots of people like it. Long at 791 pages and some unloveable characters.
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Iām truly amazed at what a polarizing book The Women is! I havenāt read it, but now Iām going to have to move it up on my list just to see where I land! I love having discussions like this, where we can respectfully disagree about a book.
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I did start the Covenant of Water and got fairly far into it. However, I found it to be too bleak for me. Was having a difficult time picking it up to read more, so I didnāt finish it.
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I agree with you 100%. Would not have finished it myself if my book club wasnāt reading it. I donāt recommend it. I just finished Remarkably Bright Creatures and enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.
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I couldnāt get interested in Where The Crawdads Sing. Stopped reading it so perhaps I would have liked it if I had continued.
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I approached reading The Covenant of Water with apprehension, having heard so many opinions and itās length. I am grateful I took the plunge and read all 715 pages. Author, Abraham Verghese is a brilliant writer and his ability to share deep emotion within a complicated epic story is remarkable.
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I have never read Lolita but read books almost exclusively by ear so thank you for the mention of Jeremy Irons as narrator for this title. I will definitely put it on my reading list for 2025.
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I absolutely fell in love with Verghesās Cutting for Stone, but could not get interested in CovWater, even after two tries. I think I may have brought an expectation to the title based on how I felt about Cutting for Stone. I keep thinking Iāll go back and try it again, but honestly donāt think I will.
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I agree totally about Hello Beautiful. My book club picked it and everyone liked it but me. Iād rather sit and watch a TV soap opera.
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I agree with the article! The Women was totally underwhelming. I set it aside.
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I totally agree! The last part was like a soap opera.
Shamefully so, The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison - I attempted to read it more than once and could not finish it. What kind of reader does that make me?
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