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postmodern willyBorn and raised on a small llama farm, pw brings to Booklyn traditional values, old-world craftsmanship, and manure crusted boots.
A Curious Earth| author: | Gerard Woodward |
| discussion date: | 2008-06-16 |
| picked by: | chiclet |
postmodern willy posted on: 2008-06-21Such a great first chapter, but drifts from there. Disappointing.
March| author: | Geraldine Brooks |
| discussion date: | 2008-05-19 |
| picked by: | bizzyb |
postmodern willy posted on: 2008-06-13It was nice. I liked it.
Jennifer Government postmodern willy posted on: 2008-05-19Disappointing. Started out really interesting as the author presented a world overrun by free-market capitalism but turned into a tedious attempt at an action-packed thriller, written for the big screen.
A Man Walks Into A Room| author: | Nicole Krauss |
| discussion date: | 2008-03-19 |
| picked by: | luv2cry |
postmodern willy posted on: 2008-03-28I give this one the cop-out so-so rating. I give credit to the author for starting with the"man-wakes-up-with-amnesia" scenario and taking it in a new direction. But unfortunately, an interesting premise about the nature of human-ness is derailed by an unsure execution.
Utterly Monkey| author: | Nick Laird |
| discussion date: | 2008-02-21 |
| picked by: | chiclet |
postmodern willy posted on: 2008-02-25Utterly boring. And not so well written either.
Adverbs: A Novel| author: | David Handler |
| discussion date: | 2008-01-16 |
| picked by: | bizzyb |
postmodern willy posted on: 2008-01-27I didn't get it. It was probably brilliant, but I wasn't bright enough to understand the author's technique.
A Spot of Bother postmodern willy posted on: 2007-12-28While each character offers plenty of reasons to be dis-interested in their plight, the author succeeds at rendering their empathy-invoking humanity as they each struggle through life's challenges, all rendered with comic hilarity.
Slow Man| author: | J. M. Coetzee |
| discussion date: | 2007-11-14 |
| picked by: | luv2cry |
postmodern willy posted on: 2007-12-28I've never seen a novel crash and burn so fast. It started out just fine, but then was quickly derailed by the appearance of a unexplained spirit/person.
The Kite Runner| author: | Khaled Hosseini |
| discussion date: | 2007-10-17 |
| picked by: | chiclet |
postmodern willy posted on: 2007-11-13Nice way to get away with a non-review, Chiclet. Notice how she said nothing about the book? That's because she was taught that if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. 'Nough said.
Small Island| author: | Andrea Levy |
| discussion date: | 2007-09-19 |
| picked by: | bizzyb |
postmodern willy posted on: 2007-09-23You'll see some other reviews here praising this novel. They're lying. It sucks.
The Emporer's Children postmodern willy posted on: 2007-08-28Messud is master at the craft of novel construction. This highly intelligent story is so cleverly layered in meaning that it merits multiple reads. Of course, I picked it, so you know it's a winner.
Elements of Style| author: | Wendy Wasserstein |
| discussion date: | 2007-07-25 |
| picked by: | luv2cry |
postmodern willy posted on: 2007-08-28An undemanding, sufficiently entertaining summer read.
Suite Française| author: | Irene Nemirovsky |
| discussion date: | 2007-06-20 |
| picked by: | chiclet |
postmodern willy posted on: 2007-06-22This was so not the novel I though it would be- and thankfully so. The first movement is hilarious and the second is poignant. The circumstances surrounding the creation of this novel make the tale all the more compelling.
Please Don't Come Back from the Moon| author: | Dean Bakopoulos |
| discussion date: | 2007-05-23 |
| picked by: | bizzyb |
postmodern willy posted on: 2007-05-24Now I understand magical realism. Rapp effectively uses the technique to render a landscape voided by all the local fathers. The novel is a scathing indictment of toady's missing family men, whether physically or emotionally, and also a call to action for fathers, as we watch the protagonist struggle against the forces that would morph him into his own absent dad. Yet the novel does not reek of this moralist tone. Rather, it is craftily presented as a constant undertone of the very readable tale.
The Year of Endless Sorrows: A Novel postmodern willy posted on: 2007-04-26This work is Adam Rapp’s first adult novel, having written several young adult books in addition to his numerous plays and it seems that he must have felt liberated to be crafting a story for an older audience as he served up shocking, disturbing, and ultimately revolting heaping helpings of prose. The novel seems a construction of vignettes collected by Rapp over time, some comical and some tragic, and strung together in an unsuccessful attempt to create a narrative, but it leaves the reader wondering which emerging story line to get invested in. Most don’t pan out and we’re left hanging. At least this format did lend itself to my short subway commute as I was able to complete several chapters at a time on my 3-stop ride.
Two stinkers in a row picked by postmodern willy.
Veronica| author: | Mary Gaitskill |
| discussion date: | 2007-03-28 |
| picked by: | luv2cry |
postmodern willy posted on: 2007-04-23Mary Gaitskill depicts New York City of the 80s in all of its cocaine-filled, AIDS consumed, shoulder pad-strutting glory. While I give the author credit for her skills at rendering a setting that assuredly unsettles, the novel ultimately fails to serve up any motivation to this reader to turn the page and continue reading. I admit, I even had to ask my Booklyn peers if we could postpone our meeting for a week. Despite a concerted effort to tackle the pages daily, I, like this tale, seemed to go nowhere.
The History of Love| author: | Nicole Krauss |
| discussion date: | 2007-02-21 |
| picked by: | chiclet |
postmodern willy posted on: 2007-03-26As soon as I finished this one, I was compelled to go back to the beginning and read it again to make sense of what I did not fully grasp. When something like this happens, it's always good fodder for a debate about whether the fault lies with the author or the reader. I usually blame the author because, well, because I'm blameless. But in this instance, the author delivered and only by a second, more contextualized reading, was I able to grasp more plentifully the rich narrative morsels woven into this moving tale.
Housekeeping: A Novel| author: | Marilynne Robinson |
| discussion date: | 2007-01-17 |
| picked by: | bizzyb |
postmodern willy posted on: 2007-02-10hated it.
Wickett's Remedy: A Novel postmodern willy posted on: 2007-01-16I picked this book because I loved Bee Season so much, but it disappointed. The best I can say is that it made me aware of a traumatic period in American, and world history, that's largely missing from our collective consciousness.
Liars and Saints: A Novel| author: | Maile Meloy |
| discussion date: | 2006-11-15 |
| picked by: | luv2cry |
postmodern willy posted on: 2006-11-16Contrary to the unfounded assumptions by my Booklyn colleagues that I would hate this book, I actually really enjoyed it. The author successfully shifts the view point of the narration from chapter to chapter as we follow the path of four generations of family secrets. The family is loveable because of their humanism manifested in their many charater flaws, though the moral presented in a little unsettling: The family that lies (lays?) together, stays together.
The Sea| author: | John Banville |
| discussion date: | 2006-10-18 |
| picked by: | chiclet |
postmodern willy posted on: 2006-10-192 stinkers in a row. I actually have a little more respect for this book after discussing it with my Booklyn mates, but man it was boring. It was one of those books where halfway through a page you realize you've been thinking about whether or not you've made that dentist appointment yet or you've been formulating your plans for the weekend and you can't recall anything you've read in the last few pages. [Spoiler ahead] Sorry, Mr. Banville, but I was kind of disappointed that Max didn't end it all in the sea too. It would have been a bit of relief for him...and me.
The Confessions of Max Tivoli| author: | Andrew Sean Greer |
| discussion date: | 2006-09-20 |
| picked by: | bizzyb |
postmodern willy posted on: 2006-10-15This book sucked. How ever did it become a best seller?
Saturday postmodern willy posted on: 2006-09-02McEwan again assert his status as the premier master of contemporary fiction.
Prep: A Novel| author: | Curtis Sittenfeld |
| discussion date: | 2006-07-19 |
| picked by: | luv2cry |
postmodern willy posted on: 2006-08-04This novel doesn't offer much. Also, when a freshman work of fiction borrows so heavily from the author's autobiography (despite the author's denials), I think that the prospects for a sophomore creation, let alone a junior or senior effort, are dim.
Middlesex: A Novel| author: | Jeffrey Eugenides |
| discussion date: | 2006-06-21 |
| picked by: | chiclet |
postmodern willy posted on: 2006-07-17Simply phenomenal
Never Let Me Go| author: | Kazuo Ishiguro |
| discussion date: | 2006-05-17 |
| picked by: | bizzyb |
postmodern willy posted on: 2006-05-18I didn’t dig this book. I mean, the premise was pretty interesting (and creepy), and the way the author let this underlying horror just kind of sit in the background of the story is an interesting treatment, but what he chose to focus the story on just isn’t that engaging. Essentially, we are left with a narrative about a trio of boarding school friends; two girls with conflicting motives and a boy who’s clueless of it all. The hyper details included in the narrators childhood reminiscing, comprised of descriptions of fluctuating emotions and even moment-by-moment facial expressions, just rings false and unbelievable. It’s contrived, not memory. In summary, this is an uninteresting story with an annoying narrative structure sitting on top of an intriguing premise.
The Normals : A Novel postmodern willy posted on: 2006-04-21At first glance, Billy Schine seems to be just another Ivy-league schooled 20-something slacker dropping pop-culture references to be hip and high-brow literary allusions for wit. But we learn that he is much more. He's a drifting wounded soul with really a sad tale. To the author's credit, this story is cloaked in a laugh-out-loud narration that hides the drama beneath. Seeing the world through Billy's eyes leaves the reader with images and thoughts that will stay after the novel is over. I really enjoyed this book.
A Million Little Pieces| author: | James Frey |
| discussion date: | 2006-03-15 |
| picked by: | luv2cry |
postmodern willy posted on: 2006-04-17OK, so I'm crapping out and going with the non-committal "so-so" review. I approached the book as a work of fiction, which certainly informs my critique, but I'm not sure how else to approach it. From that perspective, the tale plunges into the action and grips the reader from the opening lines. The narrative is quick and the details are gruesome, and all-in-all, if someone were telling you this story at a party, you'd be captivated. But as a literary work, well, it's not very literary. The characters are caricatures with the exception of the narrator, whom the author does succeed in making a sympathetic character who I found myself rooting for as he struggled to heal himself his own way. But there's not much substance and I'm kind of left feeling like the story is all simple action and not much depth.
Play It As It Lays: A Novel| author: | Joan Didion |
| discussion date: | 2006-02-15 |
| picked by: | chiclet |
postmodern willy posted on: 2006-02-17Man, the writing in this novel is sparse. Which is not at all to say that it is empty. Somehow, Diddion succeeds in rendering a startlingly clear picture of a past-her-prime model and actress drifting through her ennui-filled existence, using a minimalist narrative. There's a lot going on between the lines of this story, set in the bareness of Hollywood and the Nevada desert.
Snow| author: | Orhan Pamuk |
| discussion date: | 2006-01-18 |
| picked by: | bizzyb |
postmodern willy posted on: 2006-02-04This was a tough one. As a reader, I felt really dumb, like I just wasn't getting it. All of the reviews I read said that this work was highly relevant to our times. I guess that's becuase the novel's action comes a conflict between religious secularlists and fundamentalists, but that storyline came across as farce to me. The author's intent didn't seem to be an exploration of that conflict in modern day Turkey. Instead, the main theme seems to be about the quest for hapiness and the fleeting nature of any happiness acheived, which is fertile ground for writing. But the author fails to execute any substantive exploration of that issue as he forces the reader to muddle through bizzare scenarios, converations with ridiculous characters, and endless revisting of the symbolism of snow.
Little Children postmodern willy posted on: 2006-02-13This novel strikingly captures the struggle of transitioning from childhood to adulthood. While we usually see this conflict played out though teenage characters, Perrotta's vehicle is a neighborhood of parents in their twenties and thirties who barely keep their own lives afloat while trying to raise the next brood. And it's a scary place, with marriages wilting, careers sputtering, and a bag of dog shit burning on the porch, all while the local child perv lurks. But despite, their flaws, or maybe because of them, the author succeeds in infusing each of the characters with a humanistic quality that triggers sympathy in the reader. We see them as still children, doing life's hard, hard work of growing up. postmodern willy posted on: 2005-12-22Our local transit workers decided to stop working...but they still want their jobs. I can't figure it out. Anyway, the kids at Booklyn couldn't get together this month, so our discussion of Little Children is postponed till january '06.
The City of Your Final Destination| author: | Peter Cameron |
| discussion date: | 2005-11-16 |
| picked by: | luv2cry |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-11-17Eventhough I'm the only male reviewer here at Booklyn, I'm not ashamed to speak up and declare this novel to be a touchingly sincere romantic tale. But it is also more than that as the author wonderfully paints the portraits of a cast of characters, each struggling to find the cities of their own final destination, both internally and externally.
The Laments : A Novel| author: | George Hagen |
| discussion date: | 2005-10-17 |
| picked by: | chiclet |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-10-20This work displays all the trappings of a freshman effort and seems to be the result of a "how to write a novel" seminar. Take an autobiographical episode and use it as the seed for your novel. Pick some symbol or imagery and make sprinkle references to it throughout the pages to suggest some important meaning. Create a sense of drama by quickly shifting between scenes at the stories "climax". Oh yeah...throw in an ineffectual father as a catalyst for all the failures of the family.
Bandbox| author: | Thomas Mallon |
| discussion date: | 2005-09-23 |
| picked by: | bizzyb |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-09-24I guess not every novel needs to enrich the reader. Sometimes it can just be entertaining. In Bandbox, both the plot and the characters (more than you’re bound to be able to keep track of without taking notes) are rendered with a cartoonish aesthetic. Once I released myself from the need to extract nourishment from the text, I was able to enjoy it for the desert that it was. Mallon depicts the bouncing metropolis of the Roaring 20's in the months before the market crash with such liveliness that one almost longs to go back in time and dive into the fashionable scene, even knowing the desperate times that lie ahead.
Atonement postmodern willy posted on: 2005-08-25This novel is divided into four parts of unequal length- the first commanding a third of the book. In that opening section, McEwan proves to be a master of the written word. It is absolutely among the best writing a reader could ever hope to encounter. The later sections require the reader to work harder, but they are by no means impenetrable.
Throughout the novel, McEwan deploys an arsenal of brilliant tactics or gimmicky tricks- I'm still trying to decide which. But nonetheless, many elements of this finely crafted work will delight and haunt me for many years to come.
The Girl Who Played Go : A Novel| author: | Shan Sa |
| discussion date: | 2005-07-30 |
| picked by: | chiclet |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-08-22I'm always suspicious of books that have been translated, as I'm never sure if the vocabulary and cadence reflect the author's original creation. But putting those distracting questions aside, I found this novel to be well crafted though the characters were slightly caricatured in their development. The quiet pacing makes the jarring climax all the more shocking.
The Intuitionist| author: | Colson Whitehead |
| discussion date: | 2005-06-08 |
| picked by: | bizzyb |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-06-20I didn't get it. I don't think I read it carefully enough and my attempts to deconstruct the allegory of race and racism presented by the author were undermined by the setting of the novel. Though the author clearly anchors the story in midcentury, he alludes to a coming "second elevation" in vertical transportation; a milestone which we've certainly reached. But when trying to apply the notion of this second elevation to race or racial conciousness, it fell flat. So I'm not sure what the author was trying to say. If the novel took place in some inderminate time in the not-to-distant future (say the next 100 years), it would have made more sense to me.
Disgrace postmodern willy posted on: 2005-05-12I can't help but think that there is more to this novel than I am able to extract. From what I could penetrate, it is a masterly told tale of self-transformation that echoes the larger transformation that South Africa is struggling through in the 90's. The sense that the author has woven in complexities beneath the surface of the story doesn't really distract from the storytelling, but man, it sure makes me wish I had gained a wider breadth of knowledge in college. (Too much time spent in marching band practice I guess.)
Aloft| author: | Chang-rae Lee |
| discussion date: | 2005-04-20 |
| picked by: | chiclet |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-04-21The voice of this novel waxes poetic on the suburban American landscape fought over by the forces of life and death. His observations and thoughts are delivered in a floating language full of imagery and wit. In that, this is a marvelously written work. But I had a difficult time reconciling that voice with the character it comes from; a salt-of-the-earth self-described 'Guido'. There is little indication of the origins of this very literary mind. Anyway, about halfway through the novel, I got a little bored reading about this almost-sixty-year-old drifting through the trials of life with resolute detachment.
Bel Canto| author: | Ann Patchett |
| discussion date: | 2005-03-16 |
| picked by: | bizzyb |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-03-17I was hooked on this book from the opening pages as the author throws the reader directly into the drama. Patchett does a thoroughly convincing job of portraying the metamorphasis of place and character as the story unfolds. I'm no romantic, but this novel moved me like a beautiful song.
Hottentot Venus: A Novel| author: | Barbara Chase-Riboud |
| discussion date: | 2005-02-16 |
| picked by: | postmodern willy |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-02-18What a disappointment. I was looking forward to reading this one, because the heroine, the "Hottentot Venus" is such an intriguing historical figure. Unfortunately, the author does a disservice to Ssehura's story. Written in the mode of historical fiction, the author fails to give any literary credence to the protagonist, let alone the cast of supporting characters. It comes across more as dramatized non-fiction. It is obvious to the reader Chase-Riboud collected a significant amount of research to create this novel, but the facts alone would have been compelling enough to form the basis of a moving non-fiction work. The ridiculousness of the author's one-dimensional character development, the inconsistent application of narrative conventions, and the force-fitting of historical snippets undermine what should have been a monumental work.
What Was She Thinking? : Notes on a Scandal: A Novel| author: | Zoe Heller |
| discussion date: | 2004-12-13 |
| picked by: | chiclet |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-01-17I just couldn't find anyone in this novel to sympathize with. Well, there is the one kid with Down's Syndrome, but we don't see him much. For a novel with a sex scandal as the plot basis, there aren't even any sensuous passages. Geez.
Motherless Brooklyn| author: | Jonathan Lethem |
| discussion date: | 2004-11-17 |
| picked by: | bizzyb |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-01-16A fine literary experience disguised in the plot of a murder mystery. And it gives mad props to my hood. Word.
The Namesake postmodern willy posted on: 2005-01-17This novel surprised me. The story was not at all the one I was expecting to read. I was expecting another exposition on the struggles of first and second generation immigrants. And while all of the resultant conflicts are present in the narrative, they are merely subtext to the larger theme of identity. Man, I hope I picked the right names for my kids.
Brick Lane : A Novel| author: | Monica Ali |
| discussion date: | 2004-09-15 |
| picked by: | chiclet |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-01-12Please, oh please let me read a novel where the father is actually a positive role model. When lord, when? In more ways than one, this novel offers nothing new. What do you call a novel that isn’t novel?
Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls| author: | Matt Ruff |
| discussion date: | 2004-08-18 |
| picked by: | bizzyb |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-01-17What starts as an extremely intriguing journey into the mind of a troubled soul ends with a methodical trudge toward an unremarkable conclusion.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time postmodern willy posted on: 2005-01-17Well, it's been on the New York Times bestseller list for, like, forever, so it must be good, right? It actually is. Haddon successfully gives the role of narrator to an autistic adolescent. Usually, I can't stand to read anything told from the view point of a teenager. I mean, what meaningful thing could they possibly have to say? But the author rises to the challenge and when the world is filtered through the mis-wired brain, the reader sees who is really in need of medication.
Oryx and Crake| author: | Margaret Atwood |
| discussion date: | 2004-06-16 |
| picked by: | chiclet |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-01-17Be afraid. Be very afraid. Atwood paints a portrait of a world on the verge of the Apocalypse in the not-too-distant future. The premise is so terrifying because the author takes contemporary trends and only needs to push them a little to reach her soul-chilling conclusions.
My Year of Meats postmodern willy posted on: 2005-01-16An inventive story with an unnerving premise, Ozeki takes the reader on a back-roads tour of America's proud carnivores.
Carter Beats the Devil| author: | Glen David Gold |
| discussion date: | 2004-04-21 |
| picked by: | bizzyb |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-01-12This book really grabbed me with its opening section. Then it got cartoonish, silly, and just bizarre. Unfortunately, Carter does beat the devil, gets the girls, and lives happily ever after.
Five Quarters of the Orange| author: | Joanne Harris |
| discussion date: | 2004-03-17 |
| picked by: | chiclet |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-01-12Wow. I wish there were six quarters of this orange.
The Book of Saltpostmodern willy posted on: 2005-02-07As penance for dissing my wife by pointing out that she recommended The Three Junes, I must give her a shoutout for recommending this salty pearl of a novel. Thanks babe. postmodern willy posted on: 2005-01-17Truong writes a quite masterpiece, telling the story of the Gertrude Stein's Vietnamese cook in Paris. Aside from a confusing encounter with Ho Chi Min, this novel is flawless in form and execution. It melted in my mouth.
The Razor's Edge| author: | W. Somerset Maugham |
| discussion date: | 2004-01-21 |
| picked by: | bizzyb |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-01-17With all due respect to bizzyb:
Clearly a book to be read at a certain point in your life. But it's been a while since I was nineteen and knew the right way to live a real, meaningful life (and wasn't afraid to let everyone else know it).
Dreamland| author: | Kevin Baker |
| discussion date: | 2003-12-17 |
| picked by: | chiclet |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-01-17Makes me wish I was alive to experience the glory days of Coney Island. Well, as long as I didn’t vote against Tammany Hall, have to labor at the Triangle factory, or be a midget mayor of Midgetville.
Bee Season: A Novel postmodern willy posted on: 2007-01-16The image of a stable suburban utopia crumbles as the kaleidoscope twists. There's just one word to describe this novel: Perfectamundo. P-E-R-F-E-C-T-A-M-U-N-D-O. Perfectamundo.
Norwegian Wood| author: | Haruki Murakami |
| discussion date: | 2003-10-22 |
| picked by: | bizzyb |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-01-18Ummm...I can only remember bits and piece of this one. But I think I liked it. It's got a groovy beat that you can dance to.
You Shall Know Our Velocity| author: | Dave Eggers |
| discussion date: | 2003-09-17 |
| picked by: | chiclet |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-01-17If I hear one more person call Eggers the voice of Generation X, I'm going to jump in front of a 
.
Tomcat in Love| author: | Tim O'Brien |
| discussion date: | 2003-08-20 |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-01-17I don't even remember reading this book. Well, there is one scene I remember and it was pretty hilarious, but I guess that's not much to base a review on. So based on the fact that I hardly even remember reading this book, I give it a thumbs down.
Three Junes postmodern willy posted on: 2005-01-17This was my pick, because my wife said it'd be great for Booklyn. I love you dear, but never again. The seed for Ms. Glass's novel began as a short story. In the novel, it is laid out as the first panel of a triptych. It is a wonderfully constructed panel. Unfortunately, the work falls apart after that. The later sections have the tact-on feeling of a "what happened next?" grade school assignment.
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America| author: | Barbara Ehrenreich |
| discussion date: | 2003-06-18 |
| picked by: | bizzyb |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-01-16The big epiphany of Ehrenreich investigative reporting: If you make minimum wage, your life sucks. No shit! Capitalism needs an underclass to survive. Stay in school, kids.
Life of Pi| author: | Yann Martel |
| discussion date: | 2003-05-21 |
| picked by: | chiclet |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-01-12This book promised to make me believe in god. It failed. At least I’ll know what to do when trapped in confined quarters with a tiger. If only Ray Horn had read this story.
The Human Stain postmodern willy posted on: 2005-01-17At one point in this novel, the protagonist overhears three professors ranting on the sanctimonious rhetoric surrounding the Monica Lewinski "scandal". It's a gem of a scene. Unfortunately, the rest of the novel isn't as witty or sharp. The underlying conflict of self-identity versus imposed-identity is worth exploring, but the main character is so unsympathetic that his issues get reduced to whiney diatribes.
Mrs. Dalloway| author: | Virginia Woolf |
| discussion date: | 2003-03-19 |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-01-17This book reminds me that the label of "art" does not imply any qualitative measure, and that while some art strives to push the boundaries of what passes for a recognizable manifestation of that creative process, that does not imply that that art is somehow "better". Avant-garde does not unequivocally equate with genius. Some experimentation should be kept to the lab. Why do some artists feel the need to share all of their explorations?
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay| author: | Michael Chabon |
| discussion date: | 2003-02-19 |
| picked by: | bizzyb |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-01-16A sweeping epic that propels the reader from cover to cover.
The Crazed| author: | Ha Jin |
| discussion date: | 2003-01-22 |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-01-17I was weary of reading this one, because I had recently read "Waiting" and couldn't wait for it to be over. But "The Crazed" was such a satisfying experience. The writing is so quiet, yet heart wrenching.
Note: The cover art for this addition expertly and eerily captures the mode and nuance of the narrative.
Love in the Time of Cholera| author: | Gabriel Garcia Marquez |
| discussion date: | 2002-12-18 |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-01-17So the premise of this plot is that a teenage boy falls madly in love with a prepubescent girl after catching a glimpse of her lounging in the yard, then spends the rest of his life stalking her. Unfortunately, the cholera epidemic passes him by. The ending was very satisfying though, because I didn't have to read another word.
The Cheese Monkeys: A Novel in Two Semesters| author: | Chip Kidd |
| discussion date: | 2002-11-13 |
| picked by: | chiclet |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-01-16The cover art is playful, the insides are a bore.
The Quick and the Dead postmodern willy posted on: 2005-01-17As the second Booklyn pick, my choice almost propelled the club to a violent, early death. But alas, we overcame this tough read. After one time through, I found myself struggling to formulate a reaction other than "w.t.f?". So I decided to read it again. The next time through, I approached it as farce and found myself often laughing out loud. Williams tackles heavy themes with off the wall characters and situations.
Empire Falls| author: | Richard Russo |
| discussion date: | 2002-09-18 |
| picked by: | bizzyb |
postmodern willy posted on: 2005-01-12Nothing like a good shoot-em-up scene to wake up an innocuous story.