Because I liked Gone Girl so much I thought I'd try reading Flynn's other works, too. I finished reading Sharp Objects this morning and have just felt weird ever since I closed the book. I am a bit scared to pick up her other book, Dark Places, just yet.
Sharp Objects is the story of Camille Preaker, a newspaper write, who returns home to Wind Gap, Missouri from Chicago to try to uncover the story behind the recent murders of two little girls. What she uncovers while she digs for the truth is a truth she never even considered.
After both reading Gone Girl and seeing the movie version, I knew that any story by Flynn will be unexpected. Even in this, her first novel, she did not disappoint. However, this story, unlike Gone Girl, scares me. Gone Girl reminded me that there are truly crazy people in the world. Truly crazy. But Sharp Objects, with its subject matter of mother daughter relationships and how these can make or break you, is just plain scary. Because I think this story, unlike Gone Girl, could really happen. All of the girls and women in this book are carefully crafted, but yet could easily be the women and girls who live next door or down the block. Their personalities and behaviors are so bold and brazen, it's hard not to be a little freaked out by them.
I have truly felt a bit off all morning and think I need a good light-hearted books after this one. This one is just plain scary.
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Friday, February 13, 2015
#6: Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Wild is a beautiful story told by Cheryl Strayed. It is her account of her time spent hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. While I could never do what she did in a million years, I was overwhelmed by her sense of direction and need to hike in order to find her way in the world. Her story, while real, reminded me a bit of The Walk series by Richard Paul Evans, as she is yet another soul devastated by real life who finds comfort and healing in walking.
I found a bit of comfort in the story myself, especially in Cheryl's need to have books with her on the trail. Now, she often ripped them apart and burned them, rather than have to carry them along with her (as I now know every ounce in the backpack counts when you are a hiker) and I found that to be a bit bothersome, but it seems as though Cheryl and I have something in common:
They (her books) were the world I could lose myself in when the one I was actually in became too lonely or harsh or difficult to bear. (p.105)
I get it. That's why I started reading as a child. Loneliness. Books were my friends. They continue to be a source of constant comfort for me. I guess that's why you won't find me somewhere without a book in my bag.
There was one other passage in Cheryl's account that got me thinking about my own life. It's actually something her mother once told her:
I never got to be in the driver's seat of my own life. I always did what someone else wanted me to do. I've always been someone's daughter or mother or wife. I've never just been me. (p. 273)
Her mother's words hit home for me, as I realize that I am about be be 43 in the spring and I have never lived alone, never supported myself, and have never made decisions without thinking about how they would impact my family. This begs the question...Am I strong enough to ever live alone? Or does it matter...will I always be defined in terms of other people? I suspect the latter. Living alone terrifies me. I need my family and am quite content being defined by them. I think, honestly, it was the life I was meant to lead.
I'll leave the hiking to Cheryl. :)
Happy reading, everyone!
-Dodie
I found a bit of comfort in the story myself, especially in Cheryl's need to have books with her on the trail. Now, she often ripped them apart and burned them, rather than have to carry them along with her (as I now know every ounce in the backpack counts when you are a hiker) and I found that to be a bit bothersome, but it seems as though Cheryl and I have something in common:
They (her books) were the world I could lose myself in when the one I was actually in became too lonely or harsh or difficult to bear. (p.105)
I get it. That's why I started reading as a child. Loneliness. Books were my friends. They continue to be a source of constant comfort for me. I guess that's why you won't find me somewhere without a book in my bag.
There was one other passage in Cheryl's account that got me thinking about my own life. It's actually something her mother once told her:
I never got to be in the driver's seat of my own life. I always did what someone else wanted me to do. I've always been someone's daughter or mother or wife. I've never just been me. (p. 273)
Her mother's words hit home for me, as I realize that I am about be be 43 in the spring and I have never lived alone, never supported myself, and have never made decisions without thinking about how they would impact my family. This begs the question...Am I strong enough to ever live alone? Or does it matter...will I always be defined in terms of other people? I suspect the latter. Living alone terrifies me. I need my family and am quite content being defined by them. I think, honestly, it was the life I was meant to lead.
I'll leave the hiking to Cheryl. :)
Happy reading, everyone!
-Dodie
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
#5: Still Alice by Lisa Genova
Still Alice is a book that was actually recommended to me by a colleague several years ago. I truthfully thought I was reading it when I read What Alice Forgot (a fabulous book!) and didn't realize my mistake until recently when Still Alice starting getting airtime after the Golden Globes. Still Alice is, in fact, a must-read and I am anxiously awaiting the movie. I can't even imagine how touching this movie will be.
Still Alice is the story of Dr. Alice Howland. She is a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard and she learns not long after her 50th birthday that she has early-onset Alzheimer's Disease. Still Alice is the story of her life and her struggles as she tries to cope with losing her memory, her language, and her life.
This was a very difficult book to read for many reasons, most of which you can imagine just by knowing what the book is about. It was hard to read about a woman, who was once so brilliant and knowledgeable, forgetting her life, her way home, her life's work. It was hard to read about her and her husband making decisions about their lives once she forgot. It was more than hard to read, it was heart-breaking. As a reader, what was the hardest for me was the ending of the book because it provided me with no closure. I am sure that the author did this intentionally, but I want to know what happened to Alice--Did she die? Did she live for years? Did she forget her children and her husband? Did she have to live in an assisted-living facility? I guess I just have to have faith that her family took care of her as she required and that her life was as good as it could be under the circumstances. I am also now very curious to know if the movie will end in the same manner as the book, or if the director take a bit of artistic license and change things up. I guess I will have to wait and see.
This is a beautiful book. A truly touching story.
Happy reading, everyone!
-Dodie
Still Alice is the story of Dr. Alice Howland. She is a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard and she learns not long after her 50th birthday that she has early-onset Alzheimer's Disease. Still Alice is the story of her life and her struggles as she tries to cope with losing her memory, her language, and her life.
This was a very difficult book to read for many reasons, most of which you can imagine just by knowing what the book is about. It was hard to read about a woman, who was once so brilliant and knowledgeable, forgetting her life, her way home, her life's work. It was hard to read about her and her husband making decisions about their lives once she forgot. It was more than hard to read, it was heart-breaking. As a reader, what was the hardest for me was the ending of the book because it provided me with no closure. I am sure that the author did this intentionally, but I want to know what happened to Alice--Did she die? Did she live for years? Did she forget her children and her husband? Did she have to live in an assisted-living facility? I guess I just have to have faith that her family took care of her as she required and that her life was as good as it could be under the circumstances. I am also now very curious to know if the movie will end in the same manner as the book, or if the director take a bit of artistic license and change things up. I guess I will have to wait and see.
This is a beautiful book. A truly touching story.
Happy reading, everyone!
-Dodie
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