Member Profile

Name : Karen C.

My Reviews

 
Book generated excellent discussion

This book generated lots of discussion, with varied opinions about the actions, characters, themes, etc. A perfect book club selection as there is great richness in this material.

 
Tragic/comedy. The elements of humor help with the pain reflected in the novel. Good writing/storytelling

About half our group of 12 liked the book and found it highly amusing. The rest found it hard to read due to the reflection on personal family dynamics. Regardless, it was a well written story about family dynamics.

 
Informative, Insightful, Interesting
The title fully describes the book. Depth and breadth of the dust bowl years are fully described in a well written manner.

More than half of the members of our bookclub rated it "thumbs up." As with most non-fiction books, the discussion focused on the subject matter rather than the author's writing, use of themes, etc. Some found the content repetitive due to the inclusions of first hand writings from people in different areas affected by the drought. Others found that an effective way to describe the breadth of the dust bowl.

My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk
 
Interesting, Informative, Brilliant
Dense book filled with detailed descriptions

This book tells a story of 16th century Istanbul, providing insights into a world new to me. I very much enjoyed the middle third of the book; and slogged through to the end. The amount of detail the author provides can be exhausting. Unfortunately, there are no illustrations in a book all about miniaturists and illuminated books, which would have helped! We had a good discussion of the book. More than half our book club had not finished the book by the time of our meeting.

 
Fun, Optimistic, Insightful
Fun book but it doesn't really lend itself to discussion

This book is a great train or bus read. However, it doesn't lend itself to significant discussion. No one in our group disliked the book; in fact, most liked it. Just not a lot to discuss.

Thirteen Moons: A Novel by Charles Frazier
 
Insightful, Adventurous, Inspiring
Good discussion of a mediocre book

We had a good long discussion of this book - most found the characters and story mediocre, and the writing wonderful.

 
Great story, just not sure it's real

Our discussion focused more on how much of the story was true and where was is possibly exaggerated. We all wanted the story to be real.

Shalimar the Clown: A Novel by Salman Rushdie
 
Lots of worthy discussion elements in book

Rushdie uses magic realism and great writing to tell his story. Our discussion came from the very different perspectives - we each saw the book in many different ways.

 
Book Club Recommended
Insightful, Adventurous, Interesting
Great discussion for a book not appreciated by all

The varying perceptions and opinions of the book resulted in great discussion. We will follow up by watching Blade Runner.

The Painted Kiss: A Novel by Elizabeth Hickey
 
Book Club Recommended
Informative, Insightful
Great discussion on very interesting painter and the times in which he lived

 
Book Club Recommended
Fun, Interesting, Insightful
The Big Over Easy

A book filled with puns and references to nursery rhymes and fairy tales. Not quite to the level of social satire. A fun, humorous read, with good discussion.

Woodsburner: A Novel by John Pipkin
 
Book Club Recommended
Fun, Dramatic, Adventurous
Woodsburner - A Fun Read

The book has great, well written characters that are interesting and funny. Everyone enjoyed the book.

 
Adventurous, Difficult, Slow
Reading this was a slog.

Nothing like the children's version. I found the book a slog to get through -- however, the language, writing style, and religious elements were very much of the time (late 17th century).

 
Book Club Recommended
Informative, Fun, Adventurous
Delightful and different kind of book

The side bar "maps" and drawings really add to the book. The storytelling is wonderful. There are occasional dips into fantasy as he makes his way across the country.

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