I’m back in a writing class that doubles as an intense book club. A few reviews of recent reads:
Queen of America: This is the follow-up novel to Hummingbird’s Daughter, written by Luis Alberto Urrea. HD is one of my favorite books in the last few years. Poetic writing about the desert southwest and Mexico grabs me every time. Queen is a great continuation of the story, but doesn’t quite grab the magic of the first book. All the same, if you love fiction set along the Arizona-Mexico border, or have a love of all things quirky Mexican (Nacho Libre, for example) — you’ll dig this. Read both. Three out of five bananas.
The White Tiger: I read this book on a flight across the country in a matter of hours. That isn’t to brag about my ability to read quickly, but at how funny and entertaining the book is. Aravind Adiga writes the story of a young chauffer living in India. The writing is sharp, funny and at times cruel. I really enjoyed this story and am looking forward to discussing it at the next book club. Four out of five bananas.
The Talented Mr. Ripley: this is the first of four books we are reading for the Lighthouse class, “Housewives and Evil Do-ers.” I liked the movie considerably more and found Tom Ripley as a character to be unbelievable. There was simply too much coincidence that went in his favor to make this story relevant today. The conversation we had last night about the book, however, was excellent. Have I mentioned how much I love Lighthouse? Too bad Mr. Ripley isn’t as entertaining. Two out of five bananas.
On deck:
The Paris Wife — for fun
and, Mrs. Bridge for the next class.
What have you read lately that rocked?
-K