Member: framboise

Hey - just finished Her Fearful Symmetry. What was your question? I thought it was a pretty good book and it'd be cool to discuss it.

posted by chamberk at 1:36 pm (EST) on Oct 10, 2009

Hi, framboise, thanks for telling me about Atwoodians, their HT discussion was excellent! And maybe I can join in on Oryx and Crake, if I get to it in time. I should have thought to check for an Atwood group!
I agree with you, one of my favorite things about HT was how Atwood gradually unfolds the story and the world in which it is set. I also found Atwood remarkably skillful in the way she takes us through Offred's range of feelings, perceptions, and experiences. I can relate to how Offred feels and appreciate the subtleties of her psychological portrait at the same time.
From the author: "It is an imagined account of what happens when not uncommon pronouncements about women are taken to their logical conclusions." This makes me wonder how many other beliefs and views do we come in contact with every day which if they were carried out to their extreme would also create a crazy world a la HT.

posted by karspeak at 4:04 pm (EST) on Sep 8, 2008

Hey, framboise, yes, I finished HT and thought it was great the whole way through. I think I will read Oryx and Crake next, since I tend to like dystopic novels. Glad you are enjoying it, too! Let's definitely share thoughts on it when you finish--there are so many aspects of the book we could discuss!! BTW, have you ever read Five Quarters of the Orange? One of the characters is named Framboise...

posted by karspeak at 8:51 pm (EST) on Sep 2, 2008

Hey, framboise, I am halfway through Handmaid's Tale and loving it! I posted about it on the Atwood 50 books thread...--karspeak

posted by karspeak at 9:08 pm (EST) on Aug 28, 2008

Hello
I liked Troll: A Love Story. Each very short chapter is written in the voices of the various characters in the novel. Not all have good intentions. Interspersed in the plot are fictitious excerpts of troll tales and pseudo reports of troll siting. The story does have a science fiction twist at the end that I wasn't completely prepared for but it did resolve the key plot line. Another major theme is the sexual desires of the main characters. (almost all gay although I don't know about the troll ) It makes for an interesting, sometimes creepy but ultimately fascinating read. Everybody except for the main character has an ulterior motive!
Those are my thoughts- I heard about the book here on LT last year so i put it on my list to read!

posted by torontoc at 3:54 pm (EST) on Aug 18, 2008

I just got word that I will receive an early reviewers book, The Queen of Sleepy Eye. Yesterday I picked up three books at the library. I finished the first one, Alice Hoffman's The Third Angel. It was an express read. I am reading The Mammy by Brendan O'Carroll and David Sedaris' Naked. I finished another Scottish mystery--Fifty Book Challenge, watch out!

posted by jjenn1960 at 11:26 am (EST) on Jul 4, 2008

Connie Willis is an author who writes time travel books. Over the years, I have read several of her books, the most memorable being "The Doomsday Book."

posted by jjenn1960 at 4:08 pm (EST) on Jun 24, 2008

Hi

I am not sure who the surviving twin was - my bets are on adelaide - only because she was far away from the library where the other body was found.

posted by keren7 at 11:13 am (EST) on May 28, 2008

Hello there!! We are Atsugi Naval Air Station, which is fairly close to Tokyo. About two hours or six-depending on traffic.
Love it here, but should be leaving here later this year or early next. Can't wait to go to Target!!

posted by homeschoolmom at 4:04 am (EST) on May 27, 2008

When do they post the new listings for Early Reviews?

posted by jjenn1960 at 2:36 pm (EST) on May 24, 2008

There's no strict time limit - but I'd encourage you to put the book at the top of your pile when it comes in the mail. You have a month or two leeway before a *lack* of a review starts counting against you for future batches.

Best,
Abby

posted by ablachly at 8:27 pm (EST) on May 22, 2008

The Eyre Affair is really more an alternate universe type book. The Crimean War is still going on. The heroine actually enters books such as Wuthering Heights, Great Expectations, etc. I really enjoyed them. I haven't read the last one in the series. I'll be down in the area of Barnes and Noble on Wednesday, so maybe I'll take a look.

What is the fifty book challenge?

posted by jjenn1960 at 8:13 pm (EST) on May 22, 2008

I have started my library. It looks rather nice, I think--much better than the stacks of books in my closet.

JMJ

posted by jjenn1960 at 7:53 am (EST) on May 22, 2008

Read your message about reading "Nim Chimpsky: The Chimp Who Would Be Human" and I had to run over to BookMooch and put it on my wishlist. :-D

posted by thekoolaidmom at 7:34 pm (EST) on May 18, 2008

I LOVED Go Ask Alice in junior high! actually i might have read that one freshman year of highschool. haha. Have you read any of the wrestling books?! hahaaa

posted by taraxedge at 6:51 am (EST) on Apr 30, 2008

Thanks for your comment on the 50 Book Challenge. I'm trying to keep my thread there relatively spoiler-free, so I thought I'd answer here. I was referring in my post about The Thirteenth Tale to the revelation that Vida Winter is actually a third March sister rather than one of the twins. I thought it was a nice resolution to the mysteries of Angelfield and worked within the framework Setterfield had outlined, but it seemed sort of just to sit there. Given the number of references to Jane Eyre in The Thirteenth Tale, it's very hard for me not to draw parallels between the two books. And it seems like in Jane Eyre the revelation that explains everything also has major implications for the characters and the remaining events of the story. The revelation in The Thirteenth Tale seemed like all it did was explain everything. Which is not to say that I disliked the book. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit.

posted by lycomayflower at 12:13 am (EST) on Mar 23, 2008

I saw your messages on the 50 Book Challenge. Loved 'The Thirteenth Tale'. What an awesome story, kept me on my toes the whole book. I loved the fact the I guessed the end, but was wrong.

posted by homeschoolmom at 1:22 am (EST) on Mar 5, 2007