Tag Archive for: 1.5 Stars

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The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits

The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest HitsTitle: The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits
Author: Jennifer Weiner
Genre: Contemporary
Format: Audio
Pages: 377
Length: 15h 32m
Narrator: Dakota Fanning
Reason Read: Book of the Month
Rating:

My Thoughts

The longer THE GRIFFIN SISTERS’ GREATEST HITS went on, the angrier I got. I thought the concept was interesting but if the author mentioned that Cassie was the ugly fat sister one more time, I was going to scream. I get that the author wanted the reader comparing Cassie and Zoe to show that beauty isn’t the only value a person has. I just felt like she beat us over the head with it and it really irked me.

I also hated that Cassie wasted her life after Russell died because Zoe was too selfish to admit that he didn’t love her (Zoe). I also hated that she had coerced him into marrying her, then cheated on him and was pregnant with Tommy’s baby, and flogged Russell into depression for cheating on her with Cassie. And, most of all, I hated that when the reader finds this all out, there are still nearly 100 pages left to read. 

The one saving grace was Dakota Fanning’s narration. I also liked the ending (it just took way too long to get there).

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The Catcher In The Rye

The Catcher In The RyeTitle: The Catcher in the Rye
Author: J.D. Salinger
Genre: Classic, Literary Fiction
Format: Paperback
Pages: 277
Reason Read: Book Club
Rating:

My Thoughts

I’ve wanted to read THE CATCHER IN THE RYE for a very long time. So when we decided to read it for book club, I was really excited! I don’t know what I had in mind, but what I read was definitely not it. I thought it had no plot and was completely pointless. I’m not sure why it’s even considered a classic. And, I detested the writing style. I hated how Holden thought / spoke (other than the colloquialisms). His thoughts were rambling and unfiltered, which isn’t my cup of tea when I read a book. I actually really liked the colloquialisms. They’re probably the only thing I did like.

I understand why teenage boys would like this story because they probably relate to Holden really well. Since I’m neither a teenager nor a boy, I couldn’t relate to him. I could see why Holden felt the way he did in some circumstances. He really seemed to like kids because they were genuine and weren’t jaded yet. On the flip side, he hated adults (or anyone nearing adulthood) because they all seemed like they were phonies.

I hated Holden at first, but I felt sorry for him in the end. I felt like he was crying out for help and no one could see that he was. He was so depressed, suicidal even, and he didn’t know how to deal with his little brother’s death. None of the adults in his life really showed him how to grieve, cope, or even live. I wished he had found someone to help him. I think that would’ve made the book better and at least given a point to the story.

I tried to like this story and I even tried to see why my book club cohorts liked it. While I agree with a lot of what they said about it, it just wasn’t for me. Even though I didn’t like it, I’m still glad I read it so I can say that I have.

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Through The Looking-Glass

Through The Looking-GlassTitle: Through the Looking-Glass
Author: Lewis Carroll
Series: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland #2
Genre: Classic, Fantasy, Middle Grade
Format: Kindle
Pages: 192
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

Also in this series: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
My Thoughts

Just like with ALICE’S ADVENTRUES IN WONDERLAND, I thought THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS was a discombobulated book of nonsense.

I didn’t have high hopes going into this because of my experience with the first book. Because of that, I wasn’t too disappointed, but I still didn’t enjoy it. Alice still went off on unnecessary tangents, nothing was coherent, and nothing she did made any sense. I thought this one was even more confusing than the first one, which is saying something.

The only thing I liked about this one were the backwards letters on everything and the “Jabberwocky” poem. I think it’s neat that Carroll coined the terms galumph and chortle. I also thought that having everything take place on a chessboard was neat, except that it didn’t add anything to the story because the reader couldn’t follow the game.

The one thing I did learn from reading both of these books is that most adaptations to these stories mix the two together. For example, in Disney’s Alice in Wonderland, the talking flowers, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, and the Walrus and the Carpenter tale are all in THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS not ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND.

Even though I didn’t enjoy these pretty much at all, I’m glad I took the opportunity to read them. If for nothing else just to familiarize myself with them and get a foundation in the cannon of Alice and her adventures.

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Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland

Alice’s Adventures In WonderlandTitle: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Author: Lewis Carroll
Series: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland #1
Genre: Classic, Fantasy, Middle Grade
Format: Kindle
Pages: 96
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

Also in this series: Through the Looking-Glass
My Thoughts

This is the first time I’ve ever read this classic story. I’ve been somewhat familiar with ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND because of the numerous movie adaptations. However, I was never versed in the original written story. I was expecting a fun, whimsical tale about Alice’s adventures in Wonderland. Instead, what I read was a discombobulated book of nonsense.

I tried to like this book. I really did. But there were only very few parts that Carroll actually showed and not told. I now understand the importance of that writing rule. All the telling was boring. Also, Alice was always off on some tangent that had nothing to do with the story. It just made me hate her and how she went about things. Alice cannot be seven years old. She acted more like a teenager or even an adult than a child.

I liked the idea of the story–a young girl somehow finding herself trapped in a world she doesn’t understand, meeting curious creatures and people, and then finding out that it’s all a dream. If only the execution were better. Nothing was coherent and there was no rhyme or reason to anything.

My favorite part of the story was Carroll’s description of the Queen of Hearts’ court. I loved that he didn’t just come out and say that everyone was part of a pack of cards until he gave you a visualization of it all. And, I loved that the different suits meant different things. It was fun and it made those characters come alive for the short time they were there. I wish the rest of the book were like this.

I’m not too excited to read THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS, but I’m still going to read it. Hopefully, I’ll like it better than this one, but I don’t have high hopes.