In all honesty, I can’t tell you that I never abandon a book. In fact, I abandon books all the time. When it comes to reading, my motto has always been Life is too short to read a bad book. Furthermore, there are lots and lots and lots of really good books to read, and so little time to read them.
I will tell you, however, that I generally give books more time than I gave this one. What’s more, I rarely have to write a book review about a book that I have so unsentimentally tossed aside. But here goes.
With apologies to any of you who enjoyed this book (and that’s why there are so many authors and so many kinds of books), I thought this was one of the worst books I have ever read (or attempted to read). I have never read anything by this author, so I’m reluctant to use such a broad sweep in dismissing her, but I don’t think I will ever attempt another book by Kris Radish.
Her characters, whom I was undoubtedly supposed to like and commiserate with, were pretentious and overbearing. In the short time I spent with this book, I came to heartily dislike them all – and Annie Freeman most of all.
The dialog was unrealistic. Nobody talks that way. The narration was so over-the-top. I just felt that I could never be friends with any of the characters, and most assuredly not with the author. Isn’t that so unfair of me?
The chapters were mostly blessedly short. But even a few pages devoted to a bra was simply too much to bear. It’s a BRA for God’s sake. The bra could be made out of mink lined with silk and I wouldn’t be that distraught over its destruction. And were I to ever interact with a UPS delivery person in that way, I would most assuredly be incarcerated.
I am more than willing to allow for literary license. If we were to require that all books be totally like real life, none of us would likely read at all. But still, these women were thrown together in these unlikely circumstances, and simply loved each other immediately. Really? And not only that, but everyone around them loved them as well. REEEEEAAALLLY?
I wanted to like this book. I really love the idea of friendship books. Not to bring up a sore subject, but that is one of the things I like most about Fannie Flagg (Remember? Our last author? The one you all hated?) I love the friendships among her women characters. But I just didn’t like any of these women, and didn’t want to be any of their friends. I didn’t know how they could stand each other!
Please, please, please, if you disagree with me, tell me why. I really hope that I misunderstood something about this book.
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I did read the whole book, but I read it quickly with a mild focus.
ReplyDeleteI, too, really look forward to friendship books and this sounded like it would be fun as well, but it did not live up to my expectations.
I felt like the characters were not developed...they were just handed to us and we were told that one was pushy and one was bossy, but we didn't really see them behave in the ways that they were described. (Or maybe we did and I was just reading too quickly with too mild a focus - so tell me if I'm wrong.)
The story was okay. I did like certain parts of it, but they were pretty small parts. I liked that Annie's husband bought them drinks in a restauant and I liked the waitress in AZ or NM or where ever the last chance center for rebellious teens was located. Oh, actually I did like the lady who owned the cabins and I thought it would be a nice place to go for a vacation and I also liked her husband and his paertner. Okay....so I did like something about the book....but the characters that needed to be developed to keep me interested in the main story weren't.
Everything seemed to happen too neatly to really draw me in to the story. I never felt like I needed to keep reading because I needed to find out how something would turn out. You got the feeling that the storm was going to make something great happen so it was no big deal.
I doubt I'll pick up another book by this author unless someone suggests one. I did end up liking 3 Fannie Flagg books even though I wouldn't have read any of them based on my experience with the book club choice. (Thanks Jenny.)
I just read Clan of the Cave Bear. There are 5 more books in this series. If anyone has read the series and has an opinion on it let me know at pdunn15@cox.net. Thanks, Andrea
I think I owe this book club an apology. I'm the one who came up with this book on our last Ethereal Reader selection list. A colleague at work who I like very much told me this is one of her favorite books of all time. Boy oh boy, different strokes for different folks! She keeps asking me how I like it and I keep avoiding an answer.
ReplyDeleteI truly did not enjoy this book. I have a feeling the author and I don't have much in common. I did not enjoy her writing style. It was just too sappy, I found the characters pretentious and the friendships unbelievable. The last and final straw was when EVERY SINGLE PERSON on the plane contributed money to the Annie G. Freeman scholarship. Good God, I work with the public. That's NEVER going to happen. If I would have heard that group speak they would have annoyed the heck out of me!
I understand that faith in God is a very personal choice, but I think the characters needed something in their lives beside themselves being the center of the universe.
One of my dearest friends passed away on March 23 at 52 years old. I don't feel angry at his passing, as the characters in the book voiced many times about Annie's passing. I will miss Tom's presence in my life for a long, long time. As I grieve him and grieve with my dear friend Monita, I am grateful that in my core, and in my faith based belief, I know Tom is in a better place.
On a less important note, I think the group drank way too much alcohol!
The book made me want to explore NM a bit. I need to find a girlfriend to travel there with!
I say let's pick a great read for our next selection.
This comment is from Bec. She can't post because she is on a road trip -- with her husband, not friends. She asked me to post this for her:
ReplyDeleteI didn't like this book from the get-go. I don't especially like friendship books anyway, and this was over the top. I thought Annie Freeman must be the most self-absorbed person ever, and she surrounded herslf with the same kind of friends. And, like others, I very much doubt that onlookers would have found them either charming or amusing. Its also unbelievable that all those women would (a) bond instantly and (b) completely change their lives.
Oh, and is it really a new concept that a funeral can be a celebration of the person's life?!
The only good to come of reading this book is that it inspires me to take a road trip with my sisters!
This is funny. I have been sharing my book club books with the women I work out with in the mornings. It's kind of a gym book club. Anyway, I offered 5 books to one woman and two days later she brought back Annie Freeman.... saying she'd read it before and it wasn't good. We left it at my step and another lady came and asked why I hadn't offered it to her and if she could borrow it. She took it home and today asked me why I was reading it and if I liked it. She said that if she read one more word about the bra she was going to pull it off the character herself. She said she could stomach 4 pages a day. I thought everyone aho has responded would appreciate these comments. It sounds like, of everyone, I liked the book the best.
ReplyDeleteAndrea, I love your gym book club story!
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely a sucker for friendship based stories. What is everyone's favorite book or movie based around friendship? For movie I love the women's friendhship in Steel Magnolia's. Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood is a good friendship story, too.
She lost me with the bra story. I hung in there only because of the Sisterhood of the Online Book Club. I was going to stick with it, darn it, because the chapters were so short. But the run on sentences were so long. It was too much like nails on a chalkboard for me!
ReplyDeleteThe characters swore too much. I admit it; I use euphemisms for swear words. Ask Kris. I use "rats" instead of more traditional four letter words. After I realized I wouldn't read the whole book, I skimmed it, and read a few pages every couple of dozen pages, and there was either a lot of swearing instead of real dialogue, or I had a talent for landing on those pages.
The type of friendship stories I liked the most were books like Anne of Green Gables from when I was a much younger reader :). I like Little Women as well -- the family stories where the siblings share a close friendship.
Great question. I am going to think because not much is coming to mind, but have you ever read Young Wives Club by Olivia Goldsmith? Light mass market but funny and silly. Summer beach type book
ReplyDeleteMango Sunset or some other books by Dorethea Benton Frank....again light mass market and silly.
I think I read a good friendship book by Anne Rivers Siddons, but I am not sure which one it was.
Oh, I know ....Women of the Silk by Gail Tsukiyama. So good!