One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey It's odd that as a professional I had not seen this movie or read this book. That being said I finally saw the movie and then wanted to read the book. I liked the book a lot more (as usual) as it gave more depth to the characters and gave a more accurate portrayal of mental health. It was difficult both to watch the movie and to read the book given that I know how far we have come with care for the mentally ill but I also know how far we need to go. It was disheartening to see in the movie and worse to read in the book since I felt like in the book you fell for the characters and really wanted to see them succeed. The truth of the matter is that we can't help everyone, it's just not possible, but each of these people deserves to be treated with dignity and respect and the book shows just how often that was not the case. The sad ending had me close to tears even though I knew what would happen from just seeing the movie. I'm happy and hopeful that just as the times of this book are in the past, these days too will improve and we will continue to look back in awe at how we treated some people in this society most in need of kindness.
Penelope by Rebecca Harrington This one has been on my list and had such great reviews. Maybe because they built it up so much or maybe because I just didn't get it, it didn't live up to the expectations I had in my mind. The story is about a Freshman at Harvard and her first year there. The main character, Penelope, is an awkward adolescent and struggled at home and now at college to find her way and place in the world. Coincidently I started reading the book while on Harvard's campus which was fitting but still didn't make me like it anymore. I guess for me there just wasn't anything more to it. It was a common coming of age story with some the same trying to find love, friends, self. Sure there was a little more elitism involved and some odd drama club story lines, but just nothing that really held my interest until the end where I didn't really get any resolution to the story.
The Girl Who Played Go by Shan Sa I like reading about the Asian culture and stories about the many significant historical time periods of that culture. That's why this author is on my list. This book was about the coming of age of a young girl who was a great player at a man's game called "Go." I liked the strong feminist attitude that began the book but was disappointed that it turned into the strong female character giving up so much for her first sexual relationship and then turned a bit romance novel.
Friends Like Us by Lauren Fox This book really spoke to me. Every woman can relate to losing a friendship and the things we wish we had done differently, even if the outcome would still be the same. I liked that this started out in the future and went backwards to share the story. Sometimes this does not work for the novel but in this case it really helped define the story. Two very close girl friends who we know from the beginning had a falling out share the story of how a third male friend helped reshape their friendship forever. I liked to that as readers we got to see where everyone ended up years later and the ways these interweaving friendships affected one another.
The Elephant Keeper's Children by Peter Hoeg This book was a bit 100 Years of Solitude in it's writing style and plot line. I'm not sure I understood half of it, especially at first, but I was drawn in very quickly and wanted to keep turning the pages to find out what would happen next. It tells the story of 2 young children having to be the adults in their family. The live on a fictitious island and have parents who are deeply religious and go missing. The story shares the adventures of the children who go about in search of their parents and does a great job of moving from present to past to share the story and then in merging the two at the end so that we get to the bottom of the mystery. I really liked the way this author writes, this was the first book of his I read and I'm definitely adding more to my list.
Broken For You by Stephanie Kallos Really like this author and have had this book on my list for awhile. Overall I liked it but I found the ending a bit unrealistic. I guessed the ending at some point too and spent the rest of the time reading it hoping that I was wrong since it would be unrealistic. This was the story of two woman in very different places in their lives and how they come together in a unique way. The story redefines "family" and brings together people from various backgrounds who join forces for a unique twist in the story. One of the main characters is suffering from a fatal diagnosis and looking to make drastic changes to her life and make peace with past mistakes as it comes to a close. Another is a young woman trying to escape her past by her recent move across the country but she quickly realizes you cannot escape the past. The two come together in a believable way and the story had me wanting to continue until it went a few steps too far in the direction of "this stuff only happens in books." Either way I like the author a lot and she does a great job of telling a story.
The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama I like this author, another Asian culture author. I'm still undecided on this book. The story was about a young man coming of age during WWII who was sent to stay at his family's summer home due to being ill. He is staying at the ocean while his family is in the center of the war in a major city, he therefore has little connection to the actual war but is able to share thoughts from a distance and through fears for his family's safety. There are several stories within the story. The story of the housekeeper at the beach house and his love life as a young adult and how that affected his adulthood choices. The story of the boys parents marriage. The story of the war. I think this is why I struggled with the book, the writing was good and the main plot line was good, but all the other stories involved just made for too much going on. Each of them was good in their own way but all of them together was a bit much.
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