The Orphan Master's Son
by Adam Johnson
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 480
Published: 8/7/12 by Random House
Format: book
My rating:
5 out of 5 stars
I finished this book several weeks ago, and it has taken me several weeks to sit down and process my thoughts into a coherent review!
Pak Jun Do, who is an orphan master's son, is a citizen of North Korea. While he lives in a country that brainwashes its people into believing they are citizens of the greatest democratic nation in the world, Jun Do sees past the propoganda and recognizes that he and his fellow citizens are slaves to their leader Kim Jung Il. As Jun Do gains attention from Kim Jung Il, he begins a dangerous attempt to move into the inner circle of North Korea's government and save the woman that he loves.
Like most people, I knew very little about North Korea before reading this novel. I recognize that this is a fictional story, but it does seem to be a story that is based on research and some facts, along with the author's imagination. I found it fascinating and horrifying all at the same time. And it makes me want to read and learn more about North Korea and what life is like for people in that country. I think this novel is worth reading just because it opened my eyes to a part of the world that I had never before considered.
But it is also worth reading because it is just a great novel! I loved the tone of the novel. While it is about some horrible, horrible real life conditions, there is an undertone of satire and dark humor to Johnson's writing. And it worked really well in this novel. The things that are happening in North Korea are just absurd and often appear silly when read from an American perspective. It is almost laughable. Except it's not, because it is real.
So while this does read like political satire, it is also a thriller and even a little bit of a love story. I read in an interview with Adam Johnson that he wanted to portray what life is like for the regular every day person in North Korea. What is it like to be a parent, a spouse, a friend in a country that controls your every movement? Through Jun Do's journey, I felt like we got a picture of all those things.
I would highly recommend this novel. I give it a solid five stars!
Looking for Alaska
by John Green
Genre: Young Adult
Pages: 256
Published: 12/14/08 by Penguin Group
Format: ebook
My rating:
4.5 out of 5 stars
I first read
this book about four years ago. It was my first John Green book, and
at the time, I had no clue who he was. Since then, I have read most of
John Green's other books and have become a huge fan. So I wanted to go
back and re-read Alaska to see how I felt about it four years later.
Looking
for Alaska follows what seems to be a fairly typical John Green formula
(very similar to Papertowns and An Abundance of Katherines, at least):
Nerdy boy (Miles "Pudge" Halter) falls for a wild, unpredictable,
unattainable girl (Alaska Young) while seeking out answers to important
life questions.
I don't think John Green's novels became popular
because they tell the most original stories. It is the way that he
writes those stories that makes them so great. I love his dialogue
(which some claim is unrealistic for teenagers, but I still love it),
his witty humor, and his intelligent approach to dealing with life's big
questions. It is just so much fun to read a John Green book...he makes
you laugh, he makes you cry, he makes you think! There is definitely a
level of intelligence in his books that you don't find in a lot of young
adult fiction, and I appreciate that.
My original comments after
reading this book four years ago were: "I liked it, but I don't feel
comfortable recommending it to teenagers." I've probably changed my
opinion on this a little over the last four years. There is a lot of
sex, drinking and smoking in this book. Not behavior that I would
consider appropriate for teenagers.
I do admit that I am a bit
naive about the kinds of things teenagers do these days. The more I
read young adult fiction, the more I come to realize this. My guess is
that John Green's depiction here is a pretty realistic portrayal of many
(but definitely not all) teenagers. I also think these characters were
realistic because they were often obnoxious and dramatic and
unlikeable...again, I think that could describe many teenagers
accurately at times! It's not easy being a teenager, and this story
about teenagers trying (and sometimes failing) to figure out life should
not be ignored completely due to its more mature content. It's not a
book for kids or tweens, but I think a mature teenager can read and
learn from it.
The bigger and more important purpose of this
novel is answering this question, based on the last words of Simon
Bolivar: "How will I ever escape this labyrinth?" This novel doesn't
preach, and it doesn't tell you what you should think in the end.
Instead, it becomes a thought provoking reflection on life and afterlife
and God and religion and what it all means. And while the novel
doesn't provide all the answers, it does leave you with a glimpse of
hope and a desire to seek more answers. I think that honestly seeking
these answers is extremely important for both teens and adults alike.
The Storyteller
by Jodi Picoult
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 460
Published: 2/26/13 by Atria books
Format: book
My rating:
3.5 out of 5 stars
I would give this book 3.5 stars. If it was written by a different
author, I probably would have given in 4 stars. But after reading many
of Jodi Picoult's books, I'm starting to get extra critical about her
writing style.
I was a fan of several of Picoult's early books.
But once you have read more than a couple, you quickly realize how
formulaic and predictable her books are: written in alternating points
of views (and fonts), about a controversial issue, and with a big twist
at the end that is never really all that surprising once you have read a
couple of her books and know to expect it.
At the same time,
Picoult can tell a good story. She can keep you turning pages. I
always enjoy reading her books. But I get frustrated because I feel
there is great potential for all of her books to be better than they
are. She seems to release a new book every year, and I think she would
benefit by writing less books and spending more time creating greater
quality.
So here are my thoughts on Picoult's lastest book, The Storyteller.
What I liked:
-Part
Two, which told about Minka's experience in concentration camps during
the Holocaust, was excellent. I have read many different fictional
stories about the Holocaust, and the stories never get any easier to
read. Picoult's account is unflinching and painful to read, yet you
can't turn away from it.
-I liked the "controversial issue" in this
book about forgiveness. It asks some good questions and provides some
thought provoking scenarios. Are some crimes beyond the realm of
forgiveness? If we choose to hate the criminal, are we then just the
same as the criminal who chose to hate when the crime was committed?
What was okay:
-Minka's
fictional story that was spread throughout the book. At first, I
thought it was unnecessary and the metaphor to the Holocaust was too
forced. But then the story played into the plot of the novel, and it
made more sense.
-the modern day characters of Leo and Sage. I
didn't love their part of the story, but I didn't hate it either. The
strength of this novel was definitely Minka's life and experiences.
What I didn't like:
-Sage's sisters were named Saffron and Pepper (they were all the daughters of a baker). This is just awful.
-The
twist at the end. I knew it was coming, and I knew what it was going
to be, but I just didn't get it. I didn't think this particular twist
was necessary at all for the story. There was enough conflict and
climax leading up to the end, why throw something ELSE at the end that
is supposed to surprise us but really doesn't surprise us at all! With
Picoult's track record, a much more surprising twist would have been for
there to be no twist at all in the final pages.
-there were some
unbelievable coincidences in how this story came together, namely how
Josef came to meet Sage. At first I was annoyed because it seemed
completely unbelievable, but then more is revealed that maybe it was
more structured than random chance. But I didn't feel like this was
explained enough and left me questioning Josef's true motivations.
Perhaps this was purposeful, but I would have liked a little more
clarity here.
To summarize, I did enjoy reading this story in the
way that I usually enjoy reading Picoult's work. If you have never
read Picoult before and don't have my critical eye pointed at her, then
you may find this book more satisfying than I did! I do think it is
worth taking the time to read.
