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nostalginaut's reviews
646 reviews
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
5.0
Breakfast of Champions is an eccentrically-twisted jaunt through the late life - and descent into madness - of Dwayne Hoover, an auto dealer plagued by the writings of Kilgore Trout (Vonnegut's recurring alter-ego throughout many novels); as Hoover spirals toward madness, we see how oddly he interacts with those around him and affects their lives. While a strange and humorous tale unfolds on the surface, Vonnegut is (perhaps not-so-subtly) using these vibrant characters to pitch his thoughts on the American way of life, from love and sex to war and peace. Surprisingly relatable and uncannily funny, Breakfast of Champions is a great pick for Vonnegut fans and novices alike!
Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky
2.0
The book started off all right, with some intriguing insights about "digital" school (as well as to the direction of some schools, now), reliance on technology, the importance of human interaction, and kids' attitudes about school and social interaction, but it doesn't go very far. Not too far into the story, our main character gets stale, and what few changes she does (seem to) experience, are predictable. Moreover, for a story whose main plot points hinge on the importance and dynamics of interaction with other people, the interactions in the book aren't that special. This is especially true of the predictable romance in the story, which has no real basis (aside from, perhaps, convenience) and as such, very little chemistry at all.
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
3.0
I put off reading "The Lovely Bones" for some time, and was treated to what wound up being a strong start to an interesting story with a unique storytelling perspective that kept me interested - for a while.
At one point, however, it felt as though the story derailed itself from one of the terrible murder of a young girl, and became one that was more specifically about the lives of the other characters related to her or affected by her death (or its investigation). The transition into this part of the book seemed a little rocky, and did not seem to remain consistent; the perspective remained the same, but elements from the story's beginning seemed to abruptly end. Furthermore, a small handful of "supernatural" twists seemed out-of-place and even dulled the otherwise real-seeming emotion within the story. They didn't really serve as reminders of where the story was coming from. At many points in the book, I almost forgot about the murder and the murderer, only to be brought back at a few points by comments by the narrator about "being dead" or "[her] death". Nevertheless - and this may have been the point - these separate stories were both interesting and admittedly well-written (there are pockets of colourful description and almost-poetic, if somewhat-cliche, discourse), even if they were awkwardly separate-yet-intertwined.
All-in-all, it was a decent read, and I'd recommend it to most anybody who's looking for an interesting story told from a different perspective. Several elements of the story range from dramatic mystery to awkward romance, and are generally appropriate for mid-teens (there is sex and talk about it, but nothing is particularly graphic or densely descriptive) and up (though if you're looking for any action or unpredictable plot twists, look elsewhere). I liked it as an inspiration to write more in this type of perspective, myself.
At one point, however, it felt as though the story derailed itself from one of the terrible murder of a young girl, and became one that was more specifically about the lives of the other characters related to her or affected by her death (or its investigation). The transition into this part of the book seemed a little rocky, and did not seem to remain consistent; the perspective remained the same, but elements from the story's beginning seemed to abruptly end. Furthermore, a small handful of "supernatural" twists seemed out-of-place and even dulled the otherwise real-seeming emotion within the story. They didn't really serve as reminders of where the story was coming from. At many points in the book, I almost forgot about the murder and the murderer, only to be brought back at a few points by comments by the narrator about "being dead" or "[her] death". Nevertheless - and this may have been the point - these separate stories were both interesting and admittedly well-written (there are pockets of colourful description and almost-poetic, if somewhat-cliche, discourse), even if they were awkwardly separate-yet-intertwined.
All-in-all, it was a decent read, and I'd recommend it to most anybody who's looking for an interesting story told from a different perspective. Several elements of the story range from dramatic mystery to awkward romance, and are generally appropriate for mid-teens (there is sex and talk about it, but nothing is particularly graphic or densely descriptive) and up (though if you're looking for any action or unpredictable plot twists, look elsewhere). I liked it as an inspiration to write more in this type of perspective, myself.