Book: The Lonely Polygamist
Author: Brady Udall
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Book club rating: 4 out of 5 stars (for those who finished it)
Brief synopsis:
Golden Richards, husband to four wives, father to twenty-eight children, is having the mother of all midlife crises. His construction business is failing, his family has grown into an overpopulated mini-dukedom beset with insurrection and rivalry, and he is done in with grief: due to the accidental death of a daughter and the stillbirth of a son, he has come to doubt the capacity of his own heart. Brady Udall, one of our finest American fiction writers, tells a tragicomic story of a deeply faithful man who, crippled by grief and the demands of work and family, becomes entangled in an affair that threatens to destroy his family’s future. Like John Irving and Richard Yates, Udall creates characters that engage us to the fullest as they grapple with the nature of need, love, and belonging.
Beautifully written, keenly observed, and ultimately redemptive, The Lonely Polygamist is an unforgettable story of an American family—with its inevitable dysfunctionality, heartbreak, and comedy—pushed to its outer limits.
My Review:
We read "The Lonely Polygamist" as our July book club read. The book had mix reviewed, but fell into too distinct camps. Camp One: Loved the book. It was amazing. It was great. Camp Two: I just couldn't get into this book. It just didn't do it for me.
I was in the first camp. I absolutely loved this book. First of all, it was incredibly well written-- writing of this quality can be hard to come by. As a writer, I appreciate having the chance to read a book of someone who really knows how to do it right. So, that pulled me in writing away. The characters were beautifully developed. The scenes were elaborate. I could picture the time, the place, the people.
As I read this book, I thought of what I learned from author Kate Ledger, who taught the class "How to Write a Novel," which I took this spring at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. I couldn't help but think as I read this book that it was a brilliant example of how to write an incredible and gripping story. Udall used all the of the tactics Ledger taught us. He's someone to learn from as a writer.
However, I can see how this is a story that can be hard for people to get into. It doesn't move quickly. And, there is an overall sense of melancholy in the lives of everyone in this book. But, this melancholy is mixed with many humorous events along the way (i.e. an incident with gum in pubic hair, a nasty bout with some fleas).
For some, there were really no likeable characters. Others, had some they liked along the way. I really liked Rusty (the only child that the reader gets a perspective from in the novel.) One member of our book club mentioned that she really liked Beverly, the oldest and first wife, which I found interesting as you only get a perspective of Beverly second hand. (Although, there are some events in Beverly's story line that come up late in the novel that I also loved and really made me like her, too.)
The one warning I will give is a lot of bad things happen to pretty much all the characters in this book. There are times when you'll likely have to set it down and just take a break from it. That's just the type of book it is. (I read a Jen Lancaster memoir alongside it... much lighter and that helped keep me going!)
So, who is this a book for? Well, it's hard for me to say. If you only like fast paced books, this isn't a book for you. If you are interested in American religions, Mormonism specifically, then you'll enjoy this book. If you really appreciate strong writing, this is likely a book for you.
Is it worth picking up? I say absolutely. But, if you just can't get into it, well, you may be in the camp of some of my other book clubbers, and, sigh, while I think it's great, that's OK, too.
In February, I reviewed Shiver, book one in the Mercy Falls trilogy. I've been so busy reading lots and lots of books, I haven't gotten around to doing my review of the second two books in the series until now.
Books: Linger, Forever
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
My rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Brief synopsis:
Linger
In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.
Forever
In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.
My review
This series went down hill a bit for me with each book. While I really enjoyed the first, by the second I was a bit more disinterested in what was happening with the characters and by the third I was really burned out and ready to be done.
In Linger, Grace fights to stop what is happening to her-- her inevitable journey into becoming a wolf. A new character, Cole, is also introduced. A famous lead-singer in a popular boy band, with Cole's introduction into the pack, they now have the concern of the larger public learning about them. While it adds another layer to the story, it also moves away from the series core, which is the relationship between Cole and Grace. I was also dissapointed that they did little with Grace's best friend, Olivia, who become a wolf in book one. I would have liked to hear from her perspective as a wolf.
In Forever, the tension builds as Grace has become a wolf and the pack is threatened by a wolf hunt. The story again introduces tension through Cole's story line, as well as Grace's story line as a wolf and the ultimate fight to save the entire pack from being murdered. I will say, Stiefvater does a nice job of building the tension at the end as they work to save the wolves.
Overall, I think the series was pretty good, but not great. For those that really enjoy young adult fiction, it's a decent read. It's a different path than a lot of the popular young adult dystopian fiction, which is a nice break.
(Final note: I will admit, I finished these books in April... It's July...So, I apologize for some of the lack of spunk and details in this review. I'll try to be quicker with other future reviews!)
