Book Review: Slaughterhouse Five

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Somewhere in my estimable liberal arts education, I missed reading any of Vonnegut's work.  Probably because I was educated in the halcyon days of pre-9/11 when we didn't have to think about war yet or what it meant.  I'm kind of glad I didn't read it when I was younger.  I don't think I would have related to this book as well, or would have appreciated what the characters faced if I didn't have adult responsibilities thrust upon me.  I think life experience played a significant role in my reasons for connecting so strongly with the narrative.

I like how Vonnegut plays with the arrow of time.  If you watch any documentaries or read anything about particle physics, you would know that all of those smart guys in physics are wondering why we're on a track, this one track, and what it means in relation to the Universe as a whole. Vonnegut's use of time skipping, and living life almost simultaneously is genius, and well done.  The track could be followed.  It explains "The Time Traveler's Wife" a whole lot better, and why I couldn't make it though that book.

The setting is unusual.  The bombing of Dresden is--still--overlooked.  I took a History of WWII class in college, and other than pointing at Dresden on a map, not much was mentioned.  The concentration camps, H-bombs, paratroopers, and naval manuvers were covered very well, along with the social implications here at home.  However, no one says anything beyond "Dresden was bombed."  I don't know that that little piece of history will ever change in the face of so much carnage and evil elsewhere.  Pointing it out in books such as this will keep the memory alive.

I identified with Barbara, Billy's daughter.  While I wasn't as young as she was when the responsibility of caring for someone who could no longer care for themselves was thrust upon me, the issues remain the same.  On an intellectual level, no one wants to take away anyone's dignity (I guess  someone would if they're a sociopath and incapable of empathy).  Navigating that line between someone who has cared for themselves for many decades without your help, and doing what is best for them becomes blurry and stressful.  On the one hand, Billy is going nuts while on the other he still has to live in the world that isn't the alien planet.  Our society, for all of their pro-life rhetoric, doesn't really want to take care of those who have taken care of us.  We shove old people into homes, forget that they're there, and then use modern medicine to not let them die.  We don't care that they have lived through a concentration camp, or that they were in a firebomb in Dresden.  Life is life, and it is supposed to be sacred.  Frankly, I found that Barbara just didn't know what to do and was drunk on responsibility.  

In the book "The Oldest Living Confederate Widow" the narrator claims that she is "...a veteran of a veteran."  I think Vonnegut captured this sentiment very well, without saying it.  Robert, Billy's son, had to find his own way in life among the emotional disconnect that was prevalent in their household.  I know about this kind of family dynamic.  I have watched it before, and have been in that dynamic.  The thing that I didn't get about the book was that Billy started talking about it all:  the alien trips, the bombing to the historian, going on the radio, etc.  In my experience, veterans are closed mouth and won't talk at all about any of it, no matter if it is eating them alive or not.  In Jung's theory of the Collective Unconscious,  Billy has left a legacy to any children Barbara or Robert might have of questions, half siblings and cousins, and wondering what the hell to do with all of the leftover social implications of that time period as a middle-aged adult.  As I said before, I've lived with this dynamic and Vonnegut got it right.  

This was a very emotional and moving read.  It isn't one to take lightly, or to sit around and read for fun.  It is one of those books that takes the right "mood" and will lead one to ask more questions and hopefully, open the door to find answers of life.

Book Review: Get a Clue

Get A Clue by Jill Shalvis
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I checked this book out from the library, and it turned out to be a re-read that I forgotten until about half way through. It is a quick, and moderately entertaining read--if you like the game Clue.   Very few times in a book do I absolutely hate the the heroine.  I hated Breanne, the heroine, in this book.  She is clueless, scared of everything, and I don't know what she did to attract the hero, but for some reason he seemed to like her.  She also can't seem to take care of herself, and was selfish to boot.  This book also had a very nice twist at the end, and I didn't see it coming.  However, it tried to skate that edge of triller and romance.  That just didn't work for me.  I usually like Shalvis' writing, but this one is worth skipping over.


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Book Review: Pearl Jinx (Cajun #6)

Pearl Jinx by Sandra Hill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After reading "Pink Jinx", I was anticipating this book.  The hero is ex-SEAL, ex-Amish, and was one of the more intriguing characters of the last book.  Writing strong silent types in romance is hard because, well, they're silent!  Somehow, Hill manages to pull this off with her usual writing style and witty characters.  I enjoyed this book much more than the last one, though I had some reservations bout the plot and the religious aspects.  Again, like the last book, the characters were populated with wacky and zany people in situations that only happen in books and movies.   But it was funny and entertaining.  I liked the heroine as well.  She was smart, witty, and was a chatterbox which was a perfect foil to the hero.

There was only one thing that kept this book from a five star rating.  Hill made a major detail mistake. As all of farm girls know, John Deere tractors are green NOT red.  Yes, I'm petty enough to cost a any book a star because of this one detail.  Color is so important to John Deere that they have it copyrighted.

Overall, an entertaining read, however, I would recommend reading one or two in the series before this one, as the characters have evolved somewhat.


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Remedy to an Ovesight

Dear Bro-In-Law-Who-Hasn't-Been-Mentioned-On-This-Blog-Before,

The grapevine has been active in informing me of my oversight on your behalf.  I have been informed, second hand, that you're offended about your lack of mention on this page.

In responding to your request and attempt to remedy the situation, I could list your many sins and vices that I have been witness to or heard of over the past decade.  But I'm not.  You haven't brought over your dirty band geek t-shirt and wanted to hang it out on my clothesline.  Sure, plenty of drama has gone under the shit bridge.  While the rest of the family was freaking out, you solved things in your own house without bringing it to my front door.  I very much appreciate the energy that I didn't have to expend on your drama, as I was dealing with my own at the time.

When it comes to these complex sibling and in-law relationships, I think last Christmas was a turning point.  Visiting and sucking down Smirnoff Ices was fun, while the stomach flu wasn't.  For the first time since I have met your esteemed spouse, I didn't feel treated like a younger sibling.  You see, we're both the oldest in our respective families.  The decision maker. The one that occasionally coerces the younger sib to do things.  When you put two oldest sibs from different families in a room, and one tries to older-sib the other, things just don't work out.  Last Christmas felt like it was an even playing field.  Which is helpful because I've often likened the family dynamics to Survivor without the immunity opportunities.

In closing, congratulations to your medium-sized child on his First Communion and to your eldest on her upcoming graduation.  Just like a bad penny, we'll turn up to celebrate.

Rock Chalk Jayhawk,
Amanda

Movie Review: Iron Man 3

So, I had no intention of seeing this movie in the theater. After all, we skipped seeing IM2 in the the theater, instead having just rented it.  But, Husband the Greatest suggested we go, and we were by the theater, and it sounded like something fun to do.....so there we were, in line for tickets and ready to see an Iron Man adventure.  It was also meant to be because we got our favorite back row seats--right under the projector--where the sound comes crashing in.  It was meant to be.

The actors were great in this movie.  Gweneth Paltrow is the perfect Pepper Potts.  Her calm demeanor and blondness is a great foil to the high energy that RDJ portrays as Tony Stark/Iron Man.  The villains are truly evil, and are great.  Be sure to stay until after the credits.  There is one last scene at the end.

We took the kids to this.  On the kid scale, I didn't notice too much swearing, then again, I couldn't keep track because I was so engrossed in the film.  The big thing about this movie is the violence.  There is gratuitous killing--some we could have probably done without.  Seeing it all laid out on a big screen is somehow different than watching it on our small screen at home.  There is also lots of shooting people, people flying out of a plane, and people flat disintegrating due to to the story line.  So, buyer beware.  It may not be suitable for you kids.  But we enjoyed it.

Coming up....the Thor 2 trailer played.  That looks like a very dark movie, and I'm skipping the theater version and waiting until DVD.  Fast 6 looks like a furious ride.  And, I'm going to go to The Lone Ranger in the theater.  There looks like some very neat twists on the old story, and I think my generation and the next is ready for a horse named Silver and a side-kick named Tonto.  So, the movie reviews around here will continue because the summer movies this year look totally awesome.

Book Review: Pink Jinx (Cajun #5)

Pink Jinx by Sandra Hill
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I checked this book out from the library.  In the "Dear Reader" part of the book, Hill explains that this book is loosely based on her previous Cajun series, but one didn't have to read them in order, and that there would be recurring characters with this new series, but again, they didn't have to be read in order.  I believe this to be true, however, this book was populated with way too many people and story lines.  While hilarious, fun, and sexy, keeping track of people was a major pain for me.  I couldn't figure out why one character's elderly aunt kept making appearances, other than she was a beloved character from past novels.  She kept getting involved in the lives of people that weren't related to her.  While comic relief, the novel could have stood alone without her.

There were almost dual story lines and romances in this book.  The heroine suddenly had offers from two other men that weren't the hero.  While this added some tension, the reader knew the whole time that it wasn't going to happen.  The hero also moved on from the heroine as well.  I'm not sure that I fully understood what their trouble was and what the roadblocks to their relationship entailed.  Then there was the whole treasure hunting business with the nearly-estranged and rough grandpa.  While the HEA's wrapped up nicely, and the writing was excellent, I'm not sure that I walked away with good answers to all the questions.  I'm not sure that I "bought" the catalyst for the heroine's transformation, or why the hero was motivated to change as well.

But, this story delivers some great one-liners, humorous situations, and entertainment.  While I was rough on the story line, I really liked the people in the book and then went immediately to the library's on-line page to get the next in the series.  While this wasn't a "dashing good time" kind of book, it did provide entertainment.


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Book Review: In the Arms of an Earl

In the Arms of an Earl by Anna Small
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

This book was lurking on my Kindle, I think I downloaded it for free.  This is a DNF.  In the first quarter of the book, the hero an heroine fall in love and there is a marriage proposal.  I don't know what the author has in store for them, but I like my obstacles at the front of the relationship, and not at the back.  The heroine tends to whine a lot, and then turn into the lovesick fool that she detested. The plot device of having the younger brother inherit didn't work for me, either.  Overall, a pedestrian read, and I would advise against it.


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