I finished A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray and am happy to report that I enjoyed it. I think it was right after I complained about its pacing that the book started to gain speed. The middle is where it happened. The middle had a great climatic moment and then the scenes from there on demanded my attention.
I wish I could talk more openly about it but I know that’s in a lot of peoples “to read” pile. And I have to admit how stupid I am. I didn’t get the meaning until the end. I should have gotten it. I don’t think she stressed the point of the book too much in most of the story. Meaning… it didn’t strike me as something that weighted her down… only in the beginning. Actually, I thought the most of the story stressed “acceptance.”
Her mother did speak about the premise but I didn’t catch it. That’s when I should have caught it… but I missed it. Maybe that’s why I felt the need to complain in that earlier post because for the first half of the book I didn’t get what the story was about. The climatic middle happened and the action seems to begin so I was caught up in the action… still missing the meaning. Did that happen for anyone else? I wonder why it happened to me. I’m annoyed with myself.
I did pick up Rebel Angels today so I’ll read that one soon. But I’m going to read some romances first. I also picked up Heart of the Dragon today by Gena Showalter. I think I’m going to move it up on my pile and read it next. But I’m going to at least do 6 more chapters of my outline first.
4 comments:
See, you're like me. You'll give a book a chance when you see some promise in it. Most people lack the patience to stick it out.
Tanya
This is one of my favorite YA books. I am glad you stuck it out.
You, like many people, read very fast. I read very slowly.
I also linger in places. Beth and I talk about this a lot. My lingering. LOL! But that's the way I approach the words.
I think for me it's just as much about the words as the story.
Who knows? But I got it. I got the story.
Thanks Tanya... I like to think of myself as patient… with books that is ;)
Janie... I think you summed it up. I am a "story" person. I read for the story. I don't linger... I have to find out what will happen next ;) But I will go back and reread scenes or passages after I've finished the book.
I lingered on Lestat. Still lingering ;) It’s her prose that made me read slower to see how she did that... I love that rhythm. I still don't know how to do it either ;) I don't remember a rhythm like that in her latest book... Christ the Lord.
Anne Rice's finest achievement was The Vampire Lestat. Her other novels, with exception to the grim Violin, are mediocre. I know I spelled that wrong. That's why I chose Lestat over Interview, a much more popular book.
Lestat is powerful and her language is gorgeous.
Out of Egypt--I am still thinking about why she wrote this book. You know me, I have to think long and hard before I make up my mind.
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