Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafon
One-sentence summary: A desperate young Barcelonian author accepts an offer he can’t refuse from a mysterious man and subsequently unravels a dark and sinister series of events from times past to the present.
B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 7
Our favorite thing about it: We liked the writing style, descriptions, and metaphors used by the author.
Our least favorite thing about it: We were all disappointed by the clunky and confusing ending to a story that had great potential.
Main Topics of Discussion: Good vs. Evil, Spiritual/Physical realities, Relationships, Story Development, Villains, Religion
Our favorite quote: “It is part of our nature to survive. Faith is an instinctive response to aspects of existence that we cannot explain by any other means, be it the moral void we perceive in the universe, the certainty of death, the mystery of the origin of things, the meaning of our lives, or the absence of meaning. These are basic and extremely simple aspects of existence, but our limitations prevent us from responding in an unequivocal way and for that reason we generate an emotional response, as a defense mechanism. It’s pure biology.” (p. 202)
Notes: How the story was handled ate up most of our discussion. We all felt that the seeds of a fantastic story were there but they were fumbled badly in the last third of the book, which was hurried, confusing, and not up to par with the first parts of the book or other books by this author. Quite a few of us also thought that there were too many characters and had trouble keeping up with them all, which only added to the confusion of the story. There were parts that we felt could have been left out because they seemed to do nothing for the general storyline (the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, the encounter with the Witch of Somorrostro, etc.) The fact that there were so many loose ends and questions unanswered at the end of the book was generally unsatisfying to us all.
The setting and Gothic themes of the book were positives. For the most part, we appreciated the cadence and imaginative metaphors the author used to describe things. We also discussed the major theme of the book: the interrelatedness of the spirit world and the physical world. Most of the mystery was woven based on this dualistic view of reality and how the two worlds collide. The most interesting chapter to us was the one in which Andreas Corelli discusses his views on myth, fables, and religion.
Memorable Meeting Moments: This meeting was a gathering of all three book clubs at Richarson East (at least those members who were able to attend). We shared the responsibility of bringing food as well as a different experience in discussion than any one group usually experiences. We also had a dirty book swap, thanks to Becky cleaning off her book shelves. There was actually some stealing involved in the game with one of the most desired books being a non-fiction book.
What We Ate: Quesadillas, Roast Chicken, Corn cakes, Guacamole, Tomatillo Salsa, Queso dip, Taquitos, Layered dip, German Chocolate Chess Squares and Carmel Sparkle Bars.
One-sentence summary: A desperate young Barcelonian author accepts an offer he can’t refuse from a mysterious man and subsequently unravels a dark and sinister series of events from times past to the present.
B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 7
Our favorite thing about it: We liked the writing style, descriptions, and metaphors used by the author.
Our least favorite thing about it: We were all disappointed by the clunky and confusing ending to a story that had great potential.
Main Topics of Discussion: Good vs. Evil, Spiritual/Physical realities, Relationships, Story Development, Villains, Religion
Our favorite quote: “It is part of our nature to survive. Faith is an instinctive response to aspects of existence that we cannot explain by any other means, be it the moral void we perceive in the universe, the certainty of death, the mystery of the origin of things, the meaning of our lives, or the absence of meaning. These are basic and extremely simple aspects of existence, but our limitations prevent us from responding in an unequivocal way and for that reason we generate an emotional response, as a defense mechanism. It’s pure biology.” (p. 202)
Notes: How the story was handled ate up most of our discussion. We all felt that the seeds of a fantastic story were there but they were fumbled badly in the last third of the book, which was hurried, confusing, and not up to par with the first parts of the book or other books by this author. Quite a few of us also thought that there were too many characters and had trouble keeping up with them all, which only added to the confusion of the story. There were parts that we felt could have been left out because they seemed to do nothing for the general storyline (the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, the encounter with the Witch of Somorrostro, etc.) The fact that there were so many loose ends and questions unanswered at the end of the book was generally unsatisfying to us all.
The setting and Gothic themes of the book were positives. For the most part, we appreciated the cadence and imaginative metaphors the author used to describe things. We also discussed the major theme of the book: the interrelatedness of the spirit world and the physical world. Most of the mystery was woven based on this dualistic view of reality and how the two worlds collide. The most interesting chapter to us was the one in which Andreas Corelli discusses his views on myth, fables, and religion.
Memorable Meeting Moments: This meeting was a gathering of all three book clubs at Richarson East (at least those members who were able to attend). We shared the responsibility of bringing food as well as a different experience in discussion than any one group usually experiences. We also had a dirty book swap, thanks to Becky cleaning off her book shelves. There was actually some stealing involved in the game with one of the most desired books being a non-fiction book.
What We Ate: Quesadillas, Roast Chicken, Corn cakes, Guacamole, Tomatillo Salsa, Queso dip, Taquitos, Layered dip, German Chocolate Chess Squares and Carmel Sparkle Bars.
No comments:
Post a Comment