A group of my friends and I have started reading books before they are made into movies and then going to see the movies together. We chose The Nightingale for our next read since the movie will be released this January. I have read the book previously and loved it, so I decided to listen to the audiobook this time so I could remind myself of the storyline while I get work and things done around the house. I am not usually an audiobook fan; I much prefer to read it myself, and when I first started with the audiobook, I almost gave up. But, I continued and I ended up actually enjoying it. The book is set during WWII ain France, and many of the names and some of the words used within the writing are French. The audiobook reader did an excellent job pronouncing these terms so I could hear them said correctly instead of how I thought they would be pronounced. If you haven't read The Nightingale, you need to. It is a beautiful story with well-developed characters and is well-written. I hope the movie does it justice!
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This is a tough one for me. I really thought I was going to love this book based on the reviews and the summary I read, but I just could not get engaged with it. I enjoyed A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, but for some reason I could not connect with the characters in this story, or really, the storyline. When I think back to the actual plot of the book, I liked it. I liked the overall premise; It just seemed to drag on and I felt like I was pushing myself to finish the book instead of actually enjoying it or wanting to read it. I don't know specifically what it is about the book that I didn't love. Perhaps the writing style is a little academic. Maybe it was the switching back and forth between the characters, which I usually enjoy. Or maybe it was just the characters themselves. I'm just not sure. I did like parts of the story, but overall it just was not for me. Apparently a ton of people really enjoy this book, so if you are interested in historical fiction, specifically set in America, this might be a great read for you. It just was not amazing to me. I had very high hopes for this book. It was in my library queue on hold for a quite awhile before I was able to finally check it out. As an English teacher, a historical fiction novel that centers around Shakespeare's early life and family is in my wheelhouse; however, I just could not get interested in this book. The third-person narration made it difficult for me to really connect with any of the characters, and I do not think there was a strong connection made between Hamnet and the play Hamlet which I thought was going to be the premise of the book. Overall, I just found the writing somewhat dull. O'Farrell develops her story around the scant records that exist about young Shakespeare, his bride Agnes (Anne Hathaway), their children and their life together. Instead of Shakespeare being the star of this story, the focus is more on Agnes and her life raising their children. As the reader, we do get a good glimpse into what her life might have been like; it just was not enough to really draw me in to the storyline. All in all, I didn't dislike this book, but I didn't love it as I had hoped. For those of you who love historical fiction and are interested in Shakespeare and life during the plague, you might as well give it a try. The reviews on Goodreads and Amazon are all overwhelmingly positive, so it might end up being a book you love. This historical fiction novel gets good reviews on Amazon; however, it just wasn't for me. It took me FOREVER to read because I just could not get invested in the characters and the storyline. I like the premise of the book, and upon finishing the book, actually did some research on "Angelica" a character in the story who is based upon an actual person, but I just could not get into the book. That being said. lots of people love this book, and you may as well. If you are interested in novels that span two time periods (1920ish and 1970ish) and give a view into the life of the New York City art world and the Frick family, you may really enjoy the characters and the storyline. There is a bit of mystery and intrigue involved as well which many people seem to enjoy. It was just eh for me. The Outlander series continues in this 9th book of the series. If you are a fan of the Outlander series, you will enjoy this book as well. The book continues the story of Jamie and Claire Fraser at Fraser's Ridge in the North Carolina back country as the Revolutionary War begins to simmer and take shape. Roger and Brianna and their family return to the ridge as well, and readers get to experience how the Frasers have grown and changed over the years. Ian and his new wife and family, Fergus and Marsali and their children, John Grey, and William are all included in this book. All that is missing is Murtagh, although he surfaces in memories. Gabaldon's strength is the development of her characters and how invested the readers become with them, and I think she continues that in this book as well as giving the reader a dose of history as well. It is interesting for the reader to see the age progression of Jamie and Claire and this book left me wondering what will happen with them in the following books. |
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