A Novel by David Guterson.
Quickie Recap: A strange friendship nets one man millions and makes him (and us) question just what a "good life" really means.
Quickie Review: I did not like Snow Falling on Cedars (also authored by Guterson). I know, I know, I'm in the minority here. Everyone else thought it was positively brilliant, and I thought it was not bad, certainly not badly written, it just didn't grab me. This one grabbed me in all kinds of fun places. This is a story I haven't heard told before, and speaking as someone who sometimes feels like she's already read every story worth telling, that's a rarity. The author lets us peak at two different lives, very different lives, each unique and ideal in its own way, each causing us to evaluate priorities in new ways. In that way, this book is just as introspective as Cedars was, but in a more engaging and dynamic way. This book is not as mellow (and by mellow, I mean boring). It actually takes you along the separate paths of a very strange man and a pretty ordinary man, but both paths have the same destination: you end up looking back at yourself.
Quickie Recommendation: B-
3 comments:
I enjoyed SFOC, even knowing it was a tad slow, but the movie was awful---not Guterson's fault, of course, but disappointing none the less. I'd give him another try.
Oh yes, I remember seeing it in theatres actually (my friend Anna's choice) and it was godawful. If a book is slow on paper, who on earth would think it would make for good film?
I've read "Snow" and also "East of the Mountains" by Guterson. I enjoyed them both. He's a wonderful storyteller, but he uses way too many adjectives.
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