The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

from goodreads

2.5 stars

The other day on Facebook one of my friends posted her results for one of those online quizzes. This quiz was about art work and asked if you could match the name with the popular piece of art. I decided to take it, not because I know a lot of art, but just to see how well I would do. Amazingly I got 10 out of 10. This is due impart to the pieces actually being popular and the fact that it was multiple choice so I was able to deduce the title and honestly a bunch of luck.

This got me thinking to what we consider great art. What makes a piece great? What makes it not so great. Is there an actual method to deduce art or is it subjective? Is there a way to classify great art, or is just a crap shoot?

The same could be said about books. Is there a methodology that we could use to deduce what is the pentultimate book? I wish there was then we wouldn't have to read bad ones. But it is good that there isn't. Every author is so different and every reader is so different. Our life history can influence our choice of reading material. Yet, when the right book meets the right reader at just the right time magic happens. Though it can be rare it is beautiful when it does.

Synopsis

This book follows a boy and then man named Theo Decker. In his early teens he is in a bomb attack that kills his mother. This sets off a chain of events that takes Theo into the upper crust of New York's social scene, then to the dredges of Las Vegas and then back to New York and the high end antique scene. The glue that holds his scattered world together is a painting, a painting that acts like a compass in his whirlwind life.

My Thoughts

I don't know what to think about this book. It is a real head scratcher that's for sure. The language and descriptions used were awesome. Though at times the story felt a bit wordy, yet the wordiness added a richness to it, sometimes. The length was quite something at 771 pages. I think that page number will stick with me.

The story at times kept me thoroughly engaged. The beginning section was quite intriguing and I was thinking that this was going to be a really awesome read. I also liked the section when he moves back to New York. It again piqued my interest.

But then when he goes to Las Vegas, and after awhile in New York, it just seemed to drag on and on. I wished the Las Vegas part had been cut down a bit. While I understand why it was necessary as part of the story, I wished it had been severely edited. To see someone waste and risk their lives with so much drug abuse was horrible. And the gross negligence of Theo's father, despicable. It's like why force Theo to go to Las Vegas when he had a more stable environment where he was.

So, I can't give it a full solid three, as there were many times I wanted to give up. I'm not sure why I kept going. I guess the blurb on the flap made me think that it would be getting really exciting. I think if there was a bit more action and a bit less drug use described it would have made for a more interesting read as the drug culture doesn't interest me at all.

The use of art and getting a glimpse into the antique world was also interesting. I guess that is the thing that was neat about this book. You got a glimpse into worlds and interests you might not normally get to see. It has piqued my interest in learning more about art, but that's about it.

When I finished the story I felt relief of it being done and that's about it. There are some books that stick with you for a while and you think about what you read or about the characters. This is not one of those books. Whenever I happen to think about it I just think of the gross parental neglect shown in Las Vegas and the waste that can happen when there is not a parental figure that shows a genuine interest. It is sad.

For what it is worth, The Goldfinch won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Sometimes I don't understand books that win prizes. Perhaps I am just not as deep and in tune with the art form as I need to be. Clearly other people liked it more than I. I guess this book just wasn't my thing.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

from goodreads

4.5 stars

Have you ever gone through a period where you feel distracted. It is hard to keep your focus and you flit between projects like a butterfly. That's how I feel right now. I seem to be flitting between household projects, church projects and different books.

It's weird when you are not able to just hunker down and get one thing done and then move on to the next. It's like you are juggling a billion balls and making sure none of them drop. Hopefully I'll be able to get out of this pattern soon as it can be quite stressful at times. But, that's the fun thing about life. Things are always changing, it doesn't stay stagnant for long. (At least that is my life, especially with young kids.)

Synopsis

This is a beautifully simple and lovely story that follows two primary characters. The first is Marie-Laure. A girl who lost her eyesight at age six and lives in Paris with her father, a key maker that works for a Museum. The second is Werner, an orphan who lives in a children's house in Essen. He has a raw talent for building and working with radios.

The book shows us their experience during WWII. Though they live hundreds of kilometers apart, their tales are compatible and interwoven through their love of knowledge.

My Thoughts

What a magical and wonderful story. I really enjoyed this book. The era and locations in which this book was set are of great interest to me and I felt that this author gave great justice to the history and societal happenings of the time. You get a glimpse at the complex nature in which Europe found itself, without being bogged down by names, dates, and overloads of other data.

I really loved how we get to see the characters before the war and then get the opportunity to watch them evolve as the war goes on.

I loved the character of Werner. I felt for him. The author did a beautiful job at showing Werner's confusion and stalled behaviour. Werner's inability to react to and understand the mean, nasty and inhuman actions that went on around him gave voice to those in Nazi Germany who were in the same position. It would not have been an easy position to be in. You know something is wrong but you are not sure what to do about it. Risk your life or safety, or put up your blinders.

The story of Marie-Laure and Etienne was heart-warming. It was great to see them come together and emerge from their shells. The juxtaposition of Marie-Laure's action and Werner's inaction was very interesting. Though Marie-Laure is physically blind she sees truth and right and acts on it. Werner can see yet he puts on blinders.

I wish we knew more of the thoughts and background of Volkheimer. He seems like a sensitive soul I would have liked to know better. There were a few other little frays that I would have liked to see wrapped up or know about, such as what did Frederick's father do? Was he high up in the Nazi regime? I know that everything can't nicely wrapped up and that the not knowing makes the story realistic to the time period, but it would still have been nice to know.

While I do like happy endings, and in my dream world, no one would die, this did not happen and yet I felt satisified. Sometimes when characters die it seems senseless and ridiculous. (Thinking about Divergent series.) In this book it made sense and in some way made the story seem more complete because of it.

This book is definitely a must read. I found it to be lovely. I now want to live in Brittany in a 6 story home. I think visiting St. Malo will be on my bucket list. I would also love to see the models that Marie-Laure's father made as well. What a thoughtful man he was. What a sweet story this is.