Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - Book Review by Karen Laird

+GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn. "Just how well can you ever know the person you love? This is the question that Nick Dunne must ask himself on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, when his wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police immediately suspect Nick. Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it isn't true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He says they aren't his. And then there are the persistent calls on his mobile phone. So what did really did happen to Nick's beautiful wife?"

I just finished reading this book for my February book club gathering and I loved all of the twists and turns Gillian Flynn devised to keep the reader's interest. There isn't anything more upsetting than a lazy author who leads a reader along a very predictable path. We get no such thing with Gone Girl. I started out loving the two main characters, then I hated Nick and loved Amy. Then by the end of the book I couldn't decide who I hated more. I would be interested to see what you think. I give this 4 out of 5 stars.

I have an alternate ending that I think is better:

 SPOILER ALERT...















Amy is pregnant and goes into labor. Nick is by her side, holding her hand. And then complications set it. There's so much pain. Too much. And then there's blood. Nick is rushed out of the room. What's going on? After a wait that seems like forever, the doctor comes out and tells Nick that they did everything they could but Amy is dead. The baby, a boy, is fine. The doctor is sorry and turns away. Nick puts his head in his hands, sags to the floor and begins to laugh. "I won" he says. "I won, you bitch, I won!

FAVORITE AUDIOBOOK NARRATORS

MY FAVORITE AUDIOBOOK NARRATORS

Ok, I have talked about books that I just love, but I haven't spoken about the narrators who bring the books to life. These people can either enhance the written word or they can destroy it. I have listened to both.

I have been listening to books for over ten  years and have had the chance to enjoy hundreds, possibly thousands of books. Because of this I have become very selective about what I will spend my time listening to. I now search out narrators knowing that the book they read will be thoroughly enjoyable.

Some of my favorite narrators are as follows and not in any particular order:

a.  George Guidall - http://georgeguidall.com/  Mr. Guidall has a very distinct voice that  embraces each one of the characters in the story with a very mellow tone. One of my favorite book series he has narrated is The Cat Who... by Lilian Jackson Braun.  There are a number of books in this series and I have listened to them all several times. It's like getting an Agatha Christie book. You may have read it a gazillion times and know the ending but it just makes you feel good to curl up and read it again. Listening to Mr, Guidall is just like that.

b.  Frank Muller - http://www.frankmullerhome.com/  Mr. Muller passed away in 2008 due to a motorcycle accident but his voice lives on through the many stories he narrated. I found his voice through his narration of Special Circumstances by Sheldon Siegal. I had never even heard of the author but wanted to hear more so I hunted down other books by Siegal and settled in to be entertained. What I got was another narrator who should never be allowed to read allowed, let alone read in the vicinity of others!

c.  John Lithgow - http://johnlithgow.com/  Mr. Lithgow narrated  The Bonfire Of The Vanities by Tom Wolfe.  I had never heard of the book nor had I ever seen the movie but I did know of Mr. Lithgow and enjoyed his acting so I thought I would give it a try.  This man can narrate anything on earth and I will listen to it. Because of his narration, I ran to my local library and picked up another Tom Wolfe book, Ambush at Fort Bragg and this led me to my fourth favorite narrator, Edward Norton.

d.  Edward Norton - http://www.edward-norton.org/  I have only listened to one book by Mr. Norton, Ambush at Fort Bragg, but I would love to find more. I have gone on line and I haven't found any information about further narrations, but Ambush at Fort Bragg is definitely worth the time to give it a listen. I think I'll pop on over to his web site and make this suggestion.

I have more favorites that I will highlight in the future, but this is just to get you started.  Some authors like to narrate their own books and some do it very well, Stephen King, Lawrence Block, but others just should pay the extra money and have a gifted reader do the honors. I have contacted authors and asked if they have input into the choosing of a narrator and some do and others really don't care who reads their work. This amazes me because I feel that this is like giving birth to a child and then handing him over to foster care. Really? You're just done with the work you invested in?

My next posting will highlight some of my favorite female narrators and a few of my picks for Christmas season books.

Have a great week!
Karen

Book review of Little Bee by Chris Cleave

LITTLE BEE by Chris Cleave

BACK COVER SYNOPSIS: "British couple Andrew and Sarah O'Rourke, vacationing on a Nigerian beach in a last-ditch effort to save their faltering marriage, come across Little Bee and her sister, Nigerian refugees fleeing from machete-wielding soldiers intent on clearing the beach. Two years later, Little Bee appears in London on the day of Andrew's funeral and reconnects with Sarah. The tenuous friendship between Sarah and Little Bee that grows is challenged and ultimately endures is the heart of this emotional, tense and often hilarious novel."

MY REVIEW:  I don't know why I initially chose this book because the synopsis looked a little gruesome, but I am so glad I did choose Little Bee. From the very beginning I was swept away by the strength of Little Bee and Sarah. They live worlds apart in every way and as they become bound together by a horrific event they somehow learn to forgive the men who have touch their lives and look forward to a future that neither woman thinks she has.

Little Bee is filled with such warmth and understanding that I hated to see the book end. I will be contacting the author in the hope that he will continue this story so I can see how Little Bee and Sarah go on. These characters were so real to me that I feel I will never stop thinking and wondering what has become of them.

I am giving this book 5 out of 5.

Please let me know your thoughts after reading this book.

Book Review of The Snowman by Jo Nesbo

THE SNOWMAN by Jo Nesbo

"Oslo in November. The first snow of the season has fallen. A boy named Jonas wakes in the night to find his mother gone. Out his window, in the cold moonlight, he sees the snowman that inexplicably appeared in the yard earlier in the day. Around its neck is his mother's pink scarf."

If you love thrillers then you will love this book. Every time I thought I knew how it would end, the author threw another curve snowball. I had never read anything by Jo Nesbo and was happy to learn that The Snowman is the 7th of his Harry Hole detective series. If you are squeamish about sex and murder scenes then this book isn't for you. Jo Nesbo has an excellent way of describing the pleasures humans seek at both ends of the spectrum. I'm giving this 4.5 out of 5 snowmen.

Book Review of ENEMY WOMEN by Paulette Jiles

 

ENEMY WOMEN by Paulette Jiles

"For the Colleys of southeastern Missouri, the War between the States is a plague that threatens devastation, despite the family's avowed neutrality. For eighteen-year-old Adair Colley, it is a nightmare that tears apart her family and forces her and her sisters to flee.

The treachery of a fellow traveler, however, brings about her arrest, and she is caged with the criminal and deranged in a filthy women's prison. But young Adair finds that love can live even in a place of horror and despair. Her interrogator, a Union major, falls in love with her and vows to return for her when the fighting is over. Before he leaves for battle, he bestows upon her a precious gift: freedom."

While the story line of this book appears to be sad and disturbing, it really is a story of just how strong the human spirit can be when faced with extremely difficult times. The main character, Adair Colley, is a young woman who grows up fast and learns that she needs  to use everything she has learned in her brief eighteen years to not only survive, but to really live.

I am giving this book a 3.5 out of 5 bookmarks.