Two Thumbs Down

I couldn't have said it better than this reviewer on Amazon, so I just cut and paste:



Mitchard has an enormous cast of characters, all of whom are razon-thin in their character development. You'll be lost if you haven't read "Deep End", as the returning cast is introduced with the sketchiest of background. Then again, you'll be lost if you HAVE read "Deep End", as all the new characters are thrown at the reader fast and furiously and in the most superficial manner possible.

There are several confusing scenes in the book, made more confusing by the "Beth and Pat and Candy and Ben and Charley Seven did this....Vincent and Sam and Eliza and George did that" writing. The pre-Oscar hotel scenes and celebrity spotting - waste of time and paper. The actual kidnapping? Also poorly sequenced and explained. The ridiculous search into the mountains for a villain with a muddled motive and Vincent's idiotic leaving shelter (to do what? and why?) are the stuff of slapped-together made-for-TV movies. It wasn't even suspenseful, since I had no emotional attachment to any of the characters. What if the kidnapped child disappears forever? Ho-hum. What if Ben falls into a crevasse? Yawn, too bad, so sad.

"Deep End" was beautifully written and well paced. "No Time" felt slapped together, poorly plotted and added nothing at all to the Cappadora story. Bad, bad book.

New Book Review

This is a historical fiction book about a Korean immigrant who comes to Honolulu in the 1920s's. I love historical fiction, because I get to learn something about the time period in a non-boring way! I loved Alan Brennert's other book set in Hawaii, Moloka'i, so I was excited when he came out with a new one. I didn't like this one quite as much as Moloka'i, but it was very good. I would give it a 4 out of 5 stars.

Book Review

My friend Sarah does a book review on her blog, and suggested I do the same, so here is my first one. Pre-baby, I used to read about 15-20 books over the summer, and so far I have read ONE, but I am hoping to get a few more in!

This book was about a wife in a polygamous marriage in Utah who is accused of killing her husband. It goes back and forth between the current situation and the beginnings of polygamy in the Mormon church in the 1800's. I learned a lot about the beginnings of Mormonism, which was interesting. I thought this was a good book, although it did take me forever to finish. I would give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.