I did not expect the book to end as it did, and also i expected it to end exactly as it did.
She just can't act on it. But the more I read the more I felt like I was slogging through mud.
Disobedience, the debut by 31-year-old Naomi Alderman, and in places a deft and intelligent work, is one such book. Set in an Orthodox Jewish community in England where strict adherence to Orthodox ways are the price of admission to be part of the community. Whatever you need, The Book has an answer to every conceivable question. First fiction book I ever read about orthodox jews. If you've read the first 10 pages, then effectively you've read the next 90, maybe even the next 150. Ho hum.
There are many human pains more grievous. it wasnt until side B of tape 1 that i realised the narrator is wilson from tv show houseMD ha my friend never realised (robert sean leonard, for those of you that dont know who im talking about). Recommended.friend gave me this audiobook. The facade of Writerliness -- supposedly of the narrator, not the novel's author -- was far too irritating and got in the way of any sparks the novel could have had. I actually hope I'm not the only one to read and review it this month. Kevin's thoughts are random making the book choppy and uninteresting. Beautiful. I actually hope I'm not the only one to read and review it this month. I don't know, but it's hard to love a book when the only person you loveOverall I just "liked" the book, but feel like I should give it a grudging four stars, because there were indeed some aspects of it that I *really* liked. I caught myself wanting to skim some paragraphs, and recalling that I wanted to do that the first time. Like Hamilton's other book, When Madeline Was Young, this one is also sort of a coming-of-age story narrated by a teen-aged boy, but this one is much more effective. Kevin's thoughts are random making the book choppy and uninteresting. Mid-way through his senior year, Henry discovers his mother is having an affair with another musician.
It irritated me. Disobedience is about a year in the life of 17 year old Henry Shaw. Esti too with her deep despair and even deeper hope wading through life was compelling and heartbreaking. I didn't like this one as much the other Hamilton books I've read.
I found Ronit fascinating with her ambiguities, the deep love and despair and hope and a strong sense of rebelliousness. Well-written, good story, but I just cannot stand the narrator. realised I don't know anything abt judaism, so I learnt some stuff which was coolLike many who are reading this circa 2018, I first became aware of it due to the recent film version, and wanted to read the book prior to seeing it. I love how she writes about wisconsin. But it was a tad on the creepy side, the thoughts he had about her. Difficult to believe that this is a debut novel it is so well paced and the characters truly came to life for me. That said, this managed to hit all of the predictable boxes of a mainstream queer narrative circa 1995: forbidden love, religious pressure--even hubby is a prominent religious figure in the community, oh noes!--while also being an utter cop out on lesbianism. Less than nothing happens. she is one of my favourite authors - her book 'a map of the world' is on my top list. i wish straight people would expend more energy uplifting lgbt stories from actual lgbt writers, instead of writing from a perspective they could never understand.
Would I have enjoyed it so much without having such a similar background? It is all about the queering, and not just of the sexuality but of the religion, the family, even the chronic debilitation, and as a mentally ill bisexual atheist with Catholic aesthetics and a loathing for soft lines that need to be hard and hard lines where there needs to be a respect for individual negotiations of consent, this book was, in a word, sooQueer History Month 2019 still has a few days left, but this is probably the queerest work, fictionwise, that I'll encounter this time around.
He learns this because he figures out how to read his mother's email. She is described as profoundly torn up inside that her daughter is not interested in feminine things or in wearing dresses, but the mom is such a poorly drawn character that it doesn't make sense that she would be upset, and then there's a climactic incident that ends with the daughter giving up on her obsession with the Civil War.About halfway through my second reading, I was inclined to take off a star from my earlier rating of five. Maybe? I have enjoyed some Jane Hamilton books more than others. Mid-way through his senior year, Henry discovers his mother is having an affair with another musician. As I read this novel, I felt a tingle going through me each time the word 'Hendon' flashed at my eyes.
I hated this book.