What Are You Reading --- May 2014 - Page 4

catmama · ‎01-07-2011

On 5/9/2014 Troop_Angel said:
After watching the Scarlet Pimpernel starring Leslie Howard the other day on TCM, I decided to read the novel by Baroness Orczy. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie (I'm a huge Leslie Howard fan), and have never read the novel before. I was surprised to see what it is about. So far really good.

If you like Leslie Howard's version, you should watch the Anthony Andrews/Jane Seymour version. It was originally a made for TV movie and it's delicious.

I just started reading Love & Treasure by Ayelet Waldman. Story takes place in the US and Hungary during World War II and present day. I really like her writing style. I read her book Love and Other Impossible Pursuits (enjoyed it very much) and decided to try L&T.

Judaline · ‎03-10-2010

On 5/9/2014 catmama said:
On 5/9/2014 Troop_Angel said:
After watching the Scarlet Pimpernel starring Leslie Howard the other day on TCM, I decided to read the novel by Baroness Orczy. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie (I'm a huge Leslie Howard fan), and have never read the novel before. I was surprised to see what it is about. So far really good.

If you like Leslie Howard's version, you should watch the Anthony Andrews/Jane Seymour version. It was originally a made for TV movie and it's delicious.

I just started reading Love & Treasure by Ayelet Waldman. Story takes place in the US and Hungary during World War II and present day. I really like her writing style. I read her book Love and Other Impossible Pursuits (enjoyed it very much) and decided to try L&T.

I loved both versions!!! "Sink me." hahaha

Whatever happened to Anthony Andrews. He was great.

Linders Back · ‎03-10-2010

My hold on Still Life with Breadcrumbs came in at the library. 100 pages into it and am so glad I didn't have to buy it. What a disjointed story so far. Does it ever all come together? Seems more like a collection of random thoughts - possible rejected magazine articles - (stray dogs, sad clowns, nursing homes, crosses in the woods, etc.) Many of the characters seem quite stereotypical: nosy chatty shop owner, bad ex-husband, tyrannical bossy agent, etc. Never read anything by Quindlen before so not sure how this stacks up to her other works.

Quindlen lost me in the first 30 pages when the protagonist let the roofer shoot the raccoon and then took all the photos of the poor dead animal as "art".

esmerelda · ‎03-10-2010

I loved Still Life with Bread Crumbs!

To encourage others who might skip over it based on other opinions, here's this from amazon.com:

Still Life with Bread Crumbs begins with an imagined gunshot and ends with a new tin roof. Between the two is a wry and knowing portrait of Rebecca Winter, a photographer whose work made her an unlikely heroine for many women. Her career is now descendent, her bank balance shaky, and she has fled the city for the middle of nowhere. There she discovers, in a tree stand with a roofer named Jim Bates, that what she sees through a camera lens is not all there is to life.

Brilliantly written, powerfully observed, Still Life with Bread Crumbs is a deeply moving and often very funny story of unexpected love, and a stunningly crafted journey into the life of a woman, her heart, her mind, her days, as she discovers that life is a story with many levels, a story that is longer and more exciting than she ever imagined.

*********************
Keepin' it real.

smoky22 · ‎05-30-2010

I don't get all the hype for Still Life With Bread Crumbs either. I thought it was just ok. And apart from the plot being mediocre (in my opinion), I really didn't think her writing style was anything special. And the explanation for the crosses really struck me as being a stretch.

"everybody counts or nobody counts"

skyblue · ‎03-14-2010

On 5/10/2014 smokymtngal said:
I don't get all the hype for Still Life With Bread Crumbs either. I thought it was just ok. And apart from the plot being mediocre (in my opinion), I really didn't think her writing style was anything special. And the explanation for the crosses really struck me as being a stretch.

There are too many really good books for me to waste my time on mediocre, so I am still not tempted to read this book.

SWEET · ‎03-09-2010

Just finished Peyton Place by Grace Metalious. It was such a scandalous book back in the 50's when it was written and it is set in the 30's/40's when times were different.

Going to read Lisa Patton's Southern As A Second Language next.

Yahooey · ‎07-09-2010

On 5/10/2014 skyblue said:
On 5/10/2014 smokymtngal said:
I don't get all the hype for Still Life With Bread Crumbs either. I thought it was just ok. And apart from the plot being mediocre (in my opinion), I really didn't think her writing style was anything special. And the explanation for the crosses really struck me as being a stretch.

There are too many really good books for me to waste my time on mediocre, so I am still not tempted to read this book.

While I did enjoy the book, it could have been much better. I found it lacking guts and skimming the surface. I don't recall reading her other books so I'm not familiar with her writing style.

Yahooey · ‎07-09-2010

I just started reading Cuckoo's Calling by J. K. Rowling, under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. I'm liking it so far.

Linders Back · ‎03-10-2010

On 5/10/2014 smokymtngal said:
I don't get all the hype for Still Life With Bread Crumbs either. I thought it was just ok. And apart from the plot being mediocre (in my opinion), I really didn't think her writing style was anything special. And the explanation for the crosses really struck me as being a stretch.

Finished it this morning and all I can say is, I'm glad it's over. Would work as a Lifetime or Hallmark movie (providing they cast a hunky Jim ${#emotions_dlg.devil2}$ ) where you only had to invest 2 hours of your time rather than the days it takes to read it.

Very predictable and trite story filled with typical cast of supporting characters deemed necessary in today's lit: arrogant British ex; kooky sincere Sarah; mean stupid hubby Kevin; sad clown Tad; pushy agent TG, parent with dementia; tragic drug addled misunderstood young girl, etc. And then it all wrapped up too nicely .

Our book club chose it because we are mostly of the age of the protagonist (she's 60) so whoever suggested it thought it would resonate with our lives. Thankfully, it didn't with mine.

I like to read books I learn something from, be it obscure bits of history, techniques of art forgery or cooking, or insight into other cultures. This book had nothing for me.