I finished The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean, and I have to say, I could have done without it. The story is about an elderly woman with Alzheimer's who has flashbacks to her life in WWII Russia. While I like the concept of the story, I don't feel like it was used well. If I were in this situation and my mother, grandmother, whoever, started talking about living in a cellar and eating glue, I would have asked questions. Instead, the entire family seems very detached, and no one really wants to talk about anything, let alone what is going on with the mom. Mom never volunteers much information about her past, and even when she claims that her son is the son of Zeus, we get no explanation for this claim. Overall, I was disappointed and let down by the premise of the book.
Next up is Stephen Lawhead's The Iron Lance, the first book in his Celtic Crusades series. We'll see if he can make me want to read the others...
I agree that the premise of that book sounds very interesting. Too bad the author didn't handle it well. I am in the middle of "Julie and Julia" and can't decide if I like it. I definitely disagree with her stance on marriage (she doesn't see it as a problem that her friend is sleeping with a married man and is a bit jealous...), her language can be offensive. But it is entertaining enough to keep me coming back for more.
ReplyDeleteWow, that IS a letdown for a book to not tie up loose ends. When I read a book and a sentence doesn't make sense or takes a left when it shouldn't, I am thrown out of the story. Hope the next one is better!
ReplyDelete(You mentioned the Spin Cycle in my comments. Easy to join. Just write up whatever your Spin is on the topic of the week and paste your link in my comments. I do the rest! And you can do this whenever you want. You're not required to participate every time.)
I'm about to begin a Dan Brown oldie, Digital Fortress. I was told it's his best.. Wish me luck!