Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Finished the book?
Thanks to those who have commented so far about the book - please continue to if you are still reading and want to share your thoughts. I will however be off to the bookstores soon to check out some new titles. I have already had some fantastic suggestions from a book lover and will definitely add those to the mix. Until then, happy reading and commenting...
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I finished the book. In addition to my previous comments, the book got much better towards the end. Even Jackson improved in my estimations when he finally got off his ass and did something.
ReplyDeleteOverall a relatively good book. Not one I would have selected for myself - but pleased I read it, none-the-less.
Mx
I stayed up till midnight last night to finish this book. I cried continually for probably the last hundred pages, but I'm a bit of a softie. I get so affected because to me it's not 'just a story' - people suffer like this ALL the time and it breaks my heart.
ReplyDeleteWhile not my favourite Shriver book, So Much For That is certainly a worthwhile read. Shriver adeptly handles complex subjects, concepts and characters. She really sinks her teeth into issues and I feel as though my brain gets a good workout when I read her books.
I didn't find the unlikeable characters a problem, because, to me, they were compelling. I skipped Jackson's rants every now and again, but I was nonetheless affected by his demise. I thought Glynis was a wonderfully complicated character - a total bitch, but her bitchiness was rationalised. She treated Shep terribly, but it made sense from her angry, bitter, needed-to-punish perspective. Shep may have been, in some ways, weak, but he was also incredibly strong. Many men would've bailed (and they do!) in similar circumstances, but he stuck by Glynis. I loved how his character developed by the end too. I was really cheering for him. I had been worried by the title - I thought he'd never get his Afterlife.
For me, the weakest element of the novel was the dialogue, particularly the 'health talk' between Jackson and Shep. It sounded as natural as a commercial featuring Georgie Parker and some twit having an 'unscripted' conversation about Panadol for children. Also, while Shriver should be free to use her unbelievably huge vocabulary in the narration, it didn't sound natural to use ridiculously big and obscure words in dialogue. People just don't speak like that.
In short though, I thought So Much For That was a compelling, thought-provoking and tear-jerking read.