Gary

Great little book

Reviewed: 08-21-21

Leslie Jordan is a delightful human being, and this is a delightful book. Funny. At times poignant. Always endearing.

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A moralizing hitman?

Reviewed: 08-20-21

The great conceit of Billy Summers is that he only kills bad people. On some level, Billy does recognize that he is a bad man himself, but the trouble is, King never portrays him as anything other than sympathetic. Inside the logic of the story, nearly everything he does is reasonable and justifiable. Maybe he makes a few honest mistakes now and then, but King never gives us the opportunity to be creeped out by Billy. But Billy is a killer. Billy judges people without giving them the opportunity to defend themselves. He then sentences them, and then he carries out the punishment himself. In what moral universe would this be anything other than evil? Imagine the kind of world this would be if we all gave ourselves permission to punish others to the degree we subjectively felt they hurt us or those we care about?

I enjoyed this story, but I think it would have worked better as a noir. I think Billy should have been portrayed as a deeply flawed, complex character.

The Shining is quietly referenced a couple of times in this novel, which makes me think of Jack and Wendy Torrance. Both of them are presented to us as flawed people. Jack wants to be a good father and husband, and he wants to be a good writer, but he has a drinking problem. And he can be violent and ugly when he's drunk. Wendy is a good mother. She loves Danny very much. Yet, she allows Jack to take her and Danny to an isolated hotel where they will be cut off from the world for months. Readers can step back and say, "No, no, Jack, don't take that drink. You know how you get." Or we can say, "Don't go up there with him, Wendy. How will you protect yourself or Danny if he goes to the dark side again?" But King has us right there with Billy Summers when he pulls the trigger, or inflects suffering, and when he's deciding who's good and bad in his simplistic way.

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Informative and fun

Reviewed: 12-10-20

Not only is Memoirs a witty and delightful recounting of Tennessee Williams' life, but it also provides a glimpse into what it was like for a gay man to come to terms with his sexuality in the thirties and forties when homosexuality was criminal and classified as a mental illness. Williams didn't hold back.

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2 people found this helpful

Fantastic

Reviewed: 12-07-20

Audra McDonald is wonderful as Blanche DuBois. I've loved Streetcar for many years, so I was very happy to find this superbly done audio version.

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2 people found this helpful

The Goldfinch is a great Dickensian story.

Reviewed: 11-26-19

And even if you’ve read it, you should listen to David Pittu’s performance. He somehow manages to give every character their own distinct and believable voice...young or old, male or female. Pittu stands out as a wonderful reader.

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Classic Haunted House Story

Reviewed: 11-11-18

A woman nearing middle age finds herself without friends or a career. She is forced to live with her sister who treats her like a poor relation and a bother. Eleanor is an outsider who goes to Hill House in search of home and family. She wants and needs a place where she belongs. Lots of emotional depth. #Creepy #Dark #Scary #Suspenseful #Tagsgiving #Sweepstakes

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Challenging and Poignant

Reviewed: 08-06-18

At first, this novel seems like an idealist account of how a father and daughter have managed to live simply and close to nature. I thought of Walden, and tiny houses and how you can feel dead inside after working sixty hours a week so you can buy expensive gadgets advertisers claim you absolutely must have. I was rooting for the rebels when authorities tried to force them to accept a more conventional way of life. But as the story progressed, disturbing questions about mental health and stunted development arose. A surprisingly complex and thought-provoking story.

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9 people found this helpful