© 2012 Book Chatter | Book Chatter

Looking for Alaska
By John Green
(Speak, Paperback, 9780142402511, 2006, 256pp.)

The Short of It:

Highly praised, yet failed to deliver in the end.

The Rest of It:

*No Spoilers*

I recently reviewed Green’s latest book, and loved it, so when I saw this one at the library, I immediately snatched it up.

Miles moves from Florida to Alabama to attend Culver Creek Preparatory School. There, he meets his roommate “The Colonel” also known as Chip Martin. Miles wasn’t all that popular at his previous school, in fact…no one really knew he existed so when Chip shows an interest in him, he eases into the friendship knowing that it could disintegrate at any moment. After their brief introduction and receiving the nickname of Pudge (even though Miles is skinny as a rail), Miles is introduced to Alaska Young.

Alaska is witty and beautiful and different from the girls back home but she is also taken. Her college boyfriend is mentioned numerous times but is never seen. This mysterious air is what attracts Miles to her, but it’s also what frustrates him most. Especially when she goes missing and he and Chip are left to figure out what happened.

The story is broken up into two parts, before and after with before being the events leading up to her disappearance, and after, the events that followed it. As a reader, I knew right away that something was going to happen, but I had no idea what. With each chapter breaking it down even further (2 months before, 28 days after, etc), which worked to a degree as I certainly felt the tension build, the end result was not what I had hoped for. The ending left a lot of questions unanswered and to be honest with you, this pissed me off. The structure begs for resolution. You cannot lead a reader down the before/after path and not give them something in return!

My reaction to the ending, affected my overall enjoyment of the book itself. Putting the ending aside, I will say that I enjoyed the dialogue between the characters and the development of Miles over time. He is a likable character and his interactions with the other characters were often entertaining if not, enjoyable. Scores of readers have praised the book for its emotional punch so perhaps its magic was lost on me. After all, I am not a young teen by any stretch of the imagination and that is what this book is geared towards even with its numerous mentions of alcohol and sex.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Words Get In The Way
By Nan Rossiter
(Kensington, Paperback, 9780758246684, March 2012, 352pp.)

The Short of It:

Words Get In the Way is a heartwarming tale of redemption and hope.

The Rest of It:

When Callie Wyeth’s father suffers a stroke, she finds herself in a difficult position. Wanting desperately to help, she knows she must return to her childhood home, but the memories of her life three years before rush back to her. Particularly, Linden…the man she left behind. The man whose heart she was forced to break, in order to keep him from the painful truth. A truth which she hasn’t fully come to terms with herself, even though the evidence of that slip of judgement stares up at her each, and every day.

Last June, I reviewed another book by Nan Rossiter, The Gin and Chowder Club, and at the time, I was surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did. It surprised me because it wasn’t a book I would have picked up on my own, and I assumed it would be a lighter read. That was not the case and after enjoying it so much, I jumped at the chance to review her next book.

As with her previous book, this one has likable, well-developed characters but this one adds a weightier element. When Callie returns home, she returns with her young son, Henry. Henry has just been diagnosed with autism. This provides an additional layer of complexity to the story since Callie is still learning about triggers and cues. Her frustration over her son’s condition, is what made her more genuine to me as a reader and Henry’s interactions with Linden is what gives her hope.

The connection between these characters and the simple story line is what made this book very appealing to me. I will say, there is more of a spiritual element to this novel than the first book I read. I do not practice religion, but do believe in a higher power so these brief moments of prayer or mentions of God did not take anything away from the reading. Personally, I found these passages to be rather comforting. As a mother, I can certainly see why Callie would pray for her child as well as the health of her father. I think it’s important to note that I never felt as if Rossiter was pushing religion for religion’s sake. Callie is not perfect and remorseful for the mistakes she’s made. It seemed appropriate that Callie would find comfort in religion.

That said, I wanted to spend more time with these characters. The novel spans a very brief moment in time and I would have liked it more (call me selfish) if I had gotten to see them a little further along in their development. I wanted to see where they’d end up. There is a glimpse of that since the story opens with Callie in the present day, reflecting back on her past, but I wanted more of the stuff in between. Mainly because I enjoyed the characters so much.

If you enjoy honest, simple stories then give Rossiter a try.

Source: Sent to me by the author. Nan, thank you!
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Chatting with friends about books and life…