The book ends with their last days and conversations, as Mapplethorpe died of AIDs in 1989. It’s clear that he will always be important for Smith. She took a vow to protect him when they were just kids and she is still taking care of him, eloquently sharing his legacy through her evocative memories and stories.
I think the best bit about the kite runner is its sense of fate and justice, of good overcoming evil in the end, despite all odds. Without giving away the ending, Amir ends up back in Afghanistan and makes a very different set of sacrifices in order to set things straight.
Her sustaining force, however, is an unswerving commitment to art – her own, and that of others...To read this book is to immerse oneself in the mind of an artist, in all its entertaining, surprising and self-indulgent glory.
This ambitious first novel introduces 16-year-old Miles Halter, whose hobby is memorizing famous people's last words...But the novel's chief appeal lies in Miles's well-articulated lust and his initial excitement about being on his own for the first time. Readers will only hope that this is not the last word from this promising new author.
Larson lets his parallel narratives exist side by side, seldom directly commenting on their connections, and The Devil In The White City is all the more powerful for it
Either version is worth a read. Not only is the portrait one of the most enduring images in popular culture, but our relentless lust for good looks at any price is perhaps more relevant today than ever.
If you’re single, Ansari’s book helps shed light on the everyday encounters that drive you nuts (Why hasn’t he texted back?) while for those who aren’t dating, it provides insight into how the digital age has complicated traditional courting problems. Whatever your lens, it makes for an entertaining read.
Reading it is like having a rambling conversation with a close friend. When you pick the book up after putting it down, it feels as if he’s been waiting for you to come back into the room so he can pick up where you left off. No matter what he’s been talking about...what matters is the book makes you feel he’s talking directly to you.
Bruce Springsteen proves that he has taken on life fully engaged both in living and examining it, and in doing so, he’s delivered a story as profoundly inspiring as his best music.
That they kept it under wraps for so long is impressive but not necessarily surprising: Brownstein’s memoir shows that she can keep a secret. More important, it shows how compelling she is when she opens up.
...has proved to be the most lasting element of Burnett's literary legacy. Perhaps that shouldn't surprise us, given how ahead of its time it was.
The chapters alternate between Cal’s point of view and Frida’s and are heavy on flashbacks that bog down an otherwise tense narrative of survival. This has the bones of an excellent book, but, sadly, an untenable amount of flab is covering them.
This is Story of My Life Annabel, who suffers a not uncommon high school experience, and who excels at avoidance...When Annabel begins a relationship with Owen, who specializes in truth telling, she begins to find courage within herself to face her worst fears...But the flaws were few and your writing, as always, was a wonder to read.
This book lets you make your own opinion on each character and it's not all black and white with baddies and goodies as each of them has multiple flaws which make them all the more interesting.
Kingsolver moves into new moral terrain in this powerful, convincing and emotionally resonant novel.
Plot? Hardly any. Interesting characters? None. Fine writing? Only if you consider it to be noble to tell a limited story with as many words as possible.
He takes her to a mushroom town, buys a lot, puts up a store and makes the town sit up and take notice. His success goes to his head -- their life becomes a mockery of her high hopes. And after his death, she goes off with a youth who brings her happiness and tragedy. A poignant story, told with almost rhythmic beauty.
Twenty-four years after a traumatic disappearance tore a Georgia family apart, Slaughter’s scorching stand-alone picks them up and shreds them all over again...Slaughter...is so uncompromising in following her blood trails to the darkest places imaginable that she makes most of her high-wire competition look pallid, formulaic, or just plain fake.
The overall feeling is one of levelheadedness, a little resignation, lots of anger and a permanent love of the power of art. She stays cool because she is cool, even in those rare moments when she’s not.