DFW


Consider the Lobster and Other EssaysConsider the Lobster and Other Essays by David Foster Wallace
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I started this book (my first DFW) with so much optimism only to be left puzzled at the end about my liking towards him. First chapter, big red son, was a huge disappointment as he made a porn industry awards' event sound boring to me. Couple another chapters went by with me trying not to fall asleep while reading. Till now, i was hugely disappointed. But then came 'how tracy austin..', 'up simba', and 'consider the lobster'. I enjoyed them with fair interest. At the end, I came to conclusion that DFW is undoubtedly one of the most gifted authors, but he writes mostly on american backdrop, which I am not very aware of. I could see that this man has immense intellect but there are some barriers among us. I am glad I finished the book despite being bored at initial chapters. I must say, I am not ready to read another DFW just yet, but read I will. For that, I will have to read some lighter material first. So, three stars. I would have given one but last chapters were the saving grace. But again, who am I to judge the author? Its just our own perspective and we review how this particular book affected us.

View all my reviews

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Girl on the TrainThe Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I rarely read thrillers, but I had heard so much about this book and now a movie is coming out, so I decided to see what all the fuss was about. This book consists of a very limited number of characters which is good for a newbie reader to understand. Author maintains the suspense till the end despite having so few characters. A particular thing I learned from this book is the protagonist need not be a strong, firm character. Author takes the worn out, drunk and (some may call it) a loser Rachel as the chief protagonist with equally important characters of Megan and Anna. All three characters are narrating the story and author being a lady, it feels more authentic and realistic to read all three women voices. Author has certainly played her strong points. Though the ending didn't match my expectation, it was already sky high, so no let down there. Although, me not being a staunch thrillers fan, I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

View all my reviews

Read more

Looking for AlaskaLooking for Alaska by John Green
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It started with a kindle book which was on a freak sale; I didn't even like YA novels (so I thought) and it was an impulse buy (you know, when you buy books just because, you know!!) but boy, has this book opened my eyes! I had liked some YA movies like 'Perks of being a wallflower' and 'Me and Earl and the dying girl' but always thought YA books to be fodder for the inferior somehow. I couldn't be more wrong. This one created swirls of emotions I had always loved but current cynicism had forbidden. It is true that we grow bleaker and more cynical as we grow older but we are delusional as well. Books like these show you the softer side of life. Everyone has gone to school once upon a time and each one of us has had a crush on someone we thought was cute but not every crush ends up being 'happily forever', well, most of them don't. This book is an ode to those turbulent times of the journey from childhood to adulthood, first kisses (and blowjobs too!), that fluttery feeling in the heart, friendship, unbreakable bonds, introduction to vices of life, adolescent pain, breaking rules, love and most important of all, memories!

View all my reviews

Read more

The Museum of InnocenceThe Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A book this big takes you through a whirlwind of emotions. I started this book because of the Nobel-winning author and the fact that it was available in the library. It started with moderate pace and very happening storyline. I was immediately hooked. But after a certain stage, I had to put special efforts to read this book. The protagonist's pain and suffering were so intricately detailed that it was mentally exhausting. Kemal the protagonist's lament after his love, which in my opinion, tends to be borderline psychotic, was one of the saddest and most gruelling I have yet read. (Spoiler Alert) After the big middle chunk of the novel, it again becomes interesting, only to be faced with the death of his love. I was literally frustrated at that point. But as I experienced with Hemingway, Great authors have death as their big weapon in every love story they write. No great love story is without death I guess. Anyways, earlier I was going to give it a one or two stars, but with ending like that, it deserves one more star from my end. No judgment though. He's a great author and this rating just says about my experience.

View all my reviews

Read more