A God of Small Things- Arundhati Roy
I read this in two parts- I started while my students were taking their midterms and then didn't want to take a half-finished hardback on my trip with me. So I ended up reading about a third of it on Thursday and then the remaining 2/3s about two weeks later. There was a bit of recapping I had to do but because the story is told in such a non-linear fashion, I was able to continue to follow along. While I didn't love the non-linear way the story was told, the descriptions and language that helped create the story was fantastic.
The Secret History- Donna Tartt
This book was long. Maybe too long. The story was compelling but the characters were absolutely insufferable. There was not a single likeable character among the five main characters (possibly six main characters) and the story just draggggggged on. I mean, how many times can you read about people sleeping, being tired, drinking, worrying, drinking some more, thinking, taking taxis, etc. I wanted to find out how it ended but in general, a good third could be cut out and the book would be better off for it.
Prayer for Owen Meany- John Irving
Apparently the movie "Simon Birch" was based upon this book and while I don't remember a ton about the movie, I enjoyed the book so much. Again, it was a bit long and at times it tended to drag on a little bit but much as I didn't like the non-linear plot within "A God of Small Things", I really enjoyed it in "A Prayer for Owen Meany." I thought the characters were real and believable and the story was compelling, joyful, tragic, and also very real. I knew the the ending would be tragic but the best part was watching and following along as the story unfolded. I highly recommend this one.
My Promise Land- Ari Shavit
This is obviously not on the BBC list since it just came out a few months ago. But It was wonderful. I felt like it was a unique look at Israel/Paestine's history. I learned so many new things about different parts of Israel and I also felt like Shavit didn't try to justify the mistakes Israel has made, especially in the sphere of Israeli/Palestinian affairs. He looks at the pull of Zionism but also the complications of Israeli and Palestinian relationships. He scans over all areas of culture, not just at politics but also nuclear issues, international relations, music and dance, cities versus living in the country or in kibbutzes, Orthodoxy and secularism. I loved how he took these different aspects of Israeli life and weaved them together so seamlessly. He sometimes waxes poetical and starts to ruminate a bit too much and I kind of skimmed those parts but overall, I really enjoyed it.
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