18th Challenge Completed!

The Man Booker Challenge was one that gave its participants the freedom to choose how many books they wanted to read during the year.  I chose 6.  My choices ended up running the whole gamut of my rating scale rendering this challenge an interesting one.

Thank you Dewey from The Hidden Side of a Leaf for hosting this challenge!

Man Book Challenge Reads:

The Other Side of the Bridge (Lawson) ~ 2006 Longlist

The God of Small Things (Roy) ~ 1997 Winner

The Gathering (Enright) ~ 2007 Winner

The Atonement (McEwan) ~ 2001 Shortlist

The Remains of the Day (Ishiguro) ~ 1989 Winner

Purple Hibiscus (Adichie) ~ 2004 Longlist

Here is my original list of books with links to my thoughts.

Favorite:

The Other Side of the Bridge (Lawson)

Least Favorite:

The Gathering (Enright)

PURPLE HIBISCUS

Author:  Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Genre:  YA Fiction

Published:  2003

Personal Rating:  3.25/5

Yearly Count:  98

Purple Hibiscus is Adichie's debut novel.  She introduces Kambili, a fifteen-year-old privileged Nigerian girl, along with her mother, father and older brother, Jaja.  Kambili shares the daily experiences of her and her family's life and is exposed to her not-so-well-off relatives.  Life inside the Kambili's home may not be so privileged after all.    

I can't put my finger on the deciding factor that caused me to not enjoy this book as much as I had hoped, but I do know that there were several things that made me uncomfortable.  First, it took me almost half the book to become interested in the story, and the religious and political views that represented the Nigerians was unsettling.  In addition, the storyline and characters both were sluggish, but they all had their purpose.  Even with all my dislikes, I found it to be a well-written, good book, but not one I can rave about.  I'm thinking timing played a part in my rating as well.

THE REMAINS OF THE DAY

Author: Kazuo Ishiguro

Genre: Historical Fiction

Published: 1989

Personal Rating: 4/5

Yearly Count: 91

A deeply devoted English butler, Stevens, reminisces about his life in Darlington Hall. He believed, as a butler, it was his duty and responsibility to be selfless in every aspect of his life. Therefore, he devoted himself to giving Lord Darlington his very best. During this reminiscing, Stevens begins to discover himself.

This was a very good book. It took me a long time to become interested, but eventually I became attached to Stevens. After that happened, I was eager to hear more about his life. Interestingly enough, last year when I read Never Let Me Go I had the very same reaction. Ishiguro has a great talent for luring me into the depths of his novels and leaving me in a state of thoughtfulness. I'm glad I read this and the bonus is that it fits into three challenges!

ATONEMENT

Ian McEwan

Genre: Fiction

Published: 2001

Personal Rating: 2.5/5

Yearly Count: 49

Set in an upper-middle class English home, 13-year-old Briony witnesses an event that leads to the changing of numerous lives - including her own.

I read and listened to this book. The manner in which the story unfolds did not hold my attention in the handheld version, so I switched to just listening to it. The actual plotline became ridiculous; however, there were parts that I found interesting and actually enjoyable, but for the most part, there was just too much blah, blah, blah for nothin'.

THE GATHERING

Anne Enright

Genre: Fiction

Published: 2007

Personal Rating: 1/5

Yearly Count: 38

Told from the middle child's perspective, the Hegarty family gather together for a loved one's funeral. Memories, future thoughts, today, dreams, truth, hallucinations - all jumbled up together - what a mess!

If it weren't for the fact that I received this book from the kind-hearted Gentle Reader of Shelf Life and that it is a Man Booker Challenge AND Notable Books Challenge choice, I would have abandoned it from the get-go.

THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS

Arundhati Roy

Genre: Fiction

Published: 1997

Personal Rating: 2/5

Yearly Count: 19

The plot revolves around a family located in a small town in India. Decades of family events are shared, with the main characters being fraternal twins - the ones who are greatly affected by the small things.

I did not care for Roy's style of storytelling. The format of flashbacks and the lack of relatable characters made this book an unpleasant experience. The continual use of flashbacks caused difficulty in following, but that downfall could be due to listening to the book instead of reading. Although, the wordiness and unnecessary details regarding numerous characters can't be excused because I listened. Alas, much work went into trying to enjoy this book to no avail. Sadness.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BRIDGE

Mary Lawson

Genre: Fiction

Published: 2006

Personal Rating: 4.75/5

Yearly Count: 5

I have been wanting to read this book ever since I put down Crow Lake; it was worth the wait. I found it to be another very satisfying story and unexpectedly, one that I liked even more than Crow Lake.

Lawson's ability to tell a story is remarkable. The setting of Northern Canada provided the landscape and life of farming while the story line focused on two brothers that held polar perceptions of the world. It was told in alternating chapters that were separated by 20 years, ultimately spanning a lifetime. Lawson's words were powerfully rich and palpable from the descriptions of the setting to the emotions of the characters. What a great read!

COMPLETED: July, 2008

Hosted By: The Hidden Side of a Leaf
(6 books/January - December, 2008)

1. The Other Side of the Bridge (Lawson) ~ 2006 Longlist

(Finished: January, 2008)


2. The God of Small Things (Roy) ~ 1997 Winner

(Finished: February, 2008)

3. The Gathering (Enright) ~ 2007 Winner

(Finished: March, 2008)

4. The Atonement (McEwan) ~ 2001 Shortlist

(Finished: April, 2008)

5. The Remains of the Day (Ishiguro) ~ 1989 Winner

(Finished: July, 2008)

6. Purple Hibiscus (Adichie) ~ 2004 Longlist

(Finished: July, 2008)