Review of Bret Easton Ellis' Imperial Bedrooms

Mesmerizing But Flawed
Rating: 3-out-of-5 bookmarks

If you read Less Than Zero, Easton presents the sequel in a sharp, enthralling short novel. If you didn't read Less Than Zero it's OK, you will be introduced to the same characters but they are now adults. Set in Hollywood, Easton assures us that the movie industry scene has not changed. Narrated in a present tense stream of consciousness, Clay, our wealthy screenwriter, returns to L.A. during Christmas to supposedly help cast for his movie, The Listeners (The Informers?). He meets up with his old crowd, his good friend, Julian, old lover, Blair and ex-dealer, Rip. These teen-agers have not changed; they simply turned into middle-aged insecure, wandering souls. So it's again a blurry state of what are they really doing, what are they really saying?

The beginning of the story moves slowly and then it hits. As Easton builds the plot through Clay's haze of alcohol and seduction, the story works itself into a mystery with no boundaries. Easton works his magic through a wannabe starlet, Rain Turner, a beautiful, no-talent actress. Well, she wants to be an actress and will do anything, and I mean anything, to get a callback. Clay who will do anything to get what he wants plays the game and strings her along with promises of a reading. It's not joyful. The sex, the extreme violence and the Hollywood scene are real; any talent or courtesy is strictly bogus. Easton teaches us that Hollywood equals conspicuous consumption. The behavior of Clay and his crowd demands overindulgence in alcohol and ambition. Clay's drinking is evident in almost every scene, whether it is fantasy, reality or the devil. But the meaning is hard to capture and at some point toward the last 50 pages, I stopped trying. If I have to work too hard to decipher the meaning, maybe the timing of a character's epiphany is not meaningful.

I read the book in two sittings - I wanted to see where Easton was going and the end of the book is shocking in its violence and denouement. He is a genuine writer with original ideas, and I have not read anyone who can match his style. His run-on sentences were often annoying and over the top, but his ability to set a tone is unmatched.

Review Maggie O'Farrell's The Hand That First Held Mine

30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

Accidental Legacies March 17, 2010

Rating : 5-out-of-5 bookmarks

I have not read Maggie O'Farrell's work before, but I certainly will retrieve her prior novels with the hope of discovering similar strong characterizations and taut plots.

This story develops when Alexandra Sinclair, renamed Lexie by the love of her life, Innes Kent, leaves her traditional family and moves to London. The setting is Bohemian post war London in the 1950's when most women lived with their families or boarding houses for women only. Lexie is unconventional; she is ahead of her time, she is independent, passionate and wants to carve a niche for herself. With the help and high powered love of Innes, she becomes knowledgeable about art and turns herself into a credible reporter. She works hard in this Soho art scene and is rewarded with like-minded friends. Tragedy befalls her and eventually she ends up an "unwed" mother out of choice. Throughout her travails, she holds onto her passion for Innes and confidence in herself as a mother and journalist.

Decades later, another woman in London, has a near death experience giving birth to her son, Jonah. Elina is also not married but is a loyal, bright companion to Ted, the father of her child. She is also an artist and has a solid understanding of contemporary art and its value. Ted, who is nearly paralyzed by nearly losing Elina during labor, begins to recover lost memories. These memories traumatize him and he experiences deep loss.

O'Farrell draws a brilliant connection between Lexie, Innes, Elina and Ted. There are other significant characters (Margot and Felix for example) weaved into the plot with strong purpose. Both Elina and Lexie are transformed by motherhood and their individual expression of motherhood is the best I have read. The author links the stories at the end, not too surprising, but there are some twists which convinced me that some birthrights deserve to be carried on.

Review of The Politician: An Insider's Account of John Edwards's Pursuit of the Presidency and the Scandal That Brought Him Down The Politician: An

Power in Politics is Precarious and Dangerous Rating: 4-out-of-5 bookmarks

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

The most enlightening theme of this book is the ultimate dedication of Andrew Young to John Edwards and his family. He seemed to really believe Edwards would change the direction of the country despite knowing him up close and personal. Andrew Young educated the reader on the day-to-day work of running a campaign and his shocking loyalty to the Edwards family. The Edwards' knew no bounds when it came to service (Christmas card photo and fixing bed to name a few). He was on call all the time, doing anything for Edwards with the final sacrifice of declaring he is the father of Edward's mistress baby. There is not much to like about John and Elizabeth Edwards in Young's final analysis. They were/are both power hungry and quick to demean others.

As a cheater, Edwards had the audacity to think the American people would elect (let alone nominate) an unfaithful spouse whose wife has terminal cancer. Americans seem to tolerate murder and wars but never adultery, i.e. Tiger Woods, Jesse James. Elizabeth has garnered the sympathy of most women in this country and it is disappointing to learn in this book and "Game Change", that she is a calculating shrew. It also disturbed me that Edwards, as a senator, never took the time to read the background and details of the bills before him. He proved he was out for himself and relied on his charm, connections and a very smart staff.

I do think Young wrote well and tried to present a fair presentation. However, his goal was to outline his case to defend himself and he needs the money. I appreciated his honesty that no one would give him a job after the Edwards fiasco, and Young needs a best seller to pay his bills. He is tenacious and detail-oriented given his ability to master the art of running a tight, brilliant campaign. Young is an extremist himself. He worked later than anyone, he would drop everything to "step and fetchit" for the Edwards. His lauds the love of his life, Cheri, his wife and loyal companion ad nauseum. I think he apologized to her enough without us hearing about how wonderful she was all the time.

John Edwards' fall from grace was a shock. Many Americans believed in him and he shattered the lives of many of his staff and depleted the net worth of many contributors. Young proved Edwards is a sad commentary on American politics.

Review of Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Millenium Trilogy Ends As Well As It Begins
Rating: 5-out-of-5 bookmarks

The last of this trilogy convinces me that Sweden is not a pacifist, neutral country. Larsson's brilliant detailed knowledge of Sweden's politics and constitution is once again portrayed with the bizarre Lisbeth Salander and the honest, but flawed hero Mikael Blomvkvist. Blmovkvist's sister, Ms. Giannini, who becomes Lisbeth's attorney, represents Swedish women who are intellectual and more capable than their counterparts.

You may need to keep a cheat sheet of the characters, their relationships and political or journalistic intent. This list will help you move from chapter to chapter without hesitation. Most Americans are not familiar with Sweden's government and its departments. After reading this book, it is safe to say that the law and order forces are rank with conflict with organized crime. Larsson's study of the right conservative forces in Sweden prompted him to privatize his address and phone numbers. He was constantly threatened. Larsson died an untimely death and I learned that his father and brother received his entire estate and future royalties. He had lived with a female companion for years but they never married. If a couple marries in Sweden, I am to understand, they must declare an address. They feared for their lives, never married, which entitled her to none of his estate under Sweden's law.

In this final book, Lisbeth is tragically injured and is in the same hospital as her father, Zalachenko, who had destroyed her mother and help facilitate Lisbeth's incarneraton to an insane asylum. The secret police (Sapo), which is explained in detail, have chosen to protect Zalachenko, a Russian defector, and perpetuate a vast miscarriage of justice. We are again captivated by Lisbeth's brilliance and strong ability to survive. She is tougher than any man. Her trial scene, albeit somewhat flimsy, at the end of the novel and the denouement with her half-brother ties up the three books. Sweden's image is one of sexual freedom and tolerance. The extreme cruelty in the sexual scenes and exploitation of women in Sweden, as described in his books, appear to be the antithesis of this country's reputation. Larsson depicts how men enable the violence again women.

This book was superb but there were chapters that rambled and were confusing. I wonder if Larsson had actually written them or they were meant to be edited at a later date. It is a sad commentary that we will never have more literary gifts from this master storyteller.

Review of Sue Miller's The Lake Shore Limited

Richly Layered Novel
Rating: 5 out-of-5 bookmarks
The Lake Shore Limited is a train bound for Chicago that becomes the victim of a fictional terrorist bombing as it pulls into Union Station. This incident becomes a pivotal point for a play, with the same title, describing a husband's conflicted response when he learns his estranged wife was on board this train. Captivatingly, Miller uses a brilliant, but technically difficult method, of interfacing the play with her characters and the readers as her audience. She unfolds the entire play, which provides us with the insight we need for the varying perceptions of her four main characters.

The center character is the playwright, Billy Gertz, who lost her much younger boyfriend, Gus in one of the tragic 9 /11 flights. Gus was flying to Los Angeles for his father's funeral to meet up with his devoted sister, Leslie. Leslie and her husband, Pierce, a pediatric oncologist, have invited Sam, a widower to meet them to see the play. The main character in the play is "Gabriel" played by Rafe, a 45 year old actor who has never really made it. This role serves him well and Billy uses him to embellish her play to its dramatic climax.

The four characters: Leslie, Billy, Rafe and Sam are the narrators who stop to reflect as they take walks, eat meals, have sex. Their experiences revolve around loss or forthcoming bereavement. Sam, a rather successful architect, lost his young wife to cancer and even though, he appeared to be the super Mr. Mom when his wife was dying he feels like a failure. Leslie, who almost had a fling with Sam, is caught up in her desires and reliance on the safe thing to do. Rafe, whose wife is dying from Lou Gehrig's disease provides the most spot-on portrayal of someone whose guilt saturates him. Rafe's trip to his mother-in-law's home to tell her of her daughter's disease and impending death is one of the most poignant scenes. The main action revolves around Billy, for whom I had the least sympathy. Her anguish over Gus' death was not pure grief and Miller created her subsequent actions as self-serving.

All of this takes me to the theme of the book which, I believe, is how life would be if we are not encumbered. We don't have to play nice with each other, but we will continue to suffer inner turmoil. There are many unsettling truths as we desperately discover why we feel the way we do and the choices we have made.

Review of Ian McEwan Solar

Alternative Energy and Self-Deception

Rating: 4.5 bookmarks
Michael Beard, a Nobel Laureate, is a cuckold, scientific hoaxer and one of the least likeable main characters. McEwan presents Beard's story in a span short of a decade. McEwan opens the novel as we are introduced to Michael, this egotistical physicist, who is failing at his fifth marriage. He has been an unfaithful husband to all of his five wives, but he cannot fathom his existence when Patrice, his fifth wife, cheats on him with a common house builder. He cannot believe he is now the cuckold - note there is no word for a woman who has suffered the same fate - and instantly needs some gratification and solace.

As Beard's marriage is dissolving, an accident related to his wife's adulterous behavior, provides him with a chance to extend his professional redemption. He becomes a world advocate for saving the planet to conquer climate change by deriving power from artificial photosynthesis, using "light to split water into hydrogen and oxygen." Beard believes he no longer has to rest on his laurels of his earlier contribution to Einstein's work.

Unfortunately, Michael is a liar, amoral and devious without measure. Aspiring to surpass his youthful brilliance and recognition, he embarks on a plan to recast himself as a hero of the environment. One part of this quest leads him to a symposium when he is attacked for stating that men outnumber women as physicists because there are inherent differences in their brains. The media attack him for gender discrimination and he becomes a hate figure. This incident brings the Lawrence Summers blunder to mind.

McEwan continues to provide accidents and singular situations where Beard either capitalizes on someone else's poor fate or finds himself more of a dope than ever. He is out of touch and the more he becomes ingrained in his plagiarized projects, he grows fatter and fatter. The ending has an interesting twist and McEwan proves he is a wonderful storyteller.

I did like the book. Michael Beard is despicable which made the narrative entertaining. However, the details of this particular science encumbered the story and I had to re-read many parts to get back on track.

One Last Thing to Do Before I Die - A Review

A Phenomenon of Revenge
RATING: 5-out-of-5 Bookmarks

Driven by anger, maybe deep-seated, Max Wiseman (does his last name signify a sagacious wit) embarks on an odyssey to rid the world of his archenemy. He has not seen his enemy since he was eleven years old, but Derrick Frankenmeyer represents all that is wrong with American culture and those who do not live by the Golden Rule.

We meet Max who presently is a Prosecutor for the District Attorney's office. He is practicing law in its purest sense, and he can do this because he amassed $12 million working for law firms who charge high fees. He invested his money, has no wife and children to support, and he is healthy. So what's the problem? Well, Max is angry, he is angry with people who are inconsiderate, who use "it's our policy" for answers and he believes that for every good thing that has or will happen to him, he will incur more suffering than it's worth. So he begins his journey to find Derrick, the bully from camp, who beat him and embarrassed him. Max is out for ultimate revenge.

Max's excursion from New York to Albuquerque and back again is full of Americana, mostly at its worse. The customer service employees who represent the airlines, hotels and rental car companies are particularly gruesome and unrelenting in their incompetence and lack of courtesy. Max, however, is hell-bent on resolving his search for Derrick and committing a final act. He does meet Americans, with little money to sustain themselves, who surprise Max with their positive philosophy on life.

During his crossing, Max also puts himself into dangerous situations. He isn't brave and he isn't smart in dire circumstances, but he never really takes any revenge on those brutes who have purposely endangered him. So what do I make of Max? He made me laugh, he adored his father and he really can procrastinate. Fortunately, what sets Max apart from many Americans is money. Yes, I agree that many in our culture are dumb, cruel and downright useless, but Max had a way out that few of us have. He had money; he didn't think it was important but whenever he wanted to directly help someone, a waitress, a farmer, a hotel van driver, he could make their lives a little bit better by giving them an outrageous sum of money. He was able to reward many and live a very good life. So "do unto others ..." finally worked for Max. But in Max's real world, he had the Gold, so he could set many of the rules.

Without giving away the end of the novel, let's say Max finally can unload his anger. Read this book, it's a different angle on our society and who's running the show.
One Last Thing to Do Before I Die
By Steven Drew Goldberg
Publisher: lulu.com