5 / 5 Stars!!
Every so often I come across a book that truly inspires me. A book that causes me to rethink my priorities. One that makes me take a look around and realize that I have it pretty dang good. The Rent Collector is one such book.
This book tells the story of a family who lives at a dump in Cambodia, making it day to day by selling material they have picked from the garbage pile. It chronicles one woman's journey of learning to read in hopes of creating a better life for her son. In pursuit of her goal, Sang Ly develops an unlikely and profound relationship with her teacher, the rent collector.
I sometimes feel that the word "amazing" is used too often. One only has to watch American Idol to hear the words brilliant, amazing, beautiful, and unbelievable, oh I'd say about 300 times in a 2-hour episode. However, this book is one of the most touching and poignant books I have encountered in a while. These are just a few of the quotes that illustrate the beauty of The Rent Collector.
"Life will not always be so hard or cruel. Our difficulties are but a moment."
"When you find your purpose--and you will find your purpose--never let go. Peace is a product of both patience and persistence."
"They knew everything about literature except how to enjoy it."
"Grandfather had a saying: If you know a lot, know enough to make people respect you. If you are stupid, be stupid enough so they can pity you."
"In Cambodia, it's unfortunately common for husbands both to drink and to beat their wives. Other families are abandoned, left to fend for themselves. Instead, my husband runs through the city for the better part of the night to make sure that his wife and son are safe."
"It doesn't matter where you live, Sang Ly, it is how you live."
It would be easy for a book with this kind of subject matter to become depressing and gloomy. Instead, Camron Wright does the opposite, inserting bits of humor and wit throughout to give it a much more light-hearted feel. I loved how, even in a dump in Cambodia, a husband and wife still bargain over who will bathe the baby that night. Or that it becomes a competition among caddy women to see who can make the best temporary shelter on the sidelines of the garbage heap. I found myself both laughing out loud and brought to tears in this book--not an easy feat.
Read this book--you'll be glad you did.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Friday, March 1, 2013
Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan
3 / 5 stars
Aaaghhh! This is my scream of frustration after finishing Unspoken. I had such high hopes for this book. I wanted so badly to like it, especially after reading so many excellent reviews for it. I mean, some people said this is the best book they've ever read. Really? Really??? Try as I might, I was just not feeling it.
It started off going pretty well for me. The main characters were wonderful. Kami was quirky and witty, sarcastic and sharp. I loved the easy banter between her and Angela. I also really enjoyed her mental conversations with Jared, probably more than their actual verbal communication. Each of the female characters held their own, exuding strength without being too crazy feminist.
I was also really proud of the author for not creating an "insta-love" situation between Jared and Kami. In so many YA novels, the leads meet and within 3 hours are passionately devoted to one another and willing to follow each other to the ends of the earth. In this case, Kami and Jared have had their whole lives to get to know each other and still aren't sure if they belong together romantically. For a good part of the book, I could truly feel the depth of their relationship and how it transformed between best friends, soul mates, enemies and, even at times, brother/sisterish? Kami and Jared's bond was much more intimate and believable than many of the flat connections in other YA books.
With that said, the second half of the book lost me. The plot-line became muddled and was far too similar to Beautiful Creatures (which I also didn't love). The fun, clever repartee disappeared, leaving me with a bogged-down, somewhat depressing story.
I was also very put off by the lack of transitioning between scenes. The chapters were very disjointed, jumping from place to place and even between differing points of view without any kind of warning or explanation.
And, um, am I the only one who thinks it's a little creepy that twin sisters were fighting over marrying their cousin? Seriously, doesn't anyone else see something wrong with FIRST cousins getting married? I know I'm from America, and this was written by an Irish author and set in England, but nobody in the book even thought twice about the fact that Ash's parents were cousins. The only real mention was from Kami's dad who stated, "Which brings us to the least sexy word in the English language, kids. Inbreeding. Avoid it. Think about dating outside the Vale."
I'm so disappointed that I didn't enjoy this book more. It definitely had some redeeming qualities, but after slushing through the last 100 pages, ugh...enough said.
Aaaghhh! This is my scream of frustration after finishing Unspoken. I had such high hopes for this book. I wanted so badly to like it, especially after reading so many excellent reviews for it. I mean, some people said this is the best book they've ever read. Really? Really??? Try as I might, I was just not feeling it.
It started off going pretty well for me. The main characters were wonderful. Kami was quirky and witty, sarcastic and sharp. I loved the easy banter between her and Angela. I also really enjoyed her mental conversations with Jared, probably more than their actual verbal communication. Each of the female characters held their own, exuding strength without being too crazy feminist.
I was also really proud of the author for not creating an "insta-love" situation between Jared and Kami. In so many YA novels, the leads meet and within 3 hours are passionately devoted to one another and willing to follow each other to the ends of the earth. In this case, Kami and Jared have had their whole lives to get to know each other and still aren't sure if they belong together romantically. For a good part of the book, I could truly feel the depth of their relationship and how it transformed between best friends, soul mates, enemies and, even at times, brother/sisterish? Kami and Jared's bond was much more intimate and believable than many of the flat connections in other YA books.
With that said, the second half of the book lost me. The plot-line became muddled and was far too similar to Beautiful Creatures (which I also didn't love). The fun, clever repartee disappeared, leaving me with a bogged-down, somewhat depressing story.
I was also very put off by the lack of transitioning between scenes. The chapters were very disjointed, jumping from place to place and even between differing points of view without any kind of warning or explanation.
And, um, am I the only one who thinks it's a little creepy that twin sisters were fighting over marrying their cousin? Seriously, doesn't anyone else see something wrong with FIRST cousins getting married? I know I'm from America, and this was written by an Irish author and set in England, but nobody in the book even thought twice about the fact that Ash's parents were cousins. The only real mention was from Kami's dad who stated, "Which brings us to the least sexy word in the English language, kids. Inbreeding. Avoid it. Think about dating outside the Vale."
I'm so disappointed that I didn't enjoy this book more. It definitely had some redeeming qualities, but after slushing through the last 100 pages, ugh...enough said.
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