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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
Amazing! ! Finally a Lionel Shriver book that I enjoyed reading and did not have a resident bitch that made me want to throw the book away.
I really enjoyed this book and I felt that the points the author made about the diet industry and our modern attitudes to food very pointed and thought provoking. A really enjoyable read, my only character complaint being the husband who grated on me at times, but even he was bearable.
I really enjoyed this book and I felt that the points the author made about the diet industry and our modern attitudes to food very pointed and thought provoking. A really enjoyable read, my only character complaint being the husband who grated on me at times, but even he was bearable.
Kind of lost it's way about half way through, and the 'it was all a dream' style ending was a big disappointment.
Someone please read this book and tell me what I thought of it.
A very interesting story about food and familiy and how our own lives surprise us with good things and bad things and how nobody is that comfortable in their own skin. The main character has a small business making custom dolls that look like the recipient and have a dozen pull string phrases that the person says a lot. This is an interesting gimmick where characters can then reflect on what another character's doll would say and the reader can think about what one's own doll would say.
There is a major twist toward the end that I won't say more about except some might consider it a major cheat while others can enjoy the ride.
I thought We Need to Talk About Kevin was excellent and this is a fine read as well.
There is a major twist toward the end that I won't say more about except some might consider it a major cheat while others can enjoy the ride.
I thought We Need to Talk About Kevin was excellent and this is a fine read as well.
El tema es espectacular: cómo nos relacionamos con la comida, por qué comemos, de qué tenemos hambre. ¿Qué se esconde detrás de la obesidad y la obsesión con el peso? Está escrito al estilo Shriver, con ese talento enorme que tiene la autora con las palabras. Pero tiene un gran PERO. Un pero tan obeso como el hermano de la protagonista...
A ver, desgranemos: hay una lección de la escritura de ficción que se me ha quedado grabada en el alma y es que un autor no debe engañar al lector/público. Por ejemplo, no puedo contar una cosa descabellada y complicada y luego decir: fue un sueño. Esto genera decepción en el lector, que aunque sabe que aquello es ficción, ha invertido tiempo y energía en algo que luego yo digo "era mentira". Me explico aún más: al empezar un libro o cualquier obra de ficción, de establece un pacto tácito con el receptor. Hay una serie de normas que se instalan y que el lector espera que se cumplan. Shriver rompe el pacto tácito con la resolución del libro. Es un Deus ex machina cutrecillo y demasiado rápido, de ahí que a mí me da mucha pero mucha rabia haber leído esas 200 páginas (de 378) que luego no son lo que decían ser. No puedo explicarme más porque cuento el libro, pero es uno de los finales más decepcionantes que he leído.
Estoy sorprendida de lo poco que me ha gustado el libro por la manera en que acaba, cuando en el transcurso lo disfruté, pero el pecado final me parece muy grande para poder salvar lo demás.
Gran autora. Pésimo final.
A ver, desgranemos: hay una lección de la escritura de ficción que se me ha quedado grabada en el alma y es que un autor no debe engañar al lector/público. Por ejemplo, no puedo contar una cosa descabellada y complicada y luego decir: fue un sueño. Esto genera decepción en el lector, que aunque sabe que aquello es ficción, ha invertido tiempo y energía en algo que luego yo digo "era mentira". Me explico aún más: al empezar un libro o cualquier obra de ficción, de establece un pacto tácito con el receptor. Hay una serie de normas que se instalan y que el lector espera que se cumplan. Shriver rompe el pacto tácito con la resolución del libro. Es un Deus ex machina cutrecillo y demasiado rápido, de ahí que a mí me da mucha pero mucha rabia haber leído esas 200 páginas (de 378) que luego no son lo que decían ser. No puedo explicarme más porque cuento el libro, pero es uno de los finales más decepcionantes que he leído.
Estoy sorprendida de lo poco que me ha gustado el libro por la manera en que acaba, cuando en el transcurso lo disfruté, pero el pecado final me parece muy grande para poder salvar lo demás.
Gran autora. Pésimo final.
Terminei de ler o livro há algumas semanas. Demorei a escrever a resenha não por preguiça ou falta de tempo. Acontece que a escrita da autora é tão intensa e visceral que demora algum tempo até o leitor digerir o que leu e conseguir conversar - ou escrever - a respeito.(...)
Resenha completa no blog.
http://www.cafeinaliteraria.com.br/2014/02/18/grande-irmao/
Resenha completa no blog.
http://www.cafeinaliteraria.com.br/2014/02/18/grande-irmao/
Big Brother is a unique book. I liked the subject matter. It is a relevant topic to today's society that I have not seen much fiction written about. It made me do a lot of research afterward to find out what link the author had to the story because it was obvious it was written with a lot of passion.
The story is about a female entrepreneur living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (the city I have lived in or around for the last 24 years) whose older brother comes to visit. She has not seen him in person for five years and is aghast to learn that he has gained 200 lbs and is no longer recognizable.
He is planning to stay with her family for the next month, which makes her husband furious. Throughout the book, she is faced with numerous conflicts. She knows her brother will eat himself into a grave if he continues like this, but her husband wants her to put him on a plane and forget about him.
She has a decision to make, is she loyal to her husband, or does she take drastic steps to try to save her brother's life, and what will her decision cost her in the the end?
I was interested in the reason the book was set in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The author obviously knew a great deal about the city, as she referenced several businesses and set one of the scenes of her book during the great flood of 2008. It was an accurate portrayal of all of it. I looked online, but did not find any obvious link between her and the city.
The book had a twist at the end, and while I might not have liked the way it ended, it doesn't take away from what a great book it was.
The story is about a female entrepreneur living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (the city I have lived in or around for the last 24 years) whose older brother comes to visit. She has not seen him in person for five years and is aghast to learn that he has gained 200 lbs and is no longer recognizable.
He is planning to stay with her family for the next month, which makes her husband furious. Throughout the book, she is faced with numerous conflicts. She knows her brother will eat himself into a grave if he continues like this, but her husband wants her to put him on a plane and forget about him.
She has a decision to make, is she loyal to her husband, or does she take drastic steps to try to save her brother's life, and what will her decision cost her in the the end?
I was interested in the reason the book was set in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The author obviously knew a great deal about the city, as she referenced several businesses and set one of the scenes of her book during the great flood of 2008. It was an accurate portrayal of all of it. I looked online, but did not find any obvious link between her and the city.
The book had a twist at the end, and while I might not have liked the way it ended, it doesn't take away from what a great book it was.
I'm looking forward to reading more of her books; I loved her writing style and characterization. I'm keeping this general to avoid any spoilers, but I'd love to discuss this book with other people who have finished it.
Hmm. I'd say it was just okay. It has some fat hating/shaming parts at the beginning that I had trouble with and I never developed a real interest or affinity for the characters. The story is mildly interesting, but I didn't feel like it answered or even asked any important questions so it felt rather 'meh' overall. Probably won't ever think about this one again.
thought-provoking, well-written. slightly disappointing ending, but the more i think about it, the more ok i am with the direction the author & narrator take in the end.