What's Going On Here?

Okay. I've read the book on my brand new Kindle ( which I adore, thank you very much) and based on the handy-dandy percentage dial, I got through 68%. I think I gave it more than enough of a chance before concluding that it is just awful.

First of all, I read about this book in AllYou magazine, and the review painted a vivid picture of a woman working through the issues of being contacted by her kidnapper twenty years before. Because she was only fifteen when the kidnapping took place, you can imagine quite the character that the author came up with right? No!

Despite the fact that I admire and liked her going back and forth to describe exactly what happened to the main character, Eliza, and what is happening now, the author really developed the flashback story a lot more than the main one. Her passion and good use of words were dedicated to the 1985 version of the character, leaving our present day depiction without any substance. She seemed like a shell of a character to me, waiting along with the audience for something to happen.

In addition to the lack of character development, there is just too much emphasis on the character's family life and nonchalant persona. I found myself getting bored, waiting for the other shoe to drop only to begin to realize there might be another shoe. If there was a huge character arch ( which would be hugely beneficial and would redeem this author somewhat) or some sort of story-twist or climax explosion, then the author did a bad job at dropping hints. And yes, something super colossal would have to happen in order to make the first half of the book worth it.

In short, the beginning was too long, underdeveloped as much as the main character, lack of description to the present day story, not enough emphasis on Eliza's emotional reaction to her rapist, and no hints to keep the reader interested. The only reason I read as much as I did, was because I was hoping to be proven wrong and the author would turn it all around and verbally slap me. Nope. It was a great idea, but poorly executed.

This Book Won't Change ANYTHING!

So...I read Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, and I can honestly say that I gave it a fair chance, around 40 pages into it ( which is was approximately 6 chapters). It was given to me by my mom ( thanks by the way) and I wanted to like it, so I picked it up and started to read.
Wow. That was my reaction, and it was not in an appreciative way whatsoever. I have been personally offended, insulted, and hurt by this author's lack of creativity. Seriously, even though she may have actually experienced this in her lifetime, it made me wonder "Did you like, watch a few LIfetime or Hallmark movie and decide to rip them off and write a book and make money off of it?" You can call yourself a divorcee, someone who has experienced an epiphany, someone who has "found herself"...but really, Gilbert? I can think of soo many books and soo many movies that used the divorce as the pivotal point for self realization! And an Italian hunk to break the monotony of your middle- aged- white- woman pathetic path to self worth? Really?
As a reader, as a writer, I feel like this book is a fake, a phony, a really crappy piece of what the author wanted to call writing, but its just a copy. It is a copy of what major movie industries and "cop-out/ sell-out" writers have created because they know people will throw their money away on this shit. Word of advice wannabe-authors (Gilbert, listen up): be original. If you rip off an idea, you are not a writer, not an artist. Don't you offend any of us who actually appreciate the gift of ideas and can convey them without the insults to other cultures or artists' originality.

Time...Who Needs It?

Well, I am more than a little embarrassed that I have not written in over a year on this blog. I suppose I could say something to explain my lack of dedication to this particular creation of mine, but I cannot think of anything else other than: life happened. All kinds of mishaps, blessing, happenstances, and events have cluttered my life over the past year, and now that I have found my calling, my voice, and my newly rejuvenated passion for writing, I can throw myself into this amazing blog that I created to have fun with. So hopefully, my follower ( I'm saying this because I will be lucky to have one at this point), you did not take my absent personally, and will be satisfied with what I have to offer with a year's experience and newly opened perspective.

It'd Be Nice to At Least Wipe Your Feet

One of my favorite books of all time is Rene Gutteridge's My Life As a Doormat. I'm actually reading it right now. With its quirky characters and uniquely adorable sense of humor, her books really speaks to me because I can relate to her main character, Leah. She's this fiesty playwright who never really gets to express herself only because she's so focused on keeping the peace and having things simple. she's funny and creative but due to pressure from being the perfect daughter and girlfriend, a lot of resentment and self questioning is caught in there amongst her wit. I love this book because its funny, its blunt, has a twist of romance and self discovery. its just one of those you have to read until its done and then when it comes time to reflect, you simple say "How delightful!"

Oddities, Clairvoyance, and Magic

Isabel Allende's classic The House of the Spirits is my favorite books for numerous reasons, mostly due to its eccentric-ly unique elements. It has everything that a book could possible present to an eager reader: magic, evil, love, passion, war, timeless characters, beautiful places, fun stories. Clara the clairvoyant and her magical ways capture the readers with her elegant air, odd persona, and mothering nature. Her husband, obsessively in love with her, makes you hate him with his cruel ways, unmerciful demeanor, sexual dominance, and arrogance. Combined, this dynamic duo produce a line of characters that make an entrance worth remembering. Blanca, the romantic daughter in love with a political activist against her father, her illegitimate daughter Alba who brings old and new into the family with her passion and understanding of the world both make the cruel old man softer and softer, and as each character develops in a time of war and political turmoil, Allende delivers with a touch of magic, love, passion, and everything in between. So now you see why i'm in love with this book? It makes me warm when I read about the lovers, makes my mind think about the political standpoints, makes me angry at the injustices. That's what reading a book is all about!!! the numerous emotions you are supposed to feel, the feelings you can't deny. If you read a book without picturing the story in your head, or even reading it without a touch of sensibility, you might as well put it down.