Civic Beauties

Civic Beauties by C.D. Payne

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
While this novel has moments of C.D. Payne humor, overall it was quite a disappointment. I appreciated the 'Nick and Sheeni-esque' attributes of the dialogue, but this 'musical novel' can't come anywhere near to capturing the uniqueness of 'Youth In Revolt'. A clever idea that got more and more bizarre and illogical as the pages turned.


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More Than It Hurts You

More Than It Hurts You by Darin Strauss

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the first novel by Darin Strauss that I have read and I was quite impressed with the way he captured issues of race and gender in a subtle and sensitive way. The story could have easily turned into something 'obvious' and 'in your face' like the screenplay for 'Crash' or even certain moments in 'Babel' but Strauss used pacing and tone and honesty to create a novel that is both upsetting, scary, but in the end, absolutely right on the mark. And issues of race, gender and religion are only part of what makes this novel so dynamic. Strauss creates the character Josh -- a man living in oblivion and seeing the world only as he wants to -- it was these moments that really struck me. Is it better to live in our own perceptions and be happy, or is it better to face reality and and all of it's consequences?


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Cost

Cost: A Novel by Roxana Robinson

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
I thought a good chunk of this novel bordered on melodramatic. It was no doubt a adequate depiction of heroine addiction and how it effects the entire family, but so much of the novel felt cliche. It's new fiction, it just came out 2 weeks ago. Had I read this novel 6 years ago (before addiction was such a hot topic in literature, film and television) I might have had a better tolerance for the story. But the interventionist, the concerned parents who react with anger, guilt and sadness, the brother who is torn between loyalty and love, and the distant sister, the novel felt like something I had already read before. That being said, I did admire Robinson's use of narrative and third person storytelling which encompassed every character. Her strongest scenes were those centered around Edward and Katherine, the grandparents. This is a very well written book but the subject matter is nothing new.


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Revolting Youth

Revoltingly Young: The Journals of Nick Twisp's Younger Brother by C.D. Payne

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was sad to see this book (and the entire Nick Twisp series) come to an end. Books 3-6, while extremely 'readable' are not quite up to par with 'Youth In Revolt' (books 1-3) but they are still a pleasure to read and they are laugh out loud funny. But I want MORE!! Please, Mr. Payne, let Noel (nee Jake) write more journals! I grew so fondly attached to all of the characters, it will be hard to let them go.


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Gossip of the Starlings

Gossip of the Starlings by Nina de Gramont

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
This novel reads like 'Gossip Girl' or 'Prep' for grown ups. What makes it beautiful and poignant is Gramont's choice to narrate the first person story as Catherine several years later, looking back on the events of her friendship with Skye. This novel is extremely 'readable', but Gramont lost me in the end -- as she veers from depicting a toxic friendship to describing a predictable tragic outcome. What I did love was that the story was set in the 80s, and how much has changed in terms of 'misbehaviour' among the boarding school. It's interesting to compare this work of fiction to the more current (and sadly non fiction) book "Restless Virgins". 'Gossip of the Starlings' depicts the same issues girls are still facing -- issues that only seem to get worse as time passes.

I never thought that any of Skye's actions were done with malice of forethought, and though the story is told by Catherine, I actually felt that Skye was the better developed of the two characters.


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