Mini-Book Reviews

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
Perfectly postmodern and European, Kundera did an excellent job of breaking all the rules of novel writing. Philosophizing for pages at a time, addressing the readers directly, making the main characters more than a little frustrating, the emphasis is that rules are meant to be broken. Yet, the medium fits his message well, and as a novel dealing with love and place, communism and liberalism, it soars. Some readers will be offended by the gratuitous sex and deeply flawed characters, it is certainly a book not everyone will “like” even if they appreciate it. (4/5)

Meet the Austins by Madeline L’Engle
If I could, I’d rate this 3.5 stars. I enjoyed it, and appreciated how real and ordinary the protagonist Vicky is portrayed as being. However, I found it a little slow at times, and more preachy / transparent than I remember the Murry family books being. All of the books about the Austins are on my to-read list this year and I am looking forward to seeing the family develop more over subsequent books. (3.5/5)

2 responses to “Mini-Book Reviews

  1. I started the Austin Family series with A Moon by Night, and I always feel like that was the right decision, partly because of some of the things you mentioned here. I try to get my students to start there, too, but it’s hard when they ask if it’s the first.

  2. I am going to press through it.

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