book reviews

So, one of the things I'm hoping to do in this blog is share my thoughts on books I've read lately (we'll see if I keep up with it after this first post). Mostly, I just want an outlet for my post-reading thoughts, but perhaps you'll find your way to a book or two you enjoy, too. As a bonus, perhaps I'll even pick up a few recommendations.


The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

I finished this one over a week ago and I still can't quite get my thoughts into words (though, I'm going to try). In short, though: I loved it. I estimate that I cried through the last 100 or so pages, but it could have been more, could've been less. I cried for well over an hour. But, it was a good cathartic cry.

First of all, this is just a creative, original plot. It's about a time traveler, sure, but it's not at all a fantasy novel. Aside from the fact that the protagonist jumps around in time, it takes place in real time(s) and real places. Even the time travel is explained scientifically (genetic disorder). I didn't question this story at all, I just accepted that Henry time travels. It made it very easy for me to get absorbed in the book.

However, the creative approach to time travel is really not why I loved this The Time Traveler's Wife. Without good writing and great characters, even a creative idea can fall flat. But, Clare and Henry are great and true-to-life characters and this book is a great love story. It's kind of embarrassing to admit that's what really got me, but there it is. I was really moved by the relationship that Clare and Henry have.

Yeah, I still haven't found the words. This post has definitely not done it justice. On to the next book.

The Princess Bride by William Goldberg

This one was kind of a let-down. First of all, the story-outside-the-story wasn't as good as the one with Columbo and Fred Savage in the movie. That may seem like a minor detail if you've only seen the movie, but the story-outside-the-story takes up a lot more time in the novel. Secondly, and I'm wary of listing this as a fault, the movie, as it turns out, is a pretty literal adaptation of the novel (there are pages of dialog that are lifted word-for-word, guess that's what you get when the author does the screenplay). Generally, I like it when movies don't veer from the novel, but when you see the movie first, it tends to ruin the book (I say this and I'm someone who often reads the end of a novel first!). The characters that Mandy Patinkin, Christopher Guest, and Wallace Shawn bring to life on the big screen don't work as well on the page.

I'm not sure if I'd feel differently if I'd first read the book then saw the movie. My recommendation: skip the novel. The movie is a classic, and it's all you need to enjoy this story.

Miscellaneous musing: What is Cary Elwes up to these days? How did he go from playing Westley and Robin Hood (come on, admit it: you love Robin Hood: Men in Tights.) to starring in a bunch of movies I've never heard of? Is he just a really bad actor that got lucky with those two movies, or what? Help me out here.

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