an odd story but great read
590927
This is a mystery that brings out several women who had been friends for years due to circumstance. The women have numerous secrets that slowly trickle out and start destroying what little is left of their group. The main character is a in a project of a new sort and the story has many things that may in many ways could be real. won on library thing for review
2973644
This was a very unusual, but enjoyable, story. Some may think the story centers around Rose's "gift", but her abilities soon fade into the background of the story. What was horrible for her at first just becomes another part of her, as she hones her ability to work with and around it. I thought the author came up with some interesting ways for Rose to cope, including eating primarily processed foods (because factories taste better than emotions) and seeking out restaurants where the chefs cook with love.

For me, the story was really about the family. Rose's family is one where there is so much happening, but no one talks about it. In many ways, Rose is merely an observer. Her mother, brother, and father are all in their own little worlds, especially as Rose and her brother grow older. Turns out, there's more of a story behind Rose's gift than she ever would have thought.

I had one problem with the book, and that was with the subplot with her brother. It felt unfinished to me. I suspect that the author thought things were more clear than they actually were, and the story suffers from the ambiguity.

I don't normally read magical realism, but I won't be afraid to explore the genre in the future.
3022129
I don't remember why I got this book but I tend to read a lot of old, strange tales, and the price was right (free) so that is what probably attracted me to it in the first place. This book was comical and oddly strange, we follow a young man who works for the Bronx Zoo and is an ornithologist, he gets sent on exotic travels around the world by his job and has strange adventures in search of odd and extinct animals that are supposed to exist. He can never quite realize his goal, but always finds a pretty girl to admire even though he never gets her. Yes, the writing is a bit dated, but still entertaining. I also think it was one of the most unusual books I have ever read.
4926592
This is an unusual book. The sentence structure, the frequent bold print announcements, and the copious German language profanity were quite unexpected. The early chapters were a bit slow, and the perspective was so strange that it took me a while to get used to it. This novel did not hold my attention unfailingly, but in the end I was glad that I read the whole thing. It is a wonderful and worthwhile story.

I became fond of Liesel, papa and Rudy. They are fully believable, fully human characters. The author writes that they were the first characters he actually missed when the writing was done. I certainly miss them since I finished the story. Their love for each other was a wonderful thing to experience. The feelings between Liesel and Max were especially poignant. Zusak describes them in a realistic and heart wrenching way.

The choice of death as the narrator gave the book a unique flavor. While sergeant death is actually quite morbid at times, he or she is a sympathetic and understanding observer of human nature. In the early chapters I found this narrator to be a little too judgmental. I thought that some characters were typecast before I had a chance to know them. However, as the book progresses, these characters are revealed in more complex and  realistic fashion. Zusak is a capable writer.
4749561
This book has been shortlisted for the Giller Prize this year.  This is a strange tale set in mid-19th century Ireland.  Lib Wright is an English nurse who has been sent to a small Irish village to be an observer for a young 11 year old girl who has claimed to not have eaten any food for four months.  Lib is a Crimean nurse who had trained under Miss Nigthingale.  She hopes to prove that Anna O'Donnell and her family are fraudsters, as no human can live without sustenance for four months.  When she arrives she finds a very devout little girl who, though frail, appears fairly healthy and functional.  The story is set over two weeks, and during that time, Lib and Anna form a bond that changes both of their lives forever.  I found that the story was fascinating and Ms. Donaghue writes psychological suspense like no other, but I found the book had a slow start, but it definitely picked up in the last half.  A strange tale, but handled with aplomb by Ms. Donaghue.
2299900
The. Story is bizarre and fun. I liked the people in the story and still chuckle when I think about it. I think you will like it. I think the author is off his meds and should stay off so I can read more of his books.
532586
This story caught my attention immediately by its very unusual setting and while it kept my attention, it's a very strange, disturbing story that is very well written.
54597
Even though this is not the kind of literature I usually enjoy reading, the narrative presents strange events that sparks the readers' curiosity to know what is going to happen next. The main character, Carmela has her share of qualities and flaws making her very believable and likable.
Unlike most fantasy stories it takes place in the 'real world' and therefore the events can actually happen without anyone being aware of them. Would be an interesting read for young people who don't think that witches are necessarily evil.
3519817
Good read but a rather strange story. Slightly confusing at first but once you get into it it starts to make sense. A Bonfire Party, circus acts and murder. Was she killed or was it an act as everyone believes? The characters are slightly off the wall and the plot is slightly disturbing in that it is hard to understand.
I received a copy for a honest review
3446446
The Guardian is one of the strangest books Ive ever read. It all begins with a wreckor does it. One could say it began long before that. However, the wreck creates repercussions beyond imagination that will continue into book 2 as well.
Two vehicles crash, leaving a man dead in one, and a young woman and her older brother dead in the other.  The now dead older brother has a funny sense of humor, even when he wakes up in the Medical Examiners room. Good news! There is an afterlife and Lucas gets some really large pigeon wings.

The reason why Im so cheery about this, is because despite all the violence, the story is mostly about forgiveness and second chances at lovefor those still living. That would be Scott and the female medical examiner, Tracy.
But there remains at the end of this story, two problems, one living, one dead, so be warned of a late night cliff hanger. Still, this story was properly wrapped up except for one strand that heads off to book two with you.
I enjoyed the story and give it a 4.5 rounding to 5

I received and ARC in exchange for my honest review.
1289897
The Hunting Trip by William E. Butterworth III is one of the strangest books that I have read, funny, but odd. The writing style is very different - part of what is quirky and funny is also at times tedious. All of the characters have four or five part names, such as  Lieutenant Charles William George Michel Bertram of Her Majesty's Own Scottish Light Lancers. Each of the names is written in it's entirety each time it is used. The same is true for things said by the character when repeated by another character. It is always said word for word, rather than paraphrased
The story is about a young man who joins the military service just after World War II because he was expelled from high school. He is not unintelligent and is an excellent skeet shooter. His skill paves the path for a cushy career in the service. He marries an Austrian ballet dancer who is very hateful and domineering. This does not seem to bother him. The story progresses for another 30 years in the characters life.
At times the book was entertaining, but not exciting at all.
2266247
This is one of the most peculiar books I have happened to read. The first thing about it, is that it is written in present simple, which took some adjusting on my part, as it makes you feel forever on the run. Secondly, you cannot escape noticing how strange the narration is. Not so much for the fact that it is structured in very short periods, style by now adopted by many writers. The specific mark of this book is the capability of the author to indulge in minute details, while imposing a very tight pace. The overall atmosphere of the story is so anxiogenic, that sometimes you feel trapped in a dreamlike situation, where you would like to rush with the action you feel unfolding, yet you are kept running on the spot by lingering details that tie you down. I found this rather fascinating, because at the end of the day, it is in some way what happens to the characters, and you feel as if you were tossed inside of that messed up world yourself.
As for the story. It starts with Calem, an escaping Druid, who has put himself into great trouble and has performed powerful magic in order to save his wife from a horrible curse. Of course, in the magical bargain he has made, he is not the most powerful actor; so, once he has closed his part of the deal, things start to go in a completely different direction to what he was expecting. In the unknown present he is thrown into, he is desperately searching for his wife, while the reader is introduced to the vicissitudes of Marny and Deliah, two old grandparents trying to keep an adolescent niece out of trouble, and trouble has an ominous shape. All may end where it all began, but it isn't as easy as that.
This is not such an easy book to read as many entertainment books are. It is written in a very good and rich language, and it is structured in such a way that demands attention, also because it shifts regularly between verbal speech and thought, dream and reality. I have appreciated this very much. What I would have liked to understand better is the relationship between Calem the Druid and his wife; this would have made some of the following behaviours clearer. My favourite chapter is N.15, where the pace slows down, leaving space for reflection, poetry and melancholy, before entering chaos again and finding each their own fate. There are two characters I have loved the most in the book: one is Deliah, so mysterious, full of poetry and wisdom, the other is Oberon. I think he is the true masterpiece of the story, everything about him is just perfect: the cunning, the teasing, the foolishness, wonder and tenderness, he has it all. And the way the author uses his words to make him speak and act, he being the one that designs the web shaping all the other characters destiny, is plainly marvelous. I would also like to mention the lovely part of the small orange cat that accompanies Calem first and then Niena. I love cats, and their presence, their elegance and way of moving, always carries something mysterious and magical, it is a beautiful cameo in this story. If I were to assign a background music to this book, the first song I would think of is Hollow Hills by Bauhaus .Lovers of magical fantasy cannot miss a fairy tale like this.
2902329
The author having lived in Africia and knowing the people made this a very interesting story as she included so many odd things about the culture, well odd to an American anyway not an Africian! Just differences in our cultures make for some facinating writing. There is only one small part of this story I don't undertstand. I will have my friend read it and see if she can figure it out. I don't want to give that part away as it could be a spoiler.
3033053
This is a strange weird great short story with a hitchhiker's guide to the universe feel. I enjoyed the silliness of it and two main characters. It's a bit strange, but definitely worth the time to read it.
3869560
A bit slow to get into, but once you are in the story- it is a great read
4873121
An unusual, intricate story of two sisters - Esme and Iris and Iris's granddaughter - Kitty. There are other minor characters but the story is really about Esme and why she was placed in an asylum. The story can be very confusing. There are no chapters, only a few blank lines between story lines of all three jumping back and forth in time (including the childhood of the two sisters) and between characters. It starts with Kitty getting a notice that she has an unknown aunt  - Esme because the asylum she has lived in for over 60 years is closing down. In the meantime there is a story line of Iris (Esme's sister) who has Alzheimer's but does have some memories of her past. Kitty's story is also complicated  because of her relationship with a lover and a former love. The story is a fascinating description of Esme's state of mind (she has out of body sensations and screaming fits as well.) Keeping up with the constant shifts in time line and thoughts of the 3 characters is a challenge, but worth it. At the end there is a good twist that is slightly hinted at earlier in the book. I think the confusion of timelines and characters was deliberate to further reflect the mental states of the two women - they are confused, therefore their story is confusing.
973252
This is a strange book, meant by the author to be strange, I think.  It kept me in suspense as to the title until the end of the story. A surreal sequence of events set against a realistic background of the politics of both students & faculty in a Vermont boarding school.
Or perhaps the sequence of events is realistic and the boarding school lifestyle is surreal. A book worth reading.