My kids have been giving me a hard time lately because (they say) I only give positive reviews. Not true. It's just that I tend not to finish books that I don't enjoy and I don't think it's fair to review a book I didn't finish. After some careful thought I decided to follow the advice from the 'mouths of babes' and say a few words about 'We Need to Talk About Kevin'.
This book has been getting rave reviews and has also won the 'orange prize'. It is a series of letters from Kevin's Mom to his Dad after Kevin has been incarcerated for shooting up his school and killing a bunch of people.
It needs to be said that I only made it about half way through this book. I was expecting a deep, heart warming and heart wrenching exploration of the inner workings of a family gone wrong. My expectations were not met. I found myself truly hating Kevin's mom. She struck me as self-serving, self-centered and not worth my time.
To be fair, you should know that I am not a fan of novels that rely on letters to tell the story. Especially if all the letters come from one person. I'm sure this novel will appeal to lots of people. It just wasn't my cup of tea.
I've been hearing about this book. I think I'll pass it up now. I know I would be bothered by the mother too.
ReplyDeleteBookBagLady said...
ReplyDeleteI too read this book about two years ago and pretty much felt the same way you did about it. I also disliked the mother, she was definitely self-centered. This book, in my opinion, did not live up to any of the hype.
By the way, I'm new to BookBlogs so if you're interested have a look at my Book Review Blog. I just started it this year. Go to:
http://bookbaglady2@blogspot.com
Thanks,
Louise
23 April 2011 04:11