Just a short report on a couple of book disappointments. Yes, I have them - and these two were especially disappointing to me because I have loved the authors' previous work so much. Elizabeth Berg wrote what I still consider to be the best book on women's friendships: Talk Before Sleep. She's written many other novels, and some short stories. I've loved all of her books. So I was eagerly anticipating her latest one, especially after hearing her interviewed on the Diane Rehm show on NPR. This one is called The Year of Pleasures, and unlike any of her other books, it often felt false and forced. It's the story of a recently widowed woman of fifty-five and the year she spends after her husband dies, seeking a new life. The title may seem odd, given that short synopsis - but it will make sense if you read it. And it's probably worth reading, it's just not up to Berg's usual standards.
The second book was an even greater disappointment. I can't tell you how much I loved Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees, her first novel. I gave it to everyone for gifts, I dreamed about it, I still remember whole chunks of it. It was a wonder of mystery and blessing, love, spirit, heart and soul. So, for months now I've been waiting for The Mermaid Chair, her new book. I was on a long list at the library, but last week it was finally my turn. Maybe it's bad to have such high expectations for a second novel. In any case, it certainly fell far short. The story is basically banal, despite a lovely setting and a few mystical trappings, an affair between a married woman and a monk just short of taking his final vows. A lot of background tragedy in their lives, a lot of religious angst, but...it's the story of an affair. The writing is not what I remember from Secret Life, either - it seemed plodding and tedious in places, never the untrodden path that the first book set before me.
I haven't read any reviews of either book - so I'd love to hear from anyone who has read either or both of these. What did you think - have I just become old and jaded?
1 comment:
Re: the mermaid's chair....I was afraid that would happen. A story about an affair with a monk is destined to be angst-ridden, and ultimately full of the boric acid of guilt. I am, however, very disappointed to hear your review, since it was the one grown-up book I was looking forward to reading this summer. Oh, well...I'm sure there are dozens of books I haven't even heard of, in the adult fiction section.
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