Oscar Wao: Angie's review

I'm incredibly delayed in posting this, but in contrast to the Oscar Wao love-fest, I thought I'd share the perspective of someone who found the book to be a bit overrated.

I began reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz with very high expectations. It has received tons of critical acclaim (including receiving the Pulitzer Prize), and is raved about by a number of friends whose literary opinions I hold in high regard. I knew nothing about the book itself, though, and when I thoroughly enjoyed the beginning chapters I thought I was in for a treat. Unfortunately I found it really never went anywhere, and I think it'll be one of those books that I don't think about much now that I'm through with it.

My full review is here. I'd love to hear why you felt differently!

Wise Blood: Angie's review

I cannot honestly say that Wise Blood will be counted among my favorite books, though I am looking forward to reading her short stories. For anyone who's interested, I posted my review of Wise Blood to my blog. Here is the first paragraph:

Flannery O'Connor's first novel, Wise Blood, is considered by many to be a masterpiece of the Southern Gothic tradition. Well, I've loved quite a few books in this category, and found Wise Blood to be the least interesting I've read. The back jacket of my copy says that the book "gives us one of the most riveting characters in American fiction," which confounds me since I can't even imagine which of the novel's uncompelling characters this quote refers to. Reviewers call it "hilarious," "memorable," "astonishing" and "haunting." I found it to be none of those things.

SPOILER ALERT: Click here for the full review.