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"The Japanese Lover" by Isabel Allende
I read current books like this - recommendations from friends / NYT "bestsellers" (whatever that really means) - if I'm honest with myself, in part, to avoid being the guy that only reads old books / that doesn't keep up / doesn't read anything new / etc.
The same logic partially explains why I watch current movies and TV shows - I don't want to be the guy who only watches "old" films. But I am also drawn to some new books, movies and TV shows, so it is more than just avoiding a label. Whatever the reason, I find there are many outstanding new TV shows, some good new movies and a few good new books ("A Gentleman in Moscow," for example).
"The Japanese Lover" does nothing to change this view. The story is okay, the characters not terrible, the touch to history reasonably well researched and the writing acceptable - but it all feels flat. You can see the plot construction from page one. Throughout you can also see the outline the author created ahead of time and the "build emotional engagement" stratagems she place here and there.
And, of course, modern political pieties were all paid their obligatory obeisance (probably necessary to become a NYT best seller). It's an okay read, but not enough of a page turner to overcome its shallowness. I'll keep reading new and old books, but - following this one - it's time for an old one. Hey, did I tell you, I just read a New York Times bestseller (see, I'm not "that" guy).
I read current books like this - recommendations from friends / NYT "bestsellers" (whatever that really means) - if I'm honest with myself, in part, to avoid being the guy that only reads old books / that doesn't keep up / doesn't read anything new / etc.
The same logic partially explains why I watch current movies and TV shows - I don't want to be the guy who only watches "old" films. But I am also drawn to some new books, movies and TV shows, so it is more than just avoiding a label. Whatever the reason, I find there are many outstanding new TV shows, some good new movies and a few good new books ("A Gentleman in Moscow," for example).
"The Japanese Lover" does nothing to change this view. The story is okay, the characters not terrible, the touch to history reasonably well researched and the writing acceptable - but it all feels flat. You can see the plot construction from page one. Throughout you can also see the outline the author created ahead of time and the "build emotional engagement" stratagems she place here and there.
And, of course, modern political pieties were all paid their obligatory obeisance (probably necessary to become a NYT best seller). It's an okay read, but not enough of a page turner to overcome its shallowness. I'll keep reading new and old books, but - following this one - it's time for an old one. Hey, did I tell you, I just read a New York Times bestseller (see, I'm not "that" guy).