The book is very lean. Clocking in at 259 pages, Bond doesn’t even meet the “with Love” part of the book until page 177. A female spy has been sent to Istanbul to honey-trap James Bond, essentially. They both know it’s a trap, but for whom the trap will be sprung is an open question. They both genuinely fall for one another, Tatiana because she’s literally trained so long to pretend to be in love with Bond, she sort of loses the plot in terms […]
Ironic Title Alert!
This is the long way around of saying that I was fundamentally unprepared for what happens in The Innocent. The back of the novel makes vague mention of “a terrible evening,” and McEwan doesn’t skimp on the “terrible” part. So if you’re looking for a nice, star-crossed romance with some complications to love and a poignant end, look elsewhere. Find out why I was so surprised at Pop Culture Penalty Box. [no spoilers, I promise.]
This Book Made Me So Uncomfortable
Let me start at the beginning, both of this book and my Cannonball Read challenge. I made myself a promise when I signed on for Cannonball Read. That would finish every book I started, no matter what. This book tested that promise. The back of this book extolls you to not tell anyone about it after you’ve read it for fear you will let out some great secret and ruin the experience for them. I’ll be honest, I’m a sucker for that sort of marketing. […]
Other People’s Secrets
Telling the story backwards makes it like archeology. Here is the top layer, when everything has settled and the midden of their past is swept into corners and unused hallways. The next layer down, the broken pottery and dried up citrus rinds re-coalesce into vases and urns and limes and oranges. Things are used for the proper purpose, their meanings clear. Below that, the beginning, the kiln, the seed. Read the rest at Pop Culture Penalty Box
Score One For the Little Guy
Hawkeye. He’s not the lamest super hero to grace either our comic books or our screens, but he does take work. He’s a regular human being with high visual acuity and a bow and arrow. At one point in this comic, he points out that this is a neolithic weapon. Sure, it was a crucial part of any half decent army for thousands of years, but in a world with intercontinental ballistic missiles and machine guns, what good is an archer? Come to that, what […]
Monsters in Portland
Sinergy is the story of young Jess. She’s in love, is about to go to college, and she loves hockey. She finally loses her virginity to her boyfriend Leaf and wakes up being able to see monsters for what they really are. Of which Leaf is one. Oh, and Jess’ father Jesse (yes, really) is of an order of ginger-haired monster hunters who have vowed to rid the world of evil. What follows is awkward and not just for the characters. The narrative stalls for […]