savoirefaire's BLOG

{Thursday, January 20, 2005 . }

Books i read over the school break:
Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

hanif kureishi is a sicko...middlesex is cool...english,august is brilliant.

yay for one-wordedness.
:)

Edit: Okay, I will give my two cents on each book.

The Buddha of Suburbia is well written, gives a particularly interesting insight into the lifestyle of a teenager in the '70s, the sketch of a character many can identify with, but not many can fill. It's a little larger that life, which makes it particularly entertaining. Why I say he's a sicko? Well, the whole element of sex that's liberally put everywhere and I being the prim and proper person that I am don't always think it's necessary, more so, i think it's just one of those tactics many contemporary authors use to get published and I think that's blaahhh.

Middlesex is a really good book. I thought it would be some sob story of the sexual exploits of a hermaphrodite or smth, but it turned out to be so much more than that. I particularly enjoyed the narrative style of the book, which gave the picture of a family for three generation in first person, not just focussing on the "problems" of the main character. It's like there are more than one main character, but not quite. It also explains everything, in sort of dribs and drabs all over the place that makes you want to read more cos there are so many questions in your mind waiting to be solved and at the end of the book, it ties everything in the book neatly. quite satisfying.

English, August is awesome. Very lyrical in description but really, that's what makes the book. I tried reading this book when I was 14 but really, I only UNDERSTOOD when I read it now. It's so witty, all the thoughts in that guy's head, mischievous and sort of endearing.

savoirefaire blogged at 2:08 AM

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