City of Thieves

In case you can’t already tell, I spend a good amount of time perusing bookstores so I’m sure it comes as no surprise that this book is another that I found by accident. The minute I saw the book I knew I wanted it.  Just by looking at the cover I was intrigued; I hadn’t even read the summary and it had become a must read.  At the time I had several unread books on my shelf and no money so I made a mental note about it and went on my way.  Several months and books later I found it on the 50% off table – I’m a girl, I can’t resist a sale, so I walked out of the store with City of Thieves and six other books.  Happy with my new purchases and feeling slightly guilty at the hundred dollars that would now not be going toward my rent, I found a comfy chair next to one of the large picture windows in the store and cracked open my book, settling down for a nice long read.

If you are not interested in history, war, or Russia then you will not like this book – that much I can tell you.  To be completely honest with you I thought this was a very dry read at times, but at others I couldn’t put the damn thing down!  The basic plot of the story is about Lev and Kolya, two Russian citizens who are sent on a crazy mission for a General that has them trudging across the snow covered country looking for a dozen eggs all while there is a war raging against them by the Germans.  As you can imagine they encounter several difficulties, including almost being killed by the Germans several times in between the times that they almost die from exposure.

I would definitely say this is a must read.  Even though at times I was wondering when it would end, I already want to read it again.  It ropes you in and doesn’t let you go.  Read it and comment back.  I’d like to know what ya’ll think.

-S

Her Fearful Symmetry

Generally if I like one book by an author it is pretty congruent to assume that I will like another book by the same author.  So, after reading The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger I could not wait until she wrote another book.  When Her Fearful Symmetry finally came out I immediately put it on my “must read” list where it remained until I finally had it in my possession.  I have just finished it and must admit that I am terribly disappointed.  After reading The Time Travelers Wife I expected…well, to be honest I don’t know exactly what I expected but it definitely was not this.

I won’t give away any serious plot particulars but I will give an overview of what the book is about.  Two sisters and twins, Elspeth and Edie, were estranged at a young age for reasons that nobody else in the family were privy to.  Elspeth dies and leaves her flat (in London) to Edie’s two daughters (also twins) and stipulates that after they turn 21 they must live in the flat for a year before they are allowed to consider selling it.  The will also states that if Edie or her husband enter the flat then everything Elspeth owns will then go to her lover, Robert, and the twins will no longer get her money or the ability to live in the flat.  So the twins, Valentina and Julia, move to London a year after Elspeth dies (which is a week after their 21^st birthday) and, upon moving in, begin to realize that even they live alone in the flat – they aren’t really alone because Elspeth’s ghost is haunting them.

I definitely would not have expected a ghost story from the author of The Time Traveler’s Wife but I figured if she could make time travel seem possible and romantic maybe ghosts could be too.  Unfortunately this did not happen.  The entire story is full of twists and turns that confuse you and cause you to set the book down every few pages and steady yourself from dizziness.  I desperately wanted to love this book.  After only a few chapters I was bored but I made myself read the whole thing believing that I would find out that I got better at the end.  I was wrong.  It didn’t.  By the end of the book I was wondering why it ended there.  There should have been more.  Did she forget to write a chapter?  Was there a sequel coming?  It ended so abruptly with so much unfinished business that it leaves the reader wondering why anybody would do that.

Although, after all I have said, I must admit that it is not a bad book.  In fact to many it is probably a great book.  To me though, it is average.  Well written? Yes.  Good story?  Definitely.  Good ending?  Um…that would be a definite no!  Read it and tell me what you think.  Agree or disagree?

-S