The One with Eragon

207. Title & Author: Eragon (Book 1 of the Inheritance Cycle) by Christopher Paolini (509 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Fantasy & Adventure

Completed: 19 December 2011

Summary & Review:

Orphaned at a young age, Eragon grows up with his uncle and cousin on a small farm in an isolated valley. He expects his life to be much like his uncle’s has been, until he finds a mysterious stone that turns out to be the egg of a dragon. As a newly chosen Rider, Eragon quickly gains powerful enemies within the empire that rules his homeland with tyranny and oppression. With the help of an old bard named Brom, Eragon must learn to control and use the powers granted to him as a Dragon Rider to avenge his uncle’s murder and to save the land of Alagaësia.

The author, Christopher Paolini, began writing this book when he was only fifteen years old. It is an impressive feat for someone so young, but his age does show in parts of the book. He often used overly complicated vocabulary and overwrought metaphors or similies, I think in an attempt to sound more mature and adult. However, I recently read the third book in this cycle, Brisingr (#156), and Paolini has matured much as a writer in the intervening years between this first installment and the third. In Brisingr he seemed much more confident and less desperate to prove that he wasn’t just a kid, but a talented writer in his own right.

Some have criticized Eragon and the Inheritance Cycle over a lack of originality. Yes, the world and creatures of Alagaësia bear more than a passing resemblance to places such as Tolkien’s Middle Earth. But, I don’t think Paolini was trying to create a new world or genre, but rather I think he wanted to write a fantasy epic much like the ones he grew up reading. In that goal, he succeeded. Eragon is a fun, epic adventure firmly within the genre of fantasy.

Rating: 8.0  

The One with The Help

206. Title & Author: The Help by Kathryn Stockett (530 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Novel

Completed: 11 December 2011

Summary & Review:

In 1960’s Jackson, Missippi, dozens of black maids devote their lives to the service of white families--raising their children, cooking their meals—and yet are treated with disdain and disrespect by those same families. A young white misfit, Skeeter, decides to write a book by interviewing these women and getting their perspectives on serving as maids to the white families of Jackson. While there are many stories of insults and abuse, Skeeter is struck by the stories of kindness and devotion also experienced by these women. When the book comes out, Skeeter and the maids she worked with must stand together to face the consequences of their shockingly open and honest book.

I read the paperback of this book, and plastered all over it are quotes from reviewers saying how “important” this book is and how it is about “something real” and “something that matters.” First, let me say that overall, I enjoyed the book. It was an entertaining story with some likable characters. But, is it really all that brave, important, or courageous of a book? Unlike To Kill a Mockingbird, a book this book was compared to, which was written during times of racial inequality and dealt with those issues, The Help was written in a time far removed from the issues address in the novel. Stockett was able to freely write this book without any worry of harm or ill consequences. So, what was so brave and important about this book? For some reason, people love to dwell on past mistakes, and act as though those condemn our country, society, and future forever. My generation did not perpetrate those crimes, so why do we have to continue to feel guilty for them and pay penance? Obviously, it is important not to forget the past, but claiming a book is brave since it is addressing wrongs from a half century past is over doing it.

Anyway, I’ll give Stockett the benefit of the doubt since nowhere in this version did she say she was trying to write something “important,” rather than just an entertaining novel.

Rating: 7.0

The One with My Friend Leonard

205. Title & Author: My Friend Leonard by James Frey (357 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction— Memoir

Completed: 30 November 2011

Summary & Review:

Picking up where his first memoir, A Million Little Pieces, leaves off, Frey finds himself in rehab trying to put his shattered life back together. Through the course of his stay, he becomes close friends with a middle aged man named Leonard, a man with ties to a certain Italian “business organization,” who encourages him to make his life right, starting by serving his debt to society. Frey follows his advice and after going to prison, begins his new sober life in Chicago. Throughout the ups and downs of a recovering addict’s struggles, Leonard is always there with a good meal, a smile, and an infectious zest for life.

I am sure most people are familiar with Frey and the controversy surrounding his memoir A Million Little Pieces. Whether or not parts of this book were made up as well, doesn’t really matter to me. This was a book about friendship, and how important it is to have a friend you can count on when you need them.

Frey has a very distinctive style of prose in this book. It is relentless and driving, usually lacking the proper punctuation that allows the reader to pause, and it is full of repetitive statements and circular passages. While this style definitely doesn’t convey the beauty of Dickens or the talent of Dostoevsky, it does bring a certain amount of earnestness and power to a very sad story.

Rating: 6.5

The One with When You are Engulfed in Flames

204. Title & Author: When You are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris (323 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Humor

Completed: 21 November 2011

Summary & Review:

Essayist David Sedaris presents a compilation of essays covering everything from his childhood to his journey to Japan to quit smoking. Regardless of the topic, Sedaris observes the world and the situations he finds himself in with dryness and irony, looking for humor in the mundane.

I will grant that Sedaris is a fairly talented and entertaining writer, and at times, he had some very funny lines. However, many of the topics and opinions expressed in this collection of essays were not ones I found to be all too agreeable. Were Sedaris to apply his dry wit to more worthy topics, I would have enjoyed the book much more.

Rating: 4.5