“The Green Mile,” by Stephen King

FM's ratings:

1. Premise 10
2. Prose 10
3. Plot 10
4. Characters 10
5. Overall 10

Comments (optional - but try to keep it under 3000 words!)

King’s finest work? Just maybe. Especially for people who tend to turn up their noses at “Horror.” When it first came out, published in serial form, in six separate, temporally spaced mini-books, I thought that was a dumb idea, not really considering that just maybe the story was worth reading in ANY form. I still think that I don’t personally want to read a story that way, and I’m glad I waited until all 6 books came out in one cover. But that’s just me. I’m sure many people absolutely loved the format. Is it “Horror”? There are certainly some gruesome passages; but wouldn’t – or shouldn’t – there be in any novel that treated this kind of content? Here King blends a hard-edged prison novel with the most whimsical elements of fantasy. He blends genres very well; his “Wizard and Glass” is a masterpiece of genre blending, and it might be my favorite King novel, or at least the most memorable for me. This book, in some ways, is even better. Had I been told how great it is by others? Of course. But I had to prove it to myself, as always. The other issue that made me delay reading this is that, when I already know too much about what a story contains, I feel it’s a bit spoiled for me. I still haven’t really read “Tom Sawyer” for that reason. But one doesn’t read a King novel just for the story. The prose, the plain old “writin’” is really the main attraction. People call him a genius. I cannot disagree.

Here’s the July line-up!

"Divided in Death," by J. D. Robb [7-1-17]

"The Brethren," by John Grisham [7-8-17]

"Deadlocked," by Charlaine Harris [7-15-17]

"Grave Peril," by Jim Butcher [7-22-17]

"Hiss and Hers," by M. C. Beaton [7-29-17]

(As always, if there are any books you’d like to recommend for next month, please do so. Also, if you have already read one on our previous lists, you are invited to send your ratings and or comments for that book!)

“The Color Purple,” by Alice Walker

FM’s ratings:

1. Premise 8
2. Prose 9
3. Plot 8
4. Characters 9
5. Overall 8

Comments (optional - but try to keep it under 3000 words!)

How does one give an overall rating of "8" out of "10" to a Pulitzer Prize winning novel? Different criteria, I guess. This novel is Important. There is no doubt about that. The Steven Spielberg movie made from the book may be even more important, having received 10 or 11 Academy Award nominations (famously winning none). I don't typically rate a book based on its social relevance or topical interest. But I did enjoy it enough to rate it pretty high. The prose is a valiant attempt at writing in the way the characters spoke in the time and culture being depicted. We even see some improvement in the diction of Celie as she continues to grow over the years. As with most stories told in letters written between the characters, a lot of plot detail is merely inferred. Do we need books that show us the conditions that post-slavery blacks endured? Sadly, yes. To remain ignorant of these issues is to be in danger of repeating them. This book is an effective reminder that we still have a long way to go as a species before we can truly call ourselves "civilized." 

Here’s the July line-up!

"Divided in Death," by J. D. Robb [7-1-17]

"The Brethren," by John Grisham [7-8-17]

"Deadlocked," by Charlaine Harris [7-15-17]

"Grave Peril," by Jim Butcher [7-22-17]

"Hiss and Hers," by M. C. Beaton [7-29-17]

(As always, if there are any books you’d like to recommend for next month, please do so. Also, if you have already read one on our previous lists, you are invited to send your ratings and or comments for that book!)

“The Lovely Bones,” by Alice Sebold

FM’s ratings:

1. Premise 9
2. Prose 8
3. Plot 7
4. Characters 8
5. Overall 8

Comments (optional - but try to keep it under 3000 words!)

Is this a chick-lit book? I suppose it is, and maybe the reservations I have about it stem from that. The premise of the girl who died too young - in this case, raped and murdered - and watching the aftermath from "above" - in this case, her own personalized "heaven" - reminds me very much of the equally interesting novel "The Assembler of Parts," by Raoul Wientzen. One could say that's a chick-lit book as well. Does that mean I'm not supposed to appreciate these books? I loved the "Twilight" books, often denigrated as the worst kind of chick-lit. I like to think I take quality as I find it. There was a LOT about this book to admire. The prose is mostly very good, though it occasionally lapsed into a dreamy poeticism that came perilously close to incoherence. The plot had that stretched-out feeling of a book that needed padding to meet a certain length requirement. If that's the case, it was done rather well, but the last third of the book did tend to drag a bit. The resolution of the murderer finally meeting his end is almost an afterthought, giving no closure whatsoever to the other characters - possibly an attempt at depicting how these thing actually happen in real life. The transfer of souls from "heaven" to earthly body that took place toward the climax - AS the climax, perhaps - was an unexpected and fascinating twist. It did contain the only scene that might inexplicably move the movie version (haven't seen it - yet!) from PG to R. Recommended - with some reservations.

“Fight Club,” by Chuck Palahniuk

FM's ratings:

1. Premise 10
2. Prose 7
3. Plot 8
4. Characters 7
5. Overall 8

Comments (optional - but try to keep it under 3000 words!)

Always, always, ALWAYS read the book before seeing the movie! This was Mr. Palahniuk’s first novel, and his most famous one to date if I’m not mistaken. The movie was actually better, but I have to admit that if I had read the book first I might feel differently. I honestly don’t know. I have read four other books by him and liked them all better – especially the amazing and ever-so-twisted “Haunted” that is a kind of combination novel/short story collection. Palahniuk has stated that he liked the movie better than the book as well – something you really don’t expect an author to admit! But again, if I had read this novel first – before the movie or his other books – I might well have been blown away by it. Some people don’t like his prose at all. While I can see why, I have to say that I appreciate its originality, its artistry, its audacity. I’m fine with it in doses the size of the occasional novel by him. But please, no copycats. And yes, I still intend to read all of his novels eventually!