Mini Book Reviews

(Belated book review project explained here.)

Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro
3 1/2 stars

This book is creepy and sad. But unlike other books I've read that were no fun at all (e.g. Coetzee's Disgrace), I didn't feel this was worth it. The narrator is so mawkish that I had trouble identifying with her and the other students. This book effectively conveys dread but not much else. I don't recommend it.

Straight Man
Richard Russo
4 stars

Reviewed here.

No Country for Old Men
Cormac McCarthy
3 1/2 Stars

Much more sparsely written than anything else by McCarthy. I found the book easier to forget than Javier Bardem's haircut in the movie. It doesn't even compare to the bloody poetry of Blood Meridian. But it's a good high-brow substitute for an airport thriller.