The County Library discussion

Here's December's pick. I haven't read this one yet, but it won the Nation Book Award and got tons of great reviews. If you've read it, please get the discussion going!

Just started this one. Not very far into it but loving it so far.

Overall I liked the book. I didn't really know what to expect when I picked it up so having all the characters narrate their stories took some adjustment. I didn't care for a couple of the stories but I liked the way things came together in the end. I'm glad I read the book.

I was hooked immediately as the first few pages describing the tightrope walker's walk between the twin towers was so well written. In addition I had just seen the documentary movie"Man on Wire" which is about the walk. I was equally impressed with the rest of the book which elicits a whole range of emotions while describing some gritty scenes in the mix with other stories. I thought it was the best book I read last year. It stays with me to this day which in my mind means the book is very well written.

I just barely finished this book, and it took me forever. While I have to agree with Suzanne that it is amazingly well-written, I didn't love it. I felt it was too dark, and never was able to lose myself to the characters or the story. Like Lahni, I enjoyed seeing the way the character's lives all touched each other's, but I just really didn't care for a lot of the characters. Also, I just couldn't stop thinking about The Man Who Walked Between the Towers.

Which makes me wonder- how important is it to have likable characters? Some of my most favorite books (like, for instance, Lolita) star extremely repugnant characters, so I can't say I don't enjoy that type of story. So what's different there? Maybe there needs to be a level of fascination with the unlikable character that I just didn't feel this time. Any comments?

For me its not so much if a character is likable but I have to be interetested in them and care about their story. In that way even an unlikable character becomes "likable". When I read Frankenstein I cared more for the monster than the man.

In LTGWS there was an entire section or two that I cared nothing about and could have been left out all together. Like the guys in California calling on the pay phone.

Lahni wrote: "For me its not so much if a character is likable but I have to be interetested in them and care about their story. In that way even an unlikable character becomes "likable". When I read Frankenst..."

That didn't bother me so much, because I liked the idea that people's lives can touch each other, even if it's totally random and from really far away. Also, I liked the parts where the phone was ringing in the background of other sections of the story, to tie it together.
What I didn't care for was the whole Lara storyline. It felt a little tacked on to me, even though it was pretty central to the book. I guess it didn't feel organic.