Laura B > Recent Status Updates

3/4 through. I’m liking the way she tells the story in the past and echoes it in the present. Enjoying the characters. Intrigued by plot.

So far: This is pretty traditional historical fiction, language and pace-wise. There seems to be a typo in describing two different racehorses on page 96, one from England and one from the U.S. The name Eclipse is used for the name Horse. May not be reading this clearly, but I think so. It makes sense only if you switch the names.

It’s extraordinary. The story about the fish angel is so beautiful and original. About Lincoln and his servants. Lovely, and only McBride could write this. It’s a refreshing view, about the perspective and memories of Black people. Current and past.

Excellent writing and easy to read one story and put it down for awhile. It’s so good, the stories stay in my mind.

Chapter 23 I thought I'd like it. I will go on for awhile before giving up. It's so philosophical and not all that much has really happened yet. Kind of boring.

I. Can’t. Get. Through the first ice flow! I’m wishing this would be rewritten by Philbrick or Larson!

Loving the way this book takes you far away. The characters seem more real to me than most human characters in novels!

Kind of convoluted arguments, but it's fun to read.

Good. Interesting. I'm glad I read it. I had no idea how heartless the Germans were during WW2, or the extent of their submarine warfare. Tragic. The parts about the actual sinking, rescue, and trials were very interesting. So was the personal detail about Woodrow Wilson. Who knew he was such a passionate guy?

Great. Because what's more uplifting than reading about death right before bed?

Pretty good, good enough to read straight through a bunch of it at a time. Lightweight, but nicely evocative.

Wow, this book is really good so far. Shades of Tom Robbins and Thomas Pynchon, for sure. Entertaining and well written. It's clever and it flows. A lark of a yarn.

In a solid groove now. I think the best writing in this so far are the actiony bits.

Maddening. Good in places and either overwritten or underwritten in others. Some of the writing is SO good. There are some small details that don't make sense. I had to put it down during the Las Vegas section to decide whether I could handle another 500 pages of the description of addiction. Reading something else at the same time that's a little less sad is helpful.

I put off reading this book for over a year, foolishly thinking a paperback version was forthcoming. It didn't, I was given an ebook of it, and thank God because I can actually carry it around. I haven't been absorbed and captivated by a book in so long. It reminds me a little of Catcher In the Rye, a lot of Extremely Close and Incredibly Close, and a bit of Gravity's Rainbow, just to start.