On the Occasion of My Last Afternoon by Kaye Gibbons
1999
Weight: 8.6 oz
Method of Disposal: Donating
I thought this book was alright, but it did not move me and their were characters I struggled to believe in. Looking at others reviews, I feel totally alone. A lot of people complain that it was hard to follow because it did not stay set in one time the and would occasionally float from the present to the past and back. I felt like it was never confusing. Even a little.
Others think the writing is stunning. I thought it was good, but a lot of the conversations and commentary seemed overly flowery and elaborate at odd times, like when the main character's husband speaks to her. Too each their own though. It seems to be a matter of preference.
The character development is where I struggled. Her husband, Quincy, seemed all good and had no bad qualities other than that he would work himself to death trying to save his patients as a doctor. He could not let them go. Even for his family. Her dad was all bad to the bitter end when the good guy, Quincy, killed him quietly and with aplomb. It was really hard to believe his character would do that despite the degree he loved his wife. The dad never seemed to crack. He was vicious through and through. We are shown that the servant, Clarice, can control him because of something she witnessed but, despite her hold over him, he will absolutely never show her any respect at all. She is an amazingly strong, smart, and resilient woman who maintains loyalty to the main character's family to the bitter end. She maintains a sense of self and freedom, but it is hard to believe a woman so strong-willed would have done all the things she did in this book. I feel like they all needed more complexity and more consistency where it matters. I can see where the author tried. The main character believed that black people should be free, but she did not let several of her own servants know they were free during the war. She tried to make this okay by paying them off. The husband DID kill the dad, but he died trying to save everyone else's lives. The sister was such a beautiful and perfect homemaker, but she never gets married because of her dad. Her dad was pure evil, but it was partly because his dad was pure evil.
I don't know. I am left really unsure about how I feel about it all. I am glad the main character was wealthy. She would have had to be very, very wealthy to lead this life and to be so moral and correct.
1999
Weight: 8.6 oz
Method of Disposal: Donating
I thought this book was alright, but it did not move me and their were characters I struggled to believe in. Looking at others reviews, I feel totally alone. A lot of people complain that it was hard to follow because it did not stay set in one time the and would occasionally float from the present to the past and back. I felt like it was never confusing. Even a little.
Others think the writing is stunning. I thought it was good, but a lot of the conversations and commentary seemed overly flowery and elaborate at odd times, like when the main character's husband speaks to her. Too each their own though. It seems to be a matter of preference.
The character development is where I struggled. Her husband, Quincy, seemed all good and had no bad qualities other than that he would work himself to death trying to save his patients as a doctor. He could not let them go. Even for his family. Her dad was all bad to the bitter end when the good guy, Quincy, killed him quietly and with aplomb. It was really hard to believe his character would do that despite the degree he loved his wife. The dad never seemed to crack. He was vicious through and through. We are shown that the servant, Clarice, can control him because of something she witnessed but, despite her hold over him, he will absolutely never show her any respect at all. She is an amazingly strong, smart, and resilient woman who maintains loyalty to the main character's family to the bitter end. She maintains a sense of self and freedom, but it is hard to believe a woman so strong-willed would have done all the things she did in this book. I feel like they all needed more complexity and more consistency where it matters. I can see where the author tried. The main character believed that black people should be free, but she did not let several of her own servants know they were free during the war. She tried to make this okay by paying them off. The husband DID kill the dad, but he died trying to save everyone else's lives. The sister was such a beautiful and perfect homemaker, but she never gets married because of her dad. Her dad was pure evil, but it was partly because his dad was pure evil.
I don't know. I am left really unsure about how I feel about it all. I am glad the main character was wealthy. She would have had to be very, very wealthy to lead this life and to be so moral and correct.
No comments:
Post a Comment