Friday, October 03, 2008

Unaccustomed Earth

Before reading Breaking Dawn, I absorbed the wonderful prose that is Jhumpa Lahiri's Unaccustomed Earth. The second book of Lahiri's short stories, it was a breathtaking surprise that I was delighted to imbibe. Her writing has grown into something complete. I loved each of her books before --The Namesake and Interpreter of Maladies. She introduced me to characters I enjoyed learning about, but I was always wanting more. Sometimes, the second half of the story seemed rushed or unfinished. But, Unaccustomed Earth is different. It is perfection.

Each story left me full and satisfied. Each story came full circle with depth and emotion. And, she played with different angles and writing styles. I was beyond impressed with this book. I cannot wait until she comes out with another novel, letting me back into her Indian-inspired world.

Breaking Dawn

This week I finished reading Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. The series is done, I'm content and I'm already missing the characters. Now I wonder what the hubbub was about. I never read the articles about fans being discontented with the new book because every article had spoilers in it. But, seriously, what was everyone ticked about? Was it because neither of the men in Bella's life did not die? Was it because the story tied up so nicely? Geesh, the author loves her characters...she wanted them to end up happy. I think it is an honorable thing in an author.

I have to say that this last book was the best in the series. It let me see the world through a vampire's eyes (a nice vampire, but a vampire nonetheless). The writing was more complex. And, I was introduced to more vampire characters and some of the lore behind the supernatural creatures. Granted there are some cheesy moments, but there are quite a few of them in this series. It's a fun read. You care about the characters and I was glad that the book was left open so that there could be more to the series. I am not sure what everyone's beef was with Breaking Dawn, but I liked it. I look forward to what the author can do as her writing matures and develops. She's a good story teller and that is the first step to be a truly great writer.