Can I get back the 6 or 7 hours that I just wasted?? Please?!
Often, there are books that are so over-hyped that one feels compelled to read them and then about halfway through one wonders what all the hype is about. Examples of such books are: Stephanie Meyer's The Twilight saga, Nicholas Sparks' The Notebook, Lauren Weisberger's The Devil Wears Prada (a better movie than book) and The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell fits into this category. I know I'm in the minority but this book is a serious yawn fest. Set in the Ozarks, it tells the story of a 16-year old girl, Ree Dolly, who is searching for her father (who is facing charges that he is running a meth lab) before he skips bail and the family loses their house and land which the father has used as collateral for the bail. The subject matter is depressing, dark and gritty, which isn't the reason I didn't like the novel. The problems with this book are many. First, the characters are wholly unsympathetic. I just don't care what happens to any of them. Perhaps if Woodrell had given his readers more of a backstory, I might have connected with (at least) the lead character, but alas, no. Even when she is being brutalized in one form or another, I merely thought, "Whatever." Another problem is that Woodrell spends so much time on environmental description that he neglects to actually give any plot that goes anywhere. Woodrell can write beautifully descriptive passages, but that's about all. I also have problems with the dialect Woodrell writes in, which has been called "country noir" or "hillbilly noir." I found it to be extraordinarily distracting and I get that people talk like this, but being a language snob, I just hate reading a novel that is rife with atrocious grammar. Lastly, there is no redemption found in this book whatsoever and perhaps he is presenting an ΓΌber-realistic view that occurs on a daily basis, but Woodrell's characters do not to change their lives, which is not annoying. They don't learn from anything or grow from their experiences. Anyone can find a way to break out of their horrendous existence if they truly want to. Tragic heroines piss me off because they don't have to be so tragic. Grow some cojones and fix your life.
I've heard this writer and book compared to Faulkner and his writings, but I seriously doubt that Woodrell will ever receive a Pulitzer for his novels. (Then again, I don't like Faulkner's writings either, so maybe the comparison is not so far off.) I am not entirely certain how Winter's Bone got all the rave reviews it did - maybe people were paid off or they were all written by the publishing company, but I would have rather spent my time watching paint dry than read this book. Perhaps the film fares better than the book, but as I probably won't bother watching the movie, I will never know.
Often, there are books that are so over-hyped that one feels compelled to read them and then about halfway through one wonders what all the hype is about. Examples of such books are: Stephanie Meyer's The Twilight saga, Nicholas Sparks' The Notebook, Lauren Weisberger's The Devil Wears Prada (a better movie than book) and The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell fits into this category. I know I'm in the minority but this book is a serious yawn fest. Set in the Ozarks, it tells the story of a 16-year old girl, Ree Dolly, who is searching for her father (who is facing charges that he is running a meth lab) before he skips bail and the family loses their house and land which the father has used as collateral for the bail. The subject matter is depressing, dark and gritty, which isn't the reason I didn't like the novel. The problems with this book are many. First, the characters are wholly unsympathetic. I just don't care what happens to any of them. Perhaps if Woodrell had given his readers more of a backstory, I might have connected with (at least) the lead character, but alas, no. Even when she is being brutalized in one form or another, I merely thought, "Whatever." Another problem is that Woodrell spends so much time on environmental description that he neglects to actually give any plot that goes anywhere. Woodrell can write beautifully descriptive passages, but that's about all. I also have problems with the dialect Woodrell writes in, which has been called "country noir" or "hillbilly noir." I found it to be extraordinarily distracting and I get that people talk like this, but being a language snob, I just hate reading a novel that is rife with atrocious grammar. Lastly, there is no redemption found in this book whatsoever and perhaps he is presenting an ΓΌber-realistic view that occurs on a daily basis, but Woodrell's characters do not to change their lives, which is not annoying. They don't learn from anything or grow from their experiences. Anyone can find a way to break out of their horrendous existence if they truly want to. Tragic heroines piss me off because they don't have to be so tragic. Grow some cojones and fix your life.
I've heard this writer and book compared to Faulkner and his writings, but I seriously doubt that Woodrell will ever receive a Pulitzer for his novels. (Then again, I don't like Faulkner's writings either, so maybe the comparison is not so far off.) I am not entirely certain how Winter's Bone got all the rave reviews it did - maybe people were paid off or they were all written by the publishing company, but I would have rather spent my time watching paint dry than read this book. Perhaps the film fares better than the book, but as I probably won't bother watching the movie, I will never know.
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