Showing posts with label tinkers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tinkers. Show all posts

2.24.2011

Tinkers


Awards don't always mean greatness. Take the 2004 Tony Awards. Included on the list of nominees for best musical: The Boy from Oz, Wicked, Avenue Q. Who walked away with the Tony? Avenue Q. Seriously? The puppet show won? I will be honest, when it came to town last year, I sold my season ticket to a friend. It isn't that I am not open minded, but I know what happens in the show, and I have no desire to see it. But someone, well, many people thought it deserved the Tony. Greatness means different things to different people.

Awards don't always mean greatness. I just finished the book "Tinkers." It won the 2010 Pulitzer prize for fiction. It took me a month to read this book. I had a difficult time with it. I will be honest - the writing is beautiful. If I were reading for the quality of the text, I give the book a thumbs up. The story is touching when I understood it, I cried a number of times. The story would get a thumbs up too. But the writing style mixed with the story - thumbs down. I just had a hard time reading and enjoying the combination so to speak. I was confused a lot. There are two stories told in the book and sometimes, I wasn't certain which story I was reading. Greatness means different things to different people.

I gave the story 3 stars on GoodReads, again because I loved the writing and I liked the story, I just didn't like the book. I wouldn't scratch this one from your list if you have it as a "to-read" book. Just be ready to give it some time. Or maybe find the time to sit and read the 200 page book in one sitting, that would be a good idea which could help reduce confusion. I just can't find that kind of time anymore.

Enjoy!