Recently, I read The Rules of Inheritance by Claire Bidwell Smith. I felt mixed in writing my review for this book because I desperately wanted to love the girl in the book. She suffered the loss of both of her parents at an early age, leaving her to find her way through life alone. This should be heart-wrenching. I felt that there were times in which I should be crying. I could make the reasoning of how the author was intending to move my emotions, but I just never became connected with Claire.
I started off the novel with a relation to the young narrator. Then the story would jump in time, and I would have to reinvest in the a new character, someone 15 years older/younger than the narrator I had just met. After a while, my connection with Claire began to just dissolve and I really lost all interest in her. I can understand the logic of the origination, the clever play on linearity, but it affected my connection with the narrator every time.
I understand that sometimes when an event happens in our lives, we don't even understand the meaning or what effect it will have on us until years later. I just wish that Smith would have focused a bit more on timeline or not moved through so many chapters in Claire's life...
So...that about sums up my thoughts on the book. Now, I really have a difficult time with new authors. I feel so bad for saying that I don't like their work...but hey, it's art...it's all subjective. So, what do I know?
I started Then Again by Diane Keaton prior to this book and put it on the back burner...I'm excited to be able to pull it out again.
Actually...on a bit of a tangent...
Using the phrase, "pull it out..." It's funny...because I downloaded the book and read it on my ipad. I was against digital books for the longest time because I like the romance of books. The feel of the pages, and smell of older books, and the collection of them all on the bookshelf. But the ease of a digital book...it's hard to pass up. Especially when you have kids and eight bags of things already.
What do you think about digital books? Yay or nay?
And do you have any other book recommendations?
I was compensated for this BlogHer Book Club review but all opinions expressed are my own.
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