The Yellow Birds is a haunting story which captures the emotional reality of war in prose so astonishingly beautiful it is almost distracting. Powers The Yellow Birds is a haunting story which captures the emotional reality of war in prose so astonishingly beautiful it is almost distracting. Powers shows that when all the rhetoric, heroism and patriotism has receded, the emotional toll remains forever.
I wondered why this was titled The Yellow Birds until I read the epigraph at the beginning:
A yellow bird With a yellow bill Was perched upon My windowsill
I lured him in With a piece of bread And then I smashed His fucking head . . .
Aung San Suu Kyi is a wonderful writer and illustrates in simple and poetic language the incredible sacrifices, including death, the people of Burma aAung San Suu Kyi is a wonderful writer and illustrates in simple and poetic language the incredible sacrifices, including death, the people of Burma are making for democracy. I never realized how much I take freedom for granted until I read this book. Her perseverance, deep compassion and love of democracy are truly inspiring....more
This book was brilliant! Marlantes is one of the preeminent writers of war for our time. After reading Matterhorn, which I loved, I listenedBrilliant!
This book was brilliant! Marlantes is one of the preeminent writers of war for our time. After reading Matterhorn, which I loved, I listened to this as an audiobook. There were times I had to stop and take a break because it is quite heavy. Marlantes writes about killing, maiming, death, grief, shame, guilt, courage, loyalty and heroism. He covers Jungian philosophy, Catholic and tribal traditions, Greek myth and classical history. He has killed, been responsible for his own men being killed, and has the self-knowledge, education and command of language to express the different states and emotions he has experienced in the past forty years. He is a warrior and a Rhodes scholar, and his scholastic background helps him communicate the experiences that normally transcend words. Marlantes has put a lot of thought into this subject for decades now and has chosen his words beautifully.
His brutal self-honesty was shocking, and too me, took more courage than running head on into a barrage of fire. He lays his soul bare for all of us to see so that our society can learn from the perpetual state of war we seem to find ourselves in generation after generation and so that our warriors can return intact physically as well as emotionally and spiritually....more
Spectacular writing! A story of brutality, pain, and piercing love. An incredibly moving account of a family's struggle for survival and the love thatSpectacular writing! A story of brutality, pain, and piercing love. An incredibly moving account of a family's struggle for survival and the love that binds and wounds....more
Every now and then I try to read something from the romance genre when I want a fun light read, but lately I'm having a hard time finishing any of theEvery now and then I try to read something from the romance genre when I want a fun light read, but lately I'm having a hard time finishing any of them. I've read a few others by Singh in her Psy/Changeling Series, but I just could not finish this one. I love the world building she's created about two different races: The Psy have developed their mind to such an extent their physical impulses fall away and their minds have become weapons, and the other race (Changelings) whose powers lie in the physical realm. This clash and ultimate merging of these two extremes is interesting, but the characters in Blaze of Memory didn't pull me into the story....more
Wiley Cash is a talented writer with a gift for describing the natural environment. He definitely establishes a concrete sense of place and is great aWiley Cash is a talented writer with a gift for describing the natural environment. He definitely establishes a concrete sense of place and is great at dialogue. His description can be so thorough that it becomes a bit frustrating at times. I don't need to know exactly how the Sheriff closed his patrol car's door. I want to find out what happens next! This story started out a bit slow but built to an entrhalling and violent climax. Toward the second half it became hard to put down. Some of the characters are so frustrating you just want to shake them, but they did feel painfully, tragically human. I really look forward to seeing what Cash writes next.
The Dog Stars is a literary dystopian novel about finding meaning in life when our world has been destroyed.
What is worth living for: simple survivalThe Dog Stars is a literary dystopian novel about finding meaning in life when our world has been destroyed.
What is worth living for: simple survival, a dog, the mountains? Is survival enough or is something more needed? What is worth killing for: a book of poems, a case of coke, a woman?
There are master survivors in this book, expert killers and then the tender hearted too who are pierced by the beauty of life and continue on. The killers protect the tender hearted, the poets and doctors, that is their purpose, so that the human in us continues to exist.
Petter Heller is a philosopher outdoorsman poet and he infuses all of this into his story. He captures the dying and regenerating landscape beautifully. The Dog Stars is beautiful and deep, full of meaning. This is a philosophical treatise on the meaning of life and if you are just looking for a typical dystopian or action novel, best to look elsewhere.
The Dog Stars lingered with me for days like a form of hypnosis. Or a dream. It does have some flaws, but to me they are irrelevant, overshadowed by the weight of the novel. It really makes you ask what is worth living for? ...more
A spare beautiful novella. Denis Johnson is expert at rendering the American landscape in prose clear, distinct and luminous. He transported me to anoA spare beautiful novella. Denis Johnson is expert at rendering the American landscape in prose clear, distinct and luminous. He transported me to another time and place. Although this world is dying, the novella was not unhopeful. This may be a re-read simply for the prose....more
A wonderful book. Beautiful and wise. Highly inspiring. Despite all the darkness she has been through, her spirit shines like a beacon. She will not bA wonderful book. Beautiful and wise. Highly inspiring. Despite all the darkness she has been through, her spirit shines like a beacon. She will not be conquered....more
So many great reviews have been written about Matterhorn that I am reluctant to even try. I will say that this is the greatest novel of the 21st centuSo many great reviews have been written about Matterhorn that I am reluctant to even try. I will say that this is the greatest novel of the 21st century that I have read. I know we're only 12 years in, but still, this will be a tough one to beat. Why it didn't win the Pulitzer I don't know. In college I took a semester class on the Vietnam War. I have forgotten most of what I learned that summer, but I will never forget this novel. I have learned more from Matterhorn than I have from numerous history books, movies, and lectures. This is the power of art-- and Matterhorn is art-- to transform our consciousness. This is why ultimately the pen is mightier than the sword.
Matterhorn illustrates that the absurdity of war is profound and the courage of brothers even profounder. I am staggered by the self-serving nature of those with power and the selfless sacrifice of the grunts. War is the greatest dichotomy of all-- ultimate brutality amidst deep compassion. Cruelty and love. Insanity and hope. It is difficult to find meaning amidst the waste. And, often, time shows that it was for nothing. Ultimately, it is our love for each other that makes life worth living and dying for.
Read Matterhorn and weep. This is classic literature of the 21st century....more
Absolutely fantastic! I laughed, I cried, and I was sorry for her journey on the PCT to come to an end. Strayed is a wonderful writer and a wise and tAbsolutely fantastic! I laughed, I cried, and I was sorry for her journey on the PCT to come to an end. Strayed is a wonderful writer and a wise and tough human being. I highly recommend this to everyone....more
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