Books I loved, hated

First, I’d like to discuss a book that I’m still thinking about with joy that I finished a few weeks ago. Ann Patchett’s WHISTLER will live on in my memory for a very long time. What a read! It’s gentle, kind, intriguing, and most of all, real. These people exist somewhere outside Patchett’s imagination. Adored BEL CANTO. This book is better, in a totally different way. Stylistically. Voice. Read it!!

And then we have YESTERYEAR, filled with loathsome characters with no redeeming values. I wanted to smack most of them silly. Only Clementine deserves notice and praise. I have never, in all my reading years, disliked a story this much. It has nothing to do with its hyper criticism of the tradwife (clearly the Ballerina Farm couple) and more to do with the snarky, demeaning character treatment.