It should not be so hard to write both poetry and fiction. Both arts, after all, make use of the same materials, words and punctuation. Poems...
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One should not be fooled by the hype surrounding this book, as there is nothing "luminous," "magnificent," "rich," or "riveting" about it except for the idea, which CIment fails to develop. The novel begins with an all too lengthy backstory of the protagonist Sara, her family, and their Jewish roots and plight. Sara's backstory would've been an interesting enhancment to the developing of her story if the novel's premise was that of a Jewish story, but it's not, and because it's not a Jewish story per we are left to wonder why we need this information. For instance, Ciment spends pages discussing Sara's fathers loss of spirituality, which is interesting, but we are left wondering how this affects and impacts Sara. If dad's loss of spirituality has zero impact on Sara then why are we being told this information? However the character about whom e we receive the most useless informtion is Sara's boyfriend/lover Paul, an all too typical avant garde artist, who is terribly cliched and who adds nothing to the novel except infinite platitudes and hackneyed perspectives on art. When we finally arrive on the island, the heart and soul of the story, a place I hoped to linger for pages and pages, Ciment yanks us off the island as quickly as she puts us there--in some way, it seems all too easy for Sara, the hip avant garde New Yorker, to adapt to the ways of the islands indigineous people. leaving us to wonder whether she actually feels or thinks anything. When LIfe magazine arrives and takes Sara back home, the novel suffers its greatest disconnect: Why is Sara going home? Other than seeing people snickering at her and whispering that she will not have a Jewish burial--why Sara needs to overhear this statement is mystifying as she renounced her religious beliefs 35 years ago--not much else happens in New York.
Overall, Ciment's novel fails to deliver a cohesive and fully developed story because it appears her own artistic agenda was unclear. If you are interested in reading about typical and hackneyed characters who have no depth or breadth, then this novel is for you; however, if you like finely woven tales that allow you to tumble into the world of the characters don't bother with this book, as it will leave you very frustrated.
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The Tattoo Artist by Jill Ciment
michele26, June 29, 2008
One should not be fooled by the hype surrounding this book, as there is nothing "luminous," "magnificent," "rich," or "riveting" about it except for the idea, which CIment fails to develop. The novel begins with an all too lengthy backstory of the protagonist Sara, her family, and their Jewish roots and plight. Sara's backstory would've been an interesting enhancment to the developing of her story if the novel's premise was that of a Jewish story, but it's not, and because it's not a Jewish story per we are left to wonder why we need this information. For instance, Ciment spends pages discussing Sara's fathers loss of spirituality, which is interesting, but we are left wondering how this affects and impacts Sara. If dad's loss of spirituality has zero impact on Sara then why are we being told this information? However the character about whom e we receive the most useless informtion is Sara's boyfriend/lover Paul, an all too typical avant garde artist, who is terribly cliched and who adds nothing to the novel except infinite platitudes and hackneyed perspectives on art. When we finally arrive on the island, the heart and soul of the story, a place I hoped to linger for pages and pages, Ciment yanks us off the island as quickly as she puts us there--in some way, it seems all too easy for Sara, the hip avant garde New Yorker, to adapt to the ways of the islands indigineous people. leaving us to wonder whether she actually feels or thinks anything. When LIfe magazine arrives and takes Sara back home, the novel suffers its greatest disconnect: Why is Sara going home? Other than seeing people snickering at her and whispering that she will not have a Jewish burial--why Sara needs to overhear this statement is mystifying as she renounced her religious beliefs 35 years ago--not much else happens in New York.Overall, Ciment's novel fails to deliver a cohesive and fully developed story because it appears her own artistic agenda was unclear. If you are interested in reading about typical and hackneyed characters who have no depth or breadth, then this novel is for you; however, if you like finely woven tales that allow you to tumble into the world of the characters don't bother with this book, as it will leave you very frustrated.
(5 of 11 readers found this comment helpful)