Friday, January 25, 2013

Book Beginnings: May We Be Forgiven by A.M. Homes



Book: May We Be Forgiven
Author: A. M. Homes
Why I am reading it: This is listed on the 2013 Tournament of Books, and I've been trying to read one of them each week. 

Beginning:
"Do you want my recipe for disaster?
The warning sign: last year, Thanksgiving at their house."
Impressions so far: I had read a book by A. M. Homes a few years back, The Safety of Objects, short stories that I enjoyed.  I'm enjoying this novel more (200 pages in), even though it uses a trope I usually hate - the depressed middle-aged academic ruining his own life.  I think where Homes seems to be succeeding where other authors have failed for me is that the situations and characters are more realistic.  Not everything is always terrible, even if the terrible things that have happened color every situation.  There are small moments of humor, but also moments where I feel very compassionately toward the characters.  That is no small feat, and I find this to be an engrossing read so far.

If you want to hear more about what I'm reading, friend me on GoodReads. Thanks for stopping by!

2 comments:

  1. After reading your post, I went to Amazon and read the book's synopsis. It sounds fascinating, and I've added it to my TBR list.
    My Book Beginnings / Friday 56 post today features PERIGEE MOON.

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  2. Hi Jenny,

    This is a definite for my reading list as well!

    By coincidence, my book beginning this week centres on a Professor, although mine doesn't seem quite as angry as yours. Professor Fell, suffers from panic attacks and is obviously suffering symptoms of a mid-life crisis.

    Both books do seem as though they are going to involve great studies of the human psyche and are both written by authors with an academic background and a keen interest in poetry ... what are the chances of that?

    Thanks for stopping by Fiction Books and taking the time to comment. Have a good weekend,

    Yvonne

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