Books 12 & 13 - Jack by A.M. Homes & Honeymoon by James Patterson
I have been a busy little reader recently.
I picked up two books recently. In my mind, the books were dramataically different from each other.
The first book was Jack by A.M. Homes. The book centers around a 15 year old boy who learns why his parents divorced a few years prior. He is a boy that is an athlete and joins in the taunting of boys who are not like him. He is a "man's man" type of kid. The problem is that his father has recently come out and Jack has to deal with the new world that he is forced to live in.
Jack's father being gay is almost incidental to the main theme of the book - the growth of Jack. For a book that was published in 1989, this was pretty insightful. I have seen copmparisons to Catcher in the Rye and A Separate Piece as it is about a young boy who is forced to grow up quicker than he wanted.
I find this to still be one of my favorite books. The dialogue of the kids is exactly as I remember it in the early 1990's as Jack's character in terms of chronology is only 3 years older than me. So the book seems more real to me than anything else I have read.
One note about the book... A.M. Homes is a woman...and this book caused a similar reaction that The Outsiders did when it was written. Many people questioned how a woman could write about the inner feelings of a boy...well... the answer is simple. They can and did.
It is a worthwhile book...
The other book I read is the latest number one seller by James Patterson entitled Honeymoon. For James Patterson, this is one of his better and recent books. It introduces some new characters yet, they feel comfortable to me. His formula is to write 3-4 page chapters and try to leave you hanging at the end of each chapter. He does so adeptly in this book as well. If you are looking for a good book to read this summer that is smart yet brainless then I have found your book!
I picked up two books recently. In my mind, the books were dramataically different from each other.
The first book was Jack by A.M. Homes. The book centers around a 15 year old boy who learns why his parents divorced a few years prior. He is a boy that is an athlete and joins in the taunting of boys who are not like him. He is a "man's man" type of kid. The problem is that his father has recently come out and Jack has to deal with the new world that he is forced to live in.
Jack's father being gay is almost incidental to the main theme of the book - the growth of Jack. For a book that was published in 1989, this was pretty insightful. I have seen copmparisons to Catcher in the Rye and A Separate Piece as it is about a young boy who is forced to grow up quicker than he wanted.
I find this to still be one of my favorite books. The dialogue of the kids is exactly as I remember it in the early 1990's as Jack's character in terms of chronology is only 3 years older than me. So the book seems more real to me than anything else I have read.
One note about the book... A.M. Homes is a woman...and this book caused a similar reaction that The Outsiders did when it was written. Many people questioned how a woman could write about the inner feelings of a boy...well... the answer is simple. They can and did.
It is a worthwhile book...
The other book I read is the latest number one seller by James Patterson entitled Honeymoon. For James Patterson, this is one of his better and recent books. It introduces some new characters yet, they feel comfortable to me. His formula is to write 3-4 page chapters and try to leave you hanging at the end of each chapter. He does so adeptly in this book as well. If you are looking for a good book to read this summer that is smart yet brainless then I have found your book!
posted by Smelmooo at 10:42 PM
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