I know you think I forgot about The Bookshelf Project…Well I haven’t. I’ve been trucking along actually and have been reading at a ferocious rate these days (NZ rain is lovely for projects involving books. Today it is a monsoon outside, I’m hoping to polish off another great read)
I finished State of Wonder by Ann Patchett a few weeks ago and am sad to say I didn’t love it. I had high hopes for this book. A few reviews I had read called it a “gripping adventure story”…. Maybe my American ADD for action has made me a tough critic but I would hardly call it a gripping adventure story. In fact, at points I was shaking my head at all the POTENTIAL for adventure that was wasted.
That being said, I don’t think people read this book for the adventure (aside from a hopeful ME). The scientific miracle the book centers around is though provoking (although I wouldn’t again read a novel about it) and the characters are reachable (although too many side plots deflected any real connections I could’ve felt).
Overall I thought it was a long winded book with unnecessary twists and lost excitement opportunities. I wouldn’t recommend it to others to read but based on the great reviews I have read I think it just wasn’t my cup o’ tea.
As always, you be the judge for yourself.
