I just finished reading, or listening rather, to
Claire Messud's "The Emperor's Children."
I really enjoyed listening to this book. I even took to downloading the audio book and listening to it on my MP3 player so that I may listen while not in my car.
It is so well written. Beautiful descriptions. Lyrical sentences. I've rarely read (again, or listened to) a book where I felt like I knew exactly what the author was trying to say. It spoke to me, every scene, every character came alive.
Unfortunately I finished the book feeling dissatisfied. The resolutions of many of the characters remained unclear at book's end. The author left me wondering what happened to all of the people I had come to love and with whom I commiserated, which I think it a disservice to the readers who had spend so much time getting to know them. Ultimately, what purpose does it serve to create a story of intertwining dialogues and perspectives just to let them all fall flat at the end by providing no or a weak resolution?
I'll definitely buy it and read the story (
really read it) just to observe how Messud constructs her sentences and paints her descriptions. I'll even read another one of her novels. She's a masterful writer, I hope only on further investigation that her storytelling is better than what I conceived upon my first impression.
You can read Salon's review and recap of her story
here.
I have written many books. Many half-books that is.
