Rowell leaves you guessing to the very end, but you never stop cheering for these characters who have become your friends.
Completely unplanned, I happened to read two books set in the 1990s practically back-to-back. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the 90s doesn't seem to be a very common setting. I really enjoy reading books set in the 90s because it reminds me just how far we've come in the past 20 years. Even though I lived through these changes, it's hard to see it in perspective unless we're reminded what life was like back then. My Salinger Year by Joanna Rakoff is a nonfiction memoir, although it really reads like a novel. Fresh out of grad school, Rakoff lands a job at a literary agency in New York City. But not just any agency - they have the reclusive J.D. Salinger as one of their clients! Through Rakoff's experiences, we get a look not only at how literary agencies worked at the time, but also what life was like in NYC. We run the gamut from one of the fanciest hotels to her little apartment that didn't come with a sink - or heat. Rakoff does a fabulous job of recreating the atmosphere of NYC in the 90s, as well as telling a story full of books and authors. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell is really set on the cusp of the new millennium. Lincoln works for the IT department of a newspaper. It's his job to monitor employees' computer and email usage, which means reading other people's emails. This leads to a slight addiction to reading the emails sent between Beth and Jennifer. Which leads to more than a slight crush on Beth. What exactly are the ethics in a situation like this? (It's also Lincoln's job to prepare for Y2K - remember that panic that was all for absolutely nothing?) In a book that's told half through emails, it's amazing how Rowell can make her characters leap off the page. Just like the YA novels I've read by her, I swear that Beth and Jennifer and Lincoln have to be living their lives somewhere in this world right now.
Rowell leaves you guessing to the very end, but you never stop cheering for these characters who have become your friends.
4 Comments
8/15/2015 10:48:47 am
I love Attachments so much! I think I've read it three times. I'll have to check out My Salinger Year. I'd be interested to read about a literary agency.
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8/15/2015 01:08:18 pm
The Future of Us sounds right up my alley. Thanks for the recommendation!
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I'm reading Attachments at the moment and I didn't realise it was set in the 90's when I started but I'm really enjoying the step back in time! I'm not sold on the book just yet- it seems a tad forced and unrealistic- but I do like the characters and the overall premise. We'll see.
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8/16/2015 09:42:36 am
I agree - it was a little hard to start with, figuring out who everyone was and what things were happening. But after awhile, it totally sucked me in! I hope you enjoy it!
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My name is Julie, and I own a lot of books. As in, they are stacked on the floor because I've run out of room on the shelves. And those shelves? There are so many books on them that they smile -- not sag; smile. This blog will cover book reviews and all manner of other bookish things.
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