Book Selections

Thursday, January 31, 2013

December Book Selection Follow-Up

Book Club selection The Diviners by Libba Bray published by Little Brown

Story:
I think we all agreed that this book was spooky, if not downright scary in some parts!  The house that was "alive", the mysterious singing and whistling and, of course, Naughty John, were a few of the things that really gave people chills.  

Characters:
Many people in the group were annoyed by Evie.  They felt that she made some really selfish and irresponsible choices, including what she did at the very end.  One member even asked if perhaps her parents sent her away because they just wanted a break from her.  We all agreed that she did show some growth by the end of the book.  The other characters (Memphis, Theta, et al) were everyone's favorites and in many cases, they were more interesting than Evie. 

Pacing/Flow:
This was much longer than the books we normally read and a few members mentioned that there was some repetition that could have been taken out to move the story along.  The switching of story lines (from Evie, to Memphis, to Theta) was enjoyed and gave a well rounded view of what was happening.

Overall:
With the exception of one member, The Diviners got a thumbs up, overall.  The general consensus was that the myriad of unanswered questions was a set-up for book two, which some found frustrating.  There was some discussion about the pros and cons of cliffhangers vs. a more resolved ending. 

No comments:

Post a Comment