Reviews

• Nothing Quite Like It

  A truly original, you might say innovative, book. It is remarkably inventive while, at the same time, it evokes the world of rural/small town Vermont circa 1975, replete with pitch perfect dialog. It's hard to characterize the book, partly because Gardner makes inventive use of a novel-within-a-novel technique. Suffice to say, if you like to read, and you value writerly virtuosity, you will definitely want to read this book, especially since you can take it up without feeling you are "doing your duty" toward literature, necessarily sacrificing the guilty pleasures of an airplane book. No, this book manages the neat trick of making you come back again and again with greedy interest of the guilty pleasure variety, while realizing at the same time that you are reading a book of enduring importance, one destined to enter the canon of American literature.

• An Interesting Read

  October light is an interesting and thought provoking novel. In the book Sally, an 80 year-old widow comes to live with her seventy-one year-old brother when her money runs out. Her brother James, a crusty 71 year old Vermont farmer is resentful that he has to support her and put up with her liberal ideas. After shooting out her TV he chases her upstairs where she locks herself in her bedroom. For the rest of the book Sally and James engage in a battle of wills. And in the process the human dimensions of the two characters and their lives are beautifully developed. As a fellow author I can appreciate Gardner's work. Writer Interruptus and Other Stories

• This book didn't need to be 400 pages.

  And I could have done without the book-within-a-book (I skipped those parts). Otherwise, it was ... fine? Not terrible, parts of it were sweet and sad, but this is not a recommended read for me.

• Sibling Rivalry and Pirates

  A pair of old siblings fight and a second story line unfolds as they ramp up their feud. I liked the imagery of rural New England and the unbridled nastiness between the sister and brother. I felt their pain but didn't want either of them to win. The bizarre secondary narrative provides more dark humor and insight into the family's troubles. Written in the 1970s, when I originally read it, Gardner's work has withstood the test of time.

• Could not finish

  I have never not finished a book. I can get through just about anything. However, I did not finish this book. I read the reviews here on Amazon. At the time there were 12 good reviews and 2 reviews that said don't waste your time. Well I purchased the book and kept reading and reading....surely it would catch my attention at some point. I just couldn't stomach it anymore. It was just so awfully boring and a complete waste of time.

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