Daily Archives: April 11, 2010

The Sea and the Silence by Peter Cunningham

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I’m kind of in the middle on this book. The story was somewhat engaging but the characters were difficult to understand and get to know.

The Sea and the Silence is a story about Iz, a young woman who once knew love and her experiences in life as she grows older and deals with war issues, family issues and marriage issues.

The writing style was.. odd, and made reading the book harder then it should have been. Peter Cunningham chose to write his dialogue proceeded by a dash instead of using quotation marks, which made for a lot of dashes and a bit of confusion on my part.

Also, the book is split into two parts, that of Hector and that of Iz. I spent most of the second part, Iz, in a very confused state because I didn’t understand why it hadn’t been written first. Toward the end I sort of got why he wrote the book the way he did but it was really confusing up until that point which does not make for an enjoyable read.

The story was good though once all the pieces of the puzzle were put together. I looked back on it and thought, huh – that was interesting. It’s just a shame I couldn’t find it as interesting while I was in the process of reading it. That’s why I’m in the middle of the road on it.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors: A Novel by Michele Young-Stone

Buy on Amazon: The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors by Michele Young-Stone

Okay, so I loved this book. It was not what I expected, at all, but I still loved it.

The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors is the story of two very different but but similar people (confusing, no?). Becca, a young girl who is struck by lightning and Buckley, a young boy who experiences the horrifying reality of lightning strikes as well.

Both families these children grow up in are disjointed and horrible. I was depressed throughout the book because no one could ever seem to catch a break. But despite the depressing realities the book laid out, I never stopped to consider that there wasn’t hope for both of these children.

Each chapter begins with an excerpt from the fictional “Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors”. It isn’t until half-way through the book that you realize who wrote it (although I had my suspicions, it’s not hard to figure it out). The facts laid out are amusing and interesting. The author, Michele Young-Stone was actually a victim of a lightning strike herself.

Interesting book full of some quirky moments, some sad moments and some heart-warming moments. It’s always inspiring to read that in spite of the most dismal of circumstances, there are people out there who can love, who can care about and for their families and who can persevere whether being a victim of a lightning strike (uncommon) or a victim of a broken home (much more common).

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”