
This is rather strange…haven‘t decided if I like it yet.
After a few weeks of just “meh” reading, I‘m excited to start my week with this one. I hope it‘s as good as I want it to be.
Whew boy, this has been tough to get into. I‘m 25% thru and have been reading this book for four weeks, two days. Soooo slowww.
I love reading about the Dust Bowl, so got an ARC from NetGalley and have been chipping away at it for ages. I almost DNF‘d but decided to get the audio from the library to see if that helps me push thru, and it does. I‘m finally getting a little bit eager to see where the story goes. But I‘ve really had to work for it.
I‘d never read a Rainbow Rowell book, so when I saw this on the library shelf I figured I‘d give it a try. Almost 100 pages in and I‘m throwing in the towel. The main character is annoying, the dialogue is trite and stilted… and the worst offense? It‘s just so incredibly boring. 😖 Moving on.
I didn‘t love it…which honestly, comes as a surprise because everything else I‘ve read by Russell I really enjoyed. It has the right ingredients—interesting setting (Dust Bowl), a witch, a sentient scarecrow, a mystery, but…BUT, it‘s ponderous & slow moving, told in multiple POVs which aren‘t all that distinctive, & somehow (impossibly) devoid of emotional depth. I really should have cared about these characters & I just didn‘t. Just a so-so read.
I tagged along on my husband‘s work trip to Nashville. While he was at his conference I visited Ann Patchett‘s bookstore, Parnassus Books. Luckily she was there and I spoke with her briefly. She was friendly and gracious. I‘ve listened to The Dutch House and Tom Lake. I‘m currently reading The All of It which she got back in print and wrote a forward to. I look forward to reading these signed copies soon.
Historical fiction steeped in magical realism unfolds here in a pre-technicolor Oz of Uz, NE. Beautifully written with multiple perspectives, the story comes from the titular Antidote, a Prairie Witch practiced in banking memories away from their experiencer, Asphodel, a fearless orphan obsessed with basketball & new love , her uncle, a farmer who finds sudden fortune after Black Sunday, Cleo, a New Deal photographer, a scarecrow & a cat!
Could not get into this book by one of my favorite authors. Can‘t do dark right now. Maybe I‘ll try again when my heart is lighter.
And…I now interrupt all in-progress reading to start this one. Russell never disappoints, always entertains. Look forward to a great read.
Now Available! 🎉🥳📚
The Antidote- Karen Russell
Book Review- https://www.boleybooks.com//the-antidote/
#boleybooks #TheAntidote #KarenRussell #bookbeast #NetGalley #bookbuds #newbook