Book Log - Watkins, Bohjalian
Apr. 23rd, 2006 08:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blinkerTwo books this week, both impulse pick-ups at the library.
The Ice Soldier by Paul Watkins was on the new releases shelf. It's more of a post-war story than a war story, set in England in 1950. The protagonist is a British soldier struggling to recover from a wartime mountaineering expedition that went horribly wrong. The major plot twist at the end was a little predictable, but the author did some good stuff with it. I don't think I'd seek out more of his books, but I might read another one if I came across it.
The Buffalo Soldier by Chris Bohjalian is not about war at all. It's about a couple who lose their twin daughters in a tragic accident and then take in a 10-year-old African American foster child a few years later. The title comes from the boy's fascination with the black men who fought in the US Army in the 19th century. I initially picked it up because adoption is something that's been on my mind quite a bit lately, but it's not really about that. The book is well-written, but the part of the story about the husband's one-night stand that results in a pregnancy is probably better suited to readers who are more strongly attached to traditional notions of monogamy. Interestingly, I was almost finished with the book when a copy of the Amherst alumni magazine featuring a profile of the author (who apparently graduated in the 80s) arrived in the mail. I am definitely going to pick up more of his books, but not right away.
Currently reading City of Tiny Lights by Patrick Neate, which is so far pretty good.
The Ice Soldier by Paul Watkins was on the new releases shelf. It's more of a post-war story than a war story, set in England in 1950. The protagonist is a British soldier struggling to recover from a wartime mountaineering expedition that went horribly wrong. The major plot twist at the end was a little predictable, but the author did some good stuff with it. I don't think I'd seek out more of his books, but I might read another one if I came across it.
The Buffalo Soldier by Chris Bohjalian is not about war at all. It's about a couple who lose their twin daughters in a tragic accident and then take in a 10-year-old African American foster child a few years later. The title comes from the boy's fascination with the black men who fought in the US Army in the 19th century. I initially picked it up because adoption is something that's been on my mind quite a bit lately, but it's not really about that. The book is well-written, but the part of the story about the husband's one-night stand that results in a pregnancy is probably better suited to readers who are more strongly attached to traditional notions of monogamy. Interestingly, I was almost finished with the book when a copy of the Amherst alumni magazine featuring a profile of the author (who apparently graduated in the 80s) arrived in the mail. I am definitely going to pick up more of his books, but not right away.
Currently reading City of Tiny Lights by Patrick Neate, which is so far pretty good.
