Review: Calypso

Calypso by David Sedaris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Finished this in 2018 but never updated on Goodreads/posted a review.

This was my first foray into the world and writing of David Sedaris. After listening to his interviews on NPR and hearing him read excerpts from this book, I was so excited to dive into his world. Charming, witty, effervescent, and moving, it is all I had heard his writing to be.

The old adage of "I laughed, I cried..." is so true for this book. I truly laughed out loud throughout this book and caught myself anywhere from a lump in my throat to full actual tears a few times as well.

I am so glad to finally have delved into the literary world of Mr. Sedaris...and I have a LOT of catching up to do!

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Review: The Winter Soldier

The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Actual rating: 4.5

So...I wrote this review and was almost finished when my browser decided to crash. I can't reproduce the original review but I'll try to revisit what I had written.

I spent a couple of months on the waiting list for this book and was so excited when it was my turn. I had heard so much about it and so many comparisons to Doctor Zhivago. My personal take upon finishing? I would peg it as a cross between Doctor Zhivago, Cold Mountain, The Way We Were, and...I'm still struggling for something I just can't place.

The writing is eloquent, the language gorgeous. The imagery of the land, the period, the clothing, the people, the lives are so vivid you can honestly see them. You can practically feel the coldness of the air and smell the snow falling to blanket the ground.

What struck me most is the intimacy. It is rare to feel so close to a character. I don't mean connect. I don't mean identify. I mean physically feel so close. It is almost as though you are a witness, standing literally by their side watching as they struggle to care for their patients, as they face their own insecurities and vulnerabilities. You feel almost as if you are trespassing on their private moments, able to witness what passes between the characters as if you are somehow connected to them mentally, emotionally.

It took me a long time to get through this, by no fault of the story, the author, the language. I just tackled it after a touch life obstacle. I wish I could've delved into it in a more timely fashion to truly savor the flow and the beauty of it in one fell swoop instead of so broken up...but I cannot recommend it enough.

I will close with this. I have only read 2 other books that ended like this. The story unfolds and you are living their lives alongside them. As you near the ending, you are not quite sure where it's going to go. You suspect you do and you keep looking at how many pages you have left and wondering how it will wind down in those final pages...until you reach the last 3 pages, when your heart will swell...and falter...and be crushed...and fill so full the tears fall. When I closed the book, I wanted nothing more than to sit in a corner and cry out all the emotion, good and bad. It is an ending...and a story...I will truly never forget.

...and when someone decides to turn it into a film, I will be standing at the front of the line, praying they keep true to the story and waiting to treasure every minute of it.

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