Ten Best Novels of 2002 (according to BOOK Magazine)
Submitted by poppiezoe on Sat, 10/26/2002 - 06:56
Tags:
- Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
- The Crimson Petal and the White - Michel Faber
- Everything Is Illuminated - Jonathan Safran Foer
- Life of Pi - Yann Martel
- Child of My Heart by Alice McDermott
- Atonement - Ian McEwan
- The Cave - Jose Saramago
- The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
- The Little Friend - Donna Tratt
- The Story of Lucy Gault - William Trevor
Have you read any of them? I haven't.
I've read Atonement which I would rate as 10/10. Very well written and beautifully rendered. The characters and the story stay with you for a long time. I've also read The Lovely Bones and really didn't see what all the hipe was about, but a lot a my friends, both on and off-line raved about it. I have Life of Pi and The Crimson Petal and the White here to read and my on-line book club loved both of these.
Oh, I forgot....I've started Middlesex and I'm enjoying it immensely.
Here's what BookMagazine says about Middlesex:
Eugenides' novel sweeps the reader up in the epic coming of age tale of a Greco-American heraphrodite.
Here's what they say about The Crimson Petal...:
This Victorian epic is without a doubt the filthiest mainstream book of the year, and it's also one of the most entertaining.
Interesting... First, it is pretty early, eh?
Second, I've been reading some pretty vicious reviews of The Little Friend. I've read a few excerpts, and I gotta tell you, what I read was extremely over-written, meandering, and, well, pretty bad. Of course, it could just be the excerpts I read, but...
I have been hearing great raves about Life of Pi and will have to check it out.
Thanks for the list!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
My on-line book club loved The Little Friend. Have you read The Secret History by the same author? Now that was a very good read.
I've read most of Secret History and for the most part enjoyed it. I know book fans are usually somewhat cultish by nature, but really, what I read of the new one was awful and not a worthy follow up on the author's first book.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I agree for the most part. John Irving and Ken Follett come to mind. Their early books were fantastic. But their later efforts leave a lot to be desired. Some writers however seems to get better with age. Ann Patchett for example. Her lastest book Bel Canto - much better than earlier works.
Very true, and some authors stumble for a bit and then recover. John Le Carre and Phillip Roth would fit in that category, IMHO.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Did The Emperor of Ocean Park come out this year? It maybe a year old, but if not it should be on this list, Atonement is an excellent read, the only one on this list I"ve read at that. Surprising that Stephen Carter is missing from this list though...........
I've read three of these.
I have to disagree with the reviews of the Little Friend. I did not expect to enjoy it nearly as much as the Secret History--particularly since the topic didn't interest me much, but I HAD to see what the follow up book to the Secret History was all about. For me, reading it was like crack, I blew through it in a couple days. I really think that Donna Tartt is an excellent story teller.
And the Lovely Bones, oh. I am in love with Alice Sebold. Another book that I had my doubts about. Sounded like it had HUGE sappiness-potential. But I fell for it hook, line and sinker. What wonderful characters.
Coincidentally, I am just finishing Atonement now. I think this is also wonderful--who knew he could write a love story? I usually read McEwan because he is kind of disturbing, and left-of-center. Kudos for him for telling a completely different type of story.