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Jamie (131 KP) rated The Ready-Made Thief in Books

Aug 15, 2017  
The Ready-Made Thief
The Ready-Made Thief
Augustus Rose | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Narrative flow (2 more)
Wonderful ode to Duchamp
Intense story premise makes it hard to put down
Plot felt a little weak with many aspects that are just plain illogical (1 more)
Science conspiracy was quite frankly boring
A love letter to Marcel Duchamp
Well this book is certainly interesting, so much so that I still don’t fully know what to make of it. The Readymade Thief is a love letter to Marcel Duchamp, a French-American artist that became famous in the early twentieth century for his influence on conceptual art. He is most famous for his readymades, manufactured pieces that he turned into art. His stance on what constituted art is an idea that could be applied to the novel.

“An ordinary object elevated to the dignity of a work of art by the mere choice of an artist.”

It’s art if the artist says that it is art. There are connections if that’s what you want to see. Duchamp’s life and work are threaded throughout the story, even some very small references that are easy to miss, and this was actually pretty awesome. The study of Duchamp’s work I think made for an interesting aspect of the story, and I liked the ideas about the fanatical secret society and the dark sort of humor to the plot.

I have to commend Augustus Rose for his skill in creating a narrative flow that was so easy to take in. For the first half of the book Lee appears lost, like she’s treading water. It had a dream-like feel to it as Lee drifts in and out of different events. As the story goes on and the mystery starts to unravel Lee finds herself completely immersed. This steady shift in tone is reflected beautifully in both the pacing and the prose, from a drug-fueled haze to cold sobriety.

So why do I feel so undecided about this book? The devil is in the plot itself, which to me felt like it had too many holes and not well developed enough at points. Most of the Crystal Castle plot feels like it was thrown out of the window and I found it underwhelming. Then there was Tomi, the hacker. If there is one thing that is difficult to write about hackers and the deep web. I won’t go into many details about it due to spoilers, but there were a lot of pieces of this portion of the plot that was just plain illogical and almost pointless. I even checked with a friend of mine that is a student in cyber security to be sure. Frankly the deep web is almost romanticized in the book when it really shouldn’t be.

Also while I know that convenience was important for creating the dreamy flow that I mentioned earlier, a lot of things seemed a little bit too convenient to be believable a lot of the time. A good portion of the plot was easy to predict, but I was still compelled to read because I wanted to know more of the why than the what.

This book was a pretty cool read overall if you can get over the hangups that I had. It is the type of book that will leave you feeling confused right along with the main character throughout the entire book. All in all it was a mixed bag of mostly good things. It’s definitely an experience and worth the read in the very least to appreciate the tone and the feel of the writing which was really great. It’s the type of story I could easily see adapted to a television drama that I would watch in a heartbeat.
  
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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Limelight in Books

Apr 27, 2018  
Limelight
Limelight
Amy Poeppel | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fun & engaging read
Allison and her family move to New York City from Dallas for her husband, Michael's, job. At first, Allison is excited--ready for the glitz and glamour of the city. Instead, she finds herself and her family (including her three children) living in a cramped small apartment within a high-rise building. She has no friends and no one to confide in and shortly after moving, she loses her job. Things go from bad to worse when she hits an empty parked car outside her son Jack's school--right in front of the judgemental eyes of all the other mothers. The note Allison leaves leads her to a fancy penthouse, which she finds occupied by young pop star, Carter Reid. Allison doesn't see Carter as a pop star, however: she sees an abandoned kid, friendless, without parents, and about to ruin his career by backing out of the Broadway musical in which he agreed to star. Somehow, Allison becomes involved in Carter's life and as she does, she finally finds a reason to embrace New York.

This was such a fun book and such an engaging read. Now, at first, Allison is adrift in New York and in the beginning of the book, I was so frustrated with the abuse she took from Carter that I was a bit annoyed with the story. But Poeppel gets you past that pretty quick. The entire book is humorous, as it's filled with funny moments with Allison, her family, and the cast of supporting characters. Howard, a security guard Allison helps tutor, particularly shines, as does Owen, Carter's butler. Poeppel is very adept at capturing the individual voice of each of her characters. I loved Allison's kids, too. I fell for her eldest daughter, Charlotte, because I could have been her 20 years ago (geez I'm old), but teenage Megan and funny, quirky Jack were awesome too. The characters truly become like family.

Even if Allison frustrated me at times, with her coddling of Carter, I certainly found her relatable. The fact that she wasn't a morning person, her love for her children yet inability to always know what was happening in their lives, and her closeness with her own mom. She comes across as a real person, and I was incredibly impressed at how well she handled Carter and the celebrity world. The theme of family runs across the book--not just Allison's family, but how the disparate characters in the novel become their own family, and you really find yourself rooting for Carter because of it.

And, indeed, the magic of the book is how it transforms Carter. In the beginning, I couldn't believe anyone would like this kid, but as you read on... well, let's just say you will be rooting for Carter Reid. Poeppel captures Carter so precisely--his mannerisms, his dialect, his voice--it's amazing. It's easy to picture him, and he grows on you, for sure. By the end of the novel, you may feel a little misty. Sure, it's sometimes easy to see where things may be going, but that's OK, because it is such a rather enjoyable ride to be on. Plus, you never know exactly what wrench Carter is going to throw in Allison's carefully laid plans.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It started off a little slow, and I was initially frustrated with Carter's behavior (and Allison's acceptance of it). However, the book then takes off, and I was quickly immersed in the well-written characters and the arc of the story. It's such a fun book in so many ways--and touching too--plus there's a celebrity aspect that gives it an enjoyable twist, and you often feel like you're in NYC on a Broadway set. Definitely an enjoyable read.