Offered Books:
A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne
Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
For Better and Worse by Margot Hunt
The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory
Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver
Selected:
The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory
Others Purchased:
Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
One of the goals I set for myself when I first signed up for Book of the Month was to force myself to try and read books in genres I normally skip. With Jasmine Guillory's The Proposal, I finally ventured into a genre I still, to this day, only rarely go to: Romance. I greatly enjoyed this foray into the genre - enough so to take another venture into it with another (future) Book of the Month selection - but, at the same time, feel woefully unsure of how to approach a review for a genre that I am so unfamiliar with. Nevertheless, I will try.
I would venture to guess that one of the most important aspects of this sort of novel would be likeable characters - and our two main protagonists (Nikole and Carlos) have charm to spare. Really, that would be a good one-word description of this book: charming.
I know the plot is a bit pedestrian - I could easily tell where the story is headed and what would happen next, even with my unfamiliarity with the genre - but the charm mentioned early easily buoys it as it progresses. It does have one banger of an opening, and the resolution works well. I can't really point to any aspect of the novel that doesn't work.
I think it is common when discussing books to look down at certain genres - YA, romance, non-Stephen King horror, among others - and often it is overlooking the fact that not every book needs to be the next Great American Novel. Sometimes you need the literary equivalent of cotton candy - something sweet and fluffy to enjoy. And there is nothing wrong with either reading or enjoying these types of novels.
Which might sound like long-winded way of saying I liked this book, and recommend it, but nevertheless, both of those facts are true.
3.5 out of 5
It feels a bit late to get to this review - he says writing this review almost 3 years after getting the book - especially with a limited series now airing for it (which I have not watched, but might try out). But all of these reviews are late, so why let something like that stop me?
Nine Perfect Strangers follows... well, nine strangers, as they go to Tranquillum House, a health resort that promises to fix whatever it is that ails them. Run by the enigmatic Masha, the book does a good job of following not only the journeys of each of the nine strangers, but also Masha and her employees. There is not a single underdeveloped character in this book, which is a bit of a surprise given the size of the cast and how much happens during the novel.
I had heard of but not read any of Moriarty's previous novels, so I cannot compare it to her other works, but I can say that I was a fan of this one. It's well paced, all of the characters are interesting - I cannot remember actively disliking any of them! - and the plot goes to exciting places without ever feeling histrionic or contrived - a tight rope to walk, given the events of the novel.
In fact, one of the greater issues I have reviewing this book is that it is best to go into knowing as little as possible. Any deeper into the a summary of the plot would give too much away, and the most I feel like I could get away with is that Masha has unusual methods and things escalate.
However, anyone who loves high-stakes fiction is likely to enjoy this. It's an easy recommend - and it is probably better to read this before watching the show.
4 out of 5
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