(photo from Amazon.com)
I wanted to review The Cuckoo’s Calling WITHOUT mentioning that Robert Galbraith is the pseudonym of J.K. Rowling, but it would never have worked: someone would have mentioned it in the comments immediately. Besides, once People magazine has mentioned it AND a new edition has been put out with the information about the pseudonym right in the author section, it doesn’t seem like it’s exactly a secret anymore.
Learning who actually wrote it is the reason I read it: I wouldn’t have been interested in it otherwise, partly because I feel like I’ve reached my lifetime limit of books written by men about male detectives, and partly because of judging it by its cover (I think it looks like a “beach read”—i.e., trashy and lightweight).
But I DID read it, and I wonder what I would have thought of it if I hadn’t known the real author? I never would have recognized the writing style. I’d say she successfully pulls off writing a male narrator—but I’m more sensitive to such things in the other direction (men trying to write female narrators) so I’d want to ask a few men what they thought.
I liked the book overall, and I would recommend it. I hope she writes more stories about this same detective.
(photo from Amazon.com)
Saving Fish from Drowning is by Amy Tan, but it reminded me of Barbara Kingsolver. It has, however, been a long time since I’ve read a Barbara Kingsolver, because I find they leave me with a card file of horrifying and depressing imagery, plus the feeling that the world is a terrible place and there’s nothing anyone can do about it, and that anything we TRY to do about it (1) actually makes things worse and/or (2) makes us look ridiculous. That’s what this book left me with, too. If you LIKE that sort of thing, however, this is a great book for it: an interesting story, an interesting cast, and an omniscient narrator (I love omniscient narrators).
I stopped reading books that left me with that kind of mental baggage. Life is ridiculously stupid as it is, without adding to it the muck and mire of the lives of people who don’t even exist.
I downloaded the first book last week but have yet to delve into it. I’m glad that you liked the main character enough to want to read more about him. I feel like that’s a huge thing.
Oh no! I have the same response to Barbara Kingsolver. Margaret Atwood, too. But I liked Saving Fish from Drowning. Well darn, sorry to give you a bum recommendation.
Do you feel that way about Barbara Kingsolver’s earlier works? I love them, especially The Bean Trees. I am not a fan of her more recent ones, though. I have The Cuckoo’s Calling on my hold list at the library-I am interested to read it. I hated The Casual Vacancy, so I wonder if I will like this one.
It’s been long enough that I’m not sure which ones of hers I read. I know the last one I read was The Poisonwood Bible—I STILL feel upset about it!
Second the recommendation for her earlier works, The Bean Trees and Animal Dreams. After that it got both upsetting and smug.
I loved The Cuckoo’s Calling! I, too, hope to see more with that P.I. and his assistant.
I’ve not read either – but may add them to my list. Really, I just wanted to say that I loved the title of this post – because when I saw it pop up on Twitter earlier today I didn’t make the connection that it was book titles.
I really didn’t like Saving Fish From Drowning. It was the first book we read when I joined my book club six years ago and I remember thinking, “Okaaay, so this will just be what we read. Un-fun books that can provoke a discussion (about how much we hated the book.)”
I read Cuckoo’s Calling because of the JK Rowling connection – though it’s possible I might have eventually read it anyway, as I tend to like the murder/mystery/detective genre for easy reading. I really enjoyed it. I thought the two main (I assume likely to be recurring) characters were interesting and fun. She hinted at plenty of backstory for them, so you can see where additional books would come from. I never would have pegged the writing back to Rowling – it’s just way too different. I also thought it was interesting to read knowing Rowling wrote it because it includes a lot of commentary/perspective on the weirdness of fame – which you have to imagine developed somewhat from her own personal experience.
I was reading The Poisonwood Bible during my commutes on DC’s Metro. I happened to get to That Part on the way home one evening in a very, VERY crowded Metro car. I was lucky enough to have snagged a seat, but of course there was someone next to me, because, again, CROWDED.
Anyway, I stop reading in an effort to Not Get to That Part, but it was too late. I was SOBBING on the Metro. The very crowded Metro full of Important People Who Work In DC and Are Very Serious.
The woman sitting next to me put her arm around my shoulders and said, “I just read that book last week.” And we sniffled together until my stop.
It is one of my best memories of DC. But damn, I think carefully before I pick up another Kingsolver book.
Oh my gosh, I LOVE that the other woman knew JUST what you were going through—and that she said so! It can be so hard to speak up in situations like that.
It was a nice reaffirmation of the resiliency of humankind – in DC especially! I still tear up thinking of it.
I have The Cuckoo’s Calling on my to-read list. I don’t think I would have read it had I not been informed that it was written by JK Rowling. I didn’t love her last book at all…can’t even remember the name, but I feel indebted to her like to no other author and so I will read anything she writes.