Deus X Makina

My predictions...

Best Picture

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Frost/Nixon
• Milk
• Revolutionary Road
• Slumdog Millionaire

Best Director

• David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
• Stephen Daldry, The Reader
• Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
• Darren Aronofsky, The Wrestler

Best Actor

• Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
• Sean Penn, Milk
• Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
• Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

Best Actress

• Meryl Streep, Doubt
• Sally Hawkins, Happy Go Lucky
• Anne Hathaway, Rachel Gets Married
• Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road
• Michelle Williams, Wendy & Lucy

Best Supporting Actor

• Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
• Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
• Eddie Marsan, Happy Go Lucky
• Josh Brolin, Milk
• Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire

Best Supporting Actress

• Amy Adams, Doubt
• Viola Davis, Doubt
• Kate Winslet, The Reader
• Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

Hold your grandmother' s bible to your breast
Gonna put it to the test
You wanted it to be blessed

And in your heart
You know it to be true
You know what you gotta do
They all depend on you

And you already know
Yet you already know
How this will end

There is no escape
From the slave catcher's songs
For all of the loved ones gone
Forever's not so long

And in your soul
They poked a million holes
But you never let them show
Come on its time to go

And you already know
Yet you already know
How this will end

Now you've seen his face
And you know that there's a place in the sun
For all that you've done
For you and your children

No longer shall you need
You always wanted to believe
Just ask and you'll receive
Beyond your wildest dreams

And you already know
Yet you already know
How this will end

-- Devotchka, "How It Ends"

2 STARS

I can't describe this book. What is it? It's five "fables", and by "fables" I mean "surreal short stories with no notable characters, conflict, or action, only a minor message". And the message? The same anti-racist sentiments rehashed over two dozen times (see also: house elves) in the Harry Potter series. There is commentary by Albus Dumbledore on each story, and these sidebars actually amount to just as much content as the fables, and add up to a grand total of one hundred seven pages. It would have probably been around thirty-five, but the publisher used a ridiculous margin size.

I think I would have been happier with nothing at all. In Tales, Rowling stumbles upon three, and exactly three, humorous notes by Dumbledore (pages 19, 35, and 80), and two, and exactly two, remotely interesting pieces of lore to add to her universe (pages 83 and 104). The second of these is her sad, disingenuous response to the thousands of critical readers who, after reading Deathly Hallows, cried, "Wait, I thought you said the wand chooses the wizard!" Her effete reply: "Not really."

None of these stories are remotely interesting or invigorating. I only hope that what I'll suppose will be immense proceeds from the sales of this book will support the Children's High Level Group in a great way, as Rowling correctly believed that she could write anything and it would sell.

Hearing Dumbledore's voice again is pleasant. That is all.

EDIT: After rereading the chapters of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that deal with this book, the idea that the three main characters could read the Tales of Beedle the Bard, reinforced only by the words of a crazy tabloid rag editor, and believe it as true makes them appear incredibly stupid.

3 STARS

I notice many of the reviews posted [on Amazon.com's user reviews] belabor the resolution of one of the major plotlines, and I guess I don't really understand them very much. Almost all fiction cannot give you exactly what you want: one of your favorite characters has to die, sometimes love gets lost, and, what do you know, sometimes the killer goes unpunished. Were you expecting a tidy finish of both an 18-day-old murder and an 18-year-old murder? I guess I expected it, too, but afterwards I realized it was a longshot. I can't get mad at French for it.

I thought my review might focus on the book's pure strength: long, unadulterated passages of prose that belong closer to Milton and Faulkner than some nouveau murder mystery. The first time French hits you with one, you might even turn up your nose at it as being too good for a first novel. The flow of the imagery is astounding, and her metaphors are masterfully filled with sensory triggers that totally envelop the reader (and I do not mean "Like, totally envelop, and stuff"). Past the midpoint of the book, you realize that you really do need to read slowly to enjoy chapters which only have one or two major points of action, despite your need to press forward and discover what happened to young Katy Devlin.

I do agree with most other people that the dialogue was quite uneven. The confrontation with Jonathan Devlin was powerful and throws you off-balance, whereas the dinners with Rob, Cassie, and Sam seem comical (and not in the good way). French goes to such distance to avoid creating any sexual tension for the first half of the book that it's obvious to see where she's taking it. Towards the end, she uses past events to pull the reader away from the actual killer, which is I guess what counts as "creating intrigue" these days.

I also thought French would have been much better off writing the book from Cassie's first-person perspective, rather than Rob's. She never intrudes too deeply on his psyche, as opposed to Cassie's backstory, which is deep and haunting.

Overall, this is a fine first book, but that comes from the strength of her prose, not from her ability to craft a story. I expect far better from such a talented person in her second book, which sits on my bedside.

4 STARS

This was my first Grisham read: I don't count the first two hundred pages of The Street Lawyer, since that simply doesn't compare to the power of A Time to Kill. He clearly blows the doors of legal fiction clean off-- for five hundred pages. The last twenty-eight, however...

Every character and situation is well-thought out and creates real tension: constant conflict between Brigance and Buckley, Noose, the Klan, and everyone else, it seems. Wilbanks is clearly the most fun, albeit a bit of a glorification of alcoholism, and his interludes with Vonner and Roark are very amusing. Grisham did a fantastic job, especially considering that this was his first novel: an inspiration to amateur authors everywhere.

I did think, however, that the denouement was very short and collapsed, and had to warrant the docking of a star. Too many questions left unanswered: any resolution with Tim "Mickey Mouse" Nunley's death? What happened to Roark? What happened to her father? There seemed to be no reference to the relationship between Brigance and Roark after the scene at the catfish restaurant. How did Jake's wife and daughter take the destruction of their home and "death in the family"? Did Ethel ever forgive him? I just think Grisham could have added a few extra paragraphs not focused on margaritas and press conferences.

All in all, this is great fiction, and contains excellent legal process scenes as well. Attorneys recovering from law school will love it, but the layman will find it accessible as well. Start with this... and stay away from the Street Lawyer.