Friday, February 26, 2010

Ahab's Wife

I just finished reading Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund.  I'm still trying to decide what to make of it.

Some reviewers really loved it, some hated it.  I wanted to love it, but I didn't.  Her phrasing was lauded by many, but I found it cumbersome.  Perhaps I'm not as literarily precocious as some, but I dislike having to read a paragraph multiple times to glean its meaning.  I can appreciate a well-turned phrase, but if I find myself thinking of ways to have said it more concisely, it distracts from the story, in my opinion.  The book is long at 666 pages, but I wouldn't mind that at all if there really were that much to tell.  There were some chapters that amounted to nothing more than raving or rambling.  I understand their purpose within the story, but I didn't enjoy them at all.

I gave my husband a not-so-short synopsis, and he just laughed at all the things that happened to the heroine, Una.  He insisted there was no way that could have happened to one person, but I quite enjoyed the plot twists and the varied situations she survived.

I'm still not sure what to think of the book.  I may read another by Naslund and see if I can decide!

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