Rating: 
Summary: I was surprised...
Review: ...that this book made so many year-end lists as one of the best novels of 2003. The story, while having a great premise, is marred by one-dimensional characters and a protagonist (telling her side of the story first-hand) I could never feel much affinity toward. One the plus side, it's a quick read, great for airplanes and beaches. I just thought it would be a little meatier (yuk yuk).
Rating: 
Summary: Lovely writing, wonderful subject, contrived plot
Review: After reading "My Year of Meats", I was excited to start Ozeki's next work, "All over Creation". Having just finished it, I can say that I was left with very mixed feelings. As with her previous book, Ozeki has a flair for writing and painting a picture of place, time and characters. Her character development is first rate and she never goes for the black and white. Everyone is cast in rich shades of gray. These are people we could know, who might live next door or in the town where we grew up. In addition, she is a courageous writer. Ozeki is not afraid to use her fiction to tackle important subjects, such as Genetic Engineering and its impact on our lives. However, I was bothered by a story that was so terribly contrived. The arrival of Elliot Rhodes and the Seeds at just the moment when Yummy Fuller comes back to Liberty Falls for the first time in 25 years is hard to swallow. The intersection of these events and the subsequent impact on the lives of the Fullers and the Quinns feels too neat and convenient and frankly, forced. Unlike her character development, Ozeki's plot development is very flawed. I hope with time that Ozeki learns how to craft a credible story. With her gift for character and description, she can go far in the literary world.
Rating: 
Summary: All Over Creation
Review: All Over Creation is a big story with a wide range of characters woven together around big issues, namely genetic manipulation of nature through genetic engineering. Yet she has successfully created many intimate stories within this big palate. There is the relationship between the prodigal daughter Yummi and her aged parents; the complex relationship with her children born of distracted parenting. The reentry into her life of her childhood best friend and the surprise appearance of her first lover, now self absorbed PR flack. But perhaps most remarkable is the inclusion of a band of young anti genetic engineering activists, busy creating a new culture, as different amongst themselves as they are from the other characters. What particularly struck me is her ability to give such non judgemental three dimensionality to such a range of characters within the same story. Her sympathetic, non-rhetorical treatment of these young activists is rare and refreshing. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Rating:
Summary: couldn't put it down...
Review: From the first words to the last, I loved Ozeki's blend of poetry and earthy language. By the end of the book I felt I had befriended a whole community of people--I could picture the farm in Idaho, the kids in their funked-up bus, the office of the public relations representatives. I could hear, see, and imagine it all. Ozeki deftly explores some of the most important questions of our time--about the future of our food and our relationship to nature--in a way that engages you with all of your senses. Hooray! Waiting impatiently for the next gem...
Rating:
Summary: A story about potatoes, among other things...
Review: Genetically Engineered potatoes and a prodigal daughter are at the heart of the book ALL OVER CREATION, Ruth Ozeki's second novel. Yumi, or Yummy as she is called, is the daughter of Lloyd Fuller and his Japanese War-Bride Momoko, who settled in Idaho after the war growing potatoes and other crops to earn their living. Although the Fuller's are rather conservative people, their daughter Yummy grows up a little too wild for Lloyd's tastes. After a falling-out when Yummy is 14 years old, she runs away from home and does not set foot again on her parent's property until 25 years later, after she receives a call from her childhood bestfriend Cass, who asks Yummy to return home to her parents. Cass herself had been caring for the Fuller's at this point, since neither of them could take care of themselves. As Yummy deals with her feelings about her parents and her life as a whole, a group of protesters that call themselves THE SEEDS are slowly making their feelings known across the Midwest. They protest their sentiments against genetically engineered crops, in particular potatoes, and soon end up in Idaho and on the Fuller's farm. Their intention is to meet Lloyd, who they feel is their guru in the war against this unnatural vegetation that will eventually hurt the environment. The Seeds bond with Lloyd, and actually do him a bit of good, giving him a new lease on life. I highly enjoyed ALL OVER CREATION. Although the main themes about the environment are not typically what draws me to good fiction, I found that Ruth Ozeki did a great job with creating characters and situations that felt realistic to me. She successfully created a series of subplots that all fit together and fell into place quite logically. I also found her writing very easy to read, and I also learned something about the war on genetically engineered crops. I am looking forward to reading her other novel, MY YEAR OF MEATS.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific
Review: I admit, I came to All Over Creation with a little trepidation. I had recently finished My Year of Meats which I thought was overly preachy and I was concerned that All Over Creation would be more of same, but Ozeki's terrific writing prompted me to give it a try. I am quite glad I did. All Over Creation is really a wonderful read, a wonderful story with an important message. The novel takes place in Power County, Idaho, potato country. Yumi Fuller has just returned home with her three children (who all have different fathers) after being summoned by Cass, an old friend, to care for her parents who are both ill. Yumi left about 25 years early, ran away, and hadn't returned. Her friendship with Cass has soured by now, as has her relationship with her parents. Into the mix toss a band of environmental activists who come to Yumi's parent's farm, seeking guidance from Lloyd, Yumi's dad, based on his writings in seed catalogues. The activists, The Seeds of Resistance, are waging a war against genetically engineered crops. Then comes Elliot Rhodes, Yumi's old boyfriend, who does PR for those companies that sell the seeds for the crops to the farmers. Much happens in the novel. It has a very interesting, engaging and entertaining (and educational) story. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific
Review: I admit, I came to All Over Creation with a little trepidation. I had recently finished My Year of Meats which I thought was overly preachy and I was concerned that All Over Creation would be more of same, but Ozeki's terrific writing prompted me to give it a try. I am quite glad I did. All Over Creation is really a wonderful read, a wonderful story with an important message. The novel takes place in Power County, Idaho, potato country. Yumi Fuller has just returned home with her three children (who all have different fathers) after being summoned by Cass, an old friend, to care for her parents who are both ill. Yumi left about 25 years early, ran away, and hadn't returned. Her friendship with Cass has soured by now, as has her relationship with her parents. Into the mix toss a band of environmental activists who come to Yumi's parent's farm, seeking guidance from Lloyd, Yumi's dad, based on his writings in seed catalogues. The activists, The Seeds of Resistance, are waging a war against genetically engineered crops. Then comes Elliot Rhodes, Yumi's old boyfriend, who does PR for those companies that sell the seeds for the crops to the farmers. Much happens in the novel. It has a very interesting, engaging and entertaining (and educational) story. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: takes itself too seriously
Review: I found "My Year of Meats" searching through books being taught in UCLA English courses. It was one of the best books I read last year. The characters, entertwined in a brilliantly constructed plot, are vibrant and believable; their story gets you totally hooked on the political subject matter and outcome of the book. "All Over Creation" however seems dominated by a preachy political agenda at the expense of good story-telling. The device of developing Yumi in first-person, then third-person, even the "You" narrative from chapter to chapter feels like it's trying too hard to elicit feelings for a character who seems too self-important to begin with and just becomes more and more annoying. The scenes feel tacked together, as if they don't really matter, and the dialogue is awkward and forced. Considering how well written (and non-preachy) "My Year of Meats" is, this is a really surprising let-down.
Rating:
Summary: takes itself too seriously
Review: I found "My Year of Meats" searching through books being taught in UCLA English courses. It was one of the best books I read last year. The characters, entertwined in a brilliantly constructed plot, are vibrant and believable; their story gets you totally hooked on the political subject matter and outcome of the book. "All Over Creation" however seems dominated by a preachy political agenda at the expense of good story-telling. The device of developing Yumi in first-person, then third-person, even the "You" narrative from chapter to chapter feels like it's trying too hard to elicit feelings for a character who seems too self-important to begin with and just becomes more and more annoying. The scenes feel tacked together, as if they don't really matter, and the dialogue is awkward and forced. Considering how well written (and non-preachy) "My Year of Meats" is, this is a really surprising let-down.
Rating:
Summary: takes itself too seriously
Review: I found "My Year of Meats" searching through books being taught in UCLA English courses. It was one of the best books I read last year. The characters, entertwined in a brilliantly constructed plot, are vibrant and believable; their story gets you totally hooked on the political subject matter and outcome of the book. "All Over Creation" however seems dominated by a preachy political agenda at the expense of good story-telling. The device of developing Yumi in first-person, then third-person, even the "You" narrative from chapter to chapter feels like it's trying too hard to elicit feelings for a character who seems too self-important to begin with and just becomes more and more annoying. The scenes feel tacked together, as if they don't really matter, and the dialogue is awkward and forced. Considering how well written (and non-preachy) "My Year of Meats" is, this is a really surprising let-down.
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