The Wooden Sea

Rating:
Summary: a wild ride.. destination unknown
Review: I bought this book after hearing a reference to it on an NPR show about "Summer Reading" lists. The person recommending it read a passage from early on -- I think it was a description of the dog Old Vertue -- which struck a chord with me. I thought anything that starts out this odd must get odder and be quite fun in the process. I was right.

But I didn't expect to be as sucked in as I was to the story and its various turns and bizarre events. I could not put this book down.. and as soon as I finished reading it I started it again. After the first read I was left with questions -- I think I took some of the more fantastic elements of the plot a bit literally -- the answers to which become more apparent on the second read -- which I approached in terms of looking at the life of Frannie McCabe, much as the first reviewer suggested. But dont see this as a reason NOT to dive into The Wooden Sea. It was well worth the journey!

The writing style is a joy: very conversational with a pearl that made me smile every few pages and at least one stunner per chapter. Carroll made me care about these people and I plan to buy his others books as soon as I finish writing this review!

And I liked the idea that seemingly odd things would occur that I did not expect -- life throws us wingers every day, okay maybe not as strange as those in the book, but I appreciate the wonder he presents the reader. Its a small book that tells a fun story and packs a lot in besides that if you care to investigate. The notion of our various "selves" at different ages being present to help us out of jams and to consult with about life's problems is a provacative one. Carroll is an author to keep an eye on, no doubt. Read this, again and again.

Rating:
Summary: What is so great about this book?
Review: I can't imagine what the other reviewers like so much about this book. I was so glad when I finally finished it. I had no idea what it would be about and didn't know anything about Jonathan Carroll. This book was a complete waste of time. It's silly, boring, and meaningless.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully creative and imaginative
Review: I'm not even sure where to begin when reviewing this book. Perhaps the best thing to say is that I had fun reading this book, and go from there.

This was my first encounter with Jonathan Carroll, and I was pleased to read a book that was both highly intelligent and at the same time original and laugh-out-loud funny. As other reviewers have written, don't even bother trying to categorize this book ... trying to capture this book within one genre does it no justice. The overall plot is science fiction-esque, with time travel and an idea of universal destiny which reminded me a lot of a favorite sci-fi book of mine: Arthur C. Clarke's "Childhood's End." At the same time, this book has a fast-paced, mind-bending surrealism about itself, and is written in a style that is pleasantly "American," much like John Irving.

Clever, thrilling, and wild, The Wooden Sea is a contemporary classic. A fun and thought-provoking read you don't want to miss out on.