Matt Milbrandt Milbrandt itibaren 38070 Preore TN, İtalya
I was very disappointed with this novel. It got such a good write up in the paper and I heard buzz about it, but I feel it fell flat. I feel there was absolutely nothing driving the plot. The would-be romance between Katey and Tinker wasn't very engrossing simply because Tinker was such an annoying, weak man. I can appreciate that the author was trying to make the story authentic - it really did seem like an everyday picture into someone's life. Often times, there isn't an underlying story driving our lives - it can just be a series of events. However, I felt that it made the novel unremarkable. I kept waiting for something to happen, but nothing did. Even the ending was just alright. Overall, it was worth the time spent reading it, it just fell flat considering the hype.
John F. Leyden, President, Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization Captain Brian Power-Waters is intimately knowledgeable concerning the air traffic control system. As a airline captain, he brings the knowledge associated with his twenty-six years as a line pilot. Coupled with his close relationship with air traffic controllers for over twenty years, he is acutely aware of and acquainted with the problems of both professions. Captain Power-Waters provides us with a first time insight into the workings of the air traffic controller profession, the challenges and the many problems encountered in the current air traffic control system.
This is my 3rd book by Edgardo Reyes who recently passed away. Since he is one of my favorite local authors, I stopped all the books that I was reading to give way to this. I am his fan. This is my humble tribute to him. Laro sa Baga (Playing With Fire) is a story of a young man called Ding who is physically blessed, i.e., tall, good-looking, well-endowed yet emotionally unstable, i.e., immature, self-centered, irresponsible and childish. Although he is just a high school graduate, he gets employed and earns money because of his artistic side: he is a portraitist, copywriter, design artist, clothes designer and even an interior decorator. He loves having sex with good-looking and curvaceous women especially those with nice, clean, rosy feet (he has foot fetish). He only wears briefs in bed when he sleeps at night. The story basically revolves around the women who he loves. There is his godmother Ninang Carmen whose sensitive parts he touched when he was sleeping beside her and he was still an "innocent" child. His childhood friend, orphan Dee, who he devirginized when she was just 13. His employer, the mysterious Castillian beauty and a single parent, Mama who used him as drinking buddy when she could not sleep in her hotel room almost every night. This employer also left her a child, Teng who Ding took care from childhood until the time that she was devirginized by his landlord's son. There is his lawful wife, Sesmi who was a child rape victim and who because of that traumatic experience got crazy and attempted to castrate Ding when their marriage was going down the drain. Also, there is the weed-user lounge singer Edith who was about to come home from Japan as overseas entertainer when Ding decided to leave her. There are many other girls - waitresses, sauna bath attendants and bar girls - who had flings or one-night stands with Ding but they are too many to mention here. What I really liked about this book were the storytelling and the short witty dialogs that were also the ones that made me enjoy his two other books - my earlier reads - Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag and Mga Uod at Rosas. However, I am not giving this 5 stars (the rating that I gave to "Kuko") because of the theme. I am not squeamish about sex in novels and I know that Reyes wrote the story that used to be serialized in a daily (newspaper) to earn a living. You see, at some point during the Martial Law era here in the Philippines (1972-1983), President Marcos used sex to divert the attention of the suffering masses. Filipinos languished in poverty but escaped to the fantasy world by going to movies showing uninhibited sex scenes called pene (short for penetration) or read dailies with stories full of explicit and disturbing sex details accompanied by photos showing bare women and men. I also enjoyed the playful stream-of-consciousness that Reyes employed especially in the scenes where Ding was in trouble or lost. For example, he made my day this morning while reading the part where he was, for the last time, got caught by her Ninang Carmen looking at her crotch. His Ninang Carmen told him to leave and as he was already a grown up man at 30, he felt disappointed and utterly sad because his godmother used to do that to him when he was still a child. He said to himself: "Kidlat, nasaan ka? Hinahamon kita!" (Lightning, where are you? I challenge you!). The line reminded me of the komiks heroes that I used to read when I was a child. Well-delivered punchlines. Very entertaining. Edgardo Reyes, you will sorely be missed by us - your fans! Godspeed, sir.
I have to say that this is one that I definitely had a hard time sticking with. The story is set in the 1930's (I think). I had a dificult time staying with the actual storyline, but I think that was the goal of the author. If it was (his goal), then he did a great job weaving a tall tale. This was a mix between mind-bender mystery and horror. So if you like that sort of story then this one will be a good one for you. I would like to thank Net Galley and Penguin Group USA for an ARC.
This coming of age story is inventive and full of emotion, confusion, and discovery. The first book in the series is a good read and left me wanting the second.