Mohamed Shafeek Shafeek itibaren Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc, QC G0X, Kanada
Fascinating memoir by the legendary Vanity Fair writer who attended Oxford and is friends with Martin Amis. I listened to it on Audible audiobook. Hitchens is an atheist and highly opinionated, but also brilliant, and refreshingly unafraid to share controversial views. I recently read an excerpt of the book in a 2010 issue of Vanity Fair that I hadn't yet gotten around to finishing or recycling - it included the Martin Amis chapter or portion thereof - and had to download it immediately. His mother's tragic death and his late discovery of Jewish ancestry were fascinating; I was particularly interested in his discussion of Wroclaw, Poland (the former Breslin, Germany). He notes the impact of 1968, 1989 and 2001 events on his world view. He thought he might be able to depart from his political writing and debates but realized after Sept. 11, 2001 that it would be impossible. He has a new book of essays out in hardcover.
Read it but left it halfway....
While I enjoyed this novel by Blundell, I did question why it was labeled YA. It takes place even before my lifetime (before, during and after WWII) and involves a specific part of New York society. I indeed grew up when the "mobs" were becoming major players in the New York economy and learned the tremendous impact of their activities. I also knew the meaning of when of McCarthy's search for "Reds" and what it meant to be involved in the underground activities. So, I can't help but wonder how attractive this setting would be to the YAs of today. While I hope they would be interested, I can't help but question if they really would. Regardless, I found Strings Attached as a well-written novel with a wonderfully accurate historical setting. However, I did not feel the characters were well-developed. I lacked empathy for Kit, the protagonist, and had trouble finding redeeming values in the antagonists. Furthermore, there were important outside individuals I also could not get a real feel for -- they seemed shallow and underdeveloped. I could not find true motivations for any of the characters. What saves this novel is the writing. It is tight and the plot well-developed.