Strange but true story of privileged but disturbed man who shoots his father in cold blood at point blank range. Was Tom Gilbert Jr.'s mental illness Strange but true story of privileged but disturbed man who shoots his father in cold blood at point blank range. Was Tom Gilbert Jr.'s mental illness enough for a defense, or did his privilege and sense of entitlement lead to this murderous act? I found the study of this drug using, good-looking, surfer guy, the social circle he aspired to - but couldn't quite fit in, and his enabling parents, fascinating.
Author John Glatt is accomplished in researching and writing about these kinds of cases. Occasionally he throws in a personal opinion, which I didn't always agree with. Such as the time Tom won't let a woman out of his car. Glatt speculated that this was perhaps a sign of his emerging psychosis, but I feel the opposite. To me incident displayed his feeling of entitlement to this woman, and not mental illness.
I'm assuming this man is still in prison somewhere, and I'd love to read a follow up to this interesting case and Tom Jr.'s current mental state....more
Elizabeth Strout is a favorite author. As a writer, she is kind to human beings, which, in real life, you don't see all that often, at least not deep,Elizabeth Strout is a favorite author. As a writer, she is kind to human beings, which, in real life, you don't see all that often, at least not deep, down and sincerely. People are kind on the surface, often making harsh judgements underneath. Her characters are flawed and real, yet I don't feel like they are being judged. Her novels deal with familiar situations and feelings that people everywhere deal with, which make them very compelling.
That said, I didn't enjoy this 3rd book of her Amgash trilogy as much as the other two, and Olive Kitteridge. This is probably very unkind of me, but it almost came down to a matter of style. I love Strout's simple, unpretentious style. But in this particular volume, I noticed something, and it began to drive me nuts after reading it so often. The narrator Lucy recounts an incident describing how she felt at the time. Then she follows that with the one paragraph sentence: "This is what I thought." Or this: "I wondered who . . ." "I have wondered this before. Many times I have wondered this." (In that order, one after another.)
I wish I could count how many times that occurred in this book. It began to feel like a pretension itself, after awhile. Maybe its just me, I haven't seen anyone else comment on it, but I wish her editors had caught that.
I will continue to read and enjoy Elizabeth Strout's writing. I have "Olive, Again" in my TBR stack, and I look forward to anything new she puts out....more
When I discovered that Elizabeth Strout has a new book coming out later this year called "Oh William!", and that it is a revisiting of the character oWhen I discovered that Elizabeth Strout has a new book coming out later this year called "Oh William!", and that it is a revisiting of the character of Lucy Barton from this novel, I had to of course get caught up with Lucy. Like many others, I fell in love with this author after reading "Olive Kitteridge" and "Olive Again". So. the story of Lucy Barton. Non-assuming Lucy had a heart-breaking childhood with her outcast family in Amgash, IL. Her love of learning and books propelled her, and only her, out of the community where she grew up. Going back has become too painful and awkward, but a hospital stay for Lucy brings her mother to her bedside, and reconnection possible. This book is a quick and satisfying read, both unexpected and original. Look forward to more! ...more
I just happened upon this book and was surprised at how much I liked it! As a child, our narrator, Lily adopts the family of her close school friend, EI just happened upon this book and was surprised at how much I liked it! As a child, our narrator, Lily adopts the family of her close school friend, Eva. Eva's parents are Avant Garde Australian artists who have created a sort of artist's colony, and they parent in the style you might call "free range parenting". Lily is an only child with parents she finds boring, while Eva has 2 sisters, and as time goes on, a series of young artists live with the family and are mentored by Evan, Eva's Father. I won't give away the shocking events that take place and the future that ensues for all the characters. I will say that I found it to be quite accomplished for a first novel, and Bitto's writing is beautiful. ...more
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