Lauren Weisberger; Chasing Harry Winston
Simon & Schuster, 2008. 288 pgs. Wikipedia Here.

Summary: (From Amazon) Emmy is newly single, and not by choice. She was this close to the ring and the baby she’s wanted her whole life when her boyfriend left her for his twenty-three-year-old personal trainer — whose fees are paid by Emmy. Her friends insist an around-the-world sex-fueled adventure will solve all her problems — could they be right? Leigh, a young star in the publishing business, is within striking distance of landing her dream job as senior editor and marrying her dream guy. And to top it all off, she has just purchased her dream apartment. Only when Leigh begins to edit the enfant terrible of the literary world, the brilliant and brooding Jesse Chapman, does she start to notice some cracks in her perfect life… Adriana is the drop-dead-gorgeous daughter of a famous supermodel. She possesses the kind of feminine wiles made only in Brazil, and she never hesitates to use them. But she’s about to turn thirty and — as her mother keeps reminding her — she won’t have her pick of the men forever. These three very different girls have been best friends for a decade in the greatest city on earth. As they near thirty, they’re looking toward their future…but despite all they’ve earned — first-class travel, career promotions, invites to all the right parties, and luxuries small and large — they’re not quite sure they like what they see… One Saturday night at the Waverly Inn, Adriana and Emmy make a pact: within a single year, each will drastically change her life. Leigh watches from the sidelines, not making any promises, but she’ll soon discover she has the most to lose. Their friendship is forever, but everything else is on the table. Three best friends. Two resolutions. One year to pull it off.

Comments: Fans of chick lit and New York fashion upscale indulging (think Sex and the City-light) will enjoy this light look at learning the ins and outs of committment. The main trio of ladies are all coming up on their thirtieth birthday and through break ups, vacations, too many cocktails, and new jobs, they try to finally grow up.

I walked away mostly satisfied with the book but incredibly dissatisfied with the ending, which has no real resolution and felt just bland. It was as if, after putting the gals through the wringer, Weisberger just fell asleep for the last fifty or so pages. I’d recommend this for a quick beach read (in paperback, perhaps bought used) or a train ride, but little else.

Notes: hard cover
Genre: chick lit
Rating: 3/10

Orson Scott Card; Ender’s Game
Tor Books, 1985. 357 pgs. Wikipedia Here.

Note: my review of this book has nothing to do with Card’s personal politics or work in the non-fiction arena, it’s just about the book.

Summary: (From Amazon) Aliens have attacked Earth twice and almost destroyed the human species. To make sure humans win the next encounter, the world government has taken to breeding military geniuses — and then training them in the arts of war… The early training, not surprisingly, takes the form of ‘games’… Ender Wiggin is a genius among geniuses; he wins all the games… He is smart enough to know that time is running out. But is he smart enough to save the planet?

Comments: This book impacted me in a real way. The questions of morality, talent, duty, and truth make you question your own perspectives on such things. Never knowing what is real, who is to be trusted… It’s no way to live, yet every one of these characters has to struggle through in that world. They do it with intelligence and pure nerve; in the case of Ender, ignorance as bliss isn’t as good as it sounds.

I read the book in about 7 hours. I was stuck on a bus from Columbus to Washington D.C. at the time and I just couldn’t be torn away. Ender is such a complex character, his mind is intense, you feel his physical exhaustion. His fear and emotional self-flagellation are just amazing and the entire book takes place between his being 6 and 12 years old.

Also, seeing these things mirrored in his siblings (middle-child sister Val, who is the symbol of love, and oldest brother Peter, the symbol for mindless/pointless violence) brings his brilliance home even tighter. You see how easily he can slip off into either obliviousness or true evil and so his transformation over the years is that much more astounding. The moment I found out what he was truly capable of (a trick by the author, who saved this crucial information for one of the very last moments in Ender’s journey through schooling), I teared up and exclaimed out loud in shock and sadness.

Card’s writing is simple from the beginning and even as he weaves an entire political system, an inter-galactic war, child abuse, murder, fascism, psychosis, and lessons about the power of love into one quick-paced story, his writing stays simple. It’s a very subtle hand that can do this and Card is a master. My only reservation about reading the sequel (Speaker for the Dead) has been that Ender took on a philosophic tone at the end that didn’t match the character we had known through the rest of the book (at least that I’d come to know throughout the book). I’d put it on the list with my favorite books alongside Cat’s Cradle and Dune. I’d love to read Card’s parallel series, The Shadow Series, which begins with Ender’s Shadow which is Ender’s Game seen through the eyes of secondary character Bean.

I’d absolutely recommend this to anyone (science fiction fan or not – the character studies alone are worth the read). It’s a quick read but an emotional/philosophical punch in the stomach so be sure to have plenty of time once you’re finished to just process it.

Notes: own it, softcover

Genre: science fiction

Rating: 9.5/10