Review 729: The Summer Guest

The Summer Guest by Justin Cronin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



The book is about several people who are deeply involved in a summer camp in Maine. It covers generations. The book is told in alternative POVs between four people and culminates in a fifth voice, a child of one of the characters and provides a sort of epilogue.

One of the voices is the summer guest Harry, who is a very rich man. In the current time he comes this year to die at his favorite place. He also just bought the camp and left it in his will to a young man Jordan who works there, his voice is one of the POVs. This change of ownership, of course, causes some stirrings. The camp had been in the family for a very long time.

In addition, the book is also about the couple Lucy and Joe who own the camp and just sold it to Harry. Their daughter Kate is the final epilogue voice. Joe was drafted into the Vietnam war and his father who was wounded and disfigured from a previous war. He wanted, and perhaps forced, Joe not to go. Joe ends up being a draft dodger. There are consequences for this, and just as him and Lucy started being a couple.

The timeline for the book was back and forth, not linear. It took a bit to get settled into the story with the timeline and characters shifting. I listened to the audiobook version and there was a different narrator for each character, which helped to keep things straight.

The book was well done, but nothing spectacular. This also may have been his first novel.

Book rating: 3.5 stars

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Review 724: Contrapposto

Contrapposto by Dave Eggers
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have enjoyed all the Dave Eggers books I've read before (only three) until this one. It is well written, but I just couldn't get fully into the book.

The book revolves around Cricket’s art and Olympia. Much of the book is taken with the early years of their lives, as kids, teenagers and young adults. But soon enough the years start skipping and we visit Cricket and Olympia at various points in their lives. Art is always there in some form or other.

The writing was decent enough, and Cricket was sympathetic character, while Olympia, not so much. Yet I didn’t get the experience of solid character and life that I was expecting from an Eggers book. Perhaps my expectation was too high. Or the commentary on art as a focus of the book interfered with the book being great.

Thanks to Knopf Publishers and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book. However, I listened to a published audiobook copy of the book.

Review 713: Abigail and John

Abigail and John: Portrait of a Marriage by Edith B. Gelles
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Highly enjoyed this biography of Abigail and John Adams. The book perhaps was more of a biography of Abigail than of John.

Both Abigail Smith and John Adams came from pious backgrounds with families well established in America before the revolution. They married while John was 29 and Abigail just 19. And quickly after their marriage their lifelong habit of letter writing began, as John being a lawyer, would travel to the various colonies for work. This also established a pattern for their marriage with John being absent from home much of the time.

Since they were great letter writers and their correspondence survives, even to their numerous relatives and friends, it enables books like this. The book was not so narrow to only discuss their marriage. It is a wider biography which discusses their entire lives. Such as how John became involved with the revolution, and the long years apart while he was in Europe serving the new country while Abigail dealt with living in a revolutionary war zone, while managing a farm. During this time women did not own property or assets, yet to keep the family afloat Abigail bought land and other assets in John’s name. She even started trading goods to keep the family afloat during this time of struggle.

There is a lot of material here in the book. To note, one surprising fact is how their young boys spent many years apart from one parent or another, or often both. The family believed in Duty and their children learned the lesson well. Duty to others came before self. The youngest boy barely knew his father as John was in Europe for much of his life.

It was noticeable the author’s opinion that John Adams was not a monarchist, as many of his detractors, and historians state. She proves this several times in the book. This being the only book about him I’ve read, I cannot say, but she makes a convincing argument.

Their lives are quite detailed, until we get to the post-presidency of John Adams and near the end of their lives. Other than discussing the renewed friendship with Thomas Jefferson, the latter era is glossed over. Now I would like to read a biography of their eldest son John Quincy Adams, he had an unusual childhood.

I had this book for many years, not sure why I waited so long to read it. This year of a focus on American history finally gave me the impetus needed.

Review 708: When the Day Comes

When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A couple of years ago I won this book from the publisher (not exactly sure how, maybe from a webinar I attended). The publisher prints mainly Christian romance, which is not my preferred genre. However, I gave it a chance as there was some interest in the premise.

Libby is a time traveler of sorts. She lives in dual timelines. The book starts one of her lives in 1774 Williamsburg, Virginia and the other in 1914 London, England, although she grew up in New York city. Each day is lived twice, once per timeline. At the age of 21 she will be able to choose which timeline to live out the rest of her life. Although there is another rule, that if an attempt to change history is made, then she will no longer return to that timeline and her body will die there.

For Libby she loves her life in 1774. Her mama was also a time-crosser who guided her for both lives. Living in the Colonial era is not an easy time to live, especially now that Libby’s father recently passed away. The women are now struggling to keep the printing shop going. However, there is Henry whom Libby loves, although he does not know. There is much more family warmth in this timeline as well.

In the 20th century Libby’s mother is very cold to her, while her only love is from her father, who had remained in New York. They are in London to find a husband for Libby. Many of the nobility are looking for rich wives from America (called American Dollar Princesses) to help support their crumbling estates, which is just what Libby’s mother is looking for, to gain further social status. This is not what Libby wants.

The writing and world building is well written, easily understood. Although why this exists, why these people become time-crossers is just a given. The story did get a bit dramatic at times, but I was pulled along for the story and enjoyed my time with the book. This is a first book in a series.

Review 681: Dreams and Hypotheticals

Dreams and Hypotheticals by K.E. Wilkinson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was interested in this book due to something in the description that mentioned “precognitive dreams” (due to some interest in dreams). And yes, this book is about that, and a bit more.

It’s 1990 and the first year in college for Emma in Tallahassee as a music major, playing trumpet. She is a brazen young woman and the book starts with her asking a hypothetical question that people think is surprising and makes her ask others and so it expands way beyond what she would have done on her own. The question is: “This is a hypothetical question not an offer, would you sleep with me?” Turns out Emma is still a virgin, but she used this question to learn something about the people she asks.

Each chapter begins with a quote then a short snippet from her journal. Early on we find out that she’s had a few dreams that end up becoming true, and one that has repeated she expects will also come true frightens her a little. When she meets Robert she feels this is the one from that dream. She feels something with him that confuses her.

As the book goes on it discusses her college life, but goes deeper and deeper into this strange relationship with Robert. It becomes a push and pull with those two. Odd things seem to happen and involve another friend, Owen.

The book is overly long, it could be cut in half and been the same book. It goes over the same type of scenario time and again and it becomes a bit tedious. The ending of the book does nothing to save it either.

Perhaps my rating is a bit generous, but it’s really not bad for a self-published book.

Review 651: The Bookman’s Tale

The Bookman’s Tale by Charlie Lovett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a mixed bag for me, although I did enjoy it overall. The story is told in multiple timelines. It contains a bit of a mystery about William Shakespeare's writing, specifically on one book that was found. The main character Peter Byerly is an antiquarian bookseller and mourning the death of his wife. But in one timeline is their relationship, from start to end and some scenes were over the top. This part I didn't like as much, the more modern time and searching was more intriguing. The ending was what?

My head is a bit muddled from the flu right now, and I'd like to say more, but muddled. Perhaps I will return later with more.

Review 648: Our Own Country

Our Own Country by Jodi Daynard
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the second book of a trilogy, the first one being The Midwife's Revolt. I didn’t like this book as much as the first. It wasn’t as concerned with the American Revolution as the first book, for one. Also, for a large part of the book that repeated the actions as the first book really slowed this one down.

The point of view shifted here, as it is now of, Eliza Boylston. She is the sister-in-law of Lizzie, the main character in the first book. Eliza's story is more concerned with her personal relationship with a slave, John Watkins, and other domestic matters. She grows as a person, which is nice to see. And clearly has different views of enslaved people than her parents, or many at that time. Perhaps there are too much of modern feelings placed into Eliza than what you would find from a woman of her era.

Review 633: Fortune's Rocks

Fortune's Rocks by Anita Shreve
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Lately (past year or so) I've been reaching deep into my shelves of unread books that have been sitting there for decades. This book was one of them. Despite the length of the book it was a fairly quick read, and I suspect I would have enjoyed this book more back when I got it.

This is a fictional book very slightly based on historical fact. It takes place in the early 1900s when social mores were different than today. The main character, Olympia Biddeford is 15 and comes from a wealthy family who are summering at the seaside coast of Fortune’s Rocks. This summer Olympia turns quickly from a girl to a woman and falls in love with a much older man. Unfortunately, he is married and has several children, and very unfortunately he also falls for this teenager. Thus a love affair begins.

The age difference is more astonishing for today’s standards, and although it was an issue then it wasn't the main cause for scandal and ruin, which was being an unmarried woman and a married man. Of course, their secret love affair gets found out and ends in disaster.

The result of this is a baby born out of wedlock. Later in the book a court case is over the custody of this baby. This section is what is pulled from history, or at least the basis, as the case where a ruling was decided based on “the best interests of the child”.

The writing style was good, although the sections of the court case were a little stiff.

Review 601: The Way People Run

The Way People Run: Stories by Christopher Tilghman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A book of six short stories that are well written. They surprised me, as I enjoyed this collection more than I typically do with short story collections. This book is an exception. I am probably being generous with my rating, but in the genre of short story collections for me this one stands out as better than most.

While a few I really wished they were a start of something more, several others were fine leaving off where it ended, they felt complete. The six short story titles are:

• Something Important

• Room for Mistakes

• The Late Night News

• A Suitable Good-bye

• The Way People Run

• Things Left Undone

These all have a male protagonist. Family was a strong theme in these stories, often with the man seeming to be unsettled and not knowing where he fits in his life. He seems to be floundering, struggling in some way.

The subject matter wasn't the cinch with these stories, no, it was the writing style. How well the characters were quickly developed and felt fully formed and relatable in some way, even though I'm not that gender nor in those situations. Seems like I should search out some of Tilghman's longer works.

Review 599: The Wreckage of Eden

The Wreckage of Eden by Norman Lock
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the language and writing style of the books in this series: American Novels. This is the 5th book, I have not read all of them, and do not intend to, they are all standalone books. They all evolve around American writers, so far in the 19th Century. This one has Emily Dickinson as a character.

The book is written like it is speaking to Emily, perhaps as a letter to her. Robert Winter, a US Army Chaplain of the Lutheran faith, who is in love with Emily, although he does not say it so plainly. Winter asked Emily to marry him but she refuses, staying put in her Homestead with her Father. Yet they remain good friends, she writing to Winter, and him visiting her whenever he is in Amherst.

While I do like the language, it is not direct at times. It does obscure meaning occasionally, and yet I feel like this matches the time period a little more closely than our language of today.

Despite all that I do like, a large part of the book is taken up with Robert Winter serving as a chaplain in several wars or skirmishes. First it is with the Mexican War, then The Mormon Rebellion, and finally with Harper’s Ferry. The descriptions of some of these war scenes and what is taken by these periods of violence were not pleasant for me. Otherwise this was wonderful.

So what should have been a quick read, as this was not a long book, for me was not. I set it aside often. Although I also was away on a work trip then a vacation but I could have found time for the book if I found it more engaging. Perhaps the book deserves a bit more than my rating of 3.5 stars, so I’m rounding up.

Review 594: The Wedding

The Wedding by Dorothy West
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Oval is a rich enclave of African American residents. Many own summer homes here, they all know one another. This season is the upcoming wedding of Shelby Coles, marrying a white man, a musician no less with no regular income. Shelby was expected to marry someone that has a profession, well to-do as she was brought up. And someone of her own race.

There are many character in this story. Shelby’s parents, her sister, Gram, and several other generations of ancestors. Also, a neighbor man who has his sights on Shelby. The story is not linear, and often goes in the past. It is somewhat confusing. I had a hard time getting hold of who was who and related and what was going on. The family tree in the beginning of the book helped.

I nearly gave up on the book half-way through out of sheer confusion of these mass of varied stories. But I found and watched half of the tv-mini series made near around when the book came out. Things clicked in from there, but there are major differences from the film version and the book (isn’t that always?).

The major theme for this book is race and racism. It shows many sides of this and not just from the whites but within black families as well. The question is also was Shelby’s decision to marry a white man because of race?

When the book takes a closer look at marriages and why people married who they did, there is something else. Shelby may be trying to change that dynamic and he just happens to be white. But Shelby has been beginning to question her choice even up to the day before the wedding. The ending seemed a bit abrupt to me, hastily finished.

Review 574: The Emancipation of Veronica McAllister

The Emancipation of Veronica McAllister by Shawn Inmon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the 5th book in the series: Middle Falls Time Travel.

While this was a very quick read, I didn’t like this book as much as the others in the series. The storyline was okay, it was the writing style. None of them are excellent in the craft of writing, but they are plot driven and the questions and premise make these books interesting.

For this book the writing style was bugging me. One example is the pointing out at this time there wasn’t certain technology or way of doing things today. It happened a few times and was clunky and pulled me out of the story. (like reminding us cell phones didn’t exist.)

For this book we have a woman POV for the first time in the series. Veronica’s character was near the end of the previous book, taking her life as she was dying of cancer. This taking of one’s own life is what resets the character’s life, and goes back to a pivotal point. For Veronica who was 80 or so she reverted back to a teenager in the last few months of high school before graduation. The next day she meets her husband to be, at least in the first life.

Veronica ends up having several lives, each restarting at the same point and the story repeats some of those first moments for most of those restarts. Yeah, that gets repetitive too. Veronica ends up killing herself during each life as she isn’t fulfilled and wants to do it again, until she finally gets it right.

What the author choses to fill in these lives is always an interesting choice as well, and maybe didn’t make the best decisions. There were moments that seemed to make no sense why it was included and other moments that were didn’t get fully explored.

Yet, there are still glimpses of philosophical questions that these books bring up. Some that are explored in the series such as: What would you do different if you had a chance to do it again? What would you do the same? Ultimately, what is your best life?

I will read the next book, since I have it and these are short books. Then I will consider about continuing the series or not.

Other Middle Falls Time Travel Series books:

• Book 1: The Unusual Second Life of Thomas Weaver
• (4 stars) July.2024
• Book 2: The Redemption of Michael Hollister
• (4 stars) July.2024
• Book 3: The Death and Life of Dominick Davidner 
• (3 stars)  September.2024
• Book 4: The Final Life of Nathaniel Moon
• (4 stars)  April.2025
• Book 6: The Changing Lives of Joe Hart
• (3 stars)  May.2025

Review 571: The Fisherman's Gift

The Fisherman's Gift by Julia R. Kelly
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



The book was decent, but just not what I wanted at the moment. I pushed through and finished the book anyway and found the ending somewhat satisfying. Since I wasn't in the mood I found the book a bit long, but honestly it probably wasn't.

The story takes place in a small village along the coast of Scotland. A place where everyone knows everything. The main character, Dorothy arrives as the new school teacher. As an outsider she difficulty fitting in, the women shun her. She's used it from growing up, but the man she's interested in decidedly pushes away since some of the women claim he is already spoken for.

But the larger issue in the book is about a young child that washed up on the shore after a big storm. Dorothy takes him in, cares for him until his family can be found. This boy is about the same age as hers who was lost in a big storm many years ago. Taking care of the boy helps her to heal, come to terms with all that's happened in the past.

The book is told in two timelines, then and now, where then isn’t exactly told when but around 15 years ago, maybe more. It’s a fairly sad book. There are so many misunderstandings, secrets kept, and the absolute tragedy of losing a child.


Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book. However, I listened to a published audiobook copy of the book.

Review 565: The Wandering Season

The Wandering Season by Aimie K. Runyan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Interesting premise, but the writing lacked polish. There is a bit of magical realism in the book, but despite that there unexplained moments, such as understanding people speaking a different language. If it’s already magical there could have been just a short line explaining this.

The problems, unfortunately, did not end there. Too often, from the character’s POV, the reader is told something that the character would not know. Such as at a bakery in a city unknown to her she finds pastries that were made from recipes handed down through the generations. She does not know this, can only guess, but the wording in the book makes it seem she absolutely knew.

There were many instances where this type of thing occurred, and every time it pulled me out of the story. Also, many of the descriptions were not detailed, instead explained and used general words, such as modern and tasteful, well what exactly is that? It felt clunky and awkward whenever this occurred. Also, there was reliance on too many clichés, and way too many convenient coincidences.

Since this was an advance review copy I was reading, my hope is many of these things were fixed before publication.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thanks to HarperCollins Focus/Harper Muse and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 560: Ice

Ice by Anna Kavan
My rating: 2.75 of 5 stars

This is a surreal book with many dream sequences, or hallucinations tossed in that make it hard to know what is real or not. Certainly this was purposeful, but make for uncomfortable reading experience. None of the characters or places are named. The story is about an impending world catastrophe that ices over the planet, meanwhile war is breaking out everywhere.

The narrator is a man who is involved in the war somehow, maybe in intelligence, it isn’t clearly explained. He is haunted by this woman who he almost asked to marry. She is portrayed as childlike, very thin, an albino with silvery white hair, and was raised in such a way that is very docile. He was careful with her, trying to gain her trust, when suddenly this other man married her. Thus the three main characters. This other man is very dominant.

The narrator has these awful dreams about the woman, sometimes they seem to be waking visions of what happened, but he couldn’t actually know this. The narrator often makes statements like “Reality had always been something of an unknown quality to me”, or “it dawned on me that this was reality and the other a dream”. Yet these statements don’t always come with the altered sequence of events.

The narrator can’t stop pursuing her, at times he feels like he is saving her from the other man, or from the imminent emergency. It is cold, snowing artic weather. He travels by boat, plane, or car, whatever means he can get. He ends up in an unnamed town, unnamed country, time and again. He always seems to get arrangements yet it usually isn’t explained how he contacts these people, how he knows to get on this boat at this specific time.

The woman seems to have no say in her life. She is roughly handled by her husband, or this other man, who seems to be her husband, but in different countries. It’s never very clear. He is kept up in a room, not able to leave. Our narrator tries over and over to get to her, to see her, and when he does she wants him to leave her alone. She is often called a girl. It’s uncomfortable to read.

Yet some of this is Kavan blending in her own life into fiction. She had two failed marriages, the men pursued her and she felt she had no say in her life. She travels around during WWII trying to escape the fighting, and this matches the book, although the female is not in control, was Kavan during this time? I don’t know enough about her biography.

The foreword placed this book into the genre of slipstream, not quite science fiction, but blending into other genres. Other authors in this category include J.G. Ballard, Philip K. Dick, and Haruki Murakami to name a few. I think this (new to me) category works well. The book is sometime in an unnamed future, with an ecological world collapse, covering everything with artic snow and ice.

Review 559: The King's Messenger

The King's Messenger by Susanna Kearsley
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

This is a somewhat predictable book, taking place in England and Scotland in 1613. The bulk of the story is an adventure taken on behalf of King James. The King's Messenger, Andrew Logan, is tasked to bringing Sir David Murray from Edinburgh, Scotland to the King to answer on charges of the death of Prince Henry. This is quite a long journey in those days. And Logan is not to go alone, but to bring a scribe with him to record all of what Sir David says along the way.

The King assigns the elder Laurence Westaway as the scribe, and his daughter Phoebe insists on going along to take care of her father. Phoebe has known Logan most of her life and very much dislikes him, and has a paramour waiting her return, a nobleman Valentine Fox. In Edinburgh a young stable lad hoping to become a King’s messenger someday as well is added to the party.

The story took the POV of four characters: Andrew, David, Phoebe and Queen Anna. Overall this was written well, an enjoyable read.

The author’s note, or “About the Characters” section at the end the book was quite long and detailed. Likely one of the longest I’ve encountered, but it is well worth reading.

I listened to the book via audio, which had two narrators Angus King and Beth Eyre, who did an excellent job.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark, RB Media/Recorded Books and NetGalley for an advance review copy of this book.

Review 558: A Lesser Light

A Lesser Light by Peter Geye
My rating: 3.75 of 5 stars

A fictional account of a mis-matched couple in the early 20th century. Theodulf Sauer is from a prominent family in Duluth and the now in charge of the Gininwabiko Lighthouse and the other watchers, on the shore of Lake Superior. She is much younger, Willa Brandt Sauer, ripped out of Radcliffe College where she studied astronomy, due to the death of her father.

Now Willa and her mother are stranded without funds or ability to get by, so a quick marriage of convenience to Theodulf was arranged. They don’t get along from day one, it is a marriage of convenience and they hardly seem to even try to be friendly with each other. They had met because of her piano playing. Theodulf was taken by her rendition of Moonlight Sonata. It reminds him of the one time he was truly happy, in Paris when he met and had a brief affair with Paul. Being of a strict religious family this type of behavior is not tolerated, thus the need for a wife.

This is a long book and things move slowly. There aren’t many characters, but the solitary neighbor girl, Silje is quite a character herself, and my favorite in the book. I was intrigued by the premise of lighthouse and the watchers, and it was satisfied as the lighthouse has a prominent place in the book.

 

Thanks to the University of Minnesota Press and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 553: Possessed by Shadows

Possessed by Shadows: A Novel by Donigan Merritt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not entirely sure how I came across this book. Goodreads has only one other review and that’s from the author, so technical no reviews, although there are some ratings. In any case, I did read this slightly short book.

This novel is told in two narratives, two halves of a married couple – Tom and Molly. Molly was just diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. She is still young, mid-thirties and doesn’t want to spend her last days with treatments and hospital visits when it won’t extend her life much anyway. She wants to spend her final days doing what she’s always done, which is climbing. Her narrative is what she wrote about her life, starting not really from the beginning, but sometime as a teenager.

The other side, Tom’s narrative begins with the diagnosis in 1989 and continues forward, so we do have a split with the timeline. They decide to return to Czechoslovakia, to the Tatra Mountains. There they meet up with Tom’s good friend Štefan Borák. Molly’s good friend Saŝa was from a village near Prague, although died a while back in a climbing accident.

Climbing was in the center of the book. In fact there was a glossary in the back to define the various climbing terms, although it seemed to me that the terms were self-explanatory. In Molly’s portion went into explaining how different rocks or routes were named.

This book cannot be called a light read with so much death in the book, with a youngish person facing their own eventual death, plus her good friend, along with her father she was very close to growing up. Yet, it was marginally interesting. Maybe if I was into climbing the book would have worked for me better.

Review 537: The Barbarians are Coming

The Barbarians are Coming by David Wong Louie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I didn't care for this book very much. I put it down and stopped reading for a nearly a week and easily forgot about it, but decided to go ahead and finish. The main character does have a transformation in the end, but amid much sadness. Nearly all of the characters in this book are not likeable.

Sterling Lung, the main character, is Chinese but dislikes his culture, only dating white women and become a chef in the French way, refusing to cook Chinese food.

Things come to a head when his parents have brought over the Chinese girl he is to marry. Sterling has always told them he is not interested, but when he meets her, he becomes conflicted, something about her arouses him. Then his girlfriend, Bliss, who he has been putting off as they now live in different states has become pregnant and refuses to do anything but have the baby. Sterling must decide if he wants to be a father or not.

The book has some well crafted sentences and good writing. The book is about culture identity and connection, family connection. Sterling has always felt disconnected with his father. In later chapters we get the father’s point of view and see his life when he first came to the United States before bringing over his wife and first born daughter. I like his character better than most the others.

I’m happy I stuck with it and finished the book as there was character growth, but overall I found the book meh. This book has been sitting on my bookshelves for over twenty years, so there's that.

Review 527: I Hope This Finds You Well

I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue
My rating: 3.75 of 5 stars

I’ve read a few work fiction books; they tend towards satire and have extreme situations that seem quite implausible. This book has a bit of that, particularly of the later, but it also turned out to be more than I expected.

The main character Jolene has extreme anxiety from a situation in high school that dealt with her best friend. It apparently ruined her family as well, and now they live in a different major metropolitan area of Canada. The result is Jolene has trouble with personal relationships, and she has become an outcast at work. Landing in trouble she has to undergo a training program with HR in order to save her job.

What develops is a little predictable at times, but the story was told well enough that it wasn’t enough to turn me off entirely. It has quite a bit of humor but in the end, not as sarcastic as one might expect. I listened to the audio book which was narrated quite well.