September 25, 2020

Looking Back - Marchlands

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.



Marchlands by Karla Kuban
Fiction
1999 Scribner (first published in 1998)
Read in December 1999
Rating: 2/5 (Fair)

Publisher's Blurb:

Fifteen-year-old Sophie Behr is carrying the child of a Mexican ranch hand on the thousand-acre sheep ranch where she lives with her tough, bitter, and unstable mother, Willy. When Willy reacts to the pregnancy with an act of astonishing cruelty, Sophie flees and embarks on a search for her long-absent father. Her encounter with him, however, proves to be another painful step in her journey from childhood to adulthood; his disturbing revelations about the family's past quickly drive her away. Finally, finding refuge with her grandmother, she gives birth to her baby and returns to her beloved ranch with a new found strength and determination.

My Original Thoughts (1999):

Fair. Wouldn't recommend. I didn't care for the author's writing style. The narrative jumped around a lot. Free association? I finished the book, so it wasn't terrible, just not worthwhile.

My Current Thoughts:

Nope. No memory of this book at all. I wonder what in the world possessed me to read it?

6 comments:

  1. When I look over the titles of books I read long ago, I see so many that I read that I did not enjoy. I never do that now. If I am not enjoying a book, I drop it. I wonder why I didn't do that in the past.

    I also wish I'd written more about the books I read in the past. I'm slowly going back and adding reviews to books I read long ago but did not review.

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    1. Deb, it was probably around this time in my reading life that I started ditching books that weren't enjoyable. I find it much easier to do these days!

      I continue to enjoy blogging about the books I read 20 years ago, even those that were disappointments or failed to leave a lasting impression. I wish I had kept track as a child or teen!

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  2. Up until a few years ago I "had" to finish every book no matter how much I wasn't enjoying it. Now I have no problem not finishing one. Too many amazing books out there to waste time on a dud.

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    Replies
    1. Vicki, I agree, although I still like to give a book 50-80 pages, especially if it's one that a lot of my friends have enjoyed.

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  3. It's funny that sometimes books that are just so-so end up being completely forgettable. Even books that I hated I remember more!

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    1. Iliana, I would have to agree. I think we were in the middle of selling our house (in TX) at the time, so I'm not really surprised that I don't remember this book.

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