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Peter Boody

Författare till Thomas Jefferson, Rachel & Me

1 verk 19 medlemmar 4 recensioner

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Inkluderar namnet: Peter B. Boody

Verk av Peter Boody

Thomas Jefferson, Rachel & Me (2009) 19 exemplar

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I was hoping for something fresh, original, and thought-provoking. I got that and more - this book was also enlightening, moving, and at times laugh-out-loud funny.

Everybody felt real; I want to believe there really is a man as kind and honorable as Jack, and I want to believe every bit of history TJ revealed to us. Rachel was a bit harder to understand, but once I slowed down to think about what she was going through and why she was acting, and reacting, the way she did, it all made more sense.

The 'ghost story' and man-out-of-time elements were well-handled. They didn't dominate the story, as they might have if this were SF, but they weren't brushed off either - we did get to share in everyone's bemusement.

I do believe that with TLC this could be made into an interesting movie. I would have liked more of an author's note and/or bibliography in order to understand the research and how much of the history is substantiated and how much is hypothesized. But I suppose the book mentioned, [b:The Hemingses of Monticello|3364462|The Hemingses of Monticello|Annette Gordon-Reed|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1348245865s/3364462.jpg|3403769], is a good place to start.

Btw, one song TJ and Jack both knew is a Scottish Reel, Money Musk. On youtube, look for the video 'Bring back Money Musk' to see why it's so engaging.

I do recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a neat story about three very different people brought together by circumstances, whether or not the reader is interested in TJ or history or issues of racism, sexism, and politics. If the reader does have any of those interests, s/he will enjoy the book even more.
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Cheryl_in_CC_NV | 3 andra recensioner | Jun 6, 2016 |
Brilliant. Intense & moving. Definitely for intelligent adults, both because it's R-rated and because it's a thoughtful story about issues & themes that kids can't actually relate to.

I decided to read it because I'm starting to feel as is I read the same thing all the time, despite the fact that I read so many different genres. I was not bored. The book does start quietly, but it builds to a climactic sequence worthy of the best Thriller and a resolution worthy of classic Literature.

But mainly it's a simultaneously beautiful and ugly character study. In the hands of just about any author Clifford's character would have failed; I would not have been able to get through the book. I wanted to despise him, but I couldn't. Nor, when I got to know him better, could I feel pity or contempt for him. Real people are multi-dimensional, and so is Clifford. It was a fascinating experience, getting to know him. Ok, so I never got to the point where I actually *liked* him, but I was rooting for him and for his relationships.

And the author taught me, via Clifford and via the other well-developed characters, a fair bit about human nature. I generally don't have a lot of patience with people who are more neurotic, more obsessed with gazing at their own navels, more anxious, less willing to face their issues & grow up & move on than am I. However, after reading this, I believe I can be more patient & forgiving, and more able to see in them their strengths & successes. And I will be sharing this attitude with my teen son, who is even more judgemental than I am. If Boody accomplished nothing else, he did do this little bit to 'make the world a better place.

But he did do something else - he wrote a lovely book. Not only do the themes resonate throughout the different time periods & places & even careers of 4 decades of several lives, but the writing itself is beautiful. It's not overburdened with symbolism, or overwrought purple prose, but it's fresh and authentic. Consider:

He and Clifford often shared family tales as if to challenge each other for the right to claim the most neurotic and least nurturing upbringing."

"New York was gray and mean. Boston was brown and soft. It seemed to know Anne. Each foot of Hanover Street unrolled like a magic carpet before her."

"[S]he continued to sing, so softly that he heard only the high-pitched click of consonants."

"You know how pictures can take a moment and make a whole lifetime look grand."

The only reason I'm not giving it five stars is because it doesn't fit my personal criteria - I can't recommend it to everyone I know. Disregarding the fact that it's not for kids, I actually have to be honest and admit that I know few people who are ready to slow down a bit and read something that will challenge them to think about life, love, sanity, beauty, family, sex, and sorrow.

I can't wait to read the author's other book!

ETA - forgot to add that I love the cover photos. Front is simply lovely and evocative, back is a total 'worth a thousand words' in that it says exactly what the book says.


"
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Cheryl_in_CC_NV | 3 andra recensioner | Jun 6, 2016 |
Free on Kindle. Spoilers (if I remember). So this guy goes to Monticello. He's been there many times before. He used to take his son, before they became estranged. The son is dead but the guy goes to Monticello. He meets Jefferson. He tells his son's fiancee, who is African American, and the 2 of them find Jefferson and take him away to New York City. Jefferson becomes more and more alive, and of course the fiancee & Jefferson become a couple, because Jefferson likes lovely African American women and because the fiancee is a descendant, somehow. There are lots of words, and it is often interesting, and Jefferson learns about the modern world. The story doesn't make sense. Of course it doesn't but even as a fantasy there are holes and inconsistencies. And then eventually Jefferson becomes old again so they take him back to Monticello, and the fiancees father somehow does something, and things are healed. Somewhat.… (mer)
 
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franoscar | 3 andra recensioner | May 5, 2013 |
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This was a great read! It's a ghost story, a love story, and historical fiction all rolled into one. I was hooked in the first chapter. The outcome for each of the main characters was a surprise. It's the kind of book you keep reading, because you just have to know what will happen.
1 rösta
Flaggad
Lschwarzman | 3 andra recensioner | Oct 8, 2012 |

Statistik

Verk
1
Medlemmar
19
Popularitet
#609,294
Betyg
½ 3.7
Recensioner
4
ISBN
2