Divisadero
by Michael Ondaatje
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Book Reviews of Divisadero
Book Review: Terribly disappointing..
Summary: 2 Stars
This book started out absolutely riveting, and it ended up being one of the worst reads I have ever suffered through. Just when it starts to get interesting, the author switches stories to narrate the painfully boring life of a depressed and introverted writer from a century ago.
I firmly believe all of the rave reviewers of this book, who said it was "haunting" and "compelling", just didn't want to admit that they didn't understand the book at all. Because as hard as the author tries, the book is completely devoid of value: plot, theme, or otherwise.
**On a side note, nothing drives me crazier than authors who refuse to use quotation marks. Really? You're too deep and brilliant of a writer to use correct punctuation? I don't think so. Not you or anyone.
Book Review: Enraptured by Ondaatje's style
Summary: 4 Stars
I am one of those who thoroughly enjoys Ondaatje's writings. Though floaty and dreamlike, his stories always manage to be 'real' enough to me to keep me engaged from beginning to end. And Divisadero didn't disappoint - until I reached the end. I tend to be of the same opinion as some of the other reviewers who felt that Ondaatje ultimately left a little too much to the readers' imaginations. I did feel a wee bit cheated.
But, that said, I thoroughly did enjoy his typical poetic style, the surprising depth of character development and sympathy he managed to elicit with his unconventional sparseness. And, anytime I finish a book within 48 hours, it's been a worthwhile read.
Book Review: less than I expected
Summary: 3 Stars
I was enthused by the first segment of what I thought would be a full novel with a single plot. To my disappointment, the author created three short novels with a barely visible connection among the parts. I thought there was ample room for an expansion of the life and times of Cooper, a principal character. But perhaps I am prejudiced by never having had enough to read about California, casino gambling and the rough, tough times going all the way from Gold Rush days up to the present Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe and all the fascinations surrounding those exciting places. Overall, Divisadero was a moderate disappointment. I was struck, however by the author's occasional but punchy ant-war comments.Book Review: Beautifully written, but...
Summary: 4 Stars
Michael Ondaatje writes beautifully, poetically, even. "The English Patient" is one of my favorite books ever. But "Divisadero" was disjointed and its plot(s) were disappointing. The book was really three short stories only tangentially related and only one had a complete story line. There were two elements that ran through the three stories -- a blue table which seemed to stand for unhappy love affairs and cut glass which seemed to stand for tragedy/pain/loss of (in)sight? A "book club questionnaire" at the end of the book may have helped me understand what I should have been getting from it. But as a writer and a prolific reader, I was not satisfied with this book.Book Review: Exquisite Writing
Summary: 5 Stars
I was mesmerized by Michael Ondaatje's Divisadero. Reading his writing is like experiencing a warm walk in early Spring, awakening all your senses to the things that have been held away by Winter. I thoroughly enjoyed "The English Patient" and this new book did not disappoint either. His characters are richly developed, though just enough so that you are left wanting to discover the last part of them; the part he has held as private, both for the reader and the book. You feel as if you are in Mexico or Lake Tahoe or any other place he writes of during this saga. His words belie that he is just a novel writer; they reveal he is a poet, too.