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Friday, December 11, 2009

Book Review: Liar by Justine Larbelestier

Liarhas a plot that is pretty much impossible to blurb (especially without spoilers). However, Micah is a professed liar. Everyone knows that she lies all the time. But, when her boyfriend goes missing, all her lying starts to catch up and she finds herself trying to remember what is truth and what she made up.



Things I Liked:
This book had a really unique premise - an unreliable narrator and main character. I found the story, at least for the first half, interesting. I kept wondering what would happen next and just not being able to figure it out (with one exception). It was a different experience reading the story and not knowing for sure what's true and what's not (though that didn't bother me as much as I thought it would). Here are some intriguing thoughts about Micah's lying:
"But there are moments. Tiny ones when I'm not entirely clear whether it happened or I made it up. Those moments scare me much more than getting caught. I've been caught. I know what that's like. I've never gone crazy. I don't want to know what that's like" p218
"Not one of them has ever suggested that maybe I lie because the world is better the way I tell it." p264
There are a lot of thought-provoking things in this book, and a lot of the unexpected.

Things I Didn't Like:
I have to admit, despite its uniqueness and surprises, I didn't really enjoy it. I was disappointed in where it led, which seemed like nowhere in the end. There were some really strange parts that distracted me from the actual story and left me wondering what exactly was the purpose. I find that I really can't explain why I didn't like it.

Read-alikes:
A bit like Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@#$
plenty throughout

mrg-factor: XX
some scenes and references

v-factor: ->->
some fairly gory parts

Overall rating: **

Have you read this? What did you think?

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I will get a very small percentage

5 comments :

  1. Thanks for the review. Sorry to hear it wasn't your favorite, though I'll probably still try to read it.

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  2. NotNessie, I think it is definitely worth reading. I just found I didn't like it.

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  3. I haven't read it, but it did get a positive review in Locus. Given that our views seem to align on many of the books we have both read, I will apporoach with caution, but like NotNessie, will probably still approach.

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  4. I will admit that I've been very curious about this book since the whole cover debacle that went on. Happy to hear your thoughts on it, even if you didn't like it.

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  5. Andie, I know this one has received lots of great reviews - and lots of bloggers liked it. But, I find I am still thinking about it, so it was definitely unforgettable.

    Court, I think everyone should give it a shot, since it is so very unique. And I do like this cover much better!

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