'Beggars in Spain' by Nancy Kress

 

Beggars in Spain, Nancy Kress (4.0)

A unique and interesting speculative fiction story having to do with ‘otherness’, this story posits what would happen if we were able to alter a baby’s genes so that it didn’t have to sleep. It looks at both the type of parent who would want this and the culture of the kids that are ‘sleepless’. This idea of otherness is pertinent given our current social issues, though flipped as the ‘others’ have an assumed advantage. Would those few who are perceived to have an advantage be persecuted as immigrants of our day? The author mentions in the forward that she came up with the idea based on her jealousy of those who can function on less sleep – what would happen if you needed no sleep? Do you become more efficient, smarter? I enjoyed her exploration of both the subtle and major changes. While this book has gotten many awards, the next in the series is even more lauded. I look forward to it

'The Gray Man' by Mark Greaney

The Gray Man, Mark Greaney (3.0)

Spy stories can vary in terms of action, violence, skills, gadgets and spy-craft, which ultimately determine believability. Having watched the new movie based on this series, I was expecting a lot of action and violence. This was certainly the case – and the skills were so over the top that one’s skepticism needed to be suspended throughout the read (can someone with a deep stomach knife wound really keep assaulting others for hours?). I’m not giving away much as the front cover indicated this was ‘Gray Man 1’ so it was more curiosity to see how someone would survive the onslaught of 100 assassins after him. I could somewhat overlook the unbelievability, given the genre, but about 60% into the book more information is given about the motive of the bad guys and the whole plot falls apart - the reason for all the action becomes contrived.

'Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty' by Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe

Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty, Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe (2.5)

One of standard recommendation in writing is ‘show, don’t tell’. I found this book had an inordinate amount of telling. I skipped large paragraphs describing a ball (furniture, flowers, wall hangings, food and list of attendees), as I did not find the best way to show opulence to be long lists of items. Mr. Cooper gives a history of his family by highlighting specific people in the tree. He had a lot to choose from and it was not clear why he chose some over others or the detail some family members warranted (the chapter detailing the America’s Cup was interesting to me as someone who sails, not quite sure what its point was). This was a good partner to my last book as ‘The Age of Innocence’ was mentioned several times. While I found a few things interesting, overall, I was disappointed in the flow and writing.

'The Age of Innocence' by Edith Wharton

The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton (4.0)

Many people believe money brings happiness. Edith Wharton clearly proves that, at least with regards to the late 1800’s New York’s socialite families, old money and it’s societal rules can become a type of prison. This is articulated through the main character, Newland Archer, a young man from one of the main, ‘good’, NYC families. He knows the rules of society and generally appreciates them. That is until he meets his fiancée’s cousin and starts to appreciate her differences and the freedom from the rules that she eschews. As typical of novels of this time period, not a lot happens, plot-wise. The beauty is in the writing and the nuances. We watch Newland struggle with seeing the life he always felt he would lead versus one of passion while his family and their peers slowly bring the prison walls down. Although not exactly uplifting and optimistic, if read slowly, the words alone will be worth it.

'The Man Who Broke Capitalism'

The Man Who Broke Capitalism: How Jack Welch Gutted the Heartland and Crushed the Soul of Corporate America—and How to Undo His Legacy, David Gelles (3.5)

Tough book to read: depressing, disappointing with quite a bit of hyperbole. In the beginning, I was put off by the simplicity of ‘Jack Welch ruined everything’, but I’ll admit that Gelles does a good job at laying much of the blame at Welch and his protégés’ feet. He did more damage to GE than I realized at the time – particularly with the emergence of GE Capital and the focus on financial businesses and away from manufacturing. One big surprise for me was the M&A strategy of GE. I participated in the M&A process at Allied Signal under Larry Bossidy and we were required to justify thoroughly how our targets fit into our Business Unit and company strategy. Gelles’ assertion that GE was buying businesses that didn’t fit their BU’s strategy seemed odd. There were other assertions about companies and people I had met that were a little off (i.e. the Allied Signal/Honeywell merger had a lot of issues due to large culture differences, not stress over a possible GE takeover). Overall, I agree with many of his points and am glad to see the shift from shareholder value to the more important, and inclusive, stakeholder value. I’d say the book leans a little too heavy to one side, but eventually gets to the important points.

'Cloud Atlas' by David Mitchell

Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell (3.5)

I had this book in my ‘to read’ list for many years. The rave reviews and comparisons to Murakami and P.K. Dick intrigued me. While it had a unique way of telling a story, in the end it did not come together in the powerful way I had hoped for. The chapters are short stories, somewhat independent from one another, moving through time from the 1800’s to the future. Once we finish the last future chapter, they repeat in descending order advancing each story with some hints of how they connect. I enjoyed three of the six storylines and found they could stand on their own. The other three were less interesting. Descriptions of the book talk of reincarnation (the movie version apparently has Tom Hanks and Halle Barry playing characters in each story), but I did not get a strong feeling (except for a birthmark mentioned on various characters) for how that was determined by the reader. The synopsis talks about a killer reincarnated as a hero – frankly I only figured out who they meant by seeing which actor played those two roles in the movie. I don’t enjoy obvious foreshadowing, but this was a bit too cryptic for me!

'Box 88' by Charles Cumming

Box 88, Charles Cumming (4.0)

I really enjoyed this spy thriller. While ‘Mission Impossible’ like books may be a roller coaster ride, good espionage books for me are more complex and believable. Many people have compared Cumming to Le Carre and I agree. As the introductory volume to presumably many more featuring Lachlan Kite, a spy with a subversive group of CIA and MI6 agents, it fills in his background while embroiling him in a present-day perilous situation. The contrast with spy-craft from the 80’s to today was done well and most of the characters were well written. The progression of a quiet, observant, boarding school kid to extremely capable agent was interesting to read and much of what was enjoyable about the book. I hope Mr. Cumming can come up with an equally intriguing second book for Lachie!