The River is Waiting - Wally Lamb ---------------------- 3 Stars

Waited a bit and got lucky with my Libby account and recently checked out three popular new releases. The first is Wally Lamb's The River is Waiting, released in May of this year. I kind of had a sense going in the book would be a bit of a downer but I didn't realize quite how true that would be. I also didn't realize the wide variety of viewpoints people have about this book until I checked a few things out when finished. Having just completed, I can certainly understand why.

I don't want to spoil anything but feel I have to at least share about my earlier comment - this book is a tough read! A family tragedy takes the protagonist away from his family and into prison which is the setting of the vast majority of the book. The author doesn't hold back from sharing and describing the typical challenges inmates face in prison that you've seen in movies and TV shows. 

The strengths: very character driven novel that, for the most part, keeps you engaged and want to continue reading. It also has a dynamite start, as the first few chapters keep me turning pages much longer than I expected to. I also appreciate the author trying to highlight and perhaps advocate for many of the necessary changes that should occur within our prison systems.

Unfortunately, I had more negatives than positives. As I already mentioned, being such a downer of a book, I found it hard to get through. Yes, it was page turning but I felt myself picking it up mostly to get it completed than I enjoyed reading it. While some of the scenes in prison were heartwarming and descriptive, I found much of it repetitive and guilty of so many typical tropes. Which relates to the author's attempt to show his "wokeness". I personally found it pandering and almost like it had no place in the novel; rather, he was doing it just to show certain things (e.g. American land was taken from Native Americans, the justice system unfairly treats minorities, etc.). And, of course, I really didn't appreciate the ending. 

So, as you can see, I really didn't love this book. I did give it 3 stars because I found much of it engaging and interesting to read. I just didn't like much of the content, storytelling and ending. Interestingly, it holds a 4.4 rating on Goodreads, which is quite high. When I looked at some reviews there and others on Reddit, it's clear this book really is divisive. It feels like people either loved it and couldn't stop crying reading it, or were frustrated and annoyed by it and had a negative viewpoint. I fall more in the latter group but am happy I read it because I could have just as easily loved it. Perhaps you should find out what group you'd be in?

East of Eden - John Steinbeck ------------- 4.5 Stars (Re-review)

Over 15 year ago, I read East of Eden for the first time. It was great and I loved it. I also just did something I almost never do; I re-read a book. Unlike movies which I rewatch all the time, the time needed to re-read a book is a much larger commitment. Rather than 2 hours, it may be 2 months to finish a book. And, while there are a few movies I'd really like to see that I have not, there are dozens perhaps hundreds books I want to read.

So, it was with surprise that I felt the motivation to re-read Steinbeck's classic, East of Eden. I really can't place why I felt the need to take this book on again, especially as it's on the longer side, but something about it carried with me. I was also curious how the book might read differently; both as a second read and also a third of my life later. Candidly, neither of those things seemed to make much of a difference. I still enjoyed it immensely and many of the thoughts and sentiments I had after the first read were similar. 

How do I know that? Well, I wrote this (thoughtful?) blog giving it 5 stars back in '09. Besides enjoying the book a second time, I appreciated reading my thoughts about it these many years later. In many ways, that blog still captures the essence of most of my observations about the book. Unlike the first review, I did drop it half a star. Perhaps it was because it was the second time reading and it just didn't strike me the same way, or perhaps I simply misjudged it to begin with. Either way, it's still a great read with great characters. 

Be it a 4.5 star or 5 star novel, for me, this is Steinbeck's best and most layered story. While this book is nearly 75 years old, the themes and ideas are just as relevant today as they were then. And while it is squarely placed in the early 20th century Salinas Valley, the human elements endure to today. If you haven't read this book, I urge you to pick it up. I'm quite confident I won't be writing a third review to recommend it!