Journal Entry 1 by kumu from Norwich, Norfolk United Kingdom on Friday, July 22, 2005

My book of the year so far, this totally blew me away. It's definitely not going to be for everyone given the subject matter and the narrative style of letters written from Eva to her estranged husband take a while to get used to. However you get used to this style and once you do you have a powerful and emotional book about something in our society that is rarely discussed so openly or so intelligently.

This is worth trying even if you think that the subject matter is not something you will be interested in, it's gripping in a way I have never experienced in a novel before. 

Journal Entry 2 by kumu at OBCZ, Julian Graves, The Arcade. in Norwich, Norfolk United Kingdom on Friday, July 29, 2005

Released 6 yrs ago (7/27/2005 UTC) at OBCZ, Julian Graves, The Arcade. in Norwich, Norfolk United Kingdom

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

 

Journal Entry 3 by LennyB from Norwich, Norfolk United Kingdom on Friday, July 29, 2005

Picked up from Julian Graves this morning. It looks really interesting.
Then went to Ottakers and saw it all over the shop on 3 for 2.
An Orange Prize winner too. :0) 

Journal Entry 4 by LennyB from Norwich, Norfolk United Kingdom on Thursday, February 23, 2006

The fact that I am writing this jounal entry at 1.15 in the morning, should tell you all you need to know about this book.
Wow, it blew me away. It is compelling, interesting, contentious and got me back out of bed to finish it.
Kevin and Eva are both fascinating characters and the relationship between them crackles with hostility.
You never really get an answer as to why Kevin committed his crimes, but the book does discuss at length the nature/ nurture debate, motherhood, the reaction of the media to tragedies such as school shootings, American society and our fascination with 'celebrity'.
This is my book group , book for March, so it will be interesting to see what others thought of it, and I will probably write more after that.
I have already decided to send this book off on an International BookRay, (interestingly most of the participants so far are American),which is still open to new readers.
It is one of the best books I have read in a long long time, and it will stay with me for a long time too. 

Journal Entry 5 by LennyB from Norwich, Norfolk United Kingdom on Friday, February 24, 2006

I now have seventeen participants for this BookRay and this is the running order.
Quadrat London
Flambard Horsham
Cloggy London
Fibe Scunthorpe
GinsterSwansea Wales
FarAwayVoices Scotland
bestfriends France
Intrycksflikka Finland
Boomda181 Canada
Pndfam05 Washington USA
Momx3lovesbooks Nebraska USA
GoryDetails NewHampshire USA
MazieNH New Hampshire USA
Tabby90 North Carolina USA
Icekween01 Missouri USA
Kelwood Ohio USA
LizzieM Australia
Any problems with this please PM me.
This book will not start travelling until after my Bookgroup on March 6th 

Journal Entry 6 by LennyB from Norwich, Norfolk United Kingdom on Monday, March 06, 2006

It was my book group this evening, and everyone found the book interesting and compelling.
However one person e-mailed me to say he hated it so much he wouldn't be coming.
We did however feel as a group that Kevin was perhaps too evil, making him and the other characters somewhat caricatures.
We also discussed how different a book it would be if Lionel Shriver had written it from more than one view point, Franklin's viewpoint, or even Kevins'.
I still think it is one of the best books I've read in a long time, but now I am more aware of it's limitations, especially after a group member said it would be impossible to kill that many people with a Crossbow because of the Reload time.
This will be starting it's travels shortly, when I have confirmed Quadrats' address. 

Journal Entry 7 by LennyB from Norwich, Norfolk United Kingdom on Saturday, March 11, 2006

In the post to Quadrat yesterday, for the first leg of it's BookRay.
Please journal as soon as you receive the book, and then again when you've finished with it, and are posting it on.
It is quite a long book, but 4 weeks should be long enough to read it.If anyone has any questions or problems please PM me.
I feel I need to keep an eye on Kevin! 

Journal Entry 8 by quadrat from London , Greater London United Kingdom on Monday, April 03, 2006

i am currently halfway through... this book has an amazing wow factor. it's bringing up all kinds of memories and feelings because shriver's writing style is incredible.

there are also many truisms; the book feels thoroughly honest and i buy the whole story. i read the restaurant scene today, and i would be one of those people looking at kevin's family, thinking 'what did they do wrong...' - what a position for a (not evil) mother to be in.

i am having too many thoughts about this book to write in a journal!!! will write more once the book's finished! 

Journal Entry 9 by quadrat from London , Greater London United Kingdom on Saturday, April 22, 2006

finally finished! this was a slow reader for me, in that the introspective writing style led to it being read slowly. i found the gym scene totally believable in that i think people would react in such a way under the circumstances. what i found a little unbelievable was the nature of the awards (!) and that all nominees believed how they had been nominated. also, i found it hard to believe that they would have all come alone. overall, a fantastic book, must be in most people top 10 must-reads. am passing onto flambard today, as he's next in the list. i was going to post onto cloggy but had other instructions! 

Journal Entry 10 by flambard from Horsham, West Sussex United Kingdom on Sunday, April 23, 2006

Passed on yesterday by quadrat - my 187th birthday (that's how it feels anyway - perhaps a smidgen too much whisky last night.....). Will start it as soon as I've finished my current read. Many thanks J (and Helen). 

Journal Entry 11 by flambard from Horsham, West Sussex United Kingdom on Monday, May 15, 2006

I was advised by quadrat not to look at the previous journals on this book before I read it, and I'm pleased that I didn't. I wouldn't have wanted anything to ruin the progression of events and expectations towards the inevitable climax. It was a fantastic book, the best I have read for a long time. The author is obviously erudite, well-educated and extremely skilled. The aspect about the writing which I admired most was the way in which all of the non-Eva characters were portrayed through Eva's eyes and all were as realistically sketched out and developed as each other (and as Eva herself).

As far as the story went, I was totally absorbed and at times had to remind myself that I was reading fiction. If ever a mother and son deserved each other it was Eva and Kevin. Kevin was obviously a very bright and incisive, but very disturbed individual. Eva was a self-centred hypocrite. At one point her breast-beating correspondence dealt (briefly) with why she hadn't walked-out on her family. To my mind that was the wrong question; it should have been asked why Franklin hadn't taken Kevin (and possibly Celia) and left Eva. I would have done. The bit which I particularly enjoyed was the mother-son evening meal where Eva inevitably went off on one of her pompous tirades which Kevin slowly dissected, pointing out her rank hypocrisy. For me, Eva was by far the most unpleasant character in the book.

At first I was curious why the correspondence was only one-way, but the reason became fairly obvious once Eva dropped the comment about Celia and Franklin being together. The St Sebastian garden scene at the end was therefore no surprise. But to make up for that, the adventures of Celia's eye were (for me)…unforeseen? (sorry).

Rarely have I become so engrossed in a book and found a character who is so real and obnoxious that I have felt the need to find out where they live and shout at them to wake up and get a little perspective, but this was certainly one of those times. There is a comment on the dust-jacket saying that anyone thinking of having a child should read this book. I think it is more that any man/woman considering who should be the mother/father of his/her children should read this book. 

Journal Entry 12 by flambard at mail in mail, a postal release -- Controlled Releases on Saturday, May 20, 2006

Released 6 yrs ago (5/20/2006 UTC) at mail in mail, a postal release -- Controlled Releases

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

Posted to cloggy 

Journal Entry 13 by cloggy from London , Greater London United Kingdom on Monday, May 22, 2006

Kevin has arrived with me this morning. I am in the middle of a book right now, but will read this one as soon as I've finished that. 

Journal Entry 14 by cloggy from London , Greater London United Kingdom on Thursday, June 15, 2006

Just astonishing - what a great book.

It took me a little longer than usual to read it, but I needed to have two goes at it. When I first read the opening chapters, it was the day after my 37th birthday and, still childless, Eva's worries and doubts were so close to my own, that I couldn't read it and had to put it away.

But then I picked it back up and the book just got me by the throat and wouldn't let go until I'd read the last page. It's so gripping, so raw, so entirely.... honest? I don't know.

Lionel Shriver is often on UK tv and she's an odd character. If you'd asked me before I read the book, to describe what I think she's like, I think I would have described Eva. I saw Shriver as Eva all the way through the book. For me, both Eva and Kevin are unlikeable characters.

Bringing in the daughter, Celia, is interesting writing. The relationship that Eva has with her daughter, exhonorates/vindicates her. She can love her child, Celia proves it, just not Kevin.

Thanks LennyB for setting up this Ray, without which I might have never read this book.
Shriver is a talented and brave writer. A wonderful book.

I've got FiBe's addy and will post it today 

Journal Entry 15 by FiBe from Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire United Kingdom on Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Apologies, this book got delivered to the wrong address!!!! I will read this as quickly as I can and get it sent on so it isn't held up any longer than necessary.

Thanks for letting me take part. 

Journal Entry 16 by FiBe from Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire United Kingdom on Friday, August 11, 2006

It also took me a little while to get used to the style of writing with the book being a series of letters and I think this is also the reason it took me a bit longer than usual to read it.

However, as much as it was uncomfortable and sometimes disturbing reading, it was also very thought provoking and I'm very glad I have read it.

This is a book I would recommend to near enough anyone except maybe new mothers (I wouldn't want to give them nightmares!).

Thanks again for letting me take part in this ray. This book will continue it's journey tomorrow. 

Journal Entry 17 by FiBe at BookRing in Book Ring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Sunday, August 13, 2006

Released 5 yrs ago (8/12/2006 UTC) at BookRing in Book Ring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

On its way to the next person 

Journal Entry 18 by ginsterswansea from Nantwich, Cheshire United Kingdom on Friday, September 22, 2006

Thanks for this book ring novel - I read it cover to cover in a matter of days as you really get into it after a couple of chapters and you really feel you want to get to the bottom of the hellish thing that has happened to this family. 'Kevin' is a teenager who was unloved by his mother (the narrator), and idolised by his father. He goes on to kill several people, teachers, friends, and others, and goes to prison....But wouldn't we all act in the same fashion faced with a surly, two-faced little boy who does what he wants, and can play the people around him exactly as he pleases, from the moment he was born? It's very interesting how your own perceptions of 'what happened' change and evolve as the novel progresses - it's the parents' fault, then it's society's fault, then it's his own fault....or is it nobody's fault - was he simply born a horrible, vindictive person from the start? It's a novel designed to make the reader think, and challenges you from page one. In more ways than one actually, as I found the language impressively 'difficult'. Some of the vocabulary is out-of-the-dictionary challenging, and her style is extremely wordy, all the way through. But this was a positive aspect and does not detract from the power of the book - just adds to it.
I would recommend this novel very highly, and give it 9 out of 10. The last few pages will blow you away - so don't read ahead, as I did!!!! 

Journal Entry 19 by ginsterswansea from Nantwich, Cheshire United Kingdom on Friday, September 22, 2006

Thanks for this book ring novel - I read it cover to cover in a matter of days as you really get into it after a couple of chapters and you really feel you want to get to the bottom of the hellish thing that has happened to this family. 'Kevin' is a teenager who was unloved by his mother (the narrator), and idolised by his father. He goes on to kill several people, teachers, friends, and others, and goes to prison....But wouldn't we all act in the same fashion faced with a surly, two-faced little boy who does what he wants, and can play the people around him exactly as he pleases, from the moment he was born? It's very interesting how your own perceptions of 'what happened' change and evolve as the novel progresses - it's the parents' fault, then it's society's fault, then it's his own fault....or is it nobody's fault - was he simply born a horrible, vindictive person from the start? It's a novel designed to make the reader think, and challenges you from page one. In more ways than one actually, as I found the language impressively 'difficult'. Some of the vocabulary is out-of-the-dictionary challenging, and her style is extremely wordy, all the way through. But this was a positive aspect and does not detract from the power of the book - just adds to it.
I would recommend this novel very highly, and give it 9 out of 10. The last few pages will blow you away - so don't read ahead, as I did!!!!