Journal Entry 1 by HoserLauren from Toronto, Ontario Canada on Saturday, August 23, 2008

Recieved this off bookmooch.

From Chapters:
Strange things are afoot in Manhattan... well, stranger than usual anyway. It begins when the large brass cross behind the altar of St. Timothy`s Episcopal Church mysteriously disappears. More mysteriously yet, it reappears on the roof of the Synagogue for Evolutionary Judaism on the opposite side of town. The rector of the church and the young rabbinical couple who lead the synagogue decide to investigate, but answers aren`t forthcoming. When a writer learns of the peculiar story and begins to dig deep, he catches wind of an entirely new American culture. City of God is a remarkably though-provoking and entertaining read, filled with E.L. Doctorow`s deliciously satirical wit and brilliant characterizations. 

Journal Entry 2 by HoserLauren from Toronto, Ontario Canada on Saturday, January 09, 2010

I pulled out this book a couple days ago to start reading. I think I recalled that this was on the list of 1001 books you must read before you died. In theory, that should mean it is a good book, right? I couldn't get past 30 pages. The problem being that the author has set this up so that one character narrates for about 3 paragraphs then it switches off to another narrator. This way of telling a story could work if the characters were kept clear and you knew who was narrating. When I first started the book, I thought it was a diary-style book and was the same character but different times. That goes to show you how clear things are. I think by the 30 pages mark, I only knew one of the character's name and had no idea how or why these other narrations were coming in to play. Sometimes it's possible that despite character confusion, the story can still wrap you up but a story really hadn't formed yet and I couldn't see how the book was going to get any better so I've decided to pass on it. 

Journal Entry 3 by HoserLauren from Toronto, Ontario Canada on Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Mailed today to CharmedKim who requested it from the virtual book box.