Video Podcast Episode 8: Foot Binding and the Measure of Beauty

VIDEO: What is the Measure of Beauty
Naina Marie Makevp YouTube Channel (my niece)

I enjoyed reading two books by Lisa See. Lisa See looks Caucasian, which she is, but she is very proud of her Chinese heritage that has all been washed from her physical features. I stumbled upon her writing when I borrowed Shanghai Girls from the Kahuku Public Library several years ago.

SHAMELESS PLUG for public libraries. I cannot imagine a world without access to the mountains of information that are in the public libraries. In the State of Hawaii, there are public libraries everywhere. Thanks to the internet, you can search the state's library database from home, request material from other libraries to be sent to whatever library in the State that you'd like to pick it up at, and also reserve material or computer time. All of this can be done without leaving home. Trust me, I put it to very good use! You can also download ebooks and audio books to an app that allows you to read or listen to your book. Awesome!!

ShangHai Girls forced me to observe Chinese culture from the present day. In recent years, I try not to attach a judgement to my observation. For instance, an ancient practice in China is foot binding. I look down at my extremely wide, almost flat feet, and try to imagine these 11W's being only 3 inches long. Out of curiosity I just measured my left foot. The results: 4 inches at its widest and just over 10 inches long. My foot is wider than the length of what was considered a beautiful foot in China. Is it right? Wrong? Good? Bad? I am just an observer. Foot binding might sound strange to the present day observer but is it any stranger than women paying to have their face injected with botulin (poision) to remove wrinkles temporarily? Is foot binding more strange than implanting saline pouches to make body parts larger or more prominent? Is foot binding more strange than cutting a portion of the stomach out so that a patient is forced to eat less? Beauty certainly is dictated by society.

I traveled to Malta in 2006 and went on a tour of Gozo. On our way to the ferry that would take us across the harbor to the island of Gozo, the tour guide talked about the history of Gozo. She informed us that the island was filled with monolithic depictions of large women. Apparently, the measure of beauty for people of Malta and Gozo in centuries-past was a large woman. She represented fertility and beauty and ultimate femininity. As soon as we returned from Gozo, I went to a Maltese bookstore and purchased a book on the large female statues of Gozo. I still have that book and it looks fairly new because I have only thumbed through it once. I must preserve the book! It was the only one I could find that was in English.

ShangHai Girls mentions foot binding in passing but the second Lisa See book that I read, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, goes into detail. If you have never seen what bound feet look like, please google it. I can barely stomach the sight of them. I imagine the significance of food binding, from a man's perspective, being symbolic of the loyalty of a woman to her husband. It must be very comfortable for a man to know that no matter how abusive or misogynistic he may be, his wife will never leave his side. Even if he were to take on concubines, in Chinese culture as I understand it, a woman's worth is intrinsically tied to her value to her husband.

Both books deserve a proper review of their own but who has the time? ShangHai Girls explores the life of two Chinese women and their experience of being forced to leave Shang Hai for America in an age of war. Cultural protocol is emphasized throughout; from behavioral expectations to the memory of the ancestors. Some of the practices may seem burdensome but not more than what some of us practice in our own cultures today. In Snow Flower, the book emphasizes class distinction and marriage as the tool to boost a woman's value. However, the true significance of the book is its presentation of a language created by women and only for women; a secret language! This is not pig-latin but an actual living language steeped in poetry and symbolism called nu shu.

The overwhelming feeling in both novels is very heavy and burdensome. I'm not sure if that is what the author means to portray. I assume that the measure for Chinese-American literature would be Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club (made into a movie) and The Hundred Secret Senses. If you recall from Amy Tan's work, the relationship and protocol between male and female, mother and daughter, mother and son, are all very distinct and carefully tended to. The same is true in Lisa See's books. One gets the sense that this must be a token of Chinese culture - the heavy gloom and sadness associated with being a woman, forced to do hard things and make hard choices. The mood of female Chinese-American literature is one of eventual triumph over the hard facts of life. ShangHai Girls and Snow Flower do not disappoint. If anything, Lisa See's work is a definite reminder for women to be grateful that they can choose not to bind their feet (high heels). **giggles** A woman in modern America can choose her spouse, choose where she will live, choose the destiny of her life in open attempt (not in secrecy). And so today - today I am grateful to be me.

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The Process: Ordinary People

I have been attempting to complete Chapter Two of my "Ordinary People" fictional piece. I am realizing that one of my weaknesses in writing my novels is that I do not map out the characters in my stories. I usually allow the story to unfold as I write. This approach has made me less effective, slow, and is totally subject to the whims of the events of my day in the real world.

For instance, I have been reading Ladder of Years: A Novel by Anne Tyler. It's a story about a 40-year old wife and mother who, out of the blue, walks out on her family. The story follows Delia, the main character, and her journey after walking away from her husband and family. I give this short summary of the novel because my main character in ORDINARY PEOPLE, who hasn't been named yet, was beginning to sound like Delia. Even though many married women can identify with Anne Tyler's portrayal of a woman who is tired of being a wife and mother, I don't want my character to be and sound the same as another character. Does that make sense? Delia is, however, an interesting character but very similar to many women across the world. Though I can't say that I can identify with the mother part, I can definitely follow Delia's dissatisfaction with being a wife. Being a wife is not as bad as I just made it sound. It's definitely tough though. Sometimes there are more bad days than good but the good is REALLLLLY good.

In the past I have tried writing stories that was everything that I thought would be interesting or "deep" to the audience. That is just NOT working for me nor do I think it would work for any true writer. I am beginning to trust my own voice. I don't want to ponder how an audience receives my writing - I want to write from my gut and from a position that is authentic to me.

A couple months ago I read The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis and saw the Oprah interview. If I remember correctly, Oprah asked Ayana if any of the characters were similar to her. Ayana said that none of it is pulled from experience. The characters were from her imagination. I find that hard to believe because many of the characters I develop have some kind of similarity to me. I thought that was an interesting statement. Forgive me if I am remembering that interview incorrectly. I read the entire book and I did a short summary back in March about it. I wasn't as excited as Oprah was about that book only because it left me wanting more from it. To introduce so many different characters and leave all their stories so open-ended was a real drag by the end of the book.

I hope to post Chapter 2 on Friday. If not, definitely by Monday.

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ORDINARY PEOPLE : CHAPTER 1 "SHOWER TO SHOWER"

Reading Update

I have completed several books in the past month.There are so many stories swimming around in my head and my opinion along with them. So here goes my attempt to evaluate them all.


The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis - An Oprah selection for her digital book club.

The book tells the story of Hattie by first telling the story of her children. I can't say that I adore the novel the way so many other people do. I appreciate the different characters (Hattie's children) but each character's story begs to be completed. All the issues that each of Hattie's children bring forward are never resolved. By the end of the book, I am left feeling UNRESOLVED. Like, whatever happens to Hattie's daughter that she gave to her sister? What about Hattie's bisexual son, Floyd the musician? And Six? What of him? There are a million other tales that could be told. So in my opinion the book comes off as being very...... DISJOINTED. There are no epiphanies just a ton of short stories weaved together. The book left me wanting more but not in a good way.


The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice - I have a thing for werewolves and vampire movies. Total infatuation with the Underworld movies!

Anne Rice is quite gifted at creating conflict in the reader. This book is no exception. Is the werewolf something we should be deathly afraid of or is it something to be revered and honored? The book certainly forces the reader to evaluate the traditional perception of a ravenous werewolf. The story takes place in the modern day with northern California as its backdrop. The story is fast paced with lots of interesting twists.


The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King - I have always been a Stephen King fan.... since Jack Nicholson chanted "redruM" on the big screen.

This story is centered around one girl's descent into the forest or maybe its a story about her ascent out of the forest. Her beacon of hope is the pitcher for the Red Sox, Tom Gordon. Her visions of him keeps her grounded in this world and trudging way off the beaten path. The reader can decide what the true value of the story is. It could be the little girl's triumph or the beautiful landscape in the northeastern U.S. **shrugs** I love Stephen King's writing. He's the guy that brought us Shawshank Redemption and IT and a host of other freakish tales. This book left me feeling very hopeful about life by the end of its pages.

Book Review: Wild by Cheryl Strayed

I just completed the book Wild (Oprah's Book Club 2.0 Digital Edition) by Cheryl Strayed. It's about a girl who starts on an 1100 mile hike across California and Oregon and through all the rough terrain in between.

...at last I found myself, bootless, in the summer of 1995, not so much loose in the world as bound to it. It was a world I'd never been to and yet had known was there all along, one I'd staggered to in sorrow and confusion and fear and hope. A world I thought would both make me into the woman I knew I could become and turn me back into the girl I'd once been. 

At the end of her journey, Cheryl evolves into a woman with the skills to take on the rest of her life. It is a beautiful memoir. Beautiful indeed. I believe this is the type of book I will write. I'm excited by the idea of turning my memories and thoughts into a published memoir. I am sure that my struggles and my epiphanies will be of use to many a lonely reader.

Up until late last night, I was at about 90% done with the book. I just could not keep my eyes open to finish off the final 10% of the book. So this morning I woke up super early to enjoy and relish the final pages of this wonderful memoir.

Cheryl's journey on the Pacific Crest Trail begins after having experienced the loss of her mother to cancer, the fracture of her family after her mother's untimely passing, and the demise of her marriage because of her own infidelities. If there were any a time for Cheryl to do some soul searching, it would seem that those three things I mentioned were ample material for her to embark on a path of enlightenment. Her path led her down (or up) a physically grueling hike across some of the most beautiful scenery in the West. I say "beautiful" because as I read the book, I googled all the images associated with the places she mentioned. The images ignites my sense of wonderment in relation to all the natural wonders on this beautiful planet.

I can certainly relate to two of the most difficult things that Cheryl endured. First is the demise of her marriage. I have blogged about my first marriage on many occasions. Second is the loss of her mother. Though Cheryl had a very nice relationship with her mother. My relationship to mine was littered with my selfish, unapologetic brashness of immaturity because of her old-school parenting. I wish I could take back so many years of me keeping my mother at a distance. But I know that she understands my frailties and can see everything from a much more grand vantage point.

One of the worst things about losing my mother at the age I did was how very much there was to regret ...The thought of my youthful lack of humility made me nauseous now. I had been an arrogant asshole and, in the midst of that, my mother died. Yes, I'd been a loving daughter and yes, I'd been there for her when it mattered, but I could have been better. I could have been what I'd begged her to say I was: the best daughter in the world.

I wonder if Cheryl's words are having an effect on me.

Alone had always felt like an actual place to me, as if it weren't a state of being, but rather a room where I could retreat to be who I really was. The radical aloneness of the PCT had altered that sense. Alone wasn't a room anymore, but the whole wide world, and now I was alone in that world, occupying it in a way I never had before.

I often feel like ALONE is a place I want to be. I want to be ALONE to follow my own paths and dreams and to bring my life into a peaceful alignment. I want to become the person I must authentically and genuinely be. As women, some of us take on the heavy burden of caring for everyone except ourselves. I no longer want to be that woman. But how does one UNTANGLE from all the burdens that have been heaped upon our shoulders? Cheryl quotes her mother:

"I never got to be in the driver's seat of my own life," she'd wept to me once, in the days after she learned she was going to die. "I always did what someone else wanted me to do. I've always been someone's daughter or mother or wife. I've never just been me. 

So who am I? I still don't know. I want to make choices independent of my "role" as wife or daughter or sister or friend. I want to make choices that fit who I am, authentically.

Needless to say, Cheryl Strayed truly has a gem on her hands. I'm thankful Oprah resurrected her Book Club. I look forward to our next read.

I heart you, You haunt me

Jackson sits with me.

He plays with the TV

from time to time,

making the channels turn.

At first it makes me smile.

Then it gets on my nerves.

Big time.

Because he can't talk 

like a normal guy.

He can't hold hands

like a normal guy.

He can't kiss

like a normal guy.

Unless it's in my dreams,

and then we do those last two things.

But dreaming about them 

isn't the same 

as actually

doing them

and experiencing them.

All he can really do

are the strange ghostly things

that let me know

he's here.

(Excerpt from the book by Lisa Scrhoeder,
I heart you, You haunt me)




The other day I asked for some advice on how to deal with a young woman whose boyfriend just passed. In the comment section someone suggested this book. Praises to the smart people who thought up Public Libraries. I requested the book online and was able to pick it up within a few days. Spectacular!

So I read this book hoping to understand the myriad of feelings that a young woman I associate with may be going through. What I came away with is a feeling of triumph for the central character, Ava, who overcomes her grief for having lost her boyfriend, Jackson.

The book is an easy read. It took me all of 45-minutes to get through. The format: Verse Novel. I have never read a verse novel so this was an interesting treat.

Ava loses Jackson to a diving accident which she dared him to do. She carries the guilt with her. Immediately following his funeral services she begins to feel his presence in the hope indicated by a cold impression. He signals her with songs on the radio and the opening and closing of cabinets. He appears in the mirror and in her dreams.

In dialogues with friends and specifically with an ex-boyfriend, Ava gets a push in the right direction. The ex tells her how he 'got over her'.

"I just decided, Ava.
That's all.
I just decided."

She tosses the idea around and finally musters the courage to let go of her guilt, a switch in the mind that happens so quick.

The beauty of it all is evidenced in a letter she writes to her parents. If I could, I would tell the girl I associate with the same.

***

When I look out at the stars now, I wish with everything I have that Jackson was still here. Every day, I've wished.

But today, I'm wondering something. What is Jackson's wish for me?

I think his wish for me is this:

Joy, not sorrow.

Laughter, not tears.

Life, not death.

Love, not blame.

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Book Review (Mid Read): The Bonesetter's Daughter

The Bonesetter's Daughter
By Amy Tan

The last time I read an Amy Tan novel (The Hundred Secret Senses) was more than ten years ago. I don't remember the story at all, yet I remember being impressed with the movement of the story. The way Amy Tan weaves American values with Chinese cultural identity has always fascinated me. It resembles my own life and struggle with pop-American "cult"ure and my very Polynesian heritage.

The Joy Luck Club is, by far, Amy Tan's most popular novel probably because it was made into a movie. This particular story covered a wide range of women issues centering on the sacrifices made for the sake of daughters. But deeper than that, it focused on the delicate mother-daughter relationship and how the generational gap can be bridged. The movie, in my opinion, is a dramatic masterpiece and should be a foundation for any chic-flick collection!

Thanks to my previous run-in's with Amy Tan's writings, I selected The Bonesetter's Daughter to read this week. I have to admit that I am just a hundred pages into the story yet I can already see Tan setting up the mother-daughter dynamic. She is also incorporating the conflicting east versus west argument. I'm interested in seeing where this book will lead and how it will all reconcile. So far, there is no mention of a bonesetter but it's very well-written. Rather, it's an easy read and not overly verbose.

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Photo Credit

The Kite Runner

My commute to work is now 50 minutes, where before it was 5 minutes. Since I made the move in February to the central part of the island, my need for entertainment during my commute on the way to work has increased! I am relagated to static on the radio or my tiresome CD collection. It dawned on me yesterday that the Public Library has Audio Books to be borrowed! I took myself to the wonderful, Kahuku Public Library. They don't have a huge Audio Book selection but the ones that they do have are popular choices.

My first selection is The Kite Runner, by the same author of A Thousand Splendid Suns. The storyteller on the audio book is the actual author, Khaled Hosseini. It's a wonderful thing to hear the proper pronunciation of the ethnic words. The language rolls off his tongue so beautifully and I feel as if he's telling me HIS story.

**Disclaimer -- if you are currently reading The Kite Runner or have future plans of reading it, STOP reading this post NOW!

The story begins in the mid-60's, pre-communist, pre-Taliban era, in Afghanistan. Just how the author pronounces Afghanistan is so beautiful! It's like the 'g' is silent. Af-hawn-nee-stawn! The central character and the narrator of the story is Amir. I find myself saying "Amir jan" so often, trying hard to imitate the author. The story unfolds as Amir tells the story of Baba (pronounce baw-baw), his father, and Hassan the son of their servant, Ali.

There are so many similarities between Afghan culture and Polynesian culture. One of which is how you would call anyone older than you 'uncle' or 'aunty'; because we are all connected, we are all family! This is in extreme contrast to American/ British culture that always requires Mr. or Mrs. or Miss, Massah, indicating the difference in social station.

Baba and Hassan have a special relationship and Amir struggles to keep up with their growing affection for each other. Amir points out that Hassan is the son that Baba wished Amir could be - athletic, tough, able to stand on his own two feet against bullies, loyal! While Amir preferred books and poetry.

Amir recounts his life in Afghanistan before the intrusion of war in the 70's, how carefree it was. When he turned 18 though, the country had become so over run with Soviet presence they are forced to exit the country to Pakistan and eventually on to the United States.

I find myself feeling completely drawn into the political landscape of Afghanistan because of Khaled Hosseini's writing. My point of reference is my own homeland, stolen from beneath my ancestor's feet. Just as Amir and his Baba had to leave their beloved country, at times I feel like I must leave Hawai'i to preserve my peace of mind. It becomes taxing on my soul to see the continual injustices of the day yet running away from it doesn't bring peace of mind. There will always be a gnawing in my na'au, in my bowels, to want more for my people.

Amir exposes himself in so many shocking moments. It instantly makes me think of how our lives are just that, a series of shocking moments knit together. What we do with our opportunities, whether we live up to the expectations of our ancestors or cower in the face of struggle, determines who we are in each moment.

The story reads like a huge historic, political narrative and yet at the heart of it is Amir and his life. He is a witness to several atrocity's, probably more than the average person has to bear. Growing up without a mother, witnessing rape, murder, the passing of his father, and also dealing with his own insecurities that lead him to behave less than honorable. It's heartbreaking, downright cruel but joy always follows! By the end of Amir's story, he emerges from the darkness of his life by atoning for his past indiscretions. He returns to Afghanistan and rescues the son of Hassan who is left an orphan by the Taliban.

The story closes, not in a sugary-sweet, saccharine kind-of-way, but real and honest yet hopeful! We are all looking for redemption from who we think we are, who others define us to be, and who we genuinely are. Unraveling the layers that mold us into a certain way is our challenge. It is not impossible to change from what we are in the past to a better person in the present. That is what I strive to do -- to revamp who I am in every moment. Help me do this!

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**Photo Credit

A Review of Sorts

The very large topic of the subjugation of women has laid heavy on my mind for two simple reasons. The first reason - I just finished reading the book by Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns. If you have plans of reading the book, stop reading this post now, as I may unravel details or the ending in a manner that might taint how you interpret the book.

A Thousand Splendid Suns, such a poetic title. So poetic, in fact, that at first glance I knew it wasn't a romance and that the title was satirical. It did, however, end up being about love. About unconditional, real love between friends and family. In relation to the subjugation of women, the story explicitly tells the tale of the Taliban and their treacherous domination over its citizens. To illustrate the topic, the book covers several forms of oppressive behavior. Physical and mental abuse, extreme poverty, near deification of natural-born sons rather than daughters, rape, murder, etc. The book was written beautifully, weaving in several historical events as well as places and classic Afghan literature.

The book left me heartbroken for Mariam, one of the key characters. In the closing chapters of the book, to defend herself and save the life of her fellow concubine, Laila, Mariam hits their abusive husband over the head until he dies. Mariam, wracked with guilt over her murderous act and wanting so very much to see that Laila's children live long lives and to see Laila be reunited with her true love, submits to the Taliban legal system. She gives herself as a sacrifice to allow the dreams of another to flourish. Triumphantly, she is put to death in the center of town, with a crowd both in awe and amazement at the courage that Mariam faced death with.


Reason #2 for this diatribe into the subjugation of women - I viewed the movie, Lilya 4-Ever. If you have plans of watching Lilya 4-Ever, stop reading this post now, as I will probably give away the entire movie here.

Lilya 4-Ever is a gem I found on Netflix. Sidebar: Netflix has a great selection of foreign films. I love love love foreign films because of the heavy topics they cover. The ones that I've selected, so far, have been gripping tales of the human condition. Anyway, Lilya 4-Ever is set in Estonia (once a part of the USSR). It is the tale of a 16-year old girl, Lilya, totally abandoned by her mother who up and moves to America. She is left to fend for herself and eventually turns to prostitution as a means of supporting herself and her little companion, Volodya - a boy abandoned by his parents. The graphic portrayal of how her life is lived, men penetrating her and grunting on top of her, broke my heart with the realization that this happens every day and has happened all throughout the history of the world.

Lilya falls prey to a handsome Russian, Sergei, who pretends to fall in love with her. He sends her to Sweden with the false promise of a better life and feigns to meet her there in two days time. With all her hopes and dreams for a better life fully intact and a newfound interest in living, Lilya leaves for Sweden. Overcome by despair and sadness because Lilya left him, Volodya ends his life. Sergei never shows and has sent Lilya directly into the hands of a small-time pimp. She is locked up in a single room and is only allowed to leave when the pimp has found her a "john". It seems she lives that way for weeks.

The apex comes when Volodya appears to Lilya as an angel and tells her that the door was left unlocked and she is free to go. She runs, without a clue on where to go, without a destination, utterly and totally WITHOUT hope. In the final moments of the film, Lilya climbs atop a highway over pass. Volodya is screaming at her not to do what he did -- to live life on her terms. Lilya, stuck in the violence called 'her life', jumps to her death.

The one unifying factor, in these two very extreme circumstances: THERE IS NO ESCAPE EXCEPT THROUGH DEATH. Bittersweet! Tragic! Triumphant, almost.

After experiencing the book then the movie, in succession, I realize how the world is in need of the healing powers of love. Women are charged with the task of being compassionate and forgiving and of teaching the world those special qualities. Though we are abused, though we are run into the ground with difficult choices, though we are subjected to burdensome loads; even through the drama of life, women will always triumph over the oppressor.


**Photo Credit for Thousand Splendid Suns
**Photo Credit for Lilya 4-Ever

EAT PRAY LOVE

I am coming up on the final pages of EAT PRAY LOVE and am almost sad that it is coming to an end. The book follows the travels of the author in search of meaning in her life. Though there are many things I didn't particularly care for in her story, I did enjoy how she writes and the thought processes she has. I also loved the different personalities on her journey.

It starts with the author calling out to God, a call she had never done before. Her call comes at a time when she is thoroughly discontent with her marriage and searching for relevance. I find myself waiting for the author to help me see why she is so displeased with the state of the marriage. She never explains it except that he wants children and she doesn't. What you will find, as you continue the read is how self-centered the author is and you almost desire a better reason for the author to send her life into upheaval with the extra marital affair and divorce.

The characters that she introduces in the different parts of her journey is what is most endearing! Richard from Texas becomes the voice of conscience in the authors head. The plumber/poet from New Zealand gave the author wonderful advice on INSTRUCTIONS FOR FREEDOM. Ketut Liyer is the absent-minded shaman/healer. These sets of different characters makes this read like a novel and pulled me closer into the story.

This book is a memoir so, naturally, it documents the many different epiphanies the author has. I find myself having the epiphanies with her. I loved that the most in the book! It has the possibility of reading like a self-help book, without being condescending because the author "goes there" with you! I also enjoyed the different discoveries on culture, history and practice that she inserted into the pages.

Overall, I thought the book was an alright read. I am saddened that the book must end because I have become so attached to the journey! However, the book does leave a sour taste in my mouth because the author was paid PRIOR to her travels. It's like an extended magazine article, complete with a story line that must be followed. Travel memoirs usually get a book deal AFTER they've traveled and experienced the journey.

Enjoy!

Angels & Demons : My Final Word

**Warning: If you've never read the book and plan on reading it... you might not want to read my final word.**

My final comment on this book: "Don't believe the HYPE!"

This novel is not something I'd usually be interested in. I know my first post about this book hinted at me enjoying the author's writing. I change my mind! However, he does have a few pages in there that are worth reading... no, never mind... the entire book was mumbo jumbo about catholocism and science, illuminati and wild chases around Rome and the Vatican. The only reason I kept at it was because I thought there'd be a wonderful payoff at the end. Don't believe the HYPE.

The story was simple yet complicated. Simple because you knew what HAD to happen to progress to the next event. Complicated because the author complicated the story with the event. Everything was predictable. And did I tell you that the MAJORITY of the book is based on a 24-hour period? That is ONE.LONG.RUN.ON.SENTENCE.

The main characters, Robert Langdon and Vittoria Vetra, are on a chase to prevent the murder of four key cardinals that are up for the papacy. The clues on this chase are found in classic art. Some of the connections the author made with the art were so far fetched and beyond belief. For me, part of reading a novel is imagining that the fiction is REALITY. That just didn't happen with any of the events. It was COMPLETELY unbelievable. One of the most absurd EVENTS happened to be one of the FINAL events in the book where the main character survives a free fall from a helicopter that was about three miles up. NO CHANCE.

I'm just really disappointed. Too many stories. Too many scandals. Too FAR FETCHED!

And the end! The end was soooo unworthy of the time I invested in reading. Sickening! I should have listened to myself and NOT bought the book.... borrow it, maybe! My final word... DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE!

Fiction : Angels & Demons

I started reading Angels & Demons, by Dan Brown, the author of The DaVinci Code.

I bought the paperback version on Saturday at K-Mart. My sister-in-law highly recommended the book. She said she couldn't put it down and absolutely DID NOT want the book to end. Another friend of mine said the same thing. So, I have to investigate the hype.

Lately, all I've been reading is non-fiction. This novel is perfect for me to transition back to fiction. Plus, I want to read The DaVinci Code because I hear it's coming out in theatres soon.

So I'm on page 52, chapter 15. So far, it's been an "okay" read. There's been a murder. The corpse has been branded with "illuminati". The corpse happens to be a physicist at a super secure, secret hide-away of the worlds top physicists.

The story definitely piques my interest. More than likely, I'm interested because of the way he rights rather than the content. Does that make sense? I mean, he could be talking about 'how to make a pb&j sandwich' and I think I'd be into it.

So has anybody else read it?
What were your thoughts on it?