Accordian Crimes conclusion

smut

I tried. I really did. Got 300 pages in before it was just too much. I was so ready to applaud Proulx's writing style too. In each separate story, her writing style changes to match the style of the main characters.

But alas! This book fully earned its 0

I'm changing my rating scale. If I'm going to ever read a book twice, chances are I'll buy it. So here is the new scale.

0 - Couldn't finish it
1 - Wasted my time reading the whole thing
2 - Take it or leave it
3 - Recommend to people interested in the subject
4 - High recommendation to anyone
5 - MUST BUY THIS BOOK!

Accordion Crimes

Sounds hilarious, doesn't it. I'm sure you can think of a few offending accordions, but rest assured, this novel is not what you think. Annie Proulx is a Pulitzer Prize winning author, and I can certainly see why.

I'm only partway through the book so far. It's actually many isolated mini-books held together by a common accordion and the theme of American immigration. The first story is about the Italian accordion maker, and his travel to America near the turn of the century and his difficulties upon reaching New Orleans, where he is ultimately murdered by a rioting mob.
The second story follows three Germans who settle in Iowa (yay). One buys the same accordion at a store, and we read about their journey from building a town to eventually being hated by the Irish and being shunned in their own community.
The accordion is then bought in a store in Texas by a Mexican professional accordion player. His family is struggling to endure the Depression.

So far, the book follows betrayal after betrayal. The characters are rather disgusting. There is a sprinkling of smut throughout, but otherwise very well written. The only person I've felt any pity for is the accordion maker himself. All the other characters seem so evil.

Accomplice To evil

Accomplice To Evil by Michael A. Ledeen sounds like it should be full of fear-mongering, but it isn't. This book explores historical acts of genocide and oppression, and shows how Americas humanistic view, prevent us from seeing evil for what it is until too many atrocities have been committed.

The main focus of the book is the current, and indeed long-lived, situation with Iran's was against America (the Great Satan). How previous attempts at negotiation have failed and how we tend to hope for the best from the Iranian leaders.

It's a lot less boring than I just made it sound, and I feel like I learned a few things, which is always a challenge for any book. ;)

I recommend it. Definitely a 3

The Accomplice

This book by Elizabeth Ironside is supposed to be a mystery novel, but it is by no means typical. Yes, there is a body found. Yes, there is a police investigation. But the real meat of the novel has to do with the relationships among its characters.

Most of the players in the book are Russians living in England. Some of them embrace the English way of life while others are reliving the past. I wasn't kept on the edge of my seat, but I remained fully engrossed in the plot.

The best comment in the book comes from the overzealous policeman, discussing his obsession with a certain unsolved case and his assumptions about the perpetrator. "It's either true but you can't prove it, or it's a fantasy you have created. Either way, it drives you mad...If it's true and you do nothing about it, you're sharing in the crime. You're an accomplice."

This comes at high recommendation from me, though, since I know how it ends, I probably won't be reading it again.

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