"Express yourself", they tell me. Feh. How about a book review instead?
"Stanley Park", by Timothy Taylor, is a great first novel. Taylor was born in Venezuela, but now lives in Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada). His first published novel is a story of idealism, disillusionment, and (eventually) redemption. Jeremy Papier is a chef with a mission, but the mission founders on economic realities. Sacrificing his values for the sake of keeping in business, he learns the price of economic success.
The writing is wonderful, tragic at one moment, comic the next. For those of us who know Vancouver and Stanley Park, it gives a whole new insight into a side of the city that most of us rarely see. For all of us, it offers a fascinating look at good and evil, "progress" and reality, and appearance versus substance.
No book review is complete without a negative comment or two, so I'll just mention that some of the symbolism is a little obvious. Naming the "bad guy" Dante... probably we could have figured out who he represents without the clue...
Anyway, it's a great read. Check it out.
"Stanley Park", by Timothy Taylor, is a great first novel. Taylor was born in Venezuela, but now lives in Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada). His first published novel is a story of idealism, disillusionment, and (eventually) redemption. Jeremy Papier is a chef with a mission, but the mission founders on economic realities. Sacrificing his values for the sake of keeping in business, he learns the price of economic success.
The writing is wonderful, tragic at one moment, comic the next. For those of us who know Vancouver and Stanley Park, it gives a whole new insight into a side of the city that most of us rarely see. For all of us, it offers a fascinating look at good and evil, "progress" and reality, and appearance versus substance.
No book review is complete without a negative comment or two, so I'll just mention that some of the symbolism is a little obvious. Naming the "bad guy" Dante... probably we could have figured out who he represents without the clue...
Anyway, it's a great read. Check it out.
radiobastet:
I will. And, uh, dude - writing a book review IS expressing yourself... 
zork:
It is? Rats. Well, don't tell anybody. I have my reputation to think about, ya know. :-)