The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano - B+

The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano is an extremely well-written (and phenomenally translated from Italian) novel about two tortured souls suffering from childhood tragedies.  I call this a "highlighter novel."  Giordano's language is almost flawless which is all the more impressive in a novel translated to English.

So why the B+, you ask.  A couple of aspects keeps The Solitude of Prime Numbers (an international best seller) from an A.  First, Giordano suffers in my eyes as I compare Solitude to the novels of Carlos Ruiz Zafon, another author translated to English (in this case, from Spanish).  For me, the difference is in the plots of the novels.  Each of Solitude and Zafon's Shadow of the Wind and Angel's Game are essentially character studies.  Zafon goes a bit farther than Giordano as his plots are tighter and more engaging.  Zafon also captures the time period and setting (pre-1950 Barcelona for both Shadow and Angel's Game) while the setting (primarily Italy from the 1970s to the present) for Solitude is not a factor in the novel.

Another issue for me with Solitude is that the novel was so powerful and disturbing out of the gate.  Gripping and tragic.  Giordano does an excellent job in creating his dual protagonists, Alice and Mattia.  After detailing their childhood traumas, Giordano takes us through their adolescence and adulthood.  The character development is excellent.  The problem, for me, was that Giordano seemed to rumble, stumble, bumble for the finish line.  He never quite recaptures the power from his opening chapters.  After 60 pages, I was enthralled.  I wouldn't say that the novel "dragged."  It didn't.  I would just say that the novel was uneven.

Also, I feel some responsibility to anyone out there actually reading this blog entry.  Solitude is not exactly "the feel good story of the year."  I didn't downgrade it for that reason, but at the same time, I want to be honest about the fact that many will view the novel as a "downer."  As a result, I can't "recommend" this novel unless you are prepared for a disturbing read.  We could discuss for hours whether the novel ends on a "happy" note or a "sad" note (which is a mark of a "book club book").

In the end, I suppose that this blog entry is as uneven as its subject novel.  There is a lot to love here--compelling characters, skilled writing--just not a lot that everybody will love.

Live long, read and prosper.  We'll leave the lights on for you.

The Lions of Lucerne by Brad Thor - B-

Well, okay.

The Lions of Lucerne is the first of the Scot Harvath novels written by Brad Thor.  The Brad Thor novels had been recommended to me, by various friends and acquaintances, numerous times.  And, as you can tell from my (lack of) blog postings, I needed a quick read.  A palate cleanser, as it were.  Sometimes, my brain is just fried, and to get back to my usual reading pace, I need something to flush the crap out of my brain.  So I thought a new spy series might be crazy enough to work.

Scot Harvath is a former Navy SEAL currently serving as a member of the Secret Service.  The action in the novel surrounds a kidnapping of the President.  You can probably guess most of the plot from those two sentences.

Then, I ran in to problem No. 1.  The name of the protagonist.  You've seen the protagonist before in dozens, nay hundreds, of spy novels.  And that's ok.  THAT wasn't my problem.  My problem was the lack of an additional "t" at the end of the protagonist's name.  I found "Scot" (as opposed to "Scott") unsettling for some reason.  Bothersome even.

Problem No. 2 was the dialogue.  I hate dialogue that makes me think, "People just don't talk that way."  And the dialogue in Lions often fit that bill.

Problem No. 3 involved plot development.  Sometimes, Scot (with one "t") made quick connections, was quick on the draw, as it were.  Sometimes, he really needed to be taken by the hand or completely missed things.  Thor explained some of Scot's failures in this regard with reference to one of the numerous head injuries Scot suffered during the action.  Seemed too convenient for me.

Problem No. 4 dealt with foreshadowing.  In one scene, Thor makes much too much about the fact that Scot was going to a meeting without his gun.  Hit us over the head, ok?  Man, you think that's going to be significant?

Fact is, I still enjoyed this novel.  Most of these issues are what I would characterize as "first novel" issues.  Just a bit amateurish in my opinion.  But I'd like to try at least one more Scot (with one "t") Harvath novel.

I felt the same way, by the way, about the first Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child.  I've only read the first one.  Yes, I'm one of those nutty readers who feels that he has to read a series from book one forward.  I actually liked Killing Floor a bit better than Lions of Lucerne.  I liked how Jack Reacher was "rough around the edges" compared to Scot (with one "t").  I'd like to hear how others who have read both feel.

Live long, read and prosper.  We'll leave the light on for you.