Saturday, August 04, 2007
The Ambidextrist by Peter Rock
Monday, July 09, 2007 I bought this book at the Great Salt Lake Book Festival after listening to Peter Rock discuss writing. He did autograph my copy, "With all joy, may this reward you." Rock impressed me with his humor and interesting take on authorship. "The Ambidextrist" takes place along the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia where vagrants exist and teenagers hang out. The novel deals with three main characters: Ray, an old homeless man who builds a garden from makeshift items and rides a broken-down bike, Scott, a drifter new to the city who earns money as a subject in medical experiments, and Terrell, a black teenager who has become involved with three other boys causing mischief and worse along the river. The story shows how day-to-day life brings these three in and out of contact. You can feel their loneliness and confusion in an unforgiving world. "The Ambidextrist" was not an easy book to read, quite dismal and hopeless. Rock creates interesting characters, but I couldn't relate to them although I did like Terrell's older sister, Ruth. She is doing her best to make a living and raise her younger brother while trying to find a possible relationship with a co-worker. Rock writes very well, doesn't waste words or emotions yet conveys the bleakness of the world along the Schuylkill. Rating: 3 Posted by Framed at 7:01 PM 5 comments: 3M said... Congrats on finishing the TBR Challenge! 7/09/2007 11:55 PM Literary Feline said... Congratulations on completing the challenge, Framed! The title of this book caught my attention. It sounds interesting. I sometimes like bleak novels--depends on how well the author writes. I may have to look into this one. Thanks for the review. 7/10/2007 11:59 PM Matt said... I'm glad you wrote this review because... I had no idea there was a Great Salt Lake Book Festival. I will certainly be attending this year, I'm glad I haven't missed it!I have also never heard of this book, and I'm not sure whether to look into it more or not. 7/11/2007 8:38 AM Orange Blossom Goddess (aka Heather) said... The cover alone makes me want to read it! 7/11/2007 11:51 AM Framed said... Thanks 3M and Feline for the congrats. Feline, it had some good ratings so you may like it; it's a little too bleak for me.Matt, maybe I will see you there.Heather, I chose the book based on the cover. I just thought it would be a touch more light-hearted |
# posted by Framed @ 8:39 PM 
