Was

Geoff Ryman

The 'real' story of Dorothy Gael and her life with her Aunt and Uncle in Kansas.  There were other stories mixed in along the way, of Judy Garland while she was filming the movie, of a strange little Canadian boy, and a young man who goes to work in a mental hospital.

The other stories were distracting to me, until they started coming together and I could see the links that held everyone together.

There were two main themes that came through in this for me - sadness and futility.  Although it should have been a really depressing read, it wasn't.  I am a little relieved that it's finished and I can go on to something else, but I'm glad that I read it, and saw that the other side of the rainbow can hide an awful lot.

Date finished: 13/02/09
Year Total: 6

Much Obliged, Jeeves

P.G. Wodehouse
0099706903
1971

I was expecting this to be a quick read, but found the formal language a bit of a shock and I had to slow down and think about a little more than the picture on the cover suggested.

That said, it didn't take long to adjust to the pace, and I found that I was able to really savour both the language and the story, rather than try to finish it and move onto the next one.

I felt that I was missing a lot of jokes and references to previous books, which was annoying, but the story itself was delightful.  I don't think I'll actively hunt out the rest of the series, but would read them if they were handy.

Date finished: 03/02/09
Year Total: 5