Welcome to a character laden world--Love it!

"Remember this, boy. All dwarfs may be bastards, yet not all bastards need be dwarfs." 

Tyrion Lannister

I decided I couldn't wait anymore to do my first post. And since I am way past our first checkpoint, I decided I wouldn't talk about many of the characters, plot or story line but rather the format, story structure and the various points of view. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone and am hoping y'all are enjoying the book as much as I am.

I love the way everything is structured. These chapter glimpses into characters are wonderful. Especially when there are so many characters involved and crucial to the story. You all know I am a fan of characters. The more the merrier in my opinion, as long as there is a point to them being there. I think things would be so confusing without each characters point of view being capsuled, so to speak, in their own chapter. This way you really get to hear that character's voice and have a chance to really get to know each character individually. Meaning that less then one hundred pages in, I had characters I already loved and several that I hope get taken and tortured by the Others.

Many Sci-Fi/Fantasy books don't involve children but I am so glad many of Martin's key characters are fourteen and under. It is interesting seeing them in adult like roles. I believe from a young age a lot was expected of them and that is reflected in their voice. They don't talk like children but rather young adults. And from what I get, they are considered adults at a younger age and are expected to except their duties whether they want them or not. I am excited to see how each of the children grow through out the course of the book and possibly the series if I continue on.

So, if the opening quote wasn't enough to give it away, Tyrion Lannister has been my favorite character from the get go. Jon is a close second. What can I say? I love the underdog! Tyrion is comfortable with the curve life has thrown at him and he doesn't allow anyone to bring him down. And when he counsels,  he actually gives good advice. Not in just the context of the book, but for the reader as well. I am excited to watch his journey unfold and hope the author keeps him around for as long as possible.

Do y'all have a favorite character so far? Believe me there is a lot to chose from!

Oh and btw ... "Winter is Coming."

Book vs Movie: What Dreams May Come

I have to agree with Amanda - the movie is so good!  I think the movie had everything I felt was missing from the book.  It showed the back story of Chris and Ann before Chris's unexpected death.  It also took care of something that was bothering me with the book - the kids.  If I was in Ann's place, I could not leave my kids no matter their age. I would see them as an extension of my husband and of course, I love them and I don't want to abandon them.  But in the movie this is resolved with the kids dying in an auto accident.  While this is really sad in the movie, I think it helps with understanding why Ann commits suicide.

I also liked that Chris could create his world right away.  In the book, I wanted Chris to experience more and not just have Albert tell Chris how everything works.  The book was written in first person and I wanted Matheson to utilize that more.  In the movie it was awesome that everything in Chris's world started out as paint.  I also liked that Ann was impacting his world with her paintings since they were soul mates.

I feel the differences made for the movie actually helped the story including Chris's job, Ann's paintings, and the role of the children. This would be one of the rare occasions where I would say the movie is better than the book.

Death: A New Beginning

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.

LAO-TZU, Tao Te Ching

  So the journey is over, we have gone to heaven, travelled through hell and managed to come out on the other side. And here are my thoughts: I prefer the movie. I know it is rare for a hardcore book lover to choose the movie over the book but the movie, in my opinion, really is better.

Matheson is an excellent writer and I do enjoy his story telling and descriptions. But I agree that the characters did not have the emotional depth I needed in order to care and be really interested in what was happening to them. I feel like the story could have been expanded which would have allowed for more character development. But at the same time, due to Matheson's writing style and the point of view he chose to write in, I understand logically why he didn't write it starting with Chris "living." Chris's death was sudden, unexpected and confusing. And I am sure that is how Matheson wanted the reader to feel as well. But I have always preferred a little back story.

Despite being a little disappointed in the character part, I still enjoyed the love story. And I am glad it was very similar to the movie. Not only because it is my favorite part, but in today's stories most male characters are not willing to eternally die for the women they love. They are all trying to find ways to live forever. I find Matheson's idea to be a refreshing take on the love story.

So, when all is said and done, this is a book that I am happy to own but will set on my shelf till I feel like taking the journey again. Which isn't going to be anytime soon. As I read the last few paragraphs, I got the feeling that one of the purposes of this book was to push the reader's personal boundaries and comfort zone. Which, at least for me, it accomplished. Because as much as I felt enlightened during certain parts, like Chris's verbal Thank You Note, there were other parts that just made me feel bleh, uncomfortable and at some points a little angry. And I am glad to know that despite the love/hate perspective it seems most of us have with the book, at least one thing was the same: It made us all feel.

Kudos, Matheson. Kudos.

All of us have a path to follow and the path begins on earth.

I always hate giving bad reviews to a book, mostly because I know that there are other people who enjoyed it and don't want to rain on their parade. But I will admit that this isn't a technically a bad review, it's one of those things (similar to Katie's stance) where I don't hate the book, but I didn't love it either.

I was hesitant to read this book, I have seen the movie and I loved it, I felt the imagery was so breathtaking and amazing. It really portrayed the hardships that Chris went through to save Annie, you felt like you were on that journey with him. So of course I didn't want to ruin it, and I was going on a long trip, and the last thing I wanted to read about was death.

What happens after we die is that age old question that never goes out of style, religions all over the world have some sort of belief in what is next for your soul. This book is basically Matheson's look at what the afterlife is like in his eyes, and he believes that what we think, dead or alive, will make a difference in how we live our afterlife. And the life you had before death.

And woven in between it all was a love story between two people, Chris and Annie. I have to say mad props to the author, unlike most love stories these days I didn't want to roll my eyes at the sappiness and unbelievable romance. I mean what can be more romantic than a man who would give up an eternity in Heaven to save you from the depths of Hell.

I do think that at times Matheson went a little overboard in the description of everything going on. That is what kind of makes me not like this book, I do think that creating imagery is a good thing, but I don't need eight different descriptions of one rock. Personally I think the afterlife has too many rules and regulations, I figured it would be an exciting and fantastical place. But that is how he sees it, and I didn't write a book on the afterlife, so I guess I can't complain.

I cannot help but compare this to the movie Wristcutters: A Love Story. That too is set in the afterlife, one that is reserved for people who have committed suicide. Granted it is a dark comedy of sorts, but I found the afterlife to be a place of ones choosing, and a far better narrative on what could or could not happen after we die.

So again, I didn't necessarily hate the book, it had its good moments, but I don't think i'll be adding to my favorites list any time soon.

What Dreams May Come Finale

Okay, so!

This is definitely one of our shorter reads, and as such it seems to punch a good powerful wham at you from the get go. I do really like Chris going to Hell to save Ann. I also love how he sacrifices Heaven and chooses to stay in Hell with Ann. For me I think the most powerful part was when he gave her a verbal Thank You Note. It made Ann really see him in state she was in and it showed how much he loved her. Telling her everything that she did and thanking her for it was very beautiful.

I had a hard time getting through the beginning, though not for the same reasons as Katie. It just freaked me out. His inability to accept his death was just....freaky. He was stuck and unable to move on because he couldn't see the fact that he had died despite everything showing that he had.

I really like Albert and his constant understanding of everything Chris was going through. His knowledge of Summerland and other areas was pretty great considering he probably hadn't been there nearly as long as others. I had to admit, when he said the seasons didn't change at all, I could only think, "What about snow?" Luckily Chris asked the question for me or I'd still be dwelling on it, lol.

This is my final post for the book :-) And I wanted to get it done before surgery, so go me! :-D

My Amazing What Dreams May Come Final Post

I have mixed feelings about What Dreams May Come. I don't dislike the book but I don't think it's one I would re-read. There are aspects of the book I like and I think Matheson is an excellent writer.  Here's the breakdown:

What I liked:

First person perspective was a necessity for this book, and I think Matheson does a good job with Chris' perspective and describing what is happening in the afterlife.

I love the flashbacks with Chris and Ann and seeing their love and understanding why they're soul mates.    Once the book got to where Chris is going to descend into Hell to rescue Anne, this is when I got really interested in the book because I wanted to know if he would succeed.  

What I didn't like:

As I discussed in my first post, the first part of the book was really hard for me to read.  Being married, it made me think about what it would be like losing Nathan.  I think I would've like the book more if it didn't lead off with such a sad beginning.  It might have been better if there had been more scenes with Chris, Ann, and the kids before Chris died so that I would have felt more connected with Chris and Ann.

I will be honest, it was hard for me to wrap my mind around this version of Heaven/Hell since it is not what I personally believe.  I know this is fiction but I think I lost interest in it.  Like I said before, I got interested in the story more when Chris went to save Ann.  There are parts of the book where Albert or someone else in Heaven is just feeding Chris information about the afterlife and the more character driven parts were what I liked.