Overall Rating and Opinion of A Tale for the Time Being

Discuss the February 2014 book of the month A Tale For The Time Being by Ruth Ozeki.
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How do you rate A Tale For The Time Being?

1 star - poor, recommend against reading it
1
5%
2 stars - okay, fair
3
14%
3 stars - good, recommend it
12
55%
4 stars - excellent, amazing
6
27%
 
Total votes: 22

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Scott
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Overall Rating and Opinion of A Tale for the Time Being

Post by Scott »

What were your thoughts overall of the February book of the month "A Tale For The Time Being" by by Ruth Ozeki?
"That virtue we appreciate is as much ours as another's. We see so much only as we possess." - Henry David Thoreau

"Non ignara mali miseris succurrere disco." Virgil, The Aeneid
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lilreadergurl
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Post by lilreadergurl »

Just started reading , will give updates as I go along as how I feel about this book! :D
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Winter
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Post by Winter »

I haven't finished the book yet, so I'll save my overall opinion for later. I just thought I'd mention that it surprised me that the author chose her own name for Ruth's character. I read an interview with her that was posted online where she talks about her inspiration for the book. She says that Ruth's character was "semi-fictional." If anyone wants to take a look, the interview is at http://www.chatelaine.com/living/chatel ... ime-being/
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Post by CuppaTea »

I've started reading a sample and will probably read it all soon.
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Post by Ian »

Just started to read it, how long have I got lol.
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Camilo_luv
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Post by Camilo_luv »

I will start reading it as well.. But I have to catch up. Excited to join and discuss :)
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Post by ness85 »

I just picked up the book today - according to my E-Reader I am just over 15% into the book.

So far I have found it very easy to get into; the short chapters and the dual perspectives have sucked me in and I find myself saying "just one more" as I attempt to go to sleep.

I have noticed a lot of references to technology, the environment, science and faith. I had to chuckle to myself when I read this sentence: “Ruth snapped the book shut and closed her eyes for good measure to keep herself from cheating and reading the final sentence…”

I understand this sentiment all too well.
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Post by Fran »

Any of you reading A Tale For The Time Being might be interested in the discussion DATo, Gannon & myself had about this book back in October 2013 which led to it being suggested as a Book of the Month

forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php ... 71#p217171
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Post by sophiachic »

Will be reading soon, so update as i go along.
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Post by jhollan2 »

Fran wrote:Any of you reading A Tale For The Time Being might be interested in the discussion DATo, Gannon & myself had about this book back in October 2013 which led to it being suggested as a Book of the Month

forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php ... 71#p217171
Thanks Fran, for that link. Everyone raised some really insightful points. I really loved this book, especially the play on words in the title and the shifting narration. I am not sure what the etiquette is on posting here. Many people seem to have not read the book yet. Should I post my thoughts on the the thread linked above to avoid spoilers?
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Post by Fran »

@jhollan2
You can post your views here. I really don't understand why people post here if they haven't actually read the book - the title of the topic is surely plain enough.
It is a great book & I'm looking forward to reading your opinion.
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Post by jhollan2 »

I loved this book up until the last hundred pages or so, when it went in a totally different direction than I expected it to go. I liked the way that it made me think about time and the imagery of looking back to the past while someone there looks forward to the future. I wasn't really sure what to think about the whole introduction of quantum physics as a way to manipulate time to change the future/past. It read almost like a memoir nestled into a memoir, and then I put the book down for a moment and slipped into the Twilight Zone. It just seemed out of place to me.

I am a huge fan of meta-fiction, in any form, so that was what really sold the book for me. The semi/pseudo autobiographical story of Ruth, an author looking for a story was fascinating. It created an bond between author and reader (and the author as a reader) that I've seldom seen done before. The awareness of the story as a story, of stories within stories, made it a unique experience.
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Post by jonnalin »

I#m a bit behind with the books here since I just joined, but I'll pick up this one as soon as possible and hopefully I'll enjoy it and finish it in time for the next month book :)
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Post by Sadmag »

I'm sorry to say I didn't enjoy this book at all. I thought it was poorly written, and Nao seemed like a tough girl but she wouldn't stand up to her bullies. I also didn't like going back and forth from Ruth to Nao. I have read many, many books and this was a book I didn't enjoy at all. I stuck with it and read the whole book.
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Post by Winter »

jhollan2 wrote:I loved this book up until the last hundred pages or so, when it went in a totally different direction than I expected it to go. I liked the way that it made me think about time and the imagery of looking back to the past while someone there looks forward to the future. I wasn't really sure what to think about the whole introduction of quantum physics as a way to manipulate time to change the future/past. It read almost like a memoir nestled into a memoir, and then I put the book down for a moment and slipped into the Twilight Zone. It just seemed out of place to me.

I am a huge fan of meta-fiction, in any form, so that was what really sold the book for me. The semi/pseudo autobiographical story of Ruth, an author looking for a story was fascinating. It created an bond between author and reader (and the author as a reader) that I've seldom seen done before. The awareness of the story as a story, of stories within stories, made it a unique experience.
I actually liked the last part of the book. On the contrary, I felt it finally tied the story together. Before that, things just went from bad to worse, to even worse, to impossibly bad, and I kept thinking, good grief, what is the point to all of this and where is it going? I liked the idea of there being a kind of link through time between Ruth and Nao that ultimately helped resolve that downward spiral. I also liked that it allowed the characters to connect in a somewhat concrete way after talking to each other (sort of) through time through the diary.

I agree that Ruth's semi-autobiographical character and role in the story added an interesting dimension to the book. As I mentioned in my earlier post, I read a little online about that, and the author chose to have a number of similarities between herself and the character. As I read the book I kept wondering what it would be like for her to be writing working from that perspective. It seems like it would be really strange.
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