奇想之年

Style-wise and language-wise, I could not put the book down. Joan Didion is truly an incredible talent. If it were not for the writing, I do not think I would have lasted even a single chapter. I was awestruck by her choice of words; it was a fantastic experience to read such a sophisticated piece of literature. Nevertheless, I could not find enough strength or patience to finish the book. Perhaps it was not the right time or place to pick it up, but unfortunately I had to put it down to avoid hurling my Kindle out the window at 2 a.m.I did not hate it, but I was bored. The boredom was so overwhelming that it actually angered me. I could not even fall asleep reading, which is usually what happens with a dull book. Many readers have pointed out that she drops too many famous names and alludes vaguely to situations far removed from what ordinary people could ever experience. I agree, she could have shown a little more restraint with certain details.It is also striking that she mentioned so many of the wonderful things yet omitted that her daughter, and some suggest Joan herself as well, struggled with alcohol and other issues which ultimately colored her daughter’s early death at 39. My opinion ended up split in half. I both liked and disliked the book at the exact same time.As for the DNF, I should mention that I have never abandoned a book before. But right below *The Year of Magical Thinking* in the reviews I found a comment from an 87-year-old reader who said he stops reading books because he has about 550 left to read and cannot afford to waste time on a worthless one. I am only 27, but that comment struck me much harder than the book itself. I have therefore decided to adopt the 100-page rule: if a book does not prove its worth within the first 100 pages, I will let it go.