One day a couple of friends and I began a book club called The Bell Curve of Awesomeness to read outside of our own literary preferences. Parrot and Olivier in America is certainly a change of pace compared to my typical young adult fantasy and science-fiction reads. Set post-French Revolution, Olivier de Garmont (a fictionalized Tocqueville) travels with British manservant Parrot to write a book about America.
I found the book mildly interesting, which is a compliment coming from someone whose knowledge of the French Revolution is derived from A Tale of Two Cities and high school textbooks.But from a writing perspective, a tip of the hat to Mr. Peter Carey. He captured the voice of both verbose, aristocratic Olivier and snarky Parrot very well. Part of me dreaded reading Olivier's POV chapters only because it would take me much longer to digest what he was narrating.
At first, I didn't quite agree with the character development or ending. The moviegoer in me was hoping for the moment where Olivier and Parrot went from "irritated with the other's existence" to "BFFs". But thinking back on it, I'm glad Carey didn't make it too predictable. Though if they ever make a movie, you know they'll end up best bros for life.
It was refreshing to read a quality book. Parrot and Olivier in America was a finalist for the 2010 Man Booker Prize, which it unfortunately didn't win. Will I read another book based around the French Revolution and its aftermath? Probably not. I'm just not a French aristocrat type of a reader.
I found the book mildly interesting, which is a compliment coming from someone whose knowledge of the French Revolution is derived from A Tale of Two Cities and high school textbooks.But from a writing perspective, a tip of the hat to Mr. Peter Carey. He captured the voice of both verbose, aristocratic Olivier and snarky Parrot very well. Part of me dreaded reading Olivier's POV chapters only because it would take me much longer to digest what he was narrating.
At first, I didn't quite agree with the character development or ending. The moviegoer in me was hoping for the moment where Olivier and Parrot went from "irritated with the other's existence" to "BFFs". But thinking back on it, I'm glad Carey didn't make it too predictable. Though if they ever make a movie, you know they'll end up best bros for life.
It was refreshing to read a quality book. Parrot and Olivier in America was a finalist for the 2010 Man Booker Prize, which it unfortunately didn't win. Will I read another book based around the French Revolution and its aftermath? Probably not. I'm just not a French aristocrat type of a reader.
