Live I Must

Ultimately, the reason I loved The Melting Season is because it spoke to me, as a mum. Well, it more than spoke, it tugged at my heart and made me cry.

This isn’t really a review, it’s more of an acknowledgement that The Melting Season was a great read and that I recommend it. It’s the book that has made me excited about reading fiction again. And writing it, too–though that won’t be for a few years yet. (The book that put me in the reading slump was The Poisonwood Bible-ugh, the mere thought of it makes me sleepy.)

Visit Jami’s official site to read more about the plot from The Melting Season.

I loved how TMS flowed, and its easy pace. With the secondary characters, I loved the hints at their complexities, and how I didn’t have to be bogged down with their details. (Maybe some want the full details, and I have read other reviews of The Melting Season where it was said that the lack of details has been the author’s downfall, but I disagree.)

I want to say that the book is perfect. Purely because I love Jami (and have loved her since I discovered Whatever-Whenever back in 2002) (holy crap, was it really 8 years ago???) but I need to be honest, too. The truth is that I was continually wanting more from the book. That is, until I reached the climax.

When everything unraveled, I forgot that I had wanted more. I even had the tears to prove it.

On the point of wanting more, I have asked myself why. Was it because of a writing flaw? Or because it was Jami and I had expectations? Or was it because I was digging too deep into the character? I’m actually not sure. Maybe a bit of all three.

After my failed connection with The Poisonwood Bible, I really thought that my lifestyle had taken over my headspace and that it would be some time before I was able to process fiction and enjoy it. (Can you believe giving up on a book would make me feel that way?)

However, I breezed through The Melting Season; I felt the wind behind my ears and everything.

I’m so proud of Jami. I say that like I know her well, but I’m just a proud fan from the other side of the world, happy to have seen her come this far with her writing career. She has made me feel like I know her.

The Melting Season is not perfect, but it will take you on a journey. A great one. You might be like me and want more from it, but is that such a bad thing?

(Buy it from The Book Depository here)

This entry was posted Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 at 9:42 pm and is filed under reading. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.