Embarrassingly, I did not know Jim Lehrer was an author when I received White Widow as a Christmas gift. I thought he was a political news figure. So, halfway through the book, I was baffled. Was Jim Lehrer a genius or a simpleton? The writing style would suggest the latter, but perhaps he was just using a mind-numbingly boring style to capture his main character’s personality. It was very well written and Mr. Lehrer obviously knows of what he speaks, but the whole thing was meticulously unexciting. The story follows Jack T. Oliver who is a commonplace, self-important bus driver with absolutely no higher aspirations. He is repetitious, simple. A dullard. Even his fantasies, which ultimately destroy no less than four lives, are, well, lifeless.
Aside from the little issue of accountability, however, I actually did enjoy the book! I realize that in reading my review of it, you could never tell that I honestly couldn’t put the damn thing down and found myself telling the story to all of my friends over beers at the local pool hall. Perhaps Mr. Lehrer is actually the former in my original question!
Good to know!
1 comment:
Becca, you should be writing a column in a paper somewhere. You have an innate sense of style in your writing that makes one want to read it. Now, if I could only bring myself to the library for the book, I would.
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