Digging to America

While I was home over the holidays, I was reading Digging to America by Ann Tyler. The book had been recommended to me, so I was eager to read about the story of two families that both adopt young Korean girls. The two families end up becoming close friends as the daughters grow up together.

I was generally disappointed in this book. It had the potential to be a really intriguing story about the difficulties of a multi-national family. It ended up being a rather boring account of their lives and the short love affair of the grandparents. While there were definitely parts of the story that were sweet or touching, overall, the novel lacked much depth.

Although, I really didn't feel fulfilled at the end of the novel, I did keep reading the book even though I was bored. Tyler was able to create a connection between the reader and the characters which kept your attention; however the novel took place over many years and it felt like the novel just jumped from period of time to the next. I'm having a hard time pinpointing what I didn't like about the novel and why I kept reading. What I'm tying to say, I think, is that while the story was interesting it lacked much substance.


Digging to America
by Ann Tyler

Girl with a Pearl Earring

When I was in eighth grade, I went with my family to New York City for the first time. We were there for my cousin Molly's beautiful wedding but there was obviously time for sight seeing, too. We went to the Met and they were having an exhibit on Vermeer; of the paintings featured, Girl with a Pearl Earring was the focus. I saw the painting about the same time that Tracy Chavalier's Girl with a Pearl Earring came out. So, I've been meaning to read it for the last eight years...

Finally, this fall I read and completed the novel. I wasn't expecting much but I still found it disappointing. It was a cute story but not really much more than that. Its always fun to learn about the story behind a famous piece of work, but I found the plot line kind of silly and over dramatized. Griet, the girl in the painting, works as a maid for Vermeer and somehow their long eye contact and touching of hands means that they've fallen in love and closely connected. It just didn't seem very believable to me.

Generally, I don't finish books I don't like but I did finish this novel. Which, I suppose, suggests that I really didn't hate the book. And, that's probably true. It was worth reading while I took the metro back and forth to work (its a small paper back, so it was light in my purse, too). I would recommend this as a vacation read or for something to read when nothing else is around...

I do want to see the movie, though.

Girl with a Pearl Earring
by Tracy Chevalier