Customer Reviews

The Wonder Book of the Air

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"The Wonder Book of the Air" is one of the finest novels I've ever read. With so many diverse characters, each with his or her own distinctive persepctive on the world, the novel has a remarkable breadth and depth. Shearer is a masterful stylist; beyond that, however, she possesses real wisdom and a Keatsian negative capability.

Cynthia Shearer does a masterful job of weaving together the stories and perceptions of three generations of the Durrance family, friends and relatives. The narrative voice switches from chapter to chapter, but each voice is so distinct and so well-drawn, that the reader will have no difficulty with the changing voices.

This is an outstanding book, one I have read twice and look forward to reading again.

I have not read a book as good as this for quite a long while. While Shearer's craft is exquisite and the way she interweaves the stories together is amazing, it is essential to bear in mind that the book's intention is not to tell you _A_ story, but rather, allow you to participate as a family friend by directly showing you their thoughts. And that is what makes the book delightful. Like a box of chocolates, it is best consumed one at a time, and you needn't start in any particular odrder. As much as all the stories come together to make up one whole, they are, in their own part, lovely tales on their own.

I found this book in my local used book store. I loved it so much, I ordered the author's newest book, Celestial Jukebox. Remniscent of Faulkner's Cubist-like style of examining an event from all points of view, Ms. Shearer also adds her own touch to documenting the downfall of this family. It was absolute brilliance!

I read The Wonder Book of the Air for a book club, and that is the only reason I even bothered finishing it. The author uses too many gimmicks, such as jumping from character to character, jumping between past, present and future, and writing in the first person. Ms Shearer should have chosen one and stuck to it. What the reader is left with is a plate full of characters, none of which becomes fully developed. Characters go suddenly from seemingly happy and/or normal, to abysmally unhappy and abusive with no real explanations for the shift in character. I could see the author patting herself on the back for some of the unrealistic phrasing and dialogue. When you can "see" the writing, it is very distracting. Not one of the characters is likeable, which also makes it difficult to want to finish the book. With few exceptions the men are selfish and abusive, either physically, mentally or both, and the women are self hating, abuse seeking women who hate their kids. If I read the ridiculous phrase "lady female member of the species homo sapiens human being" one more time, I thought I would scream aloud. With all the wonderful books available, I would skip this one. For wonderfully written books about disfunctional southern families, try Pat Conroy.