Review: Tinkers by Paul Harding

Tinkers by Paul Harding

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I really wanted to love this little book. Everything about it just seemed to be tailored made for me and my literary interests. But, unfortunately, it just didn't work out for me. It's very well written. Brilliantly written, in fact. I loved Harding's use of language. It was so good. The metaphors and imagery just float off the page so beautifully.

BUT ... the story was not compelling. It was one of those books that appeared to be more about the good writing than anything else. Which is not a bad thing for some people. However, for me, it just wasn't enough. I didn't even want to keep reading it. I only finished it because I kept hoping that it would turn the corner into amazing. Unfortunately, that just didn't happen. It's a simple little book that ultimately struck me as dull, boring and basically content empty. It saddens me to say this but I feel like the novelist didn't fully deliver anything beyond beautiful writing.

I do understand why others enjoyed it. I can even somewhat understand how it won the Pulitzer. And to be honest, if I was rating it solely on the writing, it would be a 5. But, when I look back at the reading experience as a whole, I just didn't like it. I didn't care to keep reading and had to force myself to finish. I feel like I wasted time reading it despite its beautiful language. Unfortunately, this was a miss for me. I wish I could recommend it but I cannot.

View all my reviews >>