The Tiger's Wife

I couldn't wait to read The Tiger's Wife. I'd read a thousand rave reviews on a thousand blogs and I knew it was going to be the best book of the year. I knew that Tea Obreht had been invited to speak in Houston this coming spring and I knew that was because her book was the best book of the year.

It was a good story, with interesting twists and turns in the plot that keep one reading along and with enough intelligence to hook the better readers. The elements of magic realism in this book had enough novelty to surprise a reader.

But this book did not capture my heart. I liked it well enough to finish it, but I don't have enough enthusiasm for it to recommend it heartily to others.

Then again, that has been true for all of the adult novels I've read that have been published this year. All have been good but not excellent. None of them won my heart. Good enough for a coffee date, but not for a date on Saturday night.