A Freak's Review: Open House

Book title: Open House
Author: Elizabeth Berg
Amount of pages: 241

I thank God I gave this author a try because she sure is on my must-read list now. And I can't help but to get my hands on her other books - just to see how much I've been missing out on good novels.

Open House is about a woman in her forties, Samantha, who was divorced by her husband and left all alone with an eleven years old son to care for. Her life was all about her husband, her family, her daily routine as a housewife... that she lost herself when her husband walked out of her life just like that.

If you were her, how would you survive the blow? How does it feel like opening your house to a bunch of strangers because you need housemates badly to pay off the bills? How would you get yourself hired, especially since you've gotten married right after school and the first job you had was being a housewife?What would life become when you are forced to take a drastic turn into the wilderness?

This novel is really about Samantha and Samantha alone. The title 'Open House' is just misleading, really. But I know where that title came from. Perhaps a better book title to reflect the actual exciting content of the book would have help the author to sell better, and perhaps gotten me to pick up the book earlier... and not now.

Foundations Of My Reviews

Books
I believe a good book is one that contains a strong main plot and lots of interesting mini ones to build up to the peak. It has to be written in a simple language that enables the readers to read with ease, not with a dictionary at hand. Most important of all, the characters have to be crafted in such a way that readers will believe in their existence.

Drama Series
Consistency is important as far as characterization is concern. I believe that everyone has a habit of their own that define them. And that is important when it comes to watching a drama. The presentation of the story shouldn't be too draggy as well, because it is a drama series. If it only captures attention in the first few episodes and dies down later on, then it should probably be better of as a film.

Films
A strong message behind film is really important. I hate films that teaches me nothing at the end of it, or films that simply doesn't have a beginning and ending to it. Those are just a waste of time. A good film is one that makes you nod when the credits roll out and you know that when you walk out of the cinema, it was worthy for the dollars you paid.

Games
My definition of a good game would be a partially addictive one with missions and goals to drive the gamer to want to push further in the game world. It has to be user-friendly in terms of controls and settings. The graphic has to be of standard quality because when you are into a game, it hurts when the graphic sucks.

Manga
A good manga is one that keeps you reading from one page to another, one chapter to another, one volume to another. It doesn't get too draggy and the plot must have a pull-string to drive readers to want more of it. Most importantly is the graphic - it has to have details to enrich the reader's imagination to picture the whole scene in mind.

Music
A good music is one with powerful lyrics and a suitable tune to go with it. It might not be accompanied by instruments or vice-versa. It might be a band or solo singer. The most important of all, the presenter of the song has to feel it with their heart before they present it to their audience. That's the best music ever!

Music Videos
I think a good plot is essential in music videos. The purpose of having a music video is to help audience to engage in the song through visuals. It helps to bring the audience to another world where the song makes sense in order for them to experience the music fully.

Personality
Everyone has different preferences when it comes to admiring others. I, for one, admire women who have full control of their life. I look up to women who have made it to the top in the field of their choice. A dynamic personality interests me.

Plays
The essentials of a good play include presentation, the engaging power and outstanding audio system. The storyline is just a vessel to carry out a message. What matters is how entertaining can it be while sending out that message. No one watches a boring play.

Products
A good product have both physical and emotional benefits for the users. It is also affordable and user-friendly. Most of all, it has to leave the users feeling good about themselves.

Video Clips
Lengthy does not mean good. There are some short videos that tell stories as good as a full length film does. Keeping the video short while trying to tell the entire story perfectly - that is a good video clip.

Linkbar

Open House

0 comments:

About The Reviewer

Foundations Of My Reviews

A Member Of

Reviewed By

Disclaimer