Final Results of the Dubuque Tournament of Books

Last week, our esteemed judges deadlocked on the final choice between  And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini or Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. We love both these books, so a tie is an appealing outcome, but we can only have one winner. So we put the final decision in your hands through an online poll and the winner is:

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell!

Many thanks to all of our judges and to the authors who gave us such a find group of competitors!

Marie's Pick: Final Round of the Dubuque Tournament of Books

It's the final round of the 2014 Dubuque Tournament of Books, and the judges are weighing in on the final match-up. Will it be And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini or Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell? 

Judge: Marie
River Lights Bookstore

Like Sue, I have been spending an inordinate amount of time vacillating between Eleanor & Park and And the Mountains Echoed.  While I admit to not being the biggest fan of YA Fiction, Eleanor & Park engaged me.  I felt an emotional connection to the two teenagers and really did enjoy all the references to 80s literary culture, like Dicey Tillerman and everything Alan Moore.  And don't even get me started on The Smiths and Joy Division.  Eleanor & Park was heart-breaking and, at times, difficult to read, not because of the writing style, but because of the hurt and embarrassment felt by one of the titular characters.  It felt like a teen book that adults, especially those who came of age during the mid-80s, would thoroughly enjoy.

I have listened to some of the criticism over And the Mountains Echoed and, frankly, am having trouble relating to it.  I didn't find the vignettes difficult to weave into the larger story and, similarly, did not encounter difficulties keeping track of each character.  That being said, I do have a rather deep fondness for Russian literature and cut my teeth on Gabriel Garcia Marquez, so that may have had an impact.  I maintain that And the Mountains Echoed is one of the better stories I have read in some time, the effect of which is only beginning now to wear off.  While Eleanor & Park is an easier book to read, And the Mountains Echoed seemed to me to be worth the investment.

My vote is for And the Mountains Echoed, but, it should be noted, that it I favor it over Eleanor & Park by a very thin margin.

Bethany's Pick: Final Round of the Dubuque Tournament of Books

It's the final round of the 2014 Dubuque Tournament of Books, and the judges are weighing in on the final match-up. Will it be And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini or Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell?

Judge: Bethany
Finding Pins and Needles

Excerpt from Bethany's review of And the Mountains Echoed on Goodreads.
I have to give Hosseini props for orchestrating an intricate book; the number of characters, over many generations made the story very complex and a mystery of sorts. I respect a story teller that can devise a novel of this depth. Here comes the BUT... but in my eyes his talent is a double edged sword, or at least this particular execution of it. Half the time I was playing a "Guess Who" game. Who is this character? How do they relate to the story? By keeping so many of the character's relationship to the story obscure for such a lengthy amount of time, I found myself asking, "Why do I care about you?". Once I'd get comfortable with Who/What/When/Where, never-mind Why, Hosseini would move on to a new character and/or a different decade with no direction. My least favorite part of reading, is having to establish those basics at the start of a book, I want to be comfortable so I can delve into the meat of the story. I want to be entertained by a story (so sue me), and I didn't like being yanked around, having to restart without a compass. Less work, more play please.

Most importantly, with such a complexly orchestrated story, I expected a strong culmination, a crescendo to sum up the story. I wanted an "Aha!" moment, to make all the confusion worth while... or at minimum, a twist. Sadly, all I gleaned was a meandering of details that slowly and loosely tied together the characters by the end.

Bethany's review of Eleanor & Park on Goodreads.

Raw.
This story is raw. I felt like I was catapulted back to my teen years and the author exposed every insecurity, every thought process and every tiny wonder that is discovering love.

I haven’t read any reviews on this book, but I can’t be the only one who picked up on the Romeo & Juliet foreshadowing. In the story, the characters making such a deal of the ridiculousness and artificialness of Romeo and Juliet's love affair. There was such a parallel, not the death, but the tragedy of it all. This story is REAL tragedy. Sadly this tragedy is far more common than anyone wants to believe and far more authentic than the two star crossed lovers.

Besides being honest, I thought it was funny. A quote that made me laugh out loud, "He put his pen in his pocket, then took her hand and held it to his chest for a minute. It was the nicest thing she could imagine. It made her want to have his babies and give him both her kidneys." Stinkin' adorable.

The dialogue was poignant and gritty, I feel privileged to be let in on this secret love affair of Eleanor and Park.

My vote is for Eleanor & Park. 

Charleen's Pick: Final Round of the Dubuque Tournament of Books

It's the final round of the 2014 Dubuque Tournament of Books, and the judges are weighing in on the final match-up. Will it be And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini or Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell?

Judge: Charleen
Cheap Thrills 

When I finished Eleanor & Park, I just sat there, wondering...

Did I read the same book everyone else did?

Am I broken?

In the interest of full disclosure, I don't typically read contemporary YA; it's just not my thing. But I did really enjoy both Attachments and Fangirl, so I was expecting Rainbow Rowell to pull me in and make me love her characters yet again. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

Everyone else is saying how the book will make you think of your first love, and I guess it did that for me. I was a misfit. I know what it's like not to have friends. I know what it's like to suddenly have a boyfriend and wonder how it happened. I know what it's like to be so caught up in those new emotions. I remember all that. But the thing is, I felt like I was substituting my feelings and my memories of first love for theirs. I couldn't seem to care about Eleanor or Park, separately or together. I was moving through their story, but I couldn't get caught up in it.

I should have been a lot more invested in this book. It was so much closer to my own experience, and yet it didn't make me feel the way And the Mountains Echoed did. Hosseini's novel, as complex and challenging as it was, grabbed hold of me and didn't let go. And as much as I hate to say it, Eleanor & Park just fell flat for me.

My vote for the final round is for And the Mountains Echoed.

Sue's Pick: Final Round of the Dubuque Tournament of Books

It's the final round of the 2014 Dubuque Tournament of Books, and the judges are weighing in on the final match-up. Will it be And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini or Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell?

Judge: Sue
Clarke University

Boy, I wrestled with my decision all weekend.  I liked both books for different reasons.  Eleanor & Park was not a struggle to read at all and I could identify with it.  It was well written and interesting.  And the Mountains Echoed was a good read but at times a struggle to follow all the different story lines.  But, it was also a captivating story.  I had never read either authors before so I cannot compare either book with previous works.

That said, I am picking And the Mountains Echoed not because it was easy to read or follow but because I was able to experience a very different world through this book.  I felt like I was “there” with them at times.  I did have trouble figuring out how all the characters were connected which would be the main issue I had with this book.

At the heart of this book is a story about loss, tragedy, healing, and reconciliation.  And, how good intentions sometimes have catastrophic results.  Afghanistan is a sad place and stories like this where someone is so desperate for money he would sell a child, is not uncommon.  I am sure other children sold suffered far worse fates.  The desperation of the story is what touched me about this book and why I chose this one as the winner.

Bob's Pick: Final Round of the Dubuque Tournament of Books

It's the final round of the 2014 Dubuque Tournament of Books, and the judges are weighing in on the final match-up. Will it be And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini or Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell?

(Warning: Bob's review includes spoilers for And the Mountains Echoed)

Judge: Bob
Dubuque 365 Ink

My dear departed Irish Mother used to say that if I didn’t have anything nice to say then I should just shut the hell up. So, I won’t say too much about And the Mountains Echoed. The book was very well written but what he was trying to do with the structure was  very badly executed. Except for the first 50 pages or so, I was confused by all the characters. It’s a much different book than his first two. I have said this before in reviews I’ve done for 365inc; I DON’T LIKE SUICIDES AS A PLOT DEVICE. It’s pretty much a deal breaker for me. It tells me that the author can’t figure his way out of a corner he wrote himself into so let’s just kill her off. Nope. I’m not buying it.

And the Mountains Echoed had some stiff competition in Eleanor & Park so I have no sorrow in contributing “ATME” to the circular file.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, on the other hand, is a terrific book. I surprised myself by liking it as much as I did considering it’s an YA book and I don’t read too many of them. It’s the love story between two high school teenagers, both misfits and subject to abuse and bullying both at home and at school. 

Some of the reviews mention that it will make you think of the first time you fell in love. It did that for me but my situation turned out a lot different than the one in the book. My girl was very pretty and she turned out to be a viper, more commonly referred to by me as the Ice Witch From Hell. Well, it rhymes with “witch.” I got over it.

I had almost nothing in common with these two kids when I was in High School beyond the almost universal feeling of alienation felt by most kids their age. Catcher In The Rye was more like my story except I never knew anyone who killed themselves and I was never in a mental institution. But all that angst, you bet. I like very much how Eleanor and Park handled all the razzing at school, especially one incident that will make itself plainly evident when it occurs.

The story had to be constructed the way that it was to elicit the proper emotional response from an adolescent reader.  I generally don’t need to be beaten over the head with plot motivation. However, this was written, as I understand it, for the Young Adult reader who might need to have the obvious pointed out here and there. James Joyce and Thomas Pynchon don’t work their magic on most 16 year old high school students. Some yes, most no. For what it is, it’s almost perfect. Well written, three dimensional characters that I was rooting for all the way through the book, and the plot, such as it was, was real not contrived. I loved it.

I thought Eleanor & Park was a wonderful book consequently my vote goes to Eleanor & Park.

Becky's Pick: Final Round of the Dubuque Tournament of Books

It's the final round of the 2014 Dubuque Tournament of Books, and the judges are weighing in on the final match-up. Will it be And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini or Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell?

Judge: Becky
University of Dubuque 

I really wanted to like And The Mountains Echoed. I loved each little vignette of the story, but I struggled with the execution of how the book was constructed. I spent too much time each section trying to figure out how it fit with the previous stories. All the while I kept telling myself that I would figure it out eventually, but I just couldn’t stop picking it apart for details. By the time I reached the end I was emotionally drained both by the stories and the reading experience. I think this book suffered a bit of the too many; too much disorder. Too many characters, too many  vignettes, too many minor connections, too much time and space between opening and resolution, too much going on. I sobbed through A Thousand Splendid Suns but I just didn’t feel the same way about this book. I think emotionally I was spread too thin by the many plots lines early on, that by the end I couldn’t muster the right amount of depth for it to resonate.

Eleanor & Park hit more of those points and angles and emotions for me. The conversations and dialogues carry this book. The emotion in how they speak to each other (and what they don’t or can’t say) gives me depth to the story I don’t expect to get. I also like how Rainbow focuses on those little moments in a relationship. It’s not always the epic or grand gestures that are important. Sometimes it can just be holding hands, or letting someone in to your little world, or giving you batteries for a Walkman. Those are the points in time we remember. And Rainbow captures that and makes us nostalgic for those little moments even if (and especially when) the only seem to occur in a large context of hate, abuse, and sadness.

Eleanor & Park VS The Ocean at the End of the Lane: Dubuque Tournament of Books, round 3

We've reached the semi-finals of the Dubuque Tournament of Books, and there's still time for you to enter the prize drawing by submitting your guess for which book will win the Tournament.

Today's match-up is between Eleanore & Park by Rainbow Rowell and The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, and our judges are:

• Becky (University of Dubuque)
• Sue (Clarke University)
• Megan (Telegraph-Herald)
• and Bob (Dubuque 365Ink)

Click here to see the round 2 decision for Eleanor & Park.

Click here to see the round 2 decision for The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

Each week these decisions get tougher. Partially because of the books--Eleanor & Park and Ocean at the End of the Lane, also because of the number of judges--4 this round: Bob, Sue, Becky and Megan. We sat down, (ok sent emails) to decide which of these 2 award winning books (Printz Honor and British National Book Award winner respectively) should advance. Written by two amazingly talented and dynamic authors who have both written for YA and adult audiences, AND in both print and graphic formats (Rainbow will partner with Faith Erin Hicks on a pair of forthcoming graphic novels.), these two books are books to be reckoned with.

If you’re interested in learning more about the plots, check out the previous rounds’ reviews.   We decided to give you some of our favorite quotes from the books so you can sample the flavor of the books.

Eleanor & Park

“She saw him after seventh hour in a place she'd never seen him before, carrying a microscope down the hall on the third floor. It was at least twice as nice as seeing him somewhere she expected him to be.”

“If you don't want people to look at you, Park had thought at the time, don't wear fishing lures in your hair. Her jewelry box must look like a junk drawer.”

“Holding Eleanor's hand was like holding a butterfly. Or a heartbeat. Like holding something complete, and completely alive.”

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

“‘Nothing’s ever the same,’ she said. ‘Be it a second later or a hundred years. It’s always churning and roiling. And people change as much as oceans.’”

“Growing up, I took so many cues from books. They taught me most of what I knew about what people did, about how to behave. They were my teachers and my advisers.”

“Adults follow paths. Children explore. Adults are content to walk the same way, hundreds of times, or thousands; perhaps it never occurs to adults to step off the paths, to creep beneath rhododendrons, to find the spaces between fences.”

Now for the decision. It wasn’t an easy one, but in the end we decided to advance Eleanor & Park over Ocean at the End of the Lane. Here is some of our rationale:

• In Ocean, the reader never finds out where any of the supernatural beings really came from or what their motivation was.  I kept reading because I thought that at the end all would be explained. But, alas, the last pages really did not leave me with a tangible explanation.I chose Eleanor & Park over The Ocean at the End of the Lane because the story of Eleanor & Park was more engaging and had a better developed plot.  I was rooting for them both.  It was easy to like and relate to the characters in Eleanor & Park.
• I need to start by saying, I think I liked Ocean at the End of the Lane. I say I think because I’m still feeling a bit shortchanged by the book as a whole even a week after reading it. Gaimain asks so much of his readers with this one. He tells us children meander and adults move in straight lines. I have been accused many times of reading books ‘for’ children, but this book I just couldn’t read it ‘as a child’ like I felt Gaiman wanted from me. I wanted answers and a return on the emotional and mental investment I made in the book. Eleanor & Park required a lot emotionally as well, but it repaid its dividends in tears, hope, and a sense of nostalgia for a time I didn’t even really live through the first time. Any book that can make me nostalgic for batteries and my college discman has to win.
• Eleanor & Park is a terrific book. I surprised myself by liking it as much as I did. Some of the reviews mention that it will make you think of the first time you fell in love. It did that for me but my situation turned out a lot different than the one in the book. My girl was very pretty and she turned out to be a viper, more commonly referred to by me as the Ice Witch From Hell. Well, it rhymes with “witch.” I got over it.I really liked Eleanor & Park but not as much as I liked The Ocean at the End of the Lane. In this round I voted for Ocean. Unfortunately for me and the book, the other three judges voted for Eleanor & Park. So, with a heavy heart I have to wave goodbye to Ocean at the End of the Lane, one of the best books I’ve read all year.

And the Mountains Echoed VS The Husband's Secret: Dubuque Tournament of Books, round 3

We've reached the semi-finals of the Dubuque Tournament of Books, and there's still time for you to enter the prize drawing by submitting your guess for which book will win the Tournament.

Today's match-up is between And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini and The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty, and our judges are:

• Fran (River Lights Bookstore)
• Marie (River Lights Bookstore)
• Bethany (Finding Pins and Needles)
• and Charleen (Cheap Thrills)

Click here to see the round 2 decision for And the Mountains Echoed.
Click here to see the round 2 decision for The Husband's Secret.

If you ask a hundred different people what they thought of a book, you'll get a hundred different responses. We may all be reading the same words, but we bring to those words a piece of ourselves and come away with a reaction that is entirely unique.

As you might imagine, when you ask four judges to compare two books, trying to take all of our opinions and arrive at a single decision is a challenge.

So first, here are some of our reactions:

And the Mountains Echoed

“I want to be entertained by a story (so sue me), and I didn't like being yanked around, having to restart without a compass.”

“I find the novel itself to be intricate and beautiful. It grabbed my attention at the outset and still stands as one of my favorite recent reads.”

“I thought I was the only one feeling like I was leaping from decade to decade and spending time trying to figure out the characters.”

“Hosseini made me forget I was reading a book. Those are the books I want to read.”

The Husband’s Secret

“I liked The Husband's Secret although it made me nervous at times.”

“Despite my misgivings, I couldn’t stop turning the pages.”

“This may be the more accessible novel, but I feel it is ultimately forgettable.”

“It built a puzzle with multiple characters converging and successfully pulled together with the crescendo that I enjoy.”


These excerpts from our conversations should give you an idea of just how varied our opinions were. In the end, we had one strong vote for The Husband’s Secret, two strong votes for And the Mountains Echoed, and one judge who “could go either way.”

The two novels are very different, but as Marie points out, they both deal with the decisions we make when faced with tough situations, and how, even when reacting with love, our missteps have consequences. Thinking about that it's rather fitting that these two came up against each other in the tournament.

Either book will take you on a compelling journey. Which one you think is better will come down to personal preference. But our choice to advance to the final round is And the Mountains Echoed.

Eleanor & Park VS The Rosie Project: Dubuque Tournament of Books, round 2

This week we'll be posting the judges' decisions for the second round of the 2nd Annual Dubuque Tournament of Books. To see an overview of the judges and contestants, check out this blog post. To see why Becky selected Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell in the first round, click here. To see why Sue selected The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion in the first round, click here.

Judges: Becky and Sue
University of Dubuque and Clarke University (respectively)

In the spirit of Don Tillman, the main character in The Rosie Project, who was always making lists based on his sometimes odd preferences, we decided to see how Eleanor & Park stacks up against The Rosie Project using our favorite criteria for books!

One point for each criteria that is met:

Criteria (Becky and Sue)	E&P	TRP
Witty one line reviews	X	X
Characters go on a trip--preferably a road trip		X
Characters that have pets
A structural plot device
Graphs and charts to explain complicated plots
Provide a musical playlist	X
Last page of the book is an even number	X
Edited by David Levithan
Author has brown hair	X	X
Characters have pronounable and non-ridiculous names	X	X
An index
Use footnotes--even in fiction
Acronyms are used frequently		X
Create intelligent, strong-willed, quick-witted leads	X	X
Weather is part of the plot
Graphic cover	X	X
One of the sub-characters keeps a diary		X
Snarky best friend/minor character		X
Recipes for the meals they eat in the book

If we tally up the votes, it’s 9-7. But that doesn’t seem right. After some discussion, we both agree that Eleanor & Park should win this round. Maybe if we split it up by reviewer: Becky’s 5-4. Sue’s 4-3 with The Rosie Project still wins both. I think the lesson we learn here is the same one that Don does in The Rosie Project, objectivity is a great approach in science, but maybe not so much in the area of love. Books are more than just the sum of their component parts. The Rosie Project has lots of the characteristics we were looking for, but Eleanor & Park has that little something we didn’t know we wanted. Or didn’t know was exactly what we needed.

When finding a wife or picking a book, I think we all agree that you’ve got to let the heart decide. And these hearts pick Eleanor & Park!

Relish VS And the Mountains Echoed: Dubuque Tournament of Books, round 2

This week we'll be posting the judges' decisions for the second round of the 2nd Annual Dubuque Tournament of Books. To see an overview of the judges and contestants, check out this blog post. To see why Fran selected Relish by Lucy Knisley in the first round, click here. To see why Marie selected And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini in the first round, click here.

Judges: Fran and Marie
River Lights Bookstore
Relish was a quick read and we both enjoyed its humor and colorful cartoon-like illustrations. It was engaging but, of course, lacking in depth because it dealt with a very young person’s look back at her childhood experiences. We chose And the Mountains Echoed as our winner. The author’s strong storytelling style, the complex structure of the story, and the heartrending choices that the characters must make held our interest. This novel makes you think about family relationships and how they play into decision making. And the Mountains Echoed can’t really be described as an enjoyable novel, but it is certainly thought-provoking. 

Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker VS The Ocean at the End of the Lane: Dubuque Tournament of Books, round 2

This week we'll be posting the judges' decisions for the second round of the 2nd Annual Dubuque Tournament of Books. To see an overview of the judges and contestants, check out this blog post. To see why Megan selected Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini in the first round, click here. To see why Bob selected The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman in the first round, click here.

Judge: Megan
Telegraph-Herald
Just as it was difficult for me to choose my two first-round reads, Orphan Train and Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker, it was equally difficult for me to compare the latter with The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker and The Ocean at the End of the Lane were such contrasting books in terms of genre alone, it seemed unfair to place one over the other.

Yet, while I adored Jennifer Chiaverini's historic depiction of an unlikely friendship in Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker, I found the imagery and almost other-worldliness of Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane entrancing a thrill to lose myself in. It was a very difficult book to put down, and parts of it stayed with me for days after reading it. It was so cleverly crafted. You just had to discover what was going to happen next, as each new fantasy unraveled as you continued on the journey.

My favorite part about it was that it truly was a book that sparked your imagination. And, the more daring the imaginer, the more the story seemed to come alive through its various illusions.

Judge: Bob
Dubuque 365Ink
This was a no brainer for me. In the first round The Ocean at the End of the Lane was paired up with a book of short stories and in round two it is paired up with another novel. It would seem to be a little easier to compare. These two books are from different genres so; it does get a little dicey.

A few things made my vote for The Ocean at the End of the Lane quite easy.

I am a Lincoln nut and I have been since I was in grammar school. Abe, along with most of the characterizations came off very flat. They were not well rounded three dimensional characters to me and I would have thought that it would have taken some doing to make Abe Lincoln seem wooden.

The historical parts of the book were written in such a way that they called to mind other books that covered the events surrounding the Civil War in the Lincoln family much better than Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker.

The Dressmaker, Elizabeth Keckley, from the title of the book, should have been the major character in the novel. As it was the book should have been called “Mrs. Lincoln Uses A Dressmaker.” The book was much more about Mrs. Lincoln than Mrs. Keckley.

For me that last nail in the coffin was how much Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker took from a memoir that Mrs. Keckley wrote and published in 1868. The Memoir is available on Amazon for free [Librarian's note: Carnegie-Stout also has copies of her memoir available in print and eBook form]. I downloaded it and read it alongside Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker. I was appalled how much was taken from the memoir and included in Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker. Whole pages at a time were copied verbatim. Now, the memoir is, indeed, in the Public Domain. In short that means it is out of copyright protection so what the author of Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker did was not illegal but I have to call into question her ethics. The Memoir, itself, was riveting. If you feel like investigating the dressmaker that worked for Mrs. Lincoln, read Elizabeth Keckley's memoir, Behind the Scenes in the Lincoln White House, instead.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane wins hands down.