Like Glass by Matthew Cory - Noontime Book Chat - day 5

Welcome to Day 5 of our Noontime Book Chat - the featured book this week is Like Glass by Matthew Cory. If you missed out this week, please visit the follow blogs who are also in on this great chat:

Monday: J. Kaye's Book Blog
Tuesday: Socrates' Book Reviews
Wednesday: A Blog of Books
Thursday: Things We Read
Friday: Café of Dreams

I have to say that I really loved this book and find Mr. Cory's debut to be excellent. His follow up work, Shattered, promises to be just as engrossing as Like Glass.

The following is my review for Like Glass:

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Like Glass is Matthew Cory's debut novel and I have to say that it packs a powerful punch. This is a story which focuses on three main people - Rob, his brother Bill, and "the girl that comes between the brothers", Janet. Like Glass is a tale of innocent youth, one fateful night and eight years of emotional anguish and torment.

Rob and Janet meet, fall instantly in love, only to have that love shattered by Rob's brother, Bill. After one night of intoxicated unfaithfulness, Rob's heart is ripped out and later torn to shreds when he finds out that Janet is pregnant and her and Bill are married.

Eight years pass, with Rob's heart filled with anger and hatred for those he once thought he could trust. Then a tragedy occurs, bringing Rob back to Janet. It is a struggle when the two reunite, an aura of anger between them. It is not long, until yet another unthinkable incident occurs, bringing them closer together. Rob is finally able to forgive his brother and see past those eight years of heartache. Life finally seems to be back on track again, when a collision course for disaster once again takes place.

Like Glass is the perfect combination of humor, humility and drama. It draws the reader in and doesn't let up its grip, even when the final page has been turned. The story begins with the innocence of love, which is soon shrouded in darkness, until the light of love and peace are once again found. However, an unexpected twist occurs, cloaking the unsuspecting within its tormented and devious folds, leaving just a small glimmer of light fighting its way to get through the tiniest of tears.

In all honesty, I became emotionally entranced within the pages of Like Glass. My heart breaking and leaving behind a lingering ache, as these incredibly strong characters are left to endure so much. Mr. Cory paints a vivid picture with his words as he brings his characters to life and wraps the reader within his story. Without spoiling anything, I have to say that Mr. Cory's writing is a bit reminiscent of Nicolas Sparks, at least to my thinking. This is especially true for me, where the ending is concerned.

It takes a great writer to invoke strong emotions within a reader and I feel that Matthew Cory has accomplished just that with Like Glass. Mr Cory's use of *blinks* with Rob, while he is trying to cope with the unthinkable, are very clever and well thought out. His characters are believable and the transitions between scenes are very smooth. I feel that Matthew Cory shows great talent and I anxiously await future works by him.

As a final thought, I must say that knowing there is a sequel to Like Glass on the horizon, helps a bit after having all perception of how the ending would play out completely shattered into shards of glass. This is not to say that the ending is bad, it just leaves behind a lump in your throat and possibly a trail of tears behind.

I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a great read - just be prepared to have a box of Kleenex handy. Like Glass is not a heavy read, by far, but a very emotional one.

*overall rating 4.5/5

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I really found myself disliking Rob's brother Bill in the beginning. I think I actually placed blame on him more than on Janet for what happened. However, as I got deeper into the story, I found my dislike for Bill gradually residing. It was almost like a slow forgiveness, as Rob goes through the same process.

With Like Glass, I found myself very emotionally entrapped within it's pages. Matthew's writing brought me easily into, not only the story, but the character's lives. The ending completely blew me away and I am very anxious to hear what others think of the ending.

I am lucky enough to have a copy of Shattered before my happy little eyes. However since it is in PDF form, it is going to take me a bit longer to read. I have been printing out several pages at a time and that helps greatly. With Like Glass, I had an actual copy of the book and I know that by reading what others have said about PDF format, that can alter ones perspective on a book. However, I am not finding that happening at all with Shattered.

That leads me to a quick question on how the format of a book affects a reader. When you have a book in PDF form or eform, do you feel that does truly alter your perspective on the book and it's story? Do you think that you would feel differently about a story in a different format? Just curious!

For those who have not yet read Matthew's book, Like Glass, I highly and truly recommend doing so. I know I have been lacking greatly in this week's chat, but that is completely my own fault, not the book's. I can't wait to hear other people's thoughts!

Have a great weekend and don't forget to relax with a great book!!