Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Millions

Boyce, Frank Cottrell.2004. Millions.

Anthony and Damian are brothers who find a bag full of money in their yard that seemed to just fly right into their hands. The money was bound for destruction--on a train on its way to be burned. But it still seems a bit too good to be true. Damian, a bit more naive than his brother, thinks it’s a sign from God. Anthony is suspicious about where the money came from. But both want to spend the money and keep it a secret. Thus begins MILLIONS. The novel is a book about how money changes people. About how money changes the way you view people, and how people then view you. Damien, ever pure at heart, is the only one who remains virtually unchanged by money. He wants to use the money for the greater good. He wants to feed the poor and house the homeless. He wants to build wells in third-world countries. He wants to change the world. His brother is more interested in buying things. Expensive things. The plot gets rather complicated towards the end, but overall, Millions is an interesting read.
Is it possible to like the style of the book, but not the book itself? To love the flow of the sentences. The language. The rhythm. The uniqueness of it. I was really liking this book up until a certain point. I was about three-fourths through the novel, when it started getting old.
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For example, when the boys start trying to protect their money and suspecting all the adults in their lives of being the thief. Conspiracy theories run rampant, but it wasn’t always clear to this reader if the theories had any truth to them...or if they were all lies. I was confused about who was actually after the money. Was it Dorothy??? Or did he imagine her being the bad guy? And what was up with him ‘seeing’ his mother? Was she dead or not??? What was up with that? I know he was seeing visions and all that through the novel, but exactly why???? Anyway, if I could have left the novel understanding some of these unanswered questions, I would have still ‘really liked’ it. As it is, I still enjoyed it. Maybe rereading it will help some if I ever choose to go back.

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