{"id":13507,"date":"2012-03-20T11:45:40","date_gmt":"2012-03-20T16:45:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=13507"},"modified":"2012-03-20T11:39:50","modified_gmt":"2012-03-20T16:39:50","slug":"review-the-westing-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/03\/review-the-westing-game\/","title":{"rendered":"Beware the Players, Beware the Game (Review: “The Westing Game”)"},"content":{"rendered":"

And now for something completely different. Although I have used my other two reviews this Lent to recommend good spiritual reading (Theology for Beginners<\/em><\/a> and No Man Is an Island<\/em><\/a>), not all of my ACNM reviews are of specifically Catholic or Christian books. I genuinely believe that, although it’s important to put God first in our lives, we have to be “in the world and not of it” by actually jumping into the world every now and then. I also have to return to young adult literature (YA) sometimes, because that’s still where my heart is.<\/p>\n

Although many adults shy away from reading books written for kids, most recognize that Newbery Medal<\/a> winners are exceptional by definition. Dicey’s Song<\/em><\/a>, Jacob Have I Loved<\/em><\/a>, and Holes<\/em><\/a> definitely have crossover appeal. A lesser-known companion of theirs on the Newbery list<\/a> is The Westing Game<\/em><\/a>, by Ellen Raskin. It won in 1979, so I almost missed out because it was before my time, but I’m so glad I wandered across it in a real, honest-to-goodness bookstore one day. It’s a mystery that isn’t even over once you’ve solved it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

photo by dave<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

The premise of the novel seems simple, but it’s a mystery, so you know nothing is quite what it seems. Sixteen people, all residents of the same newly-opened Michigan apartment building, are named heirs to the fortune of Samuel W. Westing. They include a judge, a restaurateur, a doctor, a bomber, a thief, and a bookie—and some of those are the same people. All are competing to win the $200 million windfall as they play the game laid out in Westing’s enigmatic will. But one of the competitors is a mistake, and one of them just might be Westing’s murderer: but who?<\/p>\n

The key to Raskin’s book is that she leaves the complexity of her story to the plot. It reads quickly, but not without perfectly spaced clues and the occasional SAT word (I spotted obsequious!) to keep you entertained. As with all great mysteries, the second reading is as enchanting as the first, because you can fill in all the clues as the story rolls along. That bomber keeps the action from getting too slow, and once you’ve figured out what happened to Westing, you’ll find yourself flipping around like a crazy woman trying to find what you missed. Then again, maybe that last part is just me.<\/p>\n

If you’re looking for a light but satisfying read of literary merit, The Westing Game<\/em> is for you. It will make you look closer at everyone, but I’d do it, too, if $200 million was on the line.<\/p>\n

Up next: Sinner<\/em><\/a>, the autobiography of Lino Rulli<\/a>, the Catholic Guy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

And now for something completely different. Although I have used my other two reviews this Lent to recommend good spiritual reading (Theology for Beginners and No Man Is an Island), not all of my ACNM reviews are of specifically Catholic or Christian books. I genuinely believe that, although it’s important to put God first in… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,87],"tags":[163,675,586],"class_list":["post-13507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-blog","category-reviews","tag-books","tag-mysteries","tag-ya","entry","has-post-thumbnail"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9397,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/01\/review-catching-fire\/","url_meta":{"origin":13507,"position":0},"title":"The Heat Is On (Review: “Catching Fire”)","author":"Lindsay Wilcox","date":"January 24, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"While I was home for Christmas, I saw Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows with my mom and sister. I loved it. It was one of the best sequels I've ever seen, because it didn't strictly require knowledge of the first movie, but it built beautifully on what had been\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/3487349434_95f7e3b6d6_z-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":127473,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/07\/running-slowly-up-the-ramp-review-unsouled\/","url_meta":{"origin":13507,"position":1},"title":"Running Slowly Up the Ramp (Review: “UnSouled”)","author":"Lindsay Wilcox","date":"July 7, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"It takes incredible skill to be a master storyteller. After Unwind and even UnWholly, I would have easily put Neal Shusterman on that list. I read UnSouled, though, so I'm withholding final judgment for now. I'm not as encouraged to keep reading, but I'm glad I did. I have to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"\"It never ceases to amaze [him] how far society will go to protect the children it loves and to discard the ones it doesn't.\" \u2014Unsouled, by Neal Shusterman","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/acnm_unsouled.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10954,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/02\/flying-high-and-falling-fast-review-mockingjay\/","url_meta":{"origin":13507,"position":2},"title":"Flying High and Falling Fast (Review: “Mockingjay”)","author":"Lindsay Wilcox","date":"February 7, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Dear readers, the end has arrived. That is, the end of this series of reviews has arrived. I dove back into the Hunger Games trilogy at the beginning of this calendar year, and I shared that journey with you all in my reviews of The Hunger Games and of Catching\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/5352714093_1b38eb8dd8-292x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":219129,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/03\/review-undivided\/","url_meta":{"origin":13507,"position":3},"title":"The Last Stand (Review: UnDivided)","author":"Lindsay Wilcox","date":"March 1, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"It's bittersweet when a journey comes to an end. I loved the ending of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I was sad to watch that chapter of my life (pun intended) come to an end, but I was very satisfied. I feel the same way about UnDivided, the final\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Statue of Liberty","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/statue-of-liberty-pixabay-550x309.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/statue-of-liberty-pixabay-550x309.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/statue-of-liberty-pixabay-550x309.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8251,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2011\/12\/presbyterian-lies-and-literary-truths-review-the-wednesday-wars\/","url_meta":{"origin":13507,"position":4},"title":"Presbyterian Lies and Literary Truths (Review: “The Wednesday Wars”)","author":"Lindsay Wilcox","date":"December 13, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"As a happy Catholic who is involved in media, I try to keep my ears open for positive portrayals of religion in any setting: movies, television, and especially books. Religion in literature tends to be more honest than movies or TV. It's very easy to toss a cross around a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/3698749532_f48e0199d2-300x199.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":33349,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/01\/review-messenger\/","url_meta":{"origin":13507,"position":5},"title":"How to Really Fight Evil (Review: “Messenger”)","author":"Lindsay Wilcox","date":"January 22, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I am a sucker for a series. I love Harry Potter, and I used to love The Baby-sitters Club, and I'm really only still watching Glee because I have a great gift for the virtue of hope and I hope it will eventually be good again. Somewhere deep down, though,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Imagine this, but more sinister. (photo by Moyan Brenn)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/5481298041_62e168c5a6_z-300x206.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13507"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13507\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}