I thought this book was unappealing and the ending was gimmicky. I'm still not sure what the point was other than to make fun of middle aged men and their self-involved pomposity. I found particularly annoying the sections in which we have to listen to Clive trying to compose his latest symphony. Writing about music is not one of McEwan's strengths and I think it takes an unique author to be able to write about a very visual or auditory art form and not make it dull as cold toast.Stella assures me that McEwan's Black Dogs is worth reading and I liked Saturday so I'll give it a try. I also haven't read Atonement yet and a number of people I know have praised it.
And now Grumpy Kate would like you to send me some fiction recommendations so that I don't have to start the New Year off reading sucky books.
4 comments:
Some ideas:
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell (Susana Clarke)
So Big (Edna Ferber)
To Say Nothing of the Dog (Connie Willis; though I don't know if you like Science Fiction or not)
The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
You can always wade through Snow (Orhan Pamuk) with me, though I'm not necessarily enjoying it. I don't know if it's me or the book, yet, though.
A couple of my faves from the last few years are:
The Shadow of the Wind (Carlos Ruiz Zafon)
Oryx and Crake (Margaret Atwood)
The Dogs of Babel (Carolyn Parkhurst)
Ahab's Wife (Sena Jeter Naslund)
And Jonathan Stange and Mr. Norrell (Susanna Clarke)-- Although, to be fair, my husband is reading this right now and is not impressed. It IS a little slow at the beginning, but picks up nicely.
~ Jen (recipient of freebie books!)
I just finished _Arc of Justice_ by Kevin Boyle. It's not fiction, but it is wonderful! A must read.
I also recommend Coetzee's new book, _Slow Man_, _The Historian_ (which I liked even though I generally eschew Vampire fiction), and Julie Orringer's short story collection, _How to Breate Underwater_.
Robertson Davies writes AMAZINGLY about music and visual art, and especially about the process of artistic creation. Try the Cornish trilogy if you haven't already read it.
Post a Comment