The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett (January book club): My first foray into authentic detective fiction by a giant of the genre. No doubt such novels heavily influenced contemporary mysteries and novels of suspense. In fact, I wondered if Dan Brown's rapidly paced, super-short chapters are a nod to Hammett's style.
The Thin Man brought the era of prohibition to life, and many of the characters were reminiscent of the wealthy, careless, and laconic individuals that people F. Scott Fitzgerald's novels. It was an enjoyable read, and I appreciated the world it brought to life, but I did not find it particularly compelling in character, style, or plot. Perhaps it is too soon to draw this conclusion, but I don't think this genre really resonates with my literary tastes. One of these days, I'll read
The Maltese Falcon and something by Chandler to confirm (or overturn) my impression.
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (February book club selection): Utterly engrossing. The nested narratives are beautifully woven, and the levels of storytelling that unfold are gripping. The characters--many damaged and some downright disturbing--and their atmospheric world sink into you as you lose yourself in the skillfully crafted passages. The novel manages to be both Gothic and contemporary, outlandish and real. The powerful tale grapples with the themes of identity, loss, violence, healing, origins, madness, life, death, and the spectral realm in between. It explores a plethora of relationships: between parents and children, siblings (in particular twins), writers and their work, readers and books, storytellers and their audience, doctors and patients, guardians and their charges, strangers and friends. At the core of the novel is the conflict between people's internal imperative to search out elusive truths and the necessity of storytelling (which some see as lies) to make sense of our personal histories. There is a beautiful symmetry in the narrative, but it is a complex symmetry that is multiplied, reflected, and refracted a dozen times. This is a novel that moved me, made me think, and left me with a profound respect for the author. Upon finishing the last page, my thought was that I'd like to reread the book again because knowing what happens at the end will surely provide a lens that will throw into relief many details and subtleties missed during the initial read.
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott. I picked up this book while perusing the writing section at my library. In the flotsam and jetsam of my memory, a glow of recognition emerged when I saw the title. I think an undergraduate classmate had mentioned the book to me years ago. Since I'd been planning on writing more, it seemed like a good way to start getting in that frame of mind. The book is an easy, enjoyable read. I like its conversational and humorous approach, and it feels good to be reading about writing... it's like I'm slowly finding my way back to membership in a long-neglected club that's always been hovering in my mind and heart...
The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett (January book club): My first foray into authentic detective fiction by a giant of the genre. No doubt such novels heavily influenced contemporary mysteries and novels of suspense. In fact, I wondered if Dan Brown's rapidly paced, super-short chapters are a nod to Hammett's style. The Thin Man brought the era of prohibition to life, and many of the characters were reminiscent of the wealthy, careless, and laconic individuals that people F. Scott Fitzgerald's novels. It was an enjoyable read, and I appreciated the world it brought to life, but I did not find it particularly compelling in character, style, or plot. Perhaps it is too soon to draw this conclusion, but I don't think this genre really resonates with my literary tastes. One of these days, I'll read The Maltese Falcon and something by Chandler to confirm (or overturn) my impression.
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (February book club selection): Utterly engrossing. The nested narratives are beautifully woven, and the levels of storytelling that unfold are gripping. The characters--many damaged and some downright disturbing--and their atmospheric world sink into you as you lose yourself in the skillfully crafted passages. The novel manages to be both Gothic and contemporary, outlandish and real. The powerful tale grapples with the themes of identity, loss, violence, healing, origins, madness, life, death, and the spectral realm in between. It explores a plethora of relationships: between parents and children, siblings (in particular twins), writers and their work, readers and books, storytellers and their audience, doctors and patients, guardians and their charges, strangers and friends. At the core of the novel is the conflict between people's internal imperative to search out elusive truths and the necessity of storytelling (which some see as lies) to make sense of our personal histories. There is a beautiful symmetry in the narrative, but it is a complex symmetry that is multiplied, reflected, and refracted a dozen times. This is a novel that moved me, made me think, and left me with a profound respect for the author. Upon finishing the last page, my thought was that I'd like to reread the book again because knowing what happens at the end will surely provide a lens that will throw into relief many details and subtleties missed during the initial read.
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott. I picked up this book while perusing the writing section at my library. In the flotsam and jetsam of my memory, a glow of recognition emerged when I saw the title. I think an undergraduate classmate had mentioned the book to me years ago. Since I'd been planning on writing more, it seemed like a good way to start getting in that frame of mind. The book is an easy, enjoyable read. I like its conversational and humorous approach, and it feels good to be reading about writing... it's like I'm slowly finding my way back to membership in a long-neglected club that's always been hovering in my mind and heart...
2 comments:
You know...it's strange how these things happen. I was at a writing conference at UCLA last weekend, and one of the panelists, Barbara Abercrombie, mentioned Bird by Bird, and it's also linked on her blog. And then, I see it mentioned on your site. It's like the llama thing all over again! It's everywhere, it's everywhere! Barbara's blog: (http://writingtime.typepad.com/).
Great minds and all that! ;) How cool that you attended the UCLA writing conference! I went to the UCLA Writer's Fair last fall and found it both informative and inspiring. =)
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