Update and Clockwork Angel

[lady_schrapnell]

Well, despite another trip to A&E, which was very quick and very useless, one to the GP, which involved a life-threatening entry and exit for the crutch-bound Becca, and one to the hospital joint & bone clinic (don't think the J&BC would have been explanatory enough) which was extremely long and very painful, a total of 6 taxi trips, 8 x-rays and

Comments

[semyaza]

Oh dear. I must confess that I couldn't manage her first trilogy (or perhaps I'm morally incapable of reading anything by Claire/Clare) but I put a hold on Clockwork Angel at the library. I'll remove it. The book would obviously drive me round the bend.

[lady_schrapnell]

I don't think there was too much selecting of unrepresentative cr-- uh, I don't think I selected unrepresentative passages from the book! So, yes, probably not going to be your cup of tea.

I'm guessing that you read the fanfic before the trilogy, from your use of Claire. I didn't, but I was thinking about that when all the references to other novels kept cropping up in Clockwork Angel. It's sort of interesting if you compare it to the allusions to other novels in books like What Katy Did, but those were so naturally woven in, and were books that the readers would know. Is it at all analogous to fanfic? The number of teens today who'd have read - or even heard of - The Lamplighter I'd imagine is very, very small, and then the purpose of making the allusion seems shifted from the kind of conversation between books lovers you get to a -- I don't know. Showing off, maybe? Or perhaps it's just a clumsy attempt to make Tessa seem just like her readers only "Look how Victorian!". I'm not sure at all, but it is odd.

[semyaza]

I read her fanfic 'back in the day'. I find that when you know too much about a published author's beginnings in fandom it's hard to read with a straight face. :D

But setting aside my unfair bias -- the best way to be Victorian is to be Victorian. I'd vote for 'clumsy attempt' although, as you say, who now has heard of The Lamplighter? It's not clear to me, from the passage you cited, what The Lamplighter has to do with girls raised by wealthy protectors.

On the subject of Neo-Victorian fiction -- have you read this?

[lady_schrapnell]

That Little Professor post is wonderful! Thank you for that! It'll be fun to see how many adaptations are needed in order to make it YA.

[semyaza]

The Little Professor is one of my favourite blogs. Until I read that post, I thought I was the only one to notice those things about Neo-Victorian fiction. I'd be interested to know if what she says is even truer for YA.