Reviews
Done some amazing reading lately.
Three Junes by Julia Glass. I read The Whole World Over first and liked her plot line enough, though character development wasn't 100% successful for me, in that I couldn't relate to her main het female character. I didn't know there would be crossover story in Three Junes. I loved that there was. And the main het female character was one I could *completely* relate to. But it was, of course, Fenno's story that rocked my world. This novel is exquisitely written. She leaves an unanswered mystery regarding Paul that tickles, unresolved, at the end, but the way the other story lines come together, the way every character regardless of gender or sexual orientation was clear and real, was remarkable. She writes excellent and varied gay men. This novel blew my hair back. I will continue to read whatever she writes.
Giraffe by JM Ledgard was an amazing read. It's by a Brit and takes place in and is almost 100% narrated by Chechoslovakians in the early 1970s. The book is so infused with Chech culture and nuance that I am sure a clear 40% of the intended meanings go over my head, unnoticed, because of my relative ignorance on all things eastern european... and yet, the writing - which is very magical realism eastern euro style - completely worked, hooked me all the way in. The story is narrated by a scientist, a communist factory worker, a communist hunter/sharpshooter, and a giraffe, an African giraffe, among others... and there are several completely surreal sequences in which the descriptive language leaves the 3D world I live in... and yet, it totally worked. The novel is set just after communist takeover of Chechoslovakia, and the narrators and other characters vary greatly in their personal feelings towards "the Communist Moment", which along with the narrator giraffe, is a primary character of the novel. This book is exquisitely written - did I say that already? And I didn't read the dust jacket, so I didn't know it was based on true events until after I read the whole book. Sad, sad, sad, gorgeousness, and historical fiction all rolled into one book. I would definitely read other novels by Ledgard. This is pure genius, heartwrenchingly sad genius.
And, saving my favorite for last, I read Cormac McCarthy Ok, I grant that I'm slow and I admit this is the first McCarthy I've ever picked up. May I say I have a new favorite writer?!!!!! This is the most brilliant writing I've come across in while. The elegance of its spareness, the brilliance of conciseness, the abundant economy, the exuberant imagination, the exhaustive attention to detail... Oh My God. SPOILER ALERT skip next sentence if you have not read this novel!!!!!! That there was a bright light at the end of this tunnel surprised the shit out of me, and I was so grateful because I thought while reading it that suicide might be the only way to finish reading this novel, SO BLEAK!!!! SO REALISTICALLY FORETELLING AND GRIM... This novel was so horrifying that it scared me more than almost any book I've ever read. I could not put it down. I want to read this guy's grocery lists.
Three Junes by Julia Glass. I read The Whole World Over first and liked her plot line enough, though character development wasn't 100% successful for me, in that I couldn't relate to her main het female character. I didn't know there would be crossover story in Three Junes. I loved that there was. And the main het female character was one I could *completely* relate to. But it was, of course, Fenno's story that rocked my world. This novel is exquisitely written. She leaves an unanswered mystery regarding Paul that tickles, unresolved, at the end, but the way the other story lines come together, the way every character regardless of gender or sexual orientation was clear and real, was remarkable. She writes excellent and varied gay men. This novel blew my hair back. I will continue to read whatever she writes.
Giraffe by JM Ledgard was an amazing read. It's by a Brit and takes place in and is almost 100% narrated by Chechoslovakians in the early 1970s. The book is so infused with Chech culture and nuance that I am sure a clear 40% of the intended meanings go over my head, unnoticed, because of my relative ignorance on all things eastern european... and yet, the writing - which is very magical realism eastern euro style - completely worked, hooked me all the way in. The story is narrated by a scientist, a communist factory worker, a communist hunter/sharpshooter, and a giraffe, an African giraffe, among others... and there are several completely surreal sequences in which the descriptive language leaves the 3D world I live in... and yet, it totally worked. The novel is set just after communist takeover of Chechoslovakia, and the narrators and other characters vary greatly in their personal feelings towards "the Communist Moment", which along with the narrator giraffe, is a primary character of the novel. This book is exquisitely written - did I say that already? And I didn't read the dust jacket, so I didn't know it was based on true events until after I read the whole book. Sad, sad, sad, gorgeousness, and historical fiction all rolled into one book. I would definitely read other novels by Ledgard. This is pure genius, heartwrenchingly sad genius.
And, saving my favorite for last, I read Cormac McCarthy Ok, I grant that I'm slow and I admit this is the first McCarthy I've ever picked up. May I say I have a new favorite writer?!!!!! This is the most brilliant writing I've come across in while. The elegance of its spareness, the brilliance of conciseness, the abundant economy, the exuberant imagination, the exhaustive attention to detail... Oh My God. SPOILER ALERT skip next sentence if you have not read this novel!!!!!! That there was a bright light at the end of this tunnel surprised the shit out of me, and I was so grateful because I thought while reading it that suicide might be the only way to finish reading this novel, SO BLEAK!!!! SO REALISTICALLY FORETELLING AND GRIM... This novel was so horrifying that it scared me more than almost any book I've ever read. I could not put it down. I want to read this guy's grocery lists.