Never give an inch
Finally finished Sometimes a Great Notion. I think I started reading it like...a year ago? I'm not even sure. It might not have been that long ago, but I'm quite certain I started it at least a month or so before we moved, so maybe Oct.? Anyway, I'm amazed I finished it, because usually if it takes me that long to get into a book, I never reach the last page.
Despite the extremely slow start, the last 250 pages or so went fast. That's when the plot picked up. And I found that I really enjoyed the book. During the last 20 pages, I got that feeling of sadness that you sometimes get at the end of a great book, when you don't want it to end because you feel so invested in the characters.
It's really an epic story, but what I think Kesey captured best is Oregon, and its people, and how the place affects people in ways they aren't always even aware of. There were so many moments when he would describe a scene or a sound or a feeling or the weather and I found myself going, "YES. I know exactly what he's talking about." And I haven't even been in Oregon that long (relatively), but I could still identify with a lot of it.
I'm not sure why this book isn't more widely recognized as a classic. I guess the style is a bit obtuse at times (hello '60s influence) and it's on the possibly-overly-long side, but still. If I ever wrote a book like that, I'd probably just call it a day and retire when I was done.
Despite the extremely slow start, the last 250 pages or so went fast. That's when the plot picked up. And I found that I really enjoyed the book. During the last 20 pages, I got that feeling of sadness that you sometimes get at the end of a great book, when you don't want it to end because you feel so invested in the characters.
It's really an epic story, but what I think Kesey captured best is Oregon, and its people, and how the place affects people in ways they aren't always even aware of. There were so many moments when he would describe a scene or a sound or a feeling or the weather and I found myself going, "YES. I know exactly what he's talking about." And I haven't even been in Oregon that long (relatively), but I could still identify with a lot of it.
I'm not sure why this book isn't more widely recognized as a classic. I guess the style is a bit obtuse at times (hello '60s influence) and it's on the possibly-overly-long side, but still. If I ever wrote a book like that, I'd probably just call it a day and retire when I was done.