What Book Did You Read Last Night??? (6 Viewers)

[Cryptid]

[ spoiler ] The plot. [ / spoiler ]

Without the spaces.

 

[David Kronenbourg]

cheers buffalo. right,

Spoiler

who's to say the family didn't butcher the boy and make a stew out of his brains? huh?

 

[Unicron]

you use spoiler tags

Spoiler

Like this...

Was sure when The Man got sick that he was going to kill The Boy to save him from the people who might do horrible things to him.

All the same I saw the end as just delaying the inevitable and that something would eventually get him. Even with his new family.

 

[David Kronenbourg]

Spoiler

cheers

 

[Cryptid]

Spoiler

Hi. Towards teh end, he mentions some plant thingy which is growing by the road (oddly enough), which is maybe an indication of some sort of renewal.

My problem is that if the land couldn't sustain simple life forms such as insects, then it probably couldn't sustain people. In fairness, McCarthy can't be accused of writing a 'cosy catastrophe' - which would be just as unrealistic, although they're usually good fun to read.

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

Roosevelt is defeated and a fascist Lindbergh becomes president.
Its not bad, starts off well but is a bit rushed and cobbled together towards the end.

i really liked it all. i read Indignation by Roth last night - excellent.

 

[hermie]

former for me. was welling up at the end. just beautiful

yep. thought the end was fantastic and not necessarily unrealistic. I'll say no more than that.

 

[Reets]

i really liked it all. i read Indignation by Roth last night - excellent.

Is it better then plot against america?
I think i may have picked the wrong book to start off with.

 

[Moods For Mallards]

Diary of a Bad Year - JM Coetzee.
Enjoying it thus far (I've only read 50 pages or so). I got into Coetzee while on holidays last year and, well, he's just great altogether, in a deadly serious manner that reels me in from time to time.

 

[eclectichoney]

The Brief wonderous life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz.

Have to say I'm loving it, even though I thought it would be one of those books that's too cool for me!

 

[hugh]

Is it better then plot against america?
I think i may have picked the wrong book to start off with.

I think Philip Roth writes two kinds of novels (at least in the latter period of his life/career).

First one is the sweeping/epic dissections of American life, society, history etc - Plot Against America, American Pastoral, I Married A Communist, Human Stain.

Second is these intense, obviously semi-autobiographical, and usually shorter, novels about aging men - neurosis, sexual dysfunction, physical decay, fear of death, ruminations on wasted life - e.g Dying Animal, Sabbath's Theatre, Everyman, Exit Ghost.

I really like the first kind but am kind of ambivalent about the second. I haven't read Indignation yet so I don't know about that. Human Stain and Sabbath's Theater kind of marry of the two styles I think. Human Stain does so really successfully, the other less so.

I thought Plot Against America was great and wouldn't say you started with the wrong one. Having said that, it is quite different to most of this other books. There's no Roth alter-ego thing going on in it, it's written as a straight historical fiction. I hope he has another classic in him before he pops his clogs but I doubt it somehow ...

Anyway, try I Married A Communist or Human Stain would be my advice ...

What a rambling post ..

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

i would say indignation is a classic, although its simpler and not nearly as broad in scope as some of the others. i found the bitterness and dislikable characters in human stain and i married a communist got a bit much after a while, particularly in the human stain. i didnt really like those

next on my list is Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

 

[rettucs]

The Brief wonderous life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz.

Have to say I'm loving it, even though I thought it would be one of those books that's too cool for me!

finished this on friday. Its good. I liked it a lot.

and finished the Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien, which is a truly amazing piece of writing.

 

[IFF]

I think Philip Roth writes two kinds of novels (at least in the latter period of his life/career).

First one is the sweeping/epic dissections of American life, society, history etc - Plot Against America, American Pastoral, I Married A Communist, Human Stain.

Second is these intense, obviously semi-autobiographical, and usually shorter, novels about aging men - neurosis, sexual dysfunction, physical decay, fear of death, ruminations on wasted life - e.g Dying Animal, Sabbath's Theatre, Everyman, Exit Ghost.

I really like the first kind but am kind of ambivalent about the second. I haven't read Indignation yet so I don't know about that. Human Stain and Sabbath's Theater kind of marry of the two styles I think. Human Stain does so really successfully, the other less so.

I thought Plot Against America was great and wouldn't say you started with the wrong one. Having said that, it is quite different to most of this other books. There's no Roth alter-ego thing going on in it, it's written as a straight historical fiction. I hope he has another classic in him before he pops his clogs but I doubt it somehow ...

Anyway, try I Married A Communist or Human Stain would be my advice ...

What a rambling post ..

Plot against America was a great read in my opinion. it was the first roth book i read and i liked it. american pastoral, and the great american novel were reads i also really liked

i recently read exit ghost and like it. indignation i have not read. it's on my list. everyman i thought wasn't great. i'm iffy about it.

 

[IFF]

finished this on friday. Its good. I liked it a lot.

it sounds interesting, i'd like to check it out

 

[eclectichoney]

finished this on friday. Its good. I liked it a lot.

Almost there myself now - 'tis obviously very compelling!

 

[hermie]

next on my list is Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

good choice.hope you like it.

after finishing the Road quicker than I expected to I might revisit an old classic. Maybe something by Joseph Conrad. Actually I've been meaning to read the Great Gatsby for ages now, might go for that if I'm near a library. Also read Murakami's Norwegian Wood recently. Highly recommended

 

[David Kronenbourg]

i read this because i fancy the author. it's alright. pretty slight, i finished it in one 2 hour sitting

 

[piratecore]

good choice.hope you like it.

after finishing the Road quicker than I expected to I might revisit an old classic. Maybe something by Joseph Conrad. Actually I've been meaning to read the Great Gatsby for ages now, might go for that if I'm near a library. Also read Murakami's Norwegian Wood recently. Highly recommended

had to do the great gatsby in school this year. i found it quite dull. beautiful language and cleverly written. shame about the story.

 

[hugh]

had to do the great gatsby in school this year. i found it quite dull. beautiful language and cleverly written. shame about the story.

I just finished it a week or two ago. I enjoyed the shit out of it. So much so I'm now getting stuck into The Beautiful and The Damned.