What Book Did You Read Last Night??? (9 Viewers)

[IFF]

My initial reaction was - sour grapes. I’m glad it was so popular. I think she deserves the success.

i think some criticism was that in it theo has a tendency to describe absolutely everything in the room that he is in which has the result of being a bit long winded in it.
however in an online review, a suggestion is that the may be due to his ptsd from the events in the first 30 pages of the book and the overdescriptiveness is due to looking for anything of note which makes sense

i don't think anything i said was a spoiler there.

i think it was a good book.

 

[Lili Marlene]

I think some of the criticisms of the writing style are valid, if massively misplaced. There is more than one type of good book and more than one way to write well.

What worries me is that people who read only one or two books a year will plunk down their money for The Goldfinch, and read it, and tell themselves they like it, but deep down will be profoundly bored, because they aren’tchildren, and will quietly give up on the whole enterprise when, in fact, fiction—realistic fiction, old or new—is as alive and gripping as it’s ever been.”

If the message is "read more than one book a year" then that's a good message. If the message is "realistic fiction" is the only valid form of "good" fiction then this person is a moron.

 

[Lili Marlene]

Read that Here are the Young Men book

The Lilliput Press

I'm sure someone on here knows him personally, in fact he probably is one of you. It's good, most of it rings true. The middle section about a night out with some mad lads is great. I didn't spend enough of my teenagerhood pilled out of my brain to relate to most of it but still.

 

[тхеодоре кацзынски]

I have been reading every other book possible to avoid reading this. I think it's going to need to wait a while.

Any more movement on the Brothers K? Have been ploughing through it the last couple of weeks, apart from a chapter or two that are heavy on theological thought its rather good, well worth getting into.
Only 100 or so pages left then its on to 'War and Peace'.

 

[Lili Marlene]

Any more movement on the Brothers K? Have been ploughing through it the last couple of weeks, apart from a chapter or two that are heavy on theological thought its rather good, well worth getting into.
Only 100 or so pages left then its on to 'War and Peace'.

Ah I've effectively given up. I'll definitely get to it at some point but there's a pile of books I want to read before I'll be willing to get back to it. It's defeated me for the moment.

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

I was about to buy The Brothers K in chapters last week. It was about €12 and There was some comment on the front about how good the translator is. Then I saw another copy for €2 with a different translator so I didn't buy either because I didn't know how to choose the best translator. A Russian lady once told me that English simply can't do justice to Dostoyevsky so maybe I won't bother with him at all. Instead I bought some books by a French author called Jacques Roubaud who I'd never heard of before.

 

[rettucs]

I'm still only halfway through the Goldfinch. I'll let you know in about 6 months

whats the Goldfinch like? They were selling it for a fiver in Hodges-Figgis so I bought it. Will be aaages before I get around to it though.

 

[rettucs]

A Russian lady once told me that English simply can't do justice to Dostoyevsky so maybe I won't bother with him at all.

I've read Crime and Punishment and Houses of the Dead and both were great. No clue who the translator was.

 

[Lili Marlene]

whats the Goldfinch like? They were selling it for a fiver in Hodges-Figgis so I bought it. Will be aaages before I get around to it though.

I'm enjoying it and everyone here seems to like it. Goes on and on though.

 

[Lili Marlene]

Speaking of massively acclaimed massive books released by female authors in recent times:

Has anyone on here read the Luminaries? Verdict?

 

[David Kronenbourg]

Speaking of massively acclaimed massive books released by female authors in recent times,

Has anyone on here read the Luminaries? Verdict?

No but a friend rated it very highly and I want to read it now.

 

[тхеодоре кацзынски]

I was about to buy The Brothers K in chapters last week. It was about €12 and There was some comment on the front about how good the translator is. Then I saw another copy for €2 with a different translator so I didn't buy either because I didn't know how to choose the best translator. A Russian lady once told me that English simply can't do justice to Dostoyevsky so maybe I won't bother with him at all. Instead I bought some books by a French author called Jacques Roubaud who I'd never heard of before.

I've been buying the cheapo Wordsworth Classics and occasionally borrowing more 'esteemed' printings from the library, after 10-12 of Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Gogol etc I've yet to notice any real difference between any of the translations. Maybe the translations don't do them enough justice but certainly, you get a great feel for the language.

 

[Lili Marlene]

You're a better man than me Theodore, I can't stand those Wordsworth Classics editions. Just the look of them...

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

You're a better man than me Theodore, I can't stand those Wordsworth Classics editions. Just the look of them...

Agreed. I'd often pay extra for a nicer cover

 

[тхеодоре кацзынски]

Ah, they're not that bad, definitely not gonna win any awards but, as they say, its what's on the inside that counts. Plus, the cheapness means I'll happily pass a book on once finished knowing I can just go buy another should I desire to read it again.

Anyways, started 'War and Peace' earlier, still too early to say how it'll go but encouraging so far. I could be a month or more getting through it.

 

[IFF]

Speaking of massively acclaimed massive books released by female authors in recent times:

Has anyone on here read the Luminaries? Verdict?

No but a friend rated it very highly and I want to read it now.

I read it and I thought it was ok, but somewhat overrated. the first part of it is 361 pages and if you don't get into it early, it can prove a difficult read. on the book forum i post at, there were many negative views on it.

 

[CinnamonBoy]

Ham on Rye - Charles Bukowski.

Everything an alcoholic misanthrope like myself was hoping for.

 

[washingcattle]

Ham on Rye - Charles Bukowski.

Everything an alcoholic misanthrope like myself was hoping for.

Read it recently it was everything I was expecting and more.

 

[CinnamonBoy]

Read it recently it was everything I was expecting and more.

I'm reading Post Office now. Took a while to get going but he's hit his stride now and it's also wonderful.

 

[washingcattle]

I'm reading Post Office now. Took a while to get going but he's hit his stride now and it's also wonderful.

I Read that Women and Ham On Rye within a month of each other they just got better and better. Unfortunately that's all of his work that's available on Kindle so I'll have to either read the rest in a regular book (not going to happen) or download a pirate copy. I feel a bit bad about it but fuck it we would have probably hated each other if we'd met so fuck him let him hate me in death.