What Book Did You Read Last Night??? (8 Viewers)

[Jim Daniels]

 

[Lili Marlene]

I'm reading the Burning of Bridget Cleary about the last women in Ireland burned for being a witch. Good stuff so far, lots of fairy talk.

Incidentally my edition has a much more academic cover than this:

It also led me to find this band with an offensive name (CC @johnnystress)

Burning Bridget Cleary | High Energy Celtic Trad Band | Home

 

[тхеодоре кацзынски]

Didn't know there was a book on poor Bridget. I wouldn't have thought there was enough of a story or at least the details to sustain one, what would i know though?

 

[Lili Marlene]

Didn't know there was a book on poor Bridget. I wouldn't have thought there was enough of a story or at least the details to sustain one, what would i know though?

Well I'm only two chapters in but it's largely a cultural history of Ireland at the time. I think her main mission is to try get modern (circa 1999) readers to understand the mindset in rural Ireland at the time that could lead to this kind of thing.

 

[тхеодоре кацзынски]

Well I'm only two chapters in but it's largely a cultural history of Ireland at the time. I think her main mission is to try get modern (circa 1999) readers to understand the mindset in rural Ireland at the time that could lead to this kind of thing.

Pre-electricity anything and everything was possible. Or maybe there's more to it, did the husband cry witchcraft to try exonerate himself?

 

[Lili Marlene]

Pre-electricity anything and everything was possible. Or maybe there's more to it, did the husband cry witchcraft to try exonerate himself?

Seems more like the entire village cried witchcraft/fairies cos they half-believed it. I'm yet to get to the why of it all though.

 

[тхеодоре кацзынски]

I should just go out and buy it. Sounds interesting, the cultural history especially.

 

[David Kronenbourg]

Billy Bathgate by E.L. Doctorow about a Bronx teenager who becomes the protégée of gangster Dutch Schultz. I love the way this guy writes. Beautiful stuff.

 

[David Kronenbourg]

I’m going to see Jonathan Franzen speaking tonight. Do youse want me to yell anything at him?


Guardian Live | Book club with Jonathan Franzen | The Guardian Members

 

[rettucs]

I’m going to see Jonathan Franzen speaking tonight. Do youse want me to yell anything at him?


Guardian Live | Book club with Jonathan Franzen | The Guardian Members

yeah tell him Freedom was shite

 

[David Kronenbourg]

yeah tell him Freedom was shite

This was really good. The first half was some literary professor/critic quizzing him about Freedom – he wasn’t allowed talk about Purity. Franzen looked so uncomfortable throughout. He said a number of times that he didn’t really like interpreting his books. Kind of made me warm to him a lot more. He was way more relaxed during the audience Q&A because he got the usual inane questions about how he made his characters so realistic. At one point he misgendered a woman asking a question which was really awkward. He said a few things which could be interpreted as un-PC and you get a sense that it's an incomplete thought or just a way to ease the tension and it comes out sounding wrong. Then people jump all over it because it’s easier to do that than get the context. I suspect he’s slightly Aspergers. Got a copy of Freedom signed by him.

 

[Lili Marlene]

I've never read anything by him. Was kind of turned off by the whole idea of another white guy talking about self-important white guy things, would you recommend him?

 

[Scientician 0.8]

I'm reading the Burning of Bridget Cleary about the last women in Ireland burned for being a witch. Good stuff so far, lots of fairy talk.

Incidentally my edition has a much more academic cover than this:

It also led me to find this band with an offensive name (CC @johnnystress)

Burning Bridget Cleary | High Energy Celtic Trad Band | Home

I read that years ago, enjoyed it but barely remember anything about it.

 

[David Kronenbourg]

I've never read anything by him. Was kind of turned off by the whole idea of another white guy talking about self-important white guy things, would you recommend him?

He is that, but The Corrections is great. Freedom too, to a lesser extent.

 

[rettucs]

I've never read anything by him. Was kind of turned off by the whole idea of another white guy talking about self-important white guy things, would you recommend him?

Freedom is awful

 

[Lili Marlene]

Freedom is awful

yeah whatever Obama

 

[hermie]

Haven't read Freedom but I really liked The Corrections

 

[rettucs]

Haven't read Freedom but I really liked The Corrections

Freedom is awful

 

[nooleen]

freedom isn't free
it costs a buck oh five

 

[rettucs]

freedom isn't free
it costs a buck oh five

there were other posts in this thread about Freedom. I went looking for them but couldn't find them. I bet they were taken down cos even just reading about Freedom is boring.