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Spoilers What Book Are You Reading?
- Thread starter Huntn
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Didn't he write Cold Mountain? Absolutely stunning first novel.
Ha! Har bloody har! Just seen that as I posted. Great novel though. I was really impressed with it."Bestselling author of Cold Mountain"...
You should know better. Running a bar during the war and working with the resistance. Must be sharp as a tack, Mr. Meadows!
WOW!
It is.
Only 100 pages in and it is mesmerizing.
The back story on how his mother was captured, the history of the Comanchera all fascinating history.
@Scepticalscribe have you read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee?
Another favorite of mine.
Yes, I have; I read it as a student and was absolutely bowled over by it - it was one of the most horrifying - yet compelling, gripping, haunting - history books I had ever read and I have never forgotten it and doubt I ever will.
In fact, it was precisely because of how vividly I recall Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee, that I asked about the book you are reading at present. From what you have written, I would love to read it.
"Yes, I have; I read it as a student and was absolutely bowled over by it - it was one of the most horrifying - yet compelling, gripping, haunting - history books I had ever read and I have never forgotten it and doubt I ever will."
This^ all over again...
Tommy Orange's There There. It's a novel and an American Indian slice of urban life without tip of hat to the cowboys. "Stunning debut" is shopworn praise. It will have to do, though. Hard to put it down once I pick it up again.
The author has wondered in interviews whether ethnic tokenism is a thing now (again?) in publishing. I don't think he should care even if it is. His book is un-token-like enough to annoy people from his own tribe, other tribes, people who dismiss the very idea of American Indians having the Native Nerve at this point to bother trying to keep their ways and languages from going extinct... and of course it might stir up plain bigots and potted plants as well.
Yes, the title references Gertrude Stein's remark that "there is no there there" which has been assumed to lament the changes over time to her native Oakland, CA, the setting of Orange's novel.
The author has wondered in interviews whether ethnic tokenism is a thing now (again?) in publishing. I don't think he should care even if it is. His book is un-token-like enough to annoy people from his own tribe, other tribes, people who dismiss the very idea of American Indians having the Native Nerve at this point to bother trying to keep their ways and languages from going extinct... and of course it might stir up plain bigots and potted plants as well.
Yes, the title references Gertrude Stein's remark that "there is no there there" which has been assumed to lament the changes over time to her native Oakland, CA, the setting of Orange's novel.
I should read more of his books, at least a few of which have ended up banned by the governments of some restrictive countries about which he has written.
Loved the film Chinese Box based in part on the Theroux novel Kowloon Tong (re: handover of Hong Kong to China).
I'm enjoying it. It's one of his travel books. Years ago I read his The Great Railway Bazaar, but I haven't read any of his novels. Dark Star Safari is about traveling overland from Cairo to South Africa along with his observations, bits of local histories and reflections on changes (or lack of change) from years before when he lived in Malawi (one of his books was still banned there) and Uganda
When was Dark Star Safari written?
That sounds interesting, but - oddly - in recent years (or decades) one of those countries have gone through enormous changes.
The copyright date is 2003.
It's a book written in the context of a traveler's experience and observations
Theroux lived in Malawi and then Uganda during the 1960s, so there have certainly been changes since then, and the book contains some commentary about those changes.
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Ah, thank you for clearing that up; what I really wanted to know was what era Theroux was actually writing about; whatever about Malawi (and there have been considerable changes in that country), Uganda has been transformed beyond all recognition since the 60s, and indeed, even since the 80s.
Ok, a work buddy highly recommends Mr Follett.
What can you tell me about his work?
A lot of his early work took the form of predictable potboilers - very predictable and clichéd WW2 stuff, which sold well, admittedly was well researched and utterly forgettable.
However, he took a totally different path when he wrote (spending ten years on and off, researching and thinking about and then putting the thing together) a stunning book called The Pillars of the Earth about the building of a cathedral (and the society that gave rise to it) in what became a town in 12th century England.
Some writers manage to produce one work which is close to perfect and this is it for Ken Follett: The story is terrific, - it works as a story - the characters believable, the historical research solid - and from the opening prologue, I was gripped.
If you only ever read one book by Follett, this is the one I recommend.
I didn't personally care much for his Fall of Giants series.
However, the book I took delivery of yesterday (Column of Fire) is the third in the series about the town (and world) where the cathedral was built in the 12th century. The second book in that series, World Without End is perfectly good, and very readable, - it is set in the 14th century - but not a patch on The Pillars of the Earth.
Column of Fire brings the town up to the 16th century, and I am looking forward to reading it.
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From start to finish, this - The Pillars of the Earth - is spell-binding; the characters are excellent, really wonderful - including strong (and well-written) female characters, they are given good, solid backstories and credible motivations, and they are splendidly three-dimensional. Well, the good characters, or protagonists are - whereas the antagonists are satisfyingly and thoroughly nasty.
The historical research is very well done and is delivered to the reader in a natural and thoughtful way that ties in with the story impeccably. And the story absolutely rocks, as a story in itself it works perfectly, the narrative arc is close to flawless. And the payoff is wonderful.
It is by far and away the best thing that Follett has ever written, - nothing else comes close - (it us also his most popular book and still sells well) and I (well, I used to teach history for a living - and, among other journeyman teaching, I have taught medieval history) cannot recommend it highly enough.
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