Author Topic: Rate the last book you read.  (Read 194238 times)

worm@work

  • Godfather
  • *****
  • Posts: 7445
Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #170 on: July 01, 2009, 12:14:11 PM »


So, this one might be the tightest and possibly, technically the best, of all the Austers I've read so far. It deals with all of what I've come to recognize as the typical Auster themes - randomness, chance, choices, starting afresh leaving the past behind - and all this in a nice, suitably depressing tone. It's actually really good. I really liked the characters, the book is very well-paced and it has this incredibly ominous tone throughout.

While reading it, I kept getting reminded of something alexarch posted about once about how terrible a thing exposition is supposed to be for a writer. I think this is where this book deviates from the two other Auster novels I really love (Moon Palace and The New York Trilogy). It's a lot leaner and has even less exposition than those other books I think. For the most part, this works really well. It keeps the book building up throughout. It's especially impressive when in the course of 4 pages (pp. 171 - 174 in my edition), the book just goes from being merely vaguely disturbing to downright horror. It's a brilliant turn and when it happened, it hit me like a ton of bricks, as it rightly should.

The book pretty much never lost any momentum for me and there were enough instances of the type of turn of phrase that I love and associate with Auster.

But at the end of the day, I still don't love this one as much as I love Moon Palace, which is my favorite and my hunch is that it is this very absence of exposition that keeps me from loving this book completely. Something about the precision and tautness made the book feel too clever and calculated to me, which took away from the emotional response I usually have to his books. Regardless, it's pretty great.

Thor

  • Godfather
  • *****
  • Posts: 6535
    • KTQ
Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #171 on: July 01, 2009, 02:42:37 PM »
I like Music of Chance as well. A must for poker fans! Try out the movie sometime... some people hate it, but I thought they did a decent job given the source.

I prefer NYT though. I should check out Moon Palace.
Wanting for Thor what Thor wants for Thor.

Thor

  • Godfather
  • *****
  • Posts: 6535
    • KTQ
Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #172 on: July 06, 2009, 03:43:32 PM »
Revolutionary Road.

Ouch.
Wanting for Thor what Thor wants for Thor.

oneaprilday

  • FAB
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 13746
  • "What we see and what we seem are but a dream."
    • A Journal of Film
Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #173 on: July 06, 2009, 05:01:36 PM »
Revolutionary Road.

Ouch.

Pretty much.

I haven't seen the film - have you, Thor? And if so, how do they compare?

Thor

  • Godfather
  • *****
  • Posts: 6535
    • KTQ
Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #174 on: July 06, 2009, 05:08:57 PM »
Revolutionary Road.

Ouch.

Pretty much.

I haven't seen the film - have you, Thor? And if so, how do they compare?

Give me a week or so... I have to write an intro sheet and present a discussion on the 17th, but I had the book so read that first.

I'm interested in getting a woman's opinion April's character though, given that most of the book is from Frank's perspective except for that one scene at the bar with Shep and then her suicide... do you think her actions at the end of the book are plausible?
Wanting for Thor what Thor wants for Thor.

oneaprilday

  • FAB
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 13746
  • "What we see and what we seem are but a dream."
    • A Journal of Film
Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #175 on: July 06, 2009, 06:23:23 PM »
Revolutionary Road.

Ouch.

Pretty much.

I haven't seen the film - have you, Thor? And if so, how do they compare?

Give me a week or so... I have to write an intro sheet and present a discussion on the 17th, but I had the book so read that first.

I'm interested in getting a woman's opinion April's character though, given that most of the book is from Frank's perspective except for that one scene at the bar with Shep and then her suicide... do you think her actions at the end of the book are plausible?

Yeah, that's a good question - I'm not sure; I'm not sure my perspective will help much. Since, as you say, the book is, mostly, from Frank's perspective, April's character is purposefully opaque; I don't know that I, even as a woman, could really "see" her any more clearly than any other reader. In other words, I don't relate to her as a woman, specifically. I do think that the clues we have about her in the book, even if those clues are from Frank's perspective, show us that she felt trapped, that she thought her life, her husband, would be one thing but they turned out very differently, and she saw no way out. Frank, even though he feels the same distaste about his life, is less trapped than she is. He can actually go into the city, work for a promotion - he can do things; April can't. He has some measure of power.  What she did, then, was really the only way for her to be something she herself wanted, to do something she wanted, to have a little power over her own existence. And I think the book gives us enough to know that she desperately wanted those things, that is, some freedom, some power. The desire for those things seem plausible - the portrayal of the desire for those things seems full enough. I rather think that suicide in itself wasn't the ultimate goal for her, too. Whether she lived or died, her self-induced abortion would still be her doing and saying something of consequence, something that Frank, for once, would have to listen to, to respond to.  What do you think? Are you thinking the suicide wasn't believable?

I really feel like I haven't really had enough time to process what I've read yet, but while I thought the writing itself was excellent, my initial reaction overall was one of some disappointment - I wasn't really sure that I was learning anything new about dystopian suburbia in the 1950's. (I thought, actually, The Virgin Suicides was more compelling in that regard.) I also found Frank's character a little wearing - well-drawn, but wearing.

I look forward to hearing what you think about the movie when you watch it. I'm really curious about how Kate Winslet plays April. Also curious about the specifics of the movie's ending as compared to the book's.

Tequila

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 11143
Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #176 on: July 06, 2009, 06:43:55 PM »

I believe this is called 'The Nakano Thrift Store' in English (that's what Wikipedia says anyway).
I enjoyed this but probably not as much as I hoped I would. The whole thing is something of a loose lovestory between two employees in a thrift store in Tokyo, spanning several years. What makes it worthwhile are the supporting characters who are all fun, witty and dirty-minded. Lots of dirty old people in this! The relationship between the shopowner and his sister, the artist, and their respective ups and downs are probably the best thing about it. Unfortunately, they are also much more interesting than the dull central character, who is neither particulary charming nor smart. Why she choses the other dull, dimwitted character to be her mate remains a mistery (granted, he's set up as broody type) but ultimately, I didn't care much for their fate anyway. I liked the episodic style and I guess the way Kawakami integrates the different seasons into the story is not without elegance, so I'd just about recommend it as light summer reading. I did pretty much read it in one day after all.
'What am I doing? I'm quietly judging you'
http://letterboxd.com/Tagave/

Thor

  • Godfather
  • *****
  • Posts: 6535
    • KTQ
Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #177 on: July 07, 2009, 09:38:04 AM »
Revolutionary Road.

Ouch.

Pretty much.

I haven't seen the film - have you, Thor? And if so, how do they compare?

Give me a week or so... I have to write an intro sheet and present a discussion on the 17th, but I had the book so read that first.

I'm interested in getting a woman's opinion April's character though, given that most of the book is from Frank's perspective except for that one scene at the bar with Shep and then her suicide... do you think her actions at the end of the book are plausible?

Yeah, that's a good question - I'm not sure; I'm not sure my perspective will help much. Since, as you say, the book is, mostly, from Frank's perspective, April's character is purposefully opaque; I don't know that I, even as a woman, could really "see" her any more clearly than any other reader. In other words, I don't relate to her as a woman, specifically. I do think that the clues we have about her in the book, even if those clues are from Frank's perspective, show us that she felt trapped, that she thought her life, her husband, would be one thing but they turned out very differently, and she saw no way out. Frank, even though he feels the same distaste about his life, is less trapped than she is. He can actually go into the city, work for a promotion - he can do things; April can't. He has some measure of power.  What she did, then, was really the only way for her to be something she herself wanted, to do something she wanted, to have a little power over her own existence. And I think the book gives us enough to know that she desperately wanted those things, that is, some freedom, some power. The desire for those things seem plausible - the portrayal of the desire for those things seems full enough. I rather think that suicide in itself wasn't the ultimate goal for her, too. Whether she lived or died, her self-induced abortion would still be her doing and saying something of consequence, something that Frank, for once, would have to listen to, to respond to.  What do you think? Are you thinking the suicide wasn't believable?

I really feel like I haven't really had enough time to process what I've read yet, but while I thought the writing itself was excellent, my initial reaction overall was one of some disappointment - I wasn't really sure that I was learning anything new about dystopian suburbia in the 1950's. (I thought, actually, The Virgin Suicides was more compelling in that regard.) I also found Frank's character a little wearing - well-drawn, but wearing.

I look forward to hearing what you think about the movie when you watch it. I'm really curious about how Kate Winslet plays April. Also curious about the specifics of the movie's ending as compared to the book's.

Thanks for the feedback. I think we're pretty much in agreement here.

I read it as an intentional suicide. April's withdrawal from Frank and her sleeping with Shep and her "I don't know who I am" line did all seem born at her realization that without realizing it, she had ended up in an untenable position. Once she does realize that anything after that point would be just more compromises, returning to a man who wasn't even able to take care of himself, she opts out. I don't have a hard time believing the character would do that.  I was just a bit disappointed by the last few chapters, which seemed to fit into a need to wrap things up nicely (and then to really slam the point home with that last line about the hearing aid), especially when compared with the blunt honesty of the opening 2-3 chapters.

I'm definitely interested in seeing how the film treats the material - there's great potential to go for a deadpan black comedy - though by most people's comments in the spoiler thread it seems like they opted to pump up the melodrama. Shame.
Wanting for Thor what Thor wants for Thor.

FifthCityMuse

  • Elite Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 3375
  • Good work, sycophants!
Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #178 on: July 07, 2009, 09:45:59 AM »
I've read the book and seen the film. What struck me throughout was that it was pretty much as faithful as it can be. I think the movie does give a better sense of April than I felt the book did, mainly due to Winslet's perf, but looking back, it seems really cursory, and the book does give more in the way of character development and reasoning and all that.

But I wasn't exactly a fan of either, so maybe I'm not the best to give opinions.

FifthCityMuse

  • Elite Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 3375
  • Good work, sycophants!
Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #179 on: July 07, 2009, 09:54:47 AM »
The Green Mile (Stephen King, 1996)
Wow. I just love King.

After At Swim, Two Boys, I was looking for something light and easy and familiar, and this turned out to be a pretty great choice. It's not King's best, and I'm not sure if it'd break the top five, but it'd come close, and it's got all the hallmarks of a great King novel. The supernatural element is strong throughout, but it never plays as anything more than a starting point in a whole lot of dealing with other stuff. Like the death penalty, mortality, good and evil, miracles, healing, all of it. It's never didactic, it's never sentimental, but it does pull you in close, and stab you in the guts.

I knew someone once who said that one of the most unique things about King was his preparedness to spend six pages describing a character who dies on the eighth. He doesn't do that so much here, which is linked to the form and the structure, but he does build these incredibly exacting portraits of characters, more so than you realise, which makes part six especially devastating.

King's a really brilliant writer, and in this, he's right near the top of his game. Great stuff.