Novels: what have you read recently, how did it affect you and do you recommend it?
June 28, 2016 at 8:56 pm
(This post was last modified: June 28, 2016 at 8:59 pm by Whateverist.)
I've been reading Elizabeth Strout. Started a couple weeks ago with her most recent book "I Am Lucy Barton". Loved the immediacy of the writing, its lack of adornment. The main character whose view point we are allowed to enter is born dirt poor. She succeeds at school despite coming from an unschooled background, primarily because she stays there late to finish assignments and read, but that is a byproduct of her desire to stay warm. Her own family lived in an unheated garage and the climate is one with four seasons. Ultimately she earns a scholarship and becomes a published writer. In spite of her success, her insights into her characters betray an outsider's point of view.
Today I finished the book she'd finished just prior titled "The Burgess Boys". This one is topically about dysfunctional families and immigrants. It made me think about how we weave circumstances into our stories of who we are. Everyone says she does an especially good job of creating 3-dimensional characters while still keeping the plot moving and interesting. I really saw that was true in this one.
Of the two, I'd say the first one grabbed me immediately and made me sorry to see it end. Not sure I would have kept at the second one long enough to be drawn in without having developed confidence in the writer from the first one I read. But I did end up enjoying it just as much. So my recommendation is to read them in the same order.
Hope to get some leads for future books here. I've always had a strong preference for nonfiction; but now I just love reading a good story and seeing the world through different eyes, and from a different place and time. Between these two books I read Martin's "The Hedge Knight" which I thought was a lot of fun. Made me think George might have written it to develop and flesh out the world he has created in the Fire and Ice series. But I frankly hope he writes more stories involving Duncan and Egg. Just picked up my next book, Martin's "The Ice Dragon" story. Sadly this one looks to be even shorter than the Hedge Knight. What can I say, got to find something to read while waiting on "The Winds of Winter".
Today I finished the book she'd finished just prior titled "The Burgess Boys". This one is topically about dysfunctional families and immigrants. It made me think about how we weave circumstances into our stories of who we are. Everyone says she does an especially good job of creating 3-dimensional characters while still keeping the plot moving and interesting. I really saw that was true in this one.
Of the two, I'd say the first one grabbed me immediately and made me sorry to see it end. Not sure I would have kept at the second one long enough to be drawn in without having developed confidence in the writer from the first one I read. But I did end up enjoying it just as much. So my recommendation is to read them in the same order.
Hope to get some leads for future books here. I've always had a strong preference for nonfiction; but now I just love reading a good story and seeing the world through different eyes, and from a different place and time. Between these two books I read Martin's "The Hedge Knight" which I thought was a lot of fun. Made me think George might have written it to develop and flesh out the world he has created in the Fire and Ice series. But I frankly hope he writes more stories involving Duncan and Egg. Just picked up my next book, Martin's "The Ice Dragon" story. Sadly this one looks to be even shorter than the Hedge Knight. What can I say, got to find something to read while waiting on "The Winds of Winter".
