When we left, we grabbed a few books that were lying around Leigh´s parents´and Mike-Sue´s place ... (as per Daniela´s request, here is Andrew´s review of the novels we have been reading):
Running With Scissors - Augusten Burroughs
http://www.amazon.com/Running-Scissors-Memoir-Augusten-Burroughs/dp/031242227X/sr=8-1/qid=1159125437/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-9522772-8996928?ie=UTF8&s=books
I found myself laughing out load repeatedly during the first third/half of this book, and then found that it became more and more disturbing. While certainly insightful and witty, this book began to weigh upon me a bit. It reminded me of Kurt Vonnegut http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Vonnegut and also Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy O'Toole http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederacy_of_dunces
The Red Tent - Anita Diamant
http://www.amazon.com/Red-Tent-Anita-Diamant/dp/0312195516/sr=1-1/qid=1159126440/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-9522772-8996928?ie=UTF8&s=books
Although I wasn´t sure that I would enjoy a revisionist post-feminist retelling of biblical stories, I was pleasantly suprised. In addition, the long descriptions of the herds of sheep, the subsequent weaving process, and the primitive agriculture all resonated with what we were observing in small Andean villages. The only thing annoying about this book was the seemingly inexplicable slaughter of Dinah´s betrothed and all of his family by the sons of Jacob. . . Is there anyone out there with a better biblical knowledge that can shed some light?
The Penelopiad - Margaret Atwood
http://www.amazon.com/Penelopiad-Myth-Penelope-Odysseus-Myths/dp/1841957178/sr=1-1/qid=1159128052/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-9522772-8996928?ie=UTF8&s=books
I love the Odyssey, and this revisionist, post-feminist retelling, was sort of dissapointing. In many ways similar to the Red Tent, it tried to flesh out the motivations of Penelope as she waits for Odysseus. . . However, it didn´t quite work. . . It seemed to harp on the "unjust killing" (or even murder) of Penelope's handmaidens by Odysseus and Telemachus. I never felt like Margaret Atwood really was able to get inside Penelope´s head and develop her as a character, which after all was the entire point of the book. Something tells me that she had a great idea for the novel, but that the idea was better than the execution.
As we have travelled around, we have also picked up a few books along the way.
Choke - Chuck Palahniuk
http://www.amazon.com/Choke-Chuck-Palahniuk/dp/0385720920/sr=8-1/qid=1159125508/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-9522772-8996928?ie=UTF8&s=books
Stangely similar to Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs, (see above) except that this is no memoir. Because it is a work of fiction Palahniuk is able to take it as far as it needs to go to begin to try to make some social commentary. . . but I am not sure that that commentary is? Certainly he seems to support the idea that [modern american] society is too restrictive, regulated and dismissive of creativity, but I am not sure that he presents a viable alternative, other than psychopathology. Nonetheless, this did result in a number of deep belly laughs, and some knowing smirks of satisfaction and agreement.
Shopgirl - Steve Martin
http://www.amazon.com/Shopgirl-Steve-Martin/dp/B000F5FNPC/sr=1-1/qid=1159126207/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-9522772-8996928?ie=UTF8&s=books
Both Leigh and I really appreciated the way in which Steve Martin was able to peer inside the heads of his characters and write, at times poetically, about a relatively mundane series of epiusodes in the romantic lives of relatively mundane people. This novella was just the right length to cause some thought, some self-reflection, and yet was able to knit tightly together a satisfactory and pleasing conclusion that left me feeling glad to have read it, but also glad to have had my own life rather than that of any of the characters in the story. My only concern is that it was made into a movie, starring, among others, Steve Martin, in precisely the role I didnt want to see him in. . . oh, well thank god its fiction.
Goulds Book of Fish - Richard Flanagan
http://www.amazon.com/Goulds-Book-Fish-Novel-Twelve/dp/0802139590/sr=1-1/qid=1159129616/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-9522772-8996928?ie=UTF8&s=books
I picked this up thinking that it would be about fish. It wasnt, but it had some truly great passages, particularly in the first quarter or third of the book.
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3 comments:
nifty reviews! I've read one other of Agusten Burroughs' memoirs (did you know he made up that name? He's kind of embarrassed of it now, apparently) which was quite funny. But yes, it's kind of sad, his life. There's a movie coming out now, I believe. Confederacy of Dunces also made me a bit depressed.
Interesting to read about Atwood's latest, it's been on my list for awhile but perhaps I won't move it up the list anytime soon.
Eric's read Gould's Book of Fish...it sounded a bit too bizarre for me, actually. And I quite like Shopgirl too, have read another of Martin's books too- he's a pretty talented fiction writer, I think. It's not really fair, as if he wasn't talented enough already?
The Dinah episode is canonical. Check out Genesis 34 next time you have a bible in front of you. It is a troubling story.
Another comment about the Dinah story...check out Slate's Blogging the Bible, where this episode sets the author off to blog the entire thing:
http://www.slate.com/id/2141050/
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