read in 2003, including December 2002 for no good reason
Submitted by Nick Vane on Sun, 12/01/2002 - 04:19
Tags:
- 12-1 "V.," Thomas Pynchon
- 12-23 "The Gifts of the Jews," Thomas Cahill
- 2-2 "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- 4-12 "You Shall Know Our Velocity," Dave Eggers
- 5-18 "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay," Michael Chabon
Author Comments:
I can't remember. There was a couple more. It will come to me.
i'm curious, what did you think of the eggers book? do you recommend?
I really do. More subdued (but no less inventive) than his meta-auto-bio, Eggers really builds this thing to a conclusion. The second half is where he really hits his stride, dropping self-analytical observations while keeping the globe-hopping conceit moving. All around, this book was alive. I was richly rewarded, desite the book having cost me more cash than I'd expected...
Howdy Nick, what did you think of Kavalier & Clay?
Definitely enjoyable. One of those books I stayed up too late to read for more than one night. The book is rich in historical detail and expertly navigates flashback and comic book narrative as well as the main story. Sometimes, the principals seem too noble to be real, but that's a minor concern. Chabon really captures the yearnings of the Forties and Fifties, and the motivations of the comic book pioneers. A quote on the back of my copy calls it a "Great American Novel," and I'm inclined to agree.
I agree. I remember one of my only complaints was how liberally and seamlessly he mixes fiction and history, but that's not really a complaint with him, it's a complaint with my inability to tell the difference. I would have liked to have learned some history from the book, but that was pretty much impossible even though I know there was good historical data in there.
Wonderfully written. I've read criticism that his writing is showy, but I think folks are just too used to lightweight prose.
I completely agree. It's always amazing to me when an author can create an alternate history that merges with, and explains in some believable way, reality. Still, those footnotes and all those historical digressions made me wonder what was actual.