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Started Balzacs novella "Z. Marcas", right now.
...though thinking I need to lose myself in a good fiction book here soon...
I enjoyed it even more than I did North River. That one, as you and/or Lizzie said, would have made a good Warners film with Jimmy Cagney and Loretta Young. But to me it suffered from the lack of * big * conflict. That would have been okay if it had been all about the characters in the neighborhood, his errant daughter and cute grandchild, and the love story . . . but here we are with our middle-aged doctor getting involved with gangsters, which implies violence, and we expect something of a bigger climax. Or at least I did. Hamill skates right up to the edge of it, but then makes things easier for his protagonists, instead of more difficult. The real suspense comes from the love story.I really enjoyed it - great FL vibe. My favorite of his is "North River," but "Snow in August" is very good too. Hope you like it. Looking forward to hearing your post-read comments.
I enjoyed it even more than I did North River. That one, as you and/or Lizzie said, would have made a good Warners film with Jimmy Cagney and Loretta Young. But to me it suffered from the lack of * big * conflict. That would have been okay if it had been all about the characters in the neighborhood, his errant daughter and cute grandchild, and the love story . . . but here we are with our middle-aged doctor getting involved with gangsters, which implies violence, and we expect something of a bigger climax. Or at least I did. Hamill skates right up to the edge of it, but then makes things easier for his protagonists, instead of more difficult. The real suspense comes from the love story.
None of that in Snow in August: We get conflict right from Chapter One, and conflict that mounts and becomes more painful and essential for the young hero to resolve as we turn the pages. Frankie and his gang aren't misunderstood juveniles, "Dead End Kids" who just need love and direction. They are future (if probably minor-league) gangsters. Putting a 13-year-old boy, however smart, up against them is really building the conflict.
Then the book swerves to become a fantasy novel, and that's fine, since Hamill has his rabbi and the boy discuss the Golem legend/tradition at (fascinating) length. If the novel * hadn't * lifted off into fantasy territory and done something important with the material after that setup, well, we'd have felt cheated. Very nice stuff.
Bit of a roundabout story: So, I read "A Gentleman in Moscow" (one of my all time favorite books) and noted that the protagonist, Count Rostov... a favorite book by the Renaissance French nobleman Michel de Montaigne. Well, a couple of weeks back, I stumbled upon "How to Live: A Life of Montaigne" by Sarah Bakewell. I bought it because I'd been tripping over references to Montaigne all over the place and yet I knew nothing about the man. It is an enjoyable read in a rather meandering, unfocused way.
Bit of a roundabout story: So, I read "A Gentleman in Moscow" (one of my all time favorite books) and noted that the protagonist, Count Rostov, occasionally mentioned reading a favorite book by the Renaissance French nobleman Michel de Montaigne. Well, a couple of weeks back, I stumbled upon "How to Live: A Life of Montaigne" by Sarah Bakewell. I bought it because I'd been tripping over references to Montaigne all over the place and yet I knew nothing about the man. It is an enjoyable read in a rather meandering, unfocused way. In short: Montaigne was the "inventor" (or first writer) of that literary form we now call the essay. He is also billed as the first modern person because he is so inquiring and un-dogmatic and humanist. That said, much of the book is about how people have interpreted him over the centuries. Interesting but not exactly exciting. So, the book served its purpose: I now know about Montaigne. But it is probably not for everyone. A bit of trivia that stuck: The wine producing chateau that Montaigne owned/operated (Château de Montaigne) is near Bergerac and --more than 5 centuries later-- is still in business and still producing wine!
It is a dreary sort of book, but only because it's about a dreary world. You're right about how elements of it are common parlance now. As I've read elsewhere on the 'Net, "1984 was supposed to be a warning and cautionary tale, not a how-to handbook!"1984
My first time.
I gotta say, I think it's because the ideas of this book are so engrained in modern society, that I am finding this a rather lackluster read. I would read a book about the Ministries and the philosophies of New Speak all day long, but Winston is an annoying protagonist.
I've also swept through his memoir A Drinking Life and his first novel, a short piece based on his trip home from the Navy at Christmas in 1952, The Gift. His writing is irresistible.It's been many years since I read "Snow in August," but I remember enjoying it a lot, but not loving the fantasy swerve (but, as you note, Hamill hung the gun on the wall early and often enough for it to be justified). "North River" hit a perfect vibe for me atmospherically. I agree it isn't the greatest plot, but it was so successful at time traveling me back to pre-war NYC that I didn't care.
I've also swept through his memoir A Drinking Life and his first novel, a short piece based on his trip home from the Navy at Christmas in 1952, The Gift. His writing is irresistible.