books, books, books

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Mon Aug 01, 2005 6:50 am

You should read Oscar and Lucinda at some point, which is fantastic. And-- bringing this back to Dickens-- he wrote a good one called Jack Maggs which is something of a commentary on Australia's colonial relationship with Britain, via a different take on Great Expectations. And, I noticed recently, he was listed as top writer on the screenplay of Wim Wenders's Until the End of the World, a film I seem to be very much alone in loving!

Goody2Shoes · Post by **Goody2Shoes** » Mon Aug 01, 2005 9:33 am

Otis Westinghouse wrote:Who is he, what/who is 'cacciato', and why is it so good? (I was wondering... )

Tim O'Brien is an American novelist who writes a lot about the Vietnam War. Going After Cacciato is indeed set in Vietnam, toward the end of the war, and Cacciato is a soldier who leaves his unit AWOL to walk from Vietnam to Paris to attend the peace talks. A group of guys from his unit are assigned to catch him and bring him back, and that is where the title comes from. It's told from the perspective of Paul Berlin, one of the soldiers in that unit.

I'm terrible at telling why something is good, and I'm not finished with it yet, so I can only tell you why I like it, and I'm not very good at that, either. The story jumps back and forth between the search for Cacciato and events leading up to Cacciato leaving his unit. There are lots of vivid, but not necessarily gory, descriptions of what soldiers in that time and place endured, as well as what ordinary citizens endured. To me, it's about what kinds of things motivate people to acts of bravery and heroism, and that sometimes the bravest and most heroic things a person can do is to simply wake up each day and do their work in the world.

Or, maybe it would make more sense to say "It's got a great beat and it's easy to dance to. I give it a '10'".

I've also read The Things They Carried, also set during the war, and it is remarkable.

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Mon Aug 01, 2005 9:56 am

selfmademug wrote:You should read Oscar and Lucinda at some point, which is fantastic. And-- bringing this back to Dickens-- he wrote a good one called Jack Maggs which is something of a commentary on Australia's colonial relationship with Britain, via a different take on Great Expectations. And, I noticed recently, he was listed as top writer on the screenplay of Wim Wenders's Until the End of the World, a film I seem to be very much alone in loving!

Thanks smm. I may have too add these too mmy Peter Carey binge. I remember seeing the film version of Oscar & Lucinda, which I wasn't wild about, but that may have more to do with my reaction to Ralph Fiennes, who leaves me cold.

lostdog · Post by **lostdog** » Mon Aug 01, 2005 10:06 am

Goody2Shoes wrote:

Tim O'Brien is an American novelist who writes a lot about the Vietnam War. [/quote]

I've read July, July by O'Brien, which isn't so much about the Vietnam War as written in its shadow. A superior High School reunion tale, he writes simply and well.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Mon Aug 01, 2005 6:06 pm

Ta, Goodey.

Illywhacker was a great read, even if it took me months to read the damn thing.

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Sat Aug 06, 2005 4:31 pm

Otis Westinghouse wrote:Illywhacker was a great read, even if it took me months to read the damn thing.

Really enjoying it so far - finished Book I sitting on the porch this afternoon, while the kids pushed dolls and stuffed animals around in baby strollers and dreamed up other fantastic pastimes. The wife's working today, in exchange for leaving me alone tomorrow to watch the Community Shield.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Sat Aug 06, 2005 5:31 pm

What do you want to do that for?

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Sat Aug 06, 2005 7:03 pm

Otis Westinghouse wrote:What do you want to do that for?

Afraid to watch, are you?

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Sat Aug 06, 2005 8:05 pm

No, but of course Arsenal don't deserve to be there, so I'm sorry it can't be the more exciting prospect of the rightful FA Cup winners vs. your lot! (Come on, So Lack, I'm ready for ya...)

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Sun Aug 14, 2005 6:20 pm

Taking my first plunge into the waters of Irving with A Widow For One Year.

Mike Boom · Post by **Mike Boom** » Sun Aug 14, 2005 6:48 pm

A Widow For One Year

I enjoyed it , its quite low key compared to his others, less zany, but still has its weird moments. Hotel New Hampshire and Owen Meany are my favourite Irving books - Hollywood really had me squirming with the way they butchered A Prayer for Owen Meany and repackaged the severed limbs into some film called Simon Birch, I mean sheesh, why change the name of the lead character??.

pophead2k · Post by **pophead2k** » Sun Aug 14, 2005 7:27 pm

Busy reader this summer......

Until I Find You...John Irving- my least favorite of his

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close...Jonathan Safran Foer- fantastically inventive book about the aftermath of 9/11 on one child

The Historian..Elizabeth Kostova- lots of fun. Very literate historical fiction about Dracula! Must be a fan of Ottoman empire and Byzantium....

Little Children...Tom Perrotta- from the guy who wrote 'Election', a scathing look at the suburbs. Enjoyable!

so lacklustre · Post by **so lacklustre** » Mon Aug 15, 2005 3:11 am

Irving lover here. I liked A widow For One Year although it is not in the top division of his stuff. I would highly recommend:

A Son of the Circus
A Prayer For Owen Meany
The World According to Garp
Hotel New Hampshire
Cider House Rules

Currently reading the new Harry Potter book (have avoided the HP thread).
Have bought the new Irving to read next.

pophead2k · Post by **pophead2k** » Mon Aug 15, 2005 3:33 pm

I totally endorse your Irving list, SLL, and add 'The Water Method Man' as an excellent early work. And, by the way, my least favorite Irving is sort of like my least favorite Costello- still much better than most.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Mon Aug 15, 2005 6:35 pm

Someone told me Owen Meany was unmissable. Haven't unmissed it yet, but am keen.

so lacklustre wrote:Currently reading the new Harry Potter book (have avoided the HP thread).

Oh come, SoLack! Do I take it you're a fan? In which case, my slagging it/her off without ever having read any of them will annoy the hell out of you. I miss our little fights.

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Mon Aug 15, 2005 6:41 pm

I'm an Irving non-lover. Started "Garp" years ago, thought the writing was a little too cute and sort of pompous or something (it's been a long time) and put it down, forever.

so lacklustre · Post by **so lacklustre** » Tue Aug 16, 2005 4:09 am

Otis, your opinions on anything don't annoy me, they're worthless. It would be like getting annoyed at Robert Kilroy-Silk, instead of just laughing.

Not a big fan of the Potter books, but read the first one out of curiosity and have found them rather addictive. The writing is below average, the storylines are unoriginal and too drawn out and there is too much repitition; but they are as addictive as nicotine, I doubt if there are many people who have read just one of them and not wanted to read more.

Bobby, I'm kinda pleased you're not an Irving lover, it would have bothered me if you were.

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Tue Aug 16, 2005 6:57 am

so lacklustre wrote:It would be like getting annoyed at Robert Kilroy-Silk, instead of just laughing.

Who he? Great name.

so lacklustre · Post by **so lacklustre** » Tue Aug 16, 2005 11:11 am

He's an idiot former Labour MP who left early eighties to become a tv presenter. Had a daily morning dicussion tv show full of the usual plebs/chavs. Ran successfully for many years but got sacked for racist comments he made in a newspaper column. Joined the (anti-eu) UK Independence Party (UKIP) and won a place in the european parliament, only to be kicked out of the party a few months later for trying to depose the leader. He then started his own political party, can't remember the name), and failed at the last general election here. During the campaign someone poured a bucket of dung over him which was midly amusing. Basically he just likes the sound of his voice, and who expresses racist views but denies being racist (he could be the Duke of Edinburghs script writer I'm not sure

). He also has a fake tan.

so lacklustre · Post by **so lacklustre** » Tue Aug 16, 2005 11:12 am

next time use google!!!

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Tue Aug 16, 2005 2:09 pm

so lacklustre wrote:Bobby, I'm kinda pleased you're not an Irving lover, it would have bothered me if you were.

Strangely enough, I would not have been bothered if you were.

I also actually like the Harry Potter books, though I'm not a full on fan -- I read one a year before the movie comes out. The writing can be a bit repetitive however, and I was dissapointed with the climax of the third book, since it was really just a big series of "Irv the Explainer" moments, in which characters pop up and make all sorts of big explanations of what we've been seeing.

I am worried at the increasing length. I've noticed that the books of super-successful authors like Rowling, King, Rice, etc. have a tendency to get longer and longer and longer. I think they're editors grow to fear them and the books can get tedious. (I used to be a pretty big Anne Rice fan, until she just sort of seemed to lose all control.)

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Tue Aug 16, 2005 2:54 pm

so lacklustre wrote:He then started his own political party, can't remember the name)

Veritas

Next time use Google.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Tue Aug 16, 2005 2:57 pm

so lacklustre wrote:Otis, your opinions on anything don't annoy me, they're worthless. It would be like getting annoyed at Robert Kilroy-Silk, instead of just laughing.

Yes, but at least I behave like a grown-up, and I'm not an Arsenal fan.

Post by **BlueChair** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 12:59 pm

Just finished Sam Inglis' 33 1/3 book on Harvest. Excellent.. I'm growing obsessed with these books.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 4:51 pm

I see - so Armed Forces is part of a whole series on LPs. I thought it was an odd one-off. How many have you read? How many are there? They seem quite pricey (here, anyway) for the length. I will, needless to say, need to get my hands on Low and Unknown Pleasures at some point. Ain't come across one on any Dylan titles, which is an odd omission. Nor Van nor Joni.