So Ed. I feel bad leaving you behind with the likes of the Drinkwaters and the Mouses, but it's finally come to that. Please report to us whether you also gave up on the book. Better yet, maybe you'll continue reading, the book will finally click for you, and you can tell us what it was all about.
I feel pretty good about my 245-page investment of time. Larry has said a couple of times that he feels bad having guided us to this book but I think he must stop that. If we continue reading as a group (boy is that an overstatement) each of us may go through the same thing. Even worse, we're going to come across a book that one of us hates and another one loves. Or maybe that's better for a book discussion blog.
Pam
Monday, April 28, 2008
Sunday, April 27, 2008
230 - 240
I must grudgingly admit that when confined to 10 pages I can find some interesting things in this book. The musings on the joys of reading and books (pp 230-231) are nice. The book Auberon shows to his dad ("is this book true?") seems like it may touch on a significant piece of this story: that someone has written down the story of this family in advance.
I get that 2 of Lilac's great grandparents were brother and sister and therefore some people, Daily Alice for example, are somewhat embarrassed about this intermarriage, if that's the right word. But why does Auberon act like Lilac is an imaginary friend? Maybe there are 2 Lilacs: one real, one imaginary?
And is Momdy another name for Sophie Dale? (probably something else I missed in my half-assed reading).
What does this mean?
Parturient montes et nascetur ridiculus mus.
The passages about Smoky and Daily Alice passing the time (bottom of page 240) are nice.
This may be it for me.... I gave it good try, found it worth my time, but that time is running out.
Pam
I get that 2 of Lilac's great grandparents were brother and sister and therefore some people, Daily Alice for example, are somewhat embarrassed about this intermarriage, if that's the right word. But why does Auberon act like Lilac is an imaginary friend? Maybe there are 2 Lilacs: one real, one imaginary?
And is Momdy another name for Sophie Dale? (probably something else I missed in my half-assed reading).
What does this mean?
Parturient montes et nascetur ridiculus mus.
The passages about Smoky and Daily Alice passing the time (bottom of page 240) are nice.
This may be it for me.... I gave it good try, found it worth my time, but that time is running out.
Pam
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Genre
From wikipedia:
Fantasy is a genre that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting. The genre is usually associated with the overall look, feel and themes of the European Middle Ages (including architecture, dress and technology), while the actual setting is often a fictional plane or planet where magic and magical beings are commonplace.
Fantasy is generally distinguished from science fiction and horror by the expectation that it steers clear of technological and macabre themes, respectively, though there is a great deal of overlap between the three (collectively known as speculative fiction).
The characters in Little,Big continue to stay vague to me, and apparently if I can’t describe what a character is like (“character A was in her mid-30s living in New York in the 1930s and blah blah blah”) then I can’t find a reason to keep reading. Am I being narrow in my inability to find the rhythm of a fantasy? Lots of books move back and forth in time and place, but this novel seems excessive in that regard. I wish I just bounce along easily, reading a few pages about one slightly “off” character followed by another. A great deal of the writing is nice.
I’d like to pose some questions to the remaining reader(s), god knows a bunch of them pop up on every page, but I don’t care about the answers.
Here’s my new plan, developed as I sit here at the computer, 12:30 late Friday night, trying to find something worthwhile to say. I have arbitrarily picked page 230 (“It wasn’t until Auberon was past seven years old that….”) and read straight through for 10 pages. I’ll report back about those 10 days in my next post. Might be just another harangue.
We watched the movie Atonement tonight. Missed it at the theater. Very nice. So true to the book, which I like.
Pam
Fantasy is a genre that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting. The genre is usually associated with the overall look, feel and themes of the European Middle Ages (including architecture, dress and technology), while the actual setting is often a fictional plane or planet where magic and magical beings are commonplace.
Fantasy is generally distinguished from science fiction and horror by the expectation that it steers clear of technological and macabre themes, respectively, though there is a great deal of overlap between the three (collectively known as speculative fiction).
The characters in Little,Big continue to stay vague to me, and apparently if I can’t describe what a character is like (“character A was in her mid-30s living in New York in the 1930s and blah blah blah”) then I can’t find a reason to keep reading. Am I being narrow in my inability to find the rhythm of a fantasy? Lots of books move back and forth in time and place, but this novel seems excessive in that regard. I wish I just bounce along easily, reading a few pages about one slightly “off” character followed by another. A great deal of the writing is nice.
I’d like to pose some questions to the remaining reader(s), god knows a bunch of them pop up on every page, but I don’t care about the answers.
Here’s my new plan, developed as I sit here at the computer, 12:30 late Friday night, trying to find something worthwhile to say. I have arbitrarily picked page 230 (“It wasn’t until Auberon was past seven years old that….”) and read straight through for 10 pages. I’ll report back about those 10 days in my next post. Might be just another harangue.
We watched the movie Atonement tonight. Missed it at the theater. Very nice. So true to the book, which I like.
Pam
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Another view
Seriously folks. How about if we agree to make a final decision when we get to about p. 350.
As for me I'm skimming the annoying parts such as the Noisy Bridge Rod and Gun Club and Ariel Hawksquill. (BTW, Ariel is a Hebrew name that means "lion of God.") Instead I'm concentrating on the parts I'm enjoying like the story of Auberon coming to NYC. With all the people centered around Edgewood I was finding it claustrophobic. Someone had to leave.
I think what's bothering me (us?) is that we're halfway through the book (more or less) and we still can't figure out what's going to happen. Perhaps, like the gift-wrapped box in Murakami's The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, that's what's going to happen. It's just a vehicle to tell a story.
ITMT, in addition to shades of Through the Looking Glass, Crowley has added possible nods to The Wind in the Willows and also Doctor Doolittle. We've also determined that George is known for his use of and generosity with his stash of hash. Other parts of the ambiguity have also become clearer.
Does this make it a tour de force? Let's try to reserve judgement until p. 350.
As for me personally I'm less enamored of his language now than I was 100 pp. ago. But there are still parts of the narrative that I'm enjoying. The development of Auberon is lovely -- esp when contrasted with Ariel Hawksquill. And the notion of this bizarre farm (commune?) in the Bronx. . .
I have this feeling that at some point we have to get over the hump. Maybe we will.
My thoughts for tonight. One last thing: Can we try to post a bit more regularly?
Ed
As for me I'm skimming the annoying parts such as the Noisy Bridge Rod and Gun Club and Ariel Hawksquill. (BTW, Ariel is a Hebrew name that means "lion of God.") Instead I'm concentrating on the parts I'm enjoying like the story of Auberon coming to NYC. With all the people centered around Edgewood I was finding it claustrophobic. Someone had to leave.
I think what's bothering me (us?) is that we're halfway through the book (more or less) and we still can't figure out what's going to happen. Perhaps, like the gift-wrapped box in Murakami's The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, that's what's going to happen. It's just a vehicle to tell a story.
ITMT, in addition to shades of Through the Looking Glass, Crowley has added possible nods to The Wind in the Willows and also Doctor Doolittle. We've also determined that George is known for his use of and generosity with his stash of hash. Other parts of the ambiguity have also become clearer.
Does this make it a tour de force? Let's try to reserve judgement until p. 350.
As for me personally I'm less enamored of his language now than I was 100 pp. ago. But there are still parts of the narrative that I'm enjoying. The development of Auberon is lovely -- esp when contrasted with Ariel Hawksquill. And the notion of this bizarre farm (commune?) in the Bronx. . .
I have this feeling that at some point we have to get over the hump. Maybe we will.
My thoughts for tonight. One last thing: Can we try to post a bit more regularly?
Ed
I'm back at it.
I'm back to reading the novel. Eddie guilted me into it. We (he and I) agreed to read to page 350 (gasp) and then reassess. Join us if you will.
While I was shopping for fruit just now I had a thought: I'm going to stop thinking about plot and time and family structure. I have an inkling of some sociopolitical intrigue (maybe BladeRunner-ish?) coming up so that also makes me want to continue. I'm just starting book 2 on page 204.
Nesting Canada goose from the pond next door to our house.
Pam
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
"goats laughed and bewailed in the garden apartments and ate orts from claw-foot bathtubs."
I think it was that sentence that led me to say, finally, I give up, I just can't finish this book. Or maybe it was the introduction of the Noisy Bridge Rod and Gun Club. Or the Cosmo-Opticon.
I guess we can safely say that Little, Big is a fantasy, set roughly in the 20th century somewhere near New York City. The world inhabited by Smoky and his relatives, as well as some talking fish and highly literate mice (rodent-type mice), isn't governed by the same laws of time and space that we are familiar with. Maybe I simply don't have the kind of brain that can fully appreciate fantasies, but I just didn't find any charm in all this. I read some lyrical passages, but that wasn't enough for me to truly engage in the "story." And the quirkiness of the characters was enjoyable and sometimes entertaining but the hopping back and forth in time (am I right about that?) made it hard for me to know who these people are in relation to each other.
I don't think this is a bad book, but I know it's not giving me the kind of reward that well-written books or cleverly plotted books can offer.
I feel bad leaving Ed, and maybe Larry and Paula behind, but I'll read your comments with interest and maybe even chime in if I have something worthwhile to say. Meanwhile I plan to finish reading "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan (not just an interesting book but an important one that I highly recommend) and then I'll start The Book Thief.
Sorry guys, I gave it a good try but I'm 61 and the shelves are sagging with good books I want to read before the end.
Pam
I guess we can safely say that Little, Big is a fantasy, set roughly in the 20th century somewhere near New York City. The world inhabited by Smoky and his relatives, as well as some talking fish and highly literate mice (rodent-type mice), isn't governed by the same laws of time and space that we are familiar with. Maybe I simply don't have the kind of brain that can fully appreciate fantasies, but I just didn't find any charm in all this. I read some lyrical passages, but that wasn't enough for me to truly engage in the "story." And the quirkiness of the characters was enjoyable and sometimes entertaining but the hopping back and forth in time (am I right about that?) made it hard for me to know who these people are in relation to each other.
I don't think this is a bad book, but I know it's not giving me the kind of reward that well-written books or cleverly plotted books can offer.
I feel bad leaving Ed, and maybe Larry and Paula behind, but I'll read your comments with interest and maybe even chime in if I have something worthwhile to say. Meanwhile I plan to finish reading "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan (not just an interesting book but an important one that I highly recommend) and then I'll start The Book Thief.
Sorry guys, I gave it a good try but I'm 61 and the shelves are sagging with good books I want to read before the end.
Pam
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Website
I just found an interesting website about a special edition -- fancy one for $95 -- of Little, Big. There is an interview with Crowley who seems to be about as odd as his characters.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
