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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Books
- Hits: 1612
Now I've read Will before, and to my surprise quite liked him. So when I found this at a garage sale I was pleased, a bit of light reading, something to pass the time away from the computer...
But it was disappointing. Very disappointing. Exactly what I had feared when I read his first book. Jocular, filled with the kind of banter that perpetually falls flat, almost as if it were trying too hard to be funny. Large themes handled with small characters and witless dialogue.
The premise is that an editor (Edwin de Valu) for a publishing house (Panderic) publishes a piece of rubbish called "What I learned on the Mountain", a self help book that will cure everything from obesity, smoking, self image, finances, etc, only this self help book works and the plot centers around the mayhem that ensues. There's potential here.
And I read it and I read it, hoping it would get better, a satire on the Self Help and New Age movement, the satirical observations only slimly veiled, (The "Chicken Broth" series, for example), the occasional stabs at insight all but damned, then, when realizing it wouldn't get better, at best peaking at "Mildly amusing, but I've started it now and had better finish...."
Examining the cover. Published by Penguin, he's come up in the world, a plain red-white striped cover, this from the back jacket:
"Light Blue for big ideas Green for crime Orange for fantastic fiction"
Fantastic in this instance obviously means "In no ways related to reality....' and is in no way is to be interpreted as a reflection on the quality.
The funny thing is, he can write. He can clearly express good ideas, there are good ideas in the book, but their development, the dialogue, the characters, all, well...
Never mind. Ironic in that while satirizing the publishing industry for publishing any drek provided it sells, the prose in this book sets forth to prove the point
Despite it's attractive cover I'd give it a single rotten banana peel. Don't slip up and buy it.
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Books
- Hits: 1510
It's been reviewed to death. A fine read, well drawn characters, especially that of Madame Bovary, one still recognizes her today...
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Books
- Hits: 1557
Beginning with "This is a True Story" and we journey quicker and quicker down the rabbit hole of "Military Intelligence". In specific, the divisions that covertly employ psy and paranormal ops. Highly amusing, and (frighteningly enough) not even slightly implausible. Which it should be, given the absurd events and histories it narrates, but it's not. I've heard most of these things before, parroted as fact...While the miracles are uncertain, the witnesses are legion. Especially amusing is the narrator's (Ronson's) dry tone as he interviews his subjects.
A throwaway read, but worthwhile nonetheless. I'd give it 30 goats and 3 hamsters. All live.
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Books
- Hits: 1565
I like Orwell. He's bleak, bleak as all out, but live in Britain any length of time and you'll know where he's coming from.
In this he takes the character of George Bowling, an overweight self-satisfied insurance agent who recalls the Britain of his youth and comes up with some occasionally sage observations on the turnings of modern society. There are forshadowings of themes that he expounds upon in "1984". Not essential Orwell, but good. Also worth noting are the feelings of displacement, the world of Bowling's childhood being swiftly destroyed by "progress" and the War. Themes still current, more current even, today...
But I've had enough, they're good reads but a trifle depressing. I've had it in my head (where did it come from, I wonder?) to read "Madame Bovary" by Flaubert, thought I had it on my shelves, searched for it and couldn't find it, but then by happy circumstance I stumbled upon an Everyman edition (red Moroccan Leather, although I'm suspicious of the translation...) at a thrift shop down the street.
Which will be the next review....
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Books
- Hits: 1704
An uncomfortable recognition of the resemblences between young Gordon Comstock and myself; unfortunately I haven't gone searching for poverty (but it's done a fine job of finding me....). As always, Orwell has a fine eye for the minutae and details of the hypocrisies and manners of English society. And the bit about advertising is as relevent now as always...but still, that damnable resemblance....