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[malsperanza]

Finished Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell last night. Can't quite decide about it. Big chunk in the middle dragged terribly, but she pulls it off in the end. Keeps the reader at arm's length throughout, which is not to my taste, as a rule.

But hovering just under the skin--under the pastiche of the 19th-century novel and the satire upon the historical novel in general, not to mention an adroit critique of the fantasy novel genre--is a massive, massive allegory about England.

Curious book (in both senses).

On to Jonathan Foer's new one, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Started it over coffee this morning, and am (so far) not disappointed. But am a little dismayed at the advance poster for the movie of Everything Is Illuminated, posted courtesy of cleolinda. Is Liev Schreiber going to blow it? Is this going to be a ribald thigh-slapping slapstick comedy? Hollywood lost the skill to make that kind of movie in 1949. And anyway, WTF?

Comments

[azdaja-dafema.livejournal.com]

Same here about Strange and Norrell. It was quite a strange book, and I did like the idea, but it was very dull in certain aspects. Plus, the constant footnotes (which were neither amusing nor witty) irritated me to no end. Quite textbook in other places too, which is not my usual taste. I was absolutely delighted though to see a word of mine (I say it's mine. I have adopted it. "Thermatage" Which is an old old word for a wizard. It's used once, in an adjective (thermataugic law) . But, it stuck out. ^^

Perhaps I should go back to it, when I have enough patience for it.

[malsperanza.livejournal.com]

Aw, the footnotes are funny. They're spozed to be boring and distracting. That's the joke. No?

[azdaja-dafema.livejournal.com]

*blushes* Perhaps that went over my head. Serious books tend to have serious thoughts behind them, and I thought.. Oh well. I think I was just comparing it to say: the footnotes of "The Amulet of Samarkand" By Johnathan Stroud. They are funny. *nod* Then again, the narrative is also funny, so, perhaps.. I'm rambling now, aren't I?

[malsperanza.livejournal.com]

I don't know "The Amulet of Samarkand"--what is it? Is it good?

[azdaja-dafema.livejournal.com]

It's a book, told in the perspective of a Djinn called intot he service of this apprentice magician who wants revenge against his master and an aquaintance of his who humiliated him. It's really quite funny, and I enjoyed it. Not incredibly intellectual substance, but interesting if you find magic/summoning demons interesting, as you have names and dates supplied by the djinn (Bartimaeus) about when he last saw [insert djinn protecting enemy magician] ect. I'd recommend it, certainly.

[azdaja-dafema.livejournal.com]

Something you might enjoy though, are Jasper Fforde's books. The first is The Eyre Affair. Just, combine Douglas Adams with travelling into classical books, and a lead character who has a Dodo and lives in Surrey, in the Literatec offices. I can't explain it further but... ♥