My wife and daughter and I made a special trip to Borders in Elk Grove since it will be closing its doors forever in the next few weeks. I browsed fiction for a few minutes and began to think about how much I've enjoyed reading Stephen King's "On Writing." Yes, I thought, I might want to try to find another book by another author on writing. I happened upon Pat Conroy's book, and at first look wondered if something with a cover this atrocious could be all that good. It was all that good and more.
Though I'd heard of a couple of his titles, I'd never read anything by Conroy. 'The Prince of Tides' has apparently been made into a movie along with one or two more, but I hadn't seen any of the movies, either. Now I've read what has to be one of the best books in this genre that I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing.
Conroy uses chapter titles as clues to his experiences as a reader. In the first two chapters, he writes about his youth, focusing particularly on his mother who had such a huge and unique impact on his life. His father also impacted him immensely, but in the opposite way. He was a fighter pilot during the Korean War, and his heroism in all things military was counterbalanced by his utter failure to communicate love to anyone of family. Conroy's first book, The Great Santini, was his experiment in understanding his father, primarily, and other members of his immediate and extended family. I lost myself in a world of Pat Conroy the child as I read with complete mesmerizing excitement and found by chapter three that my commitment to reading and writing would cement itself in my psyche by the time I'd finished this work of art.
Conroy gives the reader three chapters entitled, the teacher, the librarian, and the book rep. In these he discusses his experiences in learning from individuals who believed in him. What's nice is that even as a young person, Conroy believed in his abilities to write and believed that he would one day be a successful writer, this thanks to his mother and his sheer obsession and lustful devouring of literature of all kinds. These individuals supported his love of literature in many ways. Conroy describes, for example, his Beaufort High School English teacher as "...the exceptional and scrupulous man I had been searching for my whole life." Mr. Norris (the teacher) was exceptional, indeed! His influence on Conroy lasted for decades, and not just in the heart of the would-be writer, but in life. Conroy and Norris developed a friendship that would last until the day Norris died, and Conroy's account of the experiences that changed him as a person and a reader and writer were moving. One can only hope that the influence of such a human being will gift him or her in life.
In the chapters, "The Old New York Book Shop" and "My First Writers Conference," Conroy effectively tells of one of the first places for writing that became his haven as he worked on and completed one of his first novels. His relationship with the bookstore owner is revealed in only the wonderful way that Conroy could reveal it. And I was pleasantly surprised at his reaction to the first writers conference that he attended. Let's just say that it wasn't exactly what he'd expected. But that's what Conroy does in this book. He writes the truth. The reader can feel it coming through the words, the sentences that flow so freely and like poetry. It's as if you are there with him as he walks through the crowds of writers; like you have been invited to the event and have been given the privilege of hearing his thoughts.
Conroy writes about authors at length. I found myself keeping notes and ordering books as a result. Three that I'll start with are Report to Greco by Nikos Kazantzaki, Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe, and The Great Santini by Pat Conroy. In one of his chapters, Conroy writes of Thomas Wolfe and the effect of his works on his life. After I read this chapter, I sat and looked out at the sky, trying to fixate my glance on nothing so as to take in the words that I'd just read. It's as if Conroy wants his reader to find an author that has this kind of effect upon them. He wants the reader to indulge him or herself in something greater that mere words, for as Conroy states, perfection and eveything from a book are to be expected.
I could go on, but suffice it to say, this book is a must read for readers, and as close to a necessity for writers that I can imagine. As I stated to my wife and daughter, and many times to myself as I read, "How does a person do this; write this well!" I'll be reading this book again and again, and each time I'll enjoy it more. Please read this. Please do.
10/10
Oh, the joy,
Steve
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
The Gathering by Anne Enright
I don't think I'll be reading another Enright novel anytime too soon. Oh, not that I didn't enjoy this one. It was, in fact, quite good. That is, it was engrossing. I found myself re-reading at least a sentence per paragraph so that I might fully grasp the meaning.
In this, Enright uses much of her Irish nuances throughout, but not so much that the reader languishes in confusion. It's just that it takes a bit of thought to put two contiguous sentences together when one is thinking in American'ese.'
Enright's main character, Veronica, finds herself writing much about her own mother and grandmother, all the while realizing that most of what she writes is conjecture and could be thoroughly fictional.
Veronica has eight siblings. She tells of all of them, their shortcomings and all, but mostly of her closest brother, Liam. And in doing so, she admits that the most dreadful of occurrences regarding Liam may indeed have not occurred at all as she sees in her memory.
Has this got you wondering? If so, read the book. But be forewarned; it has much to be desired for most readers, including myself. Though I was drawn in by the language of the author, I found myself wondering what exactly the main character was trying to communicate. There is no question that she hated men, and one finds out why as they read, but I found myself confused about the family members and the place of each in the story.
6/10
Hmmm....
Steve
In this, Enright uses much of her Irish nuances throughout, but not so much that the reader languishes in confusion. It's just that it takes a bit of thought to put two contiguous sentences together when one is thinking in American'ese.'
Enright's main character, Veronica, finds herself writing much about her own mother and grandmother, all the while realizing that most of what she writes is conjecture and could be thoroughly fictional.
Veronica has eight siblings. She tells of all of them, their shortcomings and all, but mostly of her closest brother, Liam. And in doing so, she admits that the most dreadful of occurrences regarding Liam may indeed have not occurred at all as she sees in her memory.
Has this got you wondering? If so, read the book. But be forewarned; it has much to be desired for most readers, including myself. Though I was drawn in by the language of the author, I found myself wondering what exactly the main character was trying to communicate. There is no question that she hated men, and one finds out why as they read, but I found myself confused about the family members and the place of each in the story.
6/10
Hmmm....
Steve
Monday, April 25, 2011
McTeague by Frank Norris
This story had me from the first page. Somehow, the introduction of a clumsy, not-so-bright dentist in a San Francisco setting spelled magic. And the story was indeed, magical.
McTeague lived in a flat and ran a dentistry business in a small shop on Polk Street. It is here where he met his future wife, Trina. The detail that Norris uses to describe McTeague's feelings, the struggles between his will and his desires, stirred within me a kind of familiarity. The author used this technique throughout the book, and I was moved by every character as a result. McTeague's wife, Trina, had a propensity to greed, and though considered a negative characteristic, it is what stirred within me a kind of pity. I hoped that she would change, for the sake of both she and her new husband. They seemed so cute, in a way, and it was the unwillingness to deal with certain character flaws that eventually led them to their undoing.
Generally, I don't care for sudden setting shifts in a book. Personally, they confuse me--tend to annoy me, really. In this book, there is one very clear setting shift that occurs toward the end, but Norris effectively maintained my interest in the plot. It was, though dramatic, quite believable, and eventually the author brings the story to a thought-provoking close in this new setting.
The book was written in 1899, so the language is a bit different than today's. It was refreshing. Though most of Norris's characters were anything but upper-classed, even their conversations exuded a kind of intelligence that is absent in the average modern English conversation. Reading this kind of novel not only entertains the reader but educates them in conversation, as well.
I loved this book. I rarely use the statement, "I couldn't put it down," but it was true for me in this case. This book is a magical gem.
9.5/10
Enjoy San Francisco through the reading,
Steve
McTeague lived in a flat and ran a dentistry business in a small shop on Polk Street. It is here where he met his future wife, Trina. The detail that Norris uses to describe McTeague's feelings, the struggles between his will and his desires, stirred within me a kind of familiarity. The author used this technique throughout the book, and I was moved by every character as a result. McTeague's wife, Trina, had a propensity to greed, and though considered a negative characteristic, it is what stirred within me a kind of pity. I hoped that she would change, for the sake of both she and her new husband. They seemed so cute, in a way, and it was the unwillingness to deal with certain character flaws that eventually led them to their undoing.
Generally, I don't care for sudden setting shifts in a book. Personally, they confuse me--tend to annoy me, really. In this book, there is one very clear setting shift that occurs toward the end, but Norris effectively maintained my interest in the plot. It was, though dramatic, quite believable, and eventually the author brings the story to a thought-provoking close in this new setting.
The book was written in 1899, so the language is a bit different than today's. It was refreshing. Though most of Norris's characters were anything but upper-classed, even their conversations exuded a kind of intelligence that is absent in the average modern English conversation. Reading this kind of novel not only entertains the reader but educates them in conversation, as well.
I loved this book. I rarely use the statement, "I couldn't put it down," but it was true for me in this case. This book is a magical gem.
9.5/10
Enjoy San Francisco through the reading,
Steve
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Let It Blurt: The Life and Times of Lester Bangs by Jim Derogatis
Lester Bangs was a rock n' roll music critic for various publications throughout the seventies. He wrote primarily for 'Creem,' a magazine still in print today, though far from anything that it was at its inception.
Bangs's life was short-lived--he overdosed in his thirties. His struggle with alcohol and drugs was a product of a pretty screwed-up childhood. His mother was a Jehovah's Witness fanatic, constantly seeing to it that Lester was somehow involved in church activities, forever referencing all things JW, and putting down the world and its excesses. Lester, even as a child, saw through the phony rantings of church ministers and members, and held a grudge, yeah, despised all things JW for the remainder of his life.
He had an extraordinary talent for writing, particularly about music, musicians, and fans, and it wasn't long after Lester entered the world of writing, that he found himself sought out by many small but hopeful magazines, including The Rolling Stone and Creem. Though he is considered to have had a fairly successful career, Lester seemed to forever struggle to keep up. His confusion about women and relationships in general haunted him, and this was, in part, a reason for his passion for alcohol and drugs.
I enjoyed this book, though I felt that more could have been said about his personal life, feelings, etc. A bunch of the book was dedicated to names and places, and that's necessary, to be sure, but the few times that his personal life was referenced left me wanting for more.
7/10
Read with pleasure,
Steve
Bangs's life was short-lived--he overdosed in his thirties. His struggle with alcohol and drugs was a product of a pretty screwed-up childhood. His mother was a Jehovah's Witness fanatic, constantly seeing to it that Lester was somehow involved in church activities, forever referencing all things JW, and putting down the world and its excesses. Lester, even as a child, saw through the phony rantings of church ministers and members, and held a grudge, yeah, despised all things JW for the remainder of his life.
He had an extraordinary talent for writing, particularly about music, musicians, and fans, and it wasn't long after Lester entered the world of writing, that he found himself sought out by many small but hopeful magazines, including The Rolling Stone and Creem. Though he is considered to have had a fairly successful career, Lester seemed to forever struggle to keep up. His confusion about women and relationships in general haunted him, and this was, in part, a reason for his passion for alcohol and drugs.
I enjoyed this book, though I felt that more could have been said about his personal life, feelings, etc. A bunch of the book was dedicated to names and places, and that's necessary, to be sure, but the few times that his personal life was referenced left me wanting for more.
7/10
Read with pleasure,
Steve
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)