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

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