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avevale_intelligencerI finished The Glass Books Of The Dream Eaters by G W Dahlquist. Somewhat in the vein of Jonathan Strange And Mr Norrell, but much easier to get through (I've always been a very lazy reader and prefer a style that helps me along, rather than one that jumps up and down in front of me making faces and demanding to be noticed). I'm lost in admiration, sort of, for the way the author managed to get me through the entire book without making it clear whether I was in Britain or some other part of Europe: the setting is all British, but the street names and such kept on being in foreign. Spellings were American ("saber"), which I've grown inured to.
If they're going to film it, it had better be soon. There's a plum part for Rickman in there, but it's pretty physical so he'll need to be believably fit. Could make a good movie, done right.
If they're going to film it, it had better be soon. There's a plum part for Rickman in there, but it's pretty physical so he'll need to be believably fit. Could make a good movie, done right.
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Date: 2008-05-26 11:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-05-26 01:34 pm (UTC)With you 100% on style. Couldn't get through Jonathan Strange, despite the story being intriguing.
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Date: 2008-05-27 02:56 pm (UTC)I thought Strange and Norwell was hard to get through, due to all of the footnotes and it seeming wordy and bland. The overall plot is indeed interesting, but it could seriously be condensed by a 100 pages, I think.
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Date: 2008-05-27 05:44 pm (UTC)Footnotes are the heart and sole of a book! Ask T.Pratchett (1) if you don't believe me!
Wordy, yes. Its wordiness is its glory. But bland never! Urbane, strange and referential but not bland.
Michael Cule (2)
(1) A man who wields a mean authorial appendage himself!
(2) MA (Oxon) in Eng Lit, I'll have you know and coming over all I-Must-Write-A-Letter-To-The-Times in his 53rd year to heaven.
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Date: 2008-05-27 06:56 pm (UTC)You tend to avoid wordiness in reading and writing when: 1) you're an engineer, 2) you've been criticized with being very wordy with your writing by fellow engineers, 3) your writing background is just from college expository writing, and 4) when you have VERY limited time to even enjoy a good read.
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Date: 2008-05-27 08:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-05-27 08:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-05-27 10:53 pm (UTC):-î?