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akujunkanI had a lot on my plate last week, which is why I only finished four English language books.
1) The Stolen Child - Keith Donahue
I am quickly coming to realise that the term "literary fiction" is synonymous with "pretentious, bloated, and all-around bad writing." The Stolen Child has an intriguing premise: dual autobiographies written by a boy abducted by faeries and the faery changeling who replaced him. Unfortunately, that's the only good thing about the book. From the endless, flat descriptions and the completely improbable dialogue to the complete lack of narrative voice (less the author's own) and paper doll characters (the better to dress them up in whatever deus ex machina the plot requires), The Stolen Child is guaranteed not to disappoint anyone looking for over-rated, uninspired dreck. Donahue surely possesses connections in the publishing world--that's the only way to explain how this 230-page festival of mediocrity has received so much undeserved hype.
2) V For Vendetta - Alan Moore
I very much enjoyed Moore's The Watchmen and utterly adore Promethea, so I figured it was time I got around to reading V For Vendetta. It wasn't bad as far as most graphic novels go, but it was nowhere near as good of a book as Moore is capable of penning. His depiction of a futuristic theo-fascist regime hits eerily close to home. Unfortunately, the male hero as Destroyer, female hero=Nurturer/Creator plot "twist" is far from original, and I will always have major problems with any book that kills off the male villains but condemns the female villains to a life of systematic rape, especially when the author doing it is widely considered "groundbreaking" and "progressive." So, while I enjoyed the read, I feel no desire to revisit the book again.
3) Palestine Peace Not Aparteid - Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter is an excellent writer, and this book should be required reading for everyone. Carter gives a comprehensive outline of the history of the region, Palestinian and Israeli key players and aims, and the policy viewpoints of other nations involved in the conflict. He also makes a very convincing case for the argument that Isreali politicians are not and have never truly sought a workable solution to the region's troubles, and that their treatment of the Palestinian people is criminal, if not borderline terroristic. Definitely read this book, but be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster.
4) The Iron Flute - Nyogen Senzaki
The Iron Flute was one of the first collections of koans to be published in the west. In it, "author" Nyogen translates the original Japanese text as well as later commentaries by Genro and Fugai, and added his own observations on the koans. The translation is solid and surprisingly lacking in bells and whistles, and although Senzaki opted to go with Wade-Giles transliterations of all the proper names, he did include Japanese-Chinese-kanji and Chinese-Japanese-kanji name indices in the back that almost justify the cost of the book in and of themselves.
SBS: About 128 volumes, give or take a few. >.<;;;
That will be all.
1) The Stolen Child - Keith Donahue
I am quickly coming to realise that the term "literary fiction" is synonymous with "pretentious, bloated, and all-around bad writing." The Stolen Child has an intriguing premise: dual autobiographies written by a boy abducted by faeries and the faery changeling who replaced him. Unfortunately, that's the only good thing about the book. From the endless, flat descriptions and the completely improbable dialogue to the complete lack of narrative voice (less the author's own) and paper doll characters (the better to dress them up in whatever deus ex machina the plot requires), The Stolen Child is guaranteed not to disappoint anyone looking for over-rated, uninspired dreck. Donahue surely possesses connections in the publishing world--that's the only way to explain how this 230-page festival of mediocrity has received so much undeserved hype.
2) V For Vendetta - Alan Moore
I very much enjoyed Moore's The Watchmen and utterly adore Promethea, so I figured it was time I got around to reading V For Vendetta. It wasn't bad as far as most graphic novels go, but it was nowhere near as good of a book as Moore is capable of penning. His depiction of a futuristic theo-fascist regime hits eerily close to home. Unfortunately, the male hero as Destroyer, female hero=Nurturer/Creator plot "twist" is far from original, and I will always have major problems with any book that kills off the male villains but condemns the female villains to a life of systematic rape, especially when the author doing it is widely considered "groundbreaking" and "progressive." So, while I enjoyed the read, I feel no desire to revisit the book again.
3) Palestine Peace Not Aparteid - Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter is an excellent writer, and this book should be required reading for everyone. Carter gives a comprehensive outline of the history of the region, Palestinian and Israeli key players and aims, and the policy viewpoints of other nations involved in the conflict. He also makes a very convincing case for the argument that Isreali politicians are not and have never truly sought a workable solution to the region's troubles, and that their treatment of the Palestinian people is criminal, if not borderline terroristic. Definitely read this book, but be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster.
4) The Iron Flute - Nyogen Senzaki
The Iron Flute was one of the first collections of koans to be published in the west. In it, "author" Nyogen translates the original Japanese text as well as later commentaries by Genro and Fugai, and added his own observations on the koans. The translation is solid and surprisingly lacking in bells and whistles, and although Senzaki opted to go with Wade-Giles transliterations of all the proper names, he did include Japanese-Chinese-kanji and Chinese-Japanese-kanji name indices in the back that almost justify the cost of the book in and of themselves.
SBS: About 128 volumes, give or take a few. >.<;;;
That will be all.
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on 2007-06-28 07:10 am (UTC)Truer words have never been written.
re: V For Vendetta. I wonder if it's not aged that well. It's been ?20? years since it was first released. I read it over many months, lying on my boyfriend's floor, wanting the next issue *right now*1 back in the day. I remember being very impressed with the story. The artwork and colour choice was unique too, iirc.
1Some things never change. I'm still like that, except now I'm sitting at the computer, sans boyfriend, dl'ing on a weekly basis and impatiently awaiting the next chapter.
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on 2007-06-28 01:09 pm (UTC)Have you ever heard of Margaret Drabble? I ask because she is the main reason I have been putting off writing TWIB #34. I just can't bring myself to revisit the horror...
I wonder if it's not aged that well.
That probably has something to do with it; Moore himself admits that he's no longer entirely satisfied with the beginning chapters. Still, I'm not sure that my main gripes are what he's referring to; the first gripe is pretty integral to the plot and the last occurs in one of the final chapters. ::shrug::