Becker’s 1975 book of adventure is gloriously boisterous, fully packed with sex and violence (in one sequence, though, the union of the two takes a prBecker’s 1975 book of adventure is gloriously boisterous, fully packed with sex and violence (in one sequence, though, the union of the two takes a pretty grim turn). I didn’t see the lead character, Jake Dodds, so much of an anti-hero, like a bad dude with a heart of gold or a dreadful villain who nevertheless plays by a certain code, but more of just an out and out louse. I had a distinct lack of sympathy for the guy, but, thanks to Becker’s elevated writing, I still had a blast of a time with the book....more
I’m a big fan of both English history and David Mitchell so what’s not to like here? Sometimes he’ll sacrifice clarity for comedy—especially when we gI’m a big fan of both English history and David Mitchell so what’s not to like here? Sometimes he’ll sacrifice clarity for comedy—especially when we get to where it seems every monarch is a Henry or Edward—but Unruly is a fun, informative read through Mitchell’s irreverent perspective....more
What with its Updike staples of religion, infidelity, sex, and art, Marry Me treads the same ground as elsewhere, specifically Couples. I sure got theWhat with its Updike staples of religion, infidelity, sex, and art, Marry Me treads the same ground as elsewhere, specifically Couples. I sure got the sense the fallout from the earlier novel (friends and neighbors rightly saw much of themselves in the book’s characters) directly informed this one. It would’ve been interesting if the whole of Marry Me would’ve been like its last, more experimental sixteen pages, which I enjoyed most....more
If I knew anything about surfing beyond the hazy ability to identify a surfboard, I’d treasure Barbarian Days much more than I do.
Finnegan’s prose isIf I knew anything about surfing beyond the hazy ability to identify a surfboard, I’d treasure Barbarian Days much more than I do.
Finnegan’s prose is attractive, sometimes dazzling, and his ability of describing waves is inexhaustible. Many parts where he’s not actually writing about surfing conditions and specific rides amount to top-notch travel writing. This had me fully engaged—the man’s led a life of adventure. Unfortunately all my surfing knowledge stems from a handful of Beach Boys songs, and when Finnegan describes his life’s more memorable surf moments, though beautifully written, I’m often unable to visualize what’s happening. There are exceptions, of course, but overall these sections, which, as you’d expect from the A Surfing Life subtitle, make up a huge part of the book and they became less enjoyable as time went on....more
Though Tales of the City was first published in 1978, it reads more like a novel from 1998 in which the author crams his work with late-70s referencesThough Tales of the City was first published in 1978, it reads more like a novel from 1998 in which the author crams his work with late-70s references in a depthless attempt to evoke the era—we get mood rings, pet rocks, and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman right off the bat.
What sticks with me most is not only the atmosphere of San Francisco of the time but also the clever ways Maupin weaves together the lives of the many characters.
I got a pretty good read on those characters through mostly dialog and actions, which is pretty much all you get�Tales is an extremely dialog-heavy book, no big interior thinking here. This style is effective, but I would’ve preferred a little more weight....more
Thanks to Jennifer Ackerman and her globe-trotting research I now know—from how to zero in on voles beneath a foot and a half of snow (I need better hThanks to Jennifer Ackerman and her globe-trotting research I now know—from how to zero in on voles beneath a foot and a half of snow (I need better hearing) to if, when, and where I should consider migrating—what an owl knows. The information here is exhaustive. It could've easily turned into a laundry list of facts and trivia, but Ackerman's writing is deft and smooth, moving fluently from the likes of the study of owls to owl breeding to owl conservation, in which she does her best to find some positivity in the bird's future despite the devastating effects on owl population brought on by development and climate change....more
All Fours has the elements which are part and parcel of what I know and expect of July’s work: acute insights; uniformly unconventional characters; peAll Fours has the elements which are part and parcel of what I know and expect of July’s work: acute insights; uniformly unconventional characters; perfectly set up and delivered humor; and scenes so graphic it’s sometimes difficult to read through the wincing (see—or don’t see—Chapter 11). I wound up admiring All Fours more than I enjoyed it....more
The Vietnam War is subtitled “A Military History,� but it’s a lot more than that; Wawro nails a balance in presenting both the military and political The Vietnam War is subtitled “A Military History,� but it’s a lot more than that; Wawro nails a balance in presenting both the military and political sides of the war’s equation, going back to Harry Truman and the end of World War II.
I didn’t expect anyone to come off well here (no one does) but Wawro really has it in for U.S. General William “Westy� Westmoreland, notably hawkish and mendacious in a war hallmarked with hawkishness and mendacity.
It’s an exhaustive account almost exclusively top-down. I’m already looking for more on-the-ground perspectives, like Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried and oral histories....more
Rental House is split into two parts. The first is with Chinese-American Keru and her husband, Nate, who comes from southern U.S. "white trash," hostiRental House is split into two parts. The first is with Chinese-American Keru and her husband, Nate, who comes from southern U.S. "white trash," hosting and dealing with their nameless in-laws at a Cape Cod beach cottage. This comes off less an arc-driven narrative than an auto-fictional litany of race- and culture-related perceptions, few of which I found insightful, clever, or even witty (I missed the "laugh-aloud zingers" the L.A. Times gushes about). There are second-hand perceptions, too: in one passage Nate references the premise of the movie Idiocracy, the point being life's a lot like that.
I managed through the second half better, just not enough to make up for the first. It's five years later and Keru and Nate, still unendurable pills, are in another vacation house, this time confronting not only the couple next door but also Nate's black-sheep older brother. The conflicts here were less self-centered and could have reached a satisfying conclusion (but didn't, at least for me).
The book has been well received by critics (of a younger generation than I, I'd bet), but I didn't get on with it. By next Thursday I'll likely be able to recall only the couple's sheepdog Mantou, whose story I was engaged with the most....more
Half of the ten stories in Nothing Serious are golf-centric and feature the Oldest Member and his Long Island golf club. Oldest Member tales haven’t dHalf of the ten stories in Nothing Serious are golf-centric and feature the Oldest Member and his Long Island golf club. Oldest Member tales haven’t done much for me in the past and they don’t here. In the remaining five stories it’s fun to visit with other familiar Wodehouse characters, including Bingo Little and Lord Emsworth. The final piece, “Success Story,� is a quality entry in the Ukridge canon....more
When his wife asks Ezekiel Farragut, in prison for fratricide, “When do you think you’ll be clean?� she’s referring to his heroin/methadone habit…but When his wife asks Ezekiel Farragut, in prison for fratricide, “When do you think you’ll be clean?� she’s referring to his heroin/methadone habit…but we come to learn Falconer is really about the cleansing of his soul. When I was enjoying the book (i.e. most of the time) I was enjoying it a lot. The more meditative moments in between the events of prison life and Farragut’s bouts of nostalgia, however, stopped me kind of cold. The idea that a literary novel like Falconer could today top the bestseller list in The New York Times for three weeks—as Cheever’s book did back in 1977—is unthinkable....more
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