Austen's prose style is whimsically ironic, somehow both easy to read and yet layered complexly with many themes and meanings. I expected some DickensAusten's prose style is whimsically ironic, somehow both easy to read and yet layered complexly with many themes and meanings. I expected some Dickensian nightmare and instead was greeted by a delightful, even compulsively readable romp through the English countryside. This book single-handedly changed my mind about work of this type from this literary genre. If you've been burned before by the overly ornate descriptive styles that typify this period's novels, give this book a try anyway. I'd be shocked to hear it wasn't worth it. ...more
Unlike Lahiri's The Interpreter of Maladies (which I read for the same class) this collection features characters whose stories are inter-related. TheUnlike Lahiri's The Interpreter of Maladies (which I read for the same class) this collection features characters whose stories are inter-related. The individual pieces still tell complete stories which are, by themselves, well-crafted, engaging, and emotionally affective (with a, dang-it Spell Check). Taken together they tell an even more powerful story, but they are in no way "vignettes." The strength of this collection comes from the completeness of each individual piece and the way that individual completeness forms a collective incompleteness. These stories provoke thought and emotion in equally welcome amounts, and the language is easy to read. Do not mistake easy to read for lacking intellectual challenge. The Dew Breaker is a worthy, rewarding read. ...more
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