Nicole
I don't think I've read any author with such distinctive and true voices ... I felt like I was hearing true mental process and / or real and natural conversations. I love short stories when they make me feel deeply, in just a few pages, and for me, he delivered.
A fun and engaging read, on books, relationships, technology, and a bit of magic. Thoroughly enjoyable.
For the genre, I especially enjoyed the descriptions of the natural world (hints of Aldo Leopoldo?). Some sections of this book are very beautifully written indeed.
Disappointing and hard to read. The book is like a series of brief vignettes and each of them works as such, with good and powerful prose. Salter can create a vivid image or an intimate sense of a person with so few words. .
But, but, but .... No plot. And an ego centric and selfish main character I just plain didn't like, plodding through his life. Nor are there themes or ideas in this book that I could discern. Just a recitation of events. Ultimately, a bit boring.
By comparison, Hilary Mantel tells the stories of Henry, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn through a series of short vignettes and is masterful at weaving in ideas of the times and how they were changing, people you come to know and care about, and the events that changed western civilization ....
I wish I had better things to say about thus book .....
A good read for when you laid up with a broken ankle. Cliched characters and story arc, but important points about gender, power, insider status etc. are made.
This author reminds me of Iris Murdoch. Lovely writing. Wry and insightful. Gets to the dark sides of her characters in an interesting way.
Stephenson seemed to be channeling the author of a crappy spy potboiler for a good half of the book. Between endless passages of gratuitous violence and lots of purple prose, I got bored and frustrated.
I've loved many of his earlier books so plan to continue reading him, hoping this was a one time lemon from him. Fingers crossed that he and his editor get a little discipline back.