Andy
After reading the Lydia Davis translation of Swann's way, it was tough to adjust to the slightly clunkier CKSM translation, I can only imagine this could be a 5 star read if she had translated this volume as well.
(Don't buy the Mint Editions copy, full of typos and inner-margins are way too narrow!)
I absolutely love the introductions of both Robert and Albertine... Poor Robert deserved better from Marcel :”(
“Grief that is caused one by a person with whom one is in love with can be bitter, even when it is interpolated among preoccupations, occupations, pleasures in which that person is not directly involved and from which our attention is diverted only now and again to return to it.”
“Pleasure in this respect is like photography. What we take, in the presence of the beloved object, is merely a negative film; we develop it later, when we are at home, and have once again found at our disposal that inner darkroom, the entrance to which is barred to us so long as we are with other people.”
The concept was neat, but the writing style was not my cup of tea. Flowery prose can be nice but when most of the novel consists of ooey gooey love letters it becomes a bit tiresome and repetitive to read. I would have liked the writing styles between the two main characters to be more distinct from each other to make the letter-chapter-letter-chapter format feel less repetitive.
Despite the story being quite short and very little happening plot-wise, it began to feel like I had to slog through a lot of unnecessary descriptive language to get to any real character development or plot points!
As the book is mainly a collection of interviews, my enjoyment really depended on the interviewee for a given section - some were incredibly insightful while others made me want to throw a drink at them. Overall an interesting reflection on the place of bootlegs and copies in the art/design world, with a great visual presentation to boot.
An easy lighthearted read - completely fine for what it is, but I'll probably forget about it quickly!
very interesting! the narrow column format made it a bit annoying to read as an essay tho
I think Tombs of Atuan and Tehanu (books 2 and 4) are where this series particularly hit its mark for me (although 1 and 3 are excellent in their own right). Le Guin shines in the delicate characterization of Tenar and somewhat subverts typical fantasy tropes to focus on themes of girlhood/adolescence (Atuan) and motherhood (Tehanu). I can understand why fans of fantasy as a genre may be put off by these two books, but I think the reason I continue to think so much about these two entries lies in their use of a fantasy setting to explore themes of religion, womanhood, and family (rather than telling a grand fantasy adventure).
I wasn't expecting to love this as much as I did... Maurice makes for such an fascinating protagonist, flaws and all
objectively not anywhere close to an actual 5-star read - but these short kings maintain an unbroken chokehold on my remaining brain cells.... :)
