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Chesil Beach
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sarsen
 13 Dec 2011, 10:53 #136961 Reply To Post
I hesitated to give two stars to an acclaimed writer's work when I often award five stars to Indies. But, whilst it is elegant prose, it is such a tedious tale I found myself skimming and at one point chucked it across the room.
I've yet to skim any novel I've read from you people. Maybe I'm just not ready for 'great literature'.

Harry
blog: http://1513fusion.wordpress.com/
sulcus
 13 Dec 2011, 13:30 #136986 Reply To Post
Quote: sarsen, Tuesday, 13 Dec 2011 10:53
I hesitated to give two stars to an acclaimed writer's work when I often award five stars to Indies. But, whilst it is elegant prose, it is such a tedious tale I found myself skimming and at one point chucked it across the room.
I've yet to skim any novel I've read from you people. Maybe I'm just not ready for 'great literature'.

Harry


It's a weird one. It's short enough not to have tried my patience and I rather enjoyed it at a very limited level accordingly for as you say the elegance. But then it is really too slight to be regarded as great literature and begs the question if it wasn't Ian McEwan with presumably a publishing contract demanding a book a year from him, would it have been published? I don't know. While I liked "Atonement" or 2/3 of it at least, the book that followed Chesil Beach ("Solar") did offend my sensibilities and make me want to hurl it across the room, though I held myself in check. I have only ever done that for one book, Doris Lessing's "The Good Terrorist".
This post was last edited by sulcus, 13 Dec 2011, 14:01
"A,B&E", "Not In My Name" and "52FF" (flash fiction anthology) all available on Amazon Kindle

"How a psychopath makes sweet love. I can get you ringside. Royal box even."
bigbadjoe
 14 Dec 2011, 01:56 #137081 Reply To Post
Hi - i like Asimov
sulcus
 14 Dec 2011, 09:47 #137098 Reply To Post
Quote: bigbadjoe, Wednesday, 14 Dec 2011 01:56
Hi - i like Asimov


Thanks for sharing
"A,B&E", "Not In My Name" and "52FF" (flash fiction anthology) all available on Amazon Kindle

"How a psychopath makes sweet love. I can get you ringside. Royal box even."
awrigley
 15 Dec 2011, 10:07 #137186 Reply To Post
Quote: sulcus, Tuesday, 13 Dec 2011 13:30
Quote: sarsen, Tuesday, 13 Dec 2011 10:53
I hesitated to give two stars to an acclaimed writer's work when I often award five stars to Indies. But, whilst it is elegant prose, it is such a tedious tale I found myself skimming and at one point chucked it across the room.
I've yet to skim any novel I've read from you people. Maybe I'm just not ready for 'great literature'.

Harry


It's a weird one. It's short enough not to have tried my patience and I rather enjoyed it at a very limited level accordingly for as you say the elegance. But then it is really too slight to be regarded as great literature and begs the question if it wasn't Ian McEwan with presumably a publishing contract demanding a book a year from him, would it have been published? I don't know. While I liked "Atonement" or 2/3 of it at least, the book that followed Chesil Beach ("Solar") did offend my sensibilities and make me want to hurl it across the room, though I held myself in check. I have only ever done that for one book, Doris Lessing's "The Good Terrorist".


I listened to Chesil Beach on an Audio book. Like Amsterdam, it is really just a short story stretched to meet the publishing contract.

But a very good short story... If it had been short. For most of us, frigidity is a fascinatingly alien subject.

Solar I thought was very, very good. Also listened to it on Audio.

Most of IEs books are utterly brilliant for the first half, then disolve into silliness (Enduring Love being the prime example).

Saturday I liked, just. But Solar I loved. Why? Don't know really. But it was a well worked plot and there were some funny moments.
Memory... What was that?
sulcus
 15 Dec 2011, 10:27 #137188 Reply To Post
Quote: awrigley, Thursday, 15 Dec 2011 10:07
Quote: sulcus, Tuesday, 13 Dec 2011 13:30
Quote: sarsen, Tuesday, 13 Dec 2011 10:53
I hesitated to give two stars to an acclaimed writer's work when I often award five stars to Indies. But, whilst it is elegant prose, it is such a tedious tale I found myself skimming and at one point chucked it across the room.
I've yet to skim any novel I've read from you people. Maybe I'm just not ready for 'great literature'.

Harry


It's a weird one. It's short enough not to have tried my patience and I rather enjoyed it at a very limited level accordingly for as you say the elegance. But then it is really too slight to be regarded as great literature and begs the question if it wasn't Ian McEwan with presumably a publishing contract demanding a book a year from him, would it have been published? I don't know. While I liked "Atonement" or 2/3 of it at least, the book that followed Chesil Beach ("Solar") did offend my sensibilities and make me want to hurl it across the room, though I held myself in check. I have only ever done that for one book, Doris Lessing's "The Good Terrorist".


I listened to Chesil Beach on an Audio book. Like Amsterdam, it is really just a short story stretched to meet the publishing contract.

But a very good short story... If it had been short. For most of us, frigidity is a fascinatingly alien subject.

Solar I thought was very, very good. Also listened to it on Audio.

Most of IEs books are utterly brilliant for the first half, then disolve into silliness (Enduring Love being the prime example).

Saturday I liked, just. But Solar I loved. Why? Don't know really. But it was a well worked plot and there were some funny moments.


Solar was such a pastiche of the middle class, the middle aged, I hated it. It's humourous moments were few and far between. They were too clunking really and the way he brought every antagonist to him in America was a risible deus ex machina
This post was last edited by sulcus, 15 Dec 2011, 10:27
"A,B&E", "Not In My Name" and "52FF" (flash fiction anthology) all available on Amazon Kindle

"How a psychopath makes sweet love. I can get you ringside. Royal box even."
dancingsue
 15 Dec 2011, 14:19 #137204 Reply To Post
Ian McEwan: pages and pages of adjectives and very little else. In my opinion.
the long and the short of it

sulcus
 15 Dec 2011, 14:42 #137205 Reply To Post
Quote: dancingsue, Thursday, 15 Dec 2011 14:19
Ian McEwan: pages and pages of adjectives and very little else. In my opinion.


see normally I might like that. But it depends what adjectives. I like to force nouns and verbs into adjectival poses. What larks
"A,B&E", "Not In My Name" and "52FF" (flash fiction anthology) all available on Amazon Kindle

"How a psychopath makes sweet love. I can get you ringside. Royal box even."
notleyab
 15 Dec 2011, 15:38 #137211 Reply To Post
Quote: sulcus, Thursday, 15 Dec 2011 14:42
Quote: dancingsue, Thursday, 15 Dec 2011 14:19
Ian McEwan: pages and pages of adjectives and very little else. In my opinion.


see normally I might like that. But it depends what adjectives. I like to force nouns and verbs into adjectival poses. What larks


So, Sulc, are you owning up to being an adjectival poseur?
awrigley
 15 Dec 2011, 16:03 #137215 Reply To Post
Quote: sulcus, Thursday, 15 Dec 2011 10:27
Quote: awrigley, Thursday, 15 Dec 2011 10:07
Quote: sulcus, Tuesday, 13 Dec 2011 13:30
Quote: sarsen, Tuesday, 13 Dec 2011 10:53
I hesitated to give two stars to an acclaimed writer's work when I often award five stars to Indies. But, whilst it is elegant prose, it is such a tedious tale I found myself skimming and at one point chucked it across the room.
I've yet to skim any novel I've read from you people. Maybe I'm just not ready for 'great literature'.

Harry


It's a weird one. It's short enough not to have tried my patience and I rather enjoyed it at a very limited level accordingly for as you say the elegance. But then it is really too slight to be regarded as great literature and begs the question if it wasn't Ian McEwan with presumably a publishing contract demanding a book a year from him, would it have been published? I don't know. While I liked "Atonement" or 2/3 of it at least, the book that followed Chesil Beach ("Solar") did offend my sensibilities and make me want to hurl it across the room, though I held myself in check. I have only ever done that for one book, Doris Lessing's "The Good Terrorist".


I listened to Chesil Beach on an Audio book. Like Amsterdam, it is really just a short story stretched to meet the publishing contract.

But a very good short story... If it had been short. For most of us, frigidity is a fascinatingly alien subject.

Solar I thought was very, very good. Also listened to it on Audio.

Most of IEs books are utterly brilliant for the first half, then disolve into silliness (Enduring Love being the prime example).

Saturday I liked, just. But Solar I loved. Why? Don't know really. But it was a well worked plot and there were some funny moments.


Solar was such a pastiche of the middle class, the middle aged, I hated it. It's humourous moments were few and far between. They were too clunking really and the way he brought every antagonist to him in America was a risible deus ex machina


Or poetic licence.

Maybe it was just that we were going on a good holiday, driving up the West Coast of Scotland, through Glen Coe and over the sea to Mull. Or thereabouts.
Memory... What was that?
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