Quote:
Originally Posted by issybird
Just the same, I agree with Caleb that there's not much depth beyond the concept and the prose, but I don't know there has to be. Sometimes a good read is just a good read; sometimes on a bad day not only is it all I can manage, it also serves as a restorative.
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I agree. Sometimes the writing is enough and I did have a half-smile on my lips as I read this.
Actually, I watched a movie the other day called
Under the Skin which demonstrated to me that not knowing the intention of a work can greatly influence your reaction to it. I knew nothing about this movie when I watched it other than the fact that it was rated quite highly by several sources.
I found the movie to be painfully boring and pointless. A few things came to my attention while watching: a 70s influence, the echoes of film-makers such as Kubrik. However, this did nothing to prevent me from almost falling asleep during tedious scenes of staring and silence and action scenes that were incomprehensible even if rather elegant.
However, after I sat through the movie I read an article about it which changed my perspective. I had expected a story from a movie which really wasn't so much about telling a story, but providing an experience. Had I read something about it beforehand I might have approached it with a different expectation and reacted to it in a slightly more positive way.
I'm not one for reading background material prior to reading a book, but I wonder if my reaction to this book would have been more positive had I expected only whimsy and delightful prose before I started.