Quote:
Originally Posted by gmw
No sacred ice for my part, just a combination of factors that led me to expect quite a different book. That Florence has so little enthusiasm for books was simply part of the surprise. I think there are many reasons for expecting this book to be something other than it turns out to be: theme, blurbs, title. That it defies literary norms might make it interesting to study, but whether it is successful in its defiance is another matter.
And I don't always dislike a book just because it is unexpected. It can be a set back as you have to reorient yourself in order to follow where the author leading, but sometimes the unexpected can be a pleasant surprise. But if a book isn't what I expected, I do still expected to be something more definite than what this turned out to be. For me, it wasn't short enough to get away with feeling so incomplete.
Ultimately, though, I didn't like the book for the other reason we talked about a few posts ago: I felt that the prose and structure kept me distanced from the characters. And because it never let me in, I got to the end feeling thoroughly unsatisfied - leaving me inclined to get picky about individual sentences  .
I missed The Natural, and what I saw of the conversation about it hasn't encouraged me to add it to my reading list. |
I really do see your points, especially about being kept at a distance throughout the whole book - I was mostly just tweaking you.
But I do think it was purposeful. Fitzgerald has a wonderful scene where Florence realizes that Mr. B is speaking directly to her, loneliness to loneliness, and chooses to let it pass, rather than share a moment of genuine connection with him.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Catlady
It would have been a more interesting book if Florence's decision to stock Lolita had turned the town against her, but that's not the story we got.
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That’s what I thought would bring her down too. The lack of reaction to the book is actually somewhat unbelievable. At least it would have caused a stir in any small town here.