MobileRead April 2010 Mobile Read Book Club Vote - Page 18

Sparrow · 04-06-2010, 03:20 PM

I think there is humour in the book; e.g. the description of her and her brother painting the roof, and her father dangling her by her ankles to finish the attic window

.

Or the section describing what happens when children got too inquisitive:
"...until one fateful day when my sister, Mary, proclaimed to the assembled neighborhood children, from a little platform we had erected in the backyard, “Ladies and Gentlemen, babies are born out of people’s stomach holes.” I can still taste the heart medicine."

JSWolf · 04-06-2010, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparrow

I think there is humour in the book; e.g. the description of her and her brother painting the roof, and her father dangling her by her ankles to finish the attic window

.

It is a smile and maybe a chuckle type humor or is it a real laugh type humor?

kennyc · 04-06-2010, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thinkpadx

Glad it's just not me for a while there I thought I was humorless.

...

I've definitely smiled a few times in the first 40 pages. No

yet.

JSWolf · 04-06-2010, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kennyc

I've definitely smiled a few times in the first 40 pages. No

yet.

So, shall we forgo the egg and move on to Biff?

Sparrow · 04-06-2010, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

So, shall we forgo the egg and move on to Biff?

Hmm, I read the Biff sample - and voted for the Egg.

WT Sharpe · 04-06-2010, 03:33 PM

No big laughs so far, but a lot of off-center observations and unique descriptions of people and things that made me smile a quite few times.

kennyc · 04-06-2010, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It is a smile and maybe a chuckle type humor or is it a real laugh type humor?

Why don't you read it and let us know.

thinkpad · 04-06-2010, 03:34 PM

I guess this is a hard one. Defining comedy is not an easy task since humor can mean so many different things to different people. Certainly the book has gotten me to raise a smile from time to time but I haven't

as kennyc so eloquently put it.

kennyc · 04-06-2010, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

So, shall we forgo the egg and move on to Biff?

Go ahead, we'll catch up later.

dreams · 04-06-2010, 03:40 PM

I think humor is relative to culture along with age and life experiences. I also think that humor can be based on the era of the story. I'm not explaining that very well... I would say that most ... Well, maybe that would be best as a discussion point when the book discussion thread opens..

WT Sharpe · 04-06-2010, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

So, shall we forgo the egg and move on to Biff?

In the March 2010 Mobile Read Book Club Vote thread, after the tie vote and the moderator's decision to open two book threads, you said, "What's the problem with a vote-off between the two? What this does is splinter the book club for this month."

PilotBob made changes, and now you're wanting a separate thread to discuss Lamb? Jon—we lost the vote! Get over it! Now let's be good sports and read The Egg and I.

Ea · 04-07-2010, 05:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thinkpadx

How did you find it comic wise? I'm more than 70% through and I'm still trying to figure out the comic parts.

Don't get me wrong the story is interesting and it has gotten me to keep on reading but I just don't see the comedy.

I see it as a life story, but I wouldn't necessarily tag it as a comedy.

Same here - you're not the only one without humour

I can see the attempts at a humuorous writing style, but I wouldn't call the book a comedy.

Sparrow · 04-07-2010, 06:19 AM

It's difficult to prove humour with extracts because they lose their effect out of context. But what about this passage about the relationship between the husband and wife?

"Right after breakfast one May morning he drove into the yard astride a horse large enough to have been sired by an elephant. Carelessly looping the reins over a gatepost he informed me that I was to steer this monster while he ran along behind holding the plow. All went reasonably well until Birdie, the horse, stepped on my foot. “She’s on my foot,” I said mildly to Bob who was complaining because we had stopped. “Get her off and let’s get going,” shouted the man who had promised to cherish me."

I thought that was funny. Despite having the weight of a huge horse on her foot, she is mild and retains her dignity - he however shouts and loses his rag. And the last phrase "shouted the man who had promised to cherish me" I thought both humorous and also indicative if the strength of their relationship, based on a healthy realism that doesn't rely on idealistic romanticism to sustain itself.

thinkpad · 04-07-2010, 08:10 AM

Looks like comedy is something that gets people to participate.
February book club thread had a reply statistic of 98 March thread is so far up to 230 replies.

WT Sharpe · 04-07-2010, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thinkpadx

Looks like comedy is something that gets people to participate.
February book club thread had a reply statistic of 98 March thread is so far up to 230 replies.

And the discussion thread hasn't even started yet!

View Poll Results: April 2010 Mobile Read Book Club Vote
The Egg and I by Betty MacDonald	19	25.33%
Topper by Thorne Smith	5	6.67%
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole	10	13.33%
My man Jeeves by P G Wodehouse	2	2.67%
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain	7	9.33%
Fool by Christopher Moore	3	4.00%
Augustus Carp, Esq. - Being the Autobiography of a Really Good Man by Henry Bashford	0	0%
A Damon Runyon Omnibus	1	1.33%
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore	10	13.33%
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde	16	21.33%
Candide by Voltaire	2	2.67%
Voters: 75. You may not vote on this poll

04-06-2010, 03:20 PM	#256
Sparrow Wizard Posts: 4,395 Karma: 1358132 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Device: Palm TX, CyBook Gen3	I think there is humour in the book; e.g. the description of her and her brother painting the roof, and her father dangling her by her ankles to finish the attic window . Or the section describing what happens when children got too inquisitive: "...until one fateful day when my sister, Mary, proclaimed to the assembled neighborhood children, from a little platform we had erected in the backyard, “Ladies and Gentlemen, babies are born out of people’s stomach holes.” I can still taste the heart medicine." Last edited by Sparrow; 04-06-2010 at 03:26 PM.

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04-06-2010, 03:33 PM	#261
WT Sharpe Bah, humbug! Posts: 39,072 Karma: 157049943 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.	No big laughs so far, but a lot of off-center observations and unique descriptions of people and things that made me smile a quite few times.

04-06-2010, 03:34 PM	#263
thinkpad David Posts: 1,808 Karma: 8916183 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Norway Device: Kindle, E.Edge (sold), Irex Iliad (retired)	I guess this is a hard one. Defining comedy is not an easy task since humor can mean so many different things to different people. Certainly the book has gotten me to raise a smile from time to time but I haven't as kennyc so eloquently put it.

04-06-2010, 03:40 PM	#265
dreams It's about the umbrella Posts: 25,110 Karma: 56250158 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: Sony 505\| K Fire \| KK 3G+Wi-Fi \| iPhone 3Gs \|Vista 32-bit Hm Prem w/FF	I think humor is relative to culture along with age and life experiences. I also think that humor can be based on the era of the story. I'm not explaining that very well... I would say that most ... Well, maybe that would be best as a discussion point when the book discussion thread opens..

04-07-2010, 06:19 AM	#268
Sparrow Wizard Posts: 4,395 Karma: 1358132 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Device: Palm TX, CyBook Gen3	It's difficult to prove humour with extracts because they lose their effect out of context. But what about this passage about the relationship between the husband and wife? "Right after breakfast one May morning he drove into the yard astride a horse large enough to have been sired by an elephant. Carelessly looping the reins over a gatepost he informed me that I was to steer this monster while he ran along behind holding the plow. All went reasonably well until Birdie, the horse, stepped on my foot. “She’s on my foot,” I said mildly to Bob who was complaining because we had stopped. “Get her off and let’s get going,” shouted the man who had promised to cherish me." I thought that was funny. Despite having the weight of a huge horse on her foot, she is mild and retains her dignity - he however shouts and loses his rag. And the last phrase "shouted the man who had promised to cherish me" I thought both humorous and also indicative if the strength of their relationship, based on a healthy realism that doesn't rely on idealistic romanticism to sustain itself.

04-07-2010, 08:10 AM	#269
thinkpad David Posts: 1,808 Karma: 8916183 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Norway Device: Kindle, E.Edge (sold), Irex Iliad (retired)	Looks like comedy is something that gets people to participate. February book club thread had a reply statistic of 98 March thread is so far up to 230 replies.