A decent vampire story. I don't know. There's something about Fuentes' writing. He never completely captivates me. A decent vampire story. I don't know. There's something about Fuentes' writing. He never completely captivates me. ...more
What a marvelous treasure box of a collection this is! Robertson Davies said, ‘The imagination is a cauldron, not a filing cabinet.’ Theroux’s fulminaWhat a marvelous treasure box of a collection this is! Robertson Davies said, ‘The imagination is a cauldron, not a filing cabinet.’ Theroux’s fulminating cauldron is powerful enough to create worlds within worlds. This book of stories is part Grimm, part Nabokov, and all Alexander Theroux. I don’t know of a better prose stylist alive today. His sinuous, word-drunk sentences can pull you up short, snap back like an adder, entertain like mad music, and cure you of your apathy. His work will last longer than red bricks and will continue to reward and delight adventurous readers....more
I read about The Beatles because they make me happy. And I don't mind a good warts and all biography. But this book is warts and warts. All you get isI read about The Beatles because they make me happy. And I don't mind a good warts and all biography. But this book is warts and warts. All you get is the acrimony, the pettiness, the bad business decisions, the break-up, the drug busts and, over and over, the fact that Brian was gay, as if that was some terrible secret. Time and time again they steer the interviews toward only the darker aspects of their fame and afterwards. Where is the joy? ...more
Anthony Powell's 12-novel cycle, Dance to the Music of Time, is one of the best things I've ever read. This early novel is almost as good: funny, erudAnthony Powell's 12-novel cycle, Dance to the Music of Time, is one of the best things I've ever read. This early novel is almost as good: funny, erudite and peopled with finely drawn characters. It reminded me, often, of Iris Murdoch's lively, complex stories. ...more
This is brilliant, so full of joy and brio one wants to holler from the rooftop. Witty and clever and language-besotted. Read "Party of Ideas" for jusThis is brilliant, so full of joy and brio one wants to holler from the rooftop. Witty and clever and language-besotted. Read "Party of Ideas" for just one example of the fine high-wire act Lehman is able to walk. This is the first I've read by him but it won't be the last. ...more
Auster was one of the great plotters. This might be what Kafka would have written if he'd been a late 20th century New Yorker.Auster was one of the great plotters. This might be what Kafka would have written if he'd been a late 20th century New Yorker....more
Loading...
