The Crying of Lot 49
Author: Thomas Pynchon 1965 152 pp
My rating: 2.5*
Started September 19 2008, Finished September 22 2008.
Whoosh. That’s the sound of this book going over my head. This is supposed to be an archetypical (and relatively accessible, hmmm) example of post modern fiction; if so, I’ll stick to modern and earlier. Basically, the only thing I liked about the book were the few satirical elements which I actually understood: a defense company called Yoyodyne, a not that funny parody of British invasion era rock group and a send up golden era Hollywood movies in which a dog stands watch on a submarine, looking through a periscope and barking whenever it sees anything. What I didn’t like was the hard to follow, red herring plot involving Oedipa Maas’ attempt to unravel a possible conspiracy as part of her duties as executor of an ex-lover’s estate, the over the top names assigned to every character (Pierce Inverarity, Stanley Koteks, Mike Fallopian etc.) and the lack of recognizable human action, interaction or emotion.
I suspect that to really understand, appreciate and enjoy this book, one would have to put a lot more effort into it than I did, reading (and rereading) slowly and carefully and perhaps consulting a reader’s guide as one read along.
ACDC stands for Alameda County Death Cult. (99)
Monday, September 22, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead
I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead
Author: Crystal Zevon 2007 452 pp
My rating: 3.5*
Started September 8 2008, Finished September 13 2008.
This biography of the darkly intellectual rocker Warren Zevon by his ex-wife, a pastiche of reminiscences by friends and associates, excerpts from his journal and observations by the author, struck me as unexpectedly worthwhile and compelling, though I suspect it would be much less so for the reader not familiar with Zevon’s music. Zevon died in his early fifties, a few months after being diagnosed with cancer. He used the time remaining to him after his diagnosis in a spurt of creativity, writing, producing a performing a final album (ironically, his most successful in decades) and accompanying making-of video. Obviously concerned with image management and keeping his name and career alive after his death (he said he didn’t want a funeral because he didn’t want to spend his last days “wondering whether [the Eagles’ Don] Henley would come”), he requested that Crystal write this book and make it, “a warts and all portrait”. Credit to Crystal for fully fulfilling this commission as she did an excellent job of interleaving quotes from nearly a hundred sources while maintaining a decent narrative flow and honoring, almost to a fault, Warren’s request to show his dark side. This longtime Zevon fan felt his admiration for Zevon, as a person if not an artist, substantially diminished by the tales of the blackout alcoholism and associated abuse of friends and, especially, spouse, his lifelong womanizing and his general primadonnaish self-indulgence -- he played the role of demanding rock star for decades after his star had waned. The interviews with friends often mention Zevon’s that humor and genius usually compensated for his dark side, but in this telling, the dark side predominates though some of the humor comes through in his journal entry, albeit along with his ego. Fans of the music should appreciate the insights into the composition of many of those great songs revealed in the journal and by collaborators. Also of note were the insightfulness and generousity of Jackson Browne's reminiscences.
As I write this, I’m listening to Zevon’s music and am once again struck by what a deep and rich body of work it is. If you’re already a fan, read this book. Otherwise, listen to the songs.
It’s rock and roll, we can rhyme ‘thanks’ with ‘mom’ (375)
[On rock star tantrums] You have to let them know you’re not going to take it. Listen, if you give in to them one time, just one time, you let them send you coach, and you’re going coach for the rest of your life. (384)
[Obsessive compulsive behavior] I would sometimes bring him upwards of ten Cokes before he found one that was good luck. He’d flip it open, and just by the sound, he could tell if it was good luck or not. (385)
I better go quick so they’ll give me a Grammy nomination. It’s a damned hard way to make a living, having to die to gem ‘em to know you’re alive. (429-30)
Author: Crystal Zevon 2007 452 pp
My rating: 3.5*
Started September 8 2008, Finished September 13 2008.
This biography of the darkly intellectual rocker Warren Zevon by his ex-wife, a pastiche of reminiscences by friends and associates, excerpts from his journal and observations by the author, struck me as unexpectedly worthwhile and compelling, though I suspect it would be much less so for the reader not familiar with Zevon’s music. Zevon died in his early fifties, a few months after being diagnosed with cancer. He used the time remaining to him after his diagnosis in a spurt of creativity, writing, producing a performing a final album (ironically, his most successful in decades) and accompanying making-of video. Obviously concerned with image management and keeping his name and career alive after his death (he said he didn’t want a funeral because he didn’t want to spend his last days “wondering whether [the Eagles’ Don] Henley would come”), he requested that Crystal write this book and make it, “a warts and all portrait”. Credit to Crystal for fully fulfilling this commission as she did an excellent job of interleaving quotes from nearly a hundred sources while maintaining a decent narrative flow and honoring, almost to a fault, Warren’s request to show his dark side. This longtime Zevon fan felt his admiration for Zevon, as a person if not an artist, substantially diminished by the tales of the blackout alcoholism and associated abuse of friends and, especially, spouse, his lifelong womanizing and his general primadonnaish self-indulgence -- he played the role of demanding rock star for decades after his star had waned. The interviews with friends often mention Zevon’s that humor and genius usually compensated for his dark side, but in this telling, the dark side predominates though some of the humor comes through in his journal entry, albeit along with his ego. Fans of the music should appreciate the insights into the composition of many of those great songs revealed in the journal and by collaborators. Also of note were the insightfulness and generousity of Jackson Browne's reminiscences.
As I write this, I’m listening to Zevon’s music and am once again struck by what a deep and rich body of work it is. If you’re already a fan, read this book. Otherwise, listen to the songs.
It’s rock and roll, we can rhyme ‘thanks’ with ‘mom’ (375)
[On rock star tantrums] You have to let them know you’re not going to take it. Listen, if you give in to them one time, just one time, you let them send you coach, and you’re going coach for the rest of your life. (384)
[Obsessive compulsive behavior] I would sometimes bring him upwards of ten Cokes before he found one that was good luck. He’d flip it open, and just by the sound, he could tell if it was good luck or not. (385)
I better go quick so they’ll give me a Grammy nomination. It’s a damned hard way to make a living, having to die to gem ‘em to know you’re alive. (429-30)
Monday, September 8, 2008
The Charterhouse of Parma
The Charterhouse of Parma
Author: Stendhal 1839 392 pp
My rating: 2.5*
Started August 23 2008, Finished September 7 2008.
“Criticism can find no fault with the greatest character, nor with the smallest”
From the introduction by Balzac (xiii)
I strongly disagree with Balzac on that one. This book, considered a major classic and an early milestone in the development of the novel, presented many problems for this modern reader, foremost among which is its central character, Fabrizio del Dongo, whose motivations I found inscrutable, whose hypnotic charm I found unbelievable and whose one-note moonstruck romantic pining I found tedious and excessive -- the second quarter of the book, concerned to a large extent with Fabrizio’s cursory romantic dalliances particularly dragged. Another big problem with the book, written in a speed-of-transcription 57 days, is that I often found it hard to follow; to some extent this was my problem as I was somewhat challenged keeping track of the Italian names and archaic titles and aliases but it was primarily due the abrupt transitions in scene and time continually employed by the author who would, for example, segue, without section break or transitional explanation, from a long conversation to a paragraph set at a different time, a different place and involving different characters. Parts of the book that did engage me included Fabrizio’s clueless wanderings at the Battle of Waterloo which powerfully depicted the fog of war and which, set early in the novel, gave me unrealistically high hopes for the book as a whole, almost anything having to do with the preternaturally perspicacious Count Mosca (a character apparently based on the Metternich, one of the great ministers in history) and, in general, Duchess of Sanseverina, a woman of superhuman beauty and charm who captivates virtually every male she encounters and who often reminded me of a happier Toni Buddenbrook.
The Duchess possessed two special characteristics. What she had desired once she desired always, and she never deliberated a second time concerning anything she had once decided. (288)
The Count, regarding punishing revolutionaries: “You must either hang ten thousand, or not a single one;” (335)
“The Princess, who had a strong dislike for energy, which always struck here as being vulgar …” (345)
“In the eyes of the true courtier, people who are not of noble birth have no existence at all.” (385)
Author: Stendhal 1839 392 pp
My rating: 2.5*
Started August 23 2008, Finished September 7 2008.
“Criticism can find no fault with the greatest character, nor with the smallest”
From the introduction by Balzac (xiii)
I strongly disagree with Balzac on that one. This book, considered a major classic and an early milestone in the development of the novel, presented many problems for this modern reader, foremost among which is its central character, Fabrizio del Dongo, whose motivations I found inscrutable, whose hypnotic charm I found unbelievable and whose one-note moonstruck romantic pining I found tedious and excessive -- the second quarter of the book, concerned to a large extent with Fabrizio’s cursory romantic dalliances particularly dragged. Another big problem with the book, written in a speed-of-transcription 57 days, is that I often found it hard to follow; to some extent this was my problem as I was somewhat challenged keeping track of the Italian names and archaic titles and aliases but it was primarily due the abrupt transitions in scene and time continually employed by the author who would, for example, segue, without section break or transitional explanation, from a long conversation to a paragraph set at a different time, a different place and involving different characters. Parts of the book that did engage me included Fabrizio’s clueless wanderings at the Battle of Waterloo which powerfully depicted the fog of war and which, set early in the novel, gave me unrealistically high hopes for the book as a whole, almost anything having to do with the preternaturally perspicacious Count Mosca (a character apparently based on the Metternich, one of the great ministers in history) and, in general, Duchess of Sanseverina, a woman of superhuman beauty and charm who captivates virtually every male she encounters and who often reminded me of a happier Toni Buddenbrook.
The Duchess possessed two special characteristics. What she had desired once she desired always, and she never deliberated a second time concerning anything she had once decided. (288)
The Count, regarding punishing revolutionaries: “You must either hang ten thousand, or not a single one;” (335)
“The Princess, who had a strong dislike for energy, which always struck here as being vulgar …” (345)
“In the eyes of the true courtier, people who are not of noble birth have no existence at all.” (385)
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