The best tiny book I’ve read. This much profundity and emotion in such a small number of pages I’ve only found so far in the short fiction of Tolstoy,The best tiny book I’ve read. This much profundity and emotion in such a small number of pages I’ve only found so far in the short fiction of Tolstoy, David Foster Wallace, and John Steinbeck.
Before long, he caught a hold of himself and concluded that nothing ever did happen again; to each was given days and chances which wouldn’t come back around. And wasn’t it sweet to be where you were and let it remind you of the past for once, despite the upset, instead of always looking on into the mechanics of the days and the trouble ahead, which might never come.
..he found himself asking was there any point in being alive without helping one another? Was it possible to carry on along through all the years, the decades, through an entire life, without once being brave enough to go against what was there and yet call yourself a Christian, and face yourself in the mirror?...more
I still think about this every day. Profound, ingenious, and most importantly overflowing with empathy and tenderness. One of the best things I’ve eveI still think about this every day. Profound, ingenious, and most importantly overflowing with empathy and tenderness. One of the best things I’ve ever read....more
So beautiful, and especially heartbreaking if you have any experience with being poor.
I knew very early on that this was one of my new favoMasterpiece
So beautiful, and especially heartbreaking if you have any experience with being poor.
I knew very early on that this was one of my new favorite books, and yet I didn’t want to read it some nights. I couldn’t handle reading about Francie and the Nolans going another night with nothing to eat, as they “played rescue.”
Anyone that has the incredibly stupid generalization that the poor are lazy, dirty, or in any way inferior, needs to read this book....more
The one thing that’s especially brilliant and unique to this book that won’t leave my mind is the way inThis is one of the best books I’ve ever read.
The one thing that’s especially brilliant and unique to this book that won’t leave my mind is the way in which Kavalier & Clay’s creative expression is expressed in their art.
Of course Michael Chabon isn’t the first to do that, but I’ve never seen it done so well. Too often I’ll grudgingly read a story-within-a-story and it’s mediocre; or it’s interesting and gives insight into the character, but nothing beyond that.
For example I (overall) love Stephen King’s stories, but Misery and The Body both have a story-within-a-story (the Body has two) that I genuinely think are bad and I didn’t enjoy reading them at all.
It astounds me even more in some ways that writers, and artists in general, can do something with a preexisting idea that affects you in a way in which it hasn’t been done. The concept isn’t original, but its effect on you certainly is.
With all great literature there are moments which have you shaking your head, grinning, thinking, “Genius!” Often when multiple plot-lines intertwine in such a satisfying way. With Kavalier and Clay, most of those moments came from seeing how those two characters turned their negative and positive life experiences into art.
I can’t stop thinking about that, and I keep thinking back on it while consuming other art, thinking what happened to them to give birth to all of the little details.
And that’s my favorite thing about art. When it not only impacts you to such a degree that it lingers in your mind, but also leaves you looking at some aspect of everyday life in a different way....more
Tied with Great Expectations for the best book I’ve ever read.
As Tolstoy said, there is no more or less love: I love this with one love, I love that wTied with Great Expectations for the best book I’ve ever read.
As Tolstoy said, there is no more or less love: I love this with one love, I love that with another. But Charles Dickens is my favorite writer. Not only that, but he is my favorite artist.
I can’t exactly put it into words, but there is a feeling I have while reading Dickens, that lingers with me after having read his work, or even thinking of his work. It’s pure, unadulterated love and joy. No other piece of art has ever made me feel anything like this.
Charles Dickens’s writing is the most beautiful I’ve read, and it’s so surprisingly consistent.
Donna Tartt’s analysis expressed how I felt about it: each sentence, each paragraph, fits so well together into the story and chapter, but also stands alone. You lift a paragraph of his out of his book, and it’s poetry.
Another analysis by Tolstoy: he has such love for his own characters that it’s contagious. His writing has a tenderness and sincerity to it that is so lacking in other writers. His characters are so lovable and distinctive; not caricatures. He’s the funniest writer, alongside David Foster Wallace.
Dickens is beautiful, and the world is more beautiful thanks to him and his art. Read him. And, contrary to the myth that’s foolishly believed and repeated in an attempt to justify one’s own insecure opinion, he was not paid by the word....more
Tied with David Copperfield for the best book I’ve ever read.
As Tolstoy said, there is no more or less love: I love this with one love, I love that wiTied with David Copperfield for the best book I’ve ever read.
As Tolstoy said, there is no more or less love: I love this with one love, I love that with another. But Charles Dickens is my favorite writer. Not only that, but he is my favorite artist.
I can’t exactly put it into words, but there is a feeling I have while reading Dickens, that lingers with me after having read his work, or even thinking of his work. It’s pure, unadulterated love and joy. No other piece of art has ever made me feel anything like this.
Charles Dickens’s writing is the most beautiful I’ve read, and it’s so surprisingly consistent.
Donna Tartt’s analysis expressed how I felt about it: each sentence, each paragraph, fits so well together into the story and chapter, but also stands alone. You lift a paragraph of his out of his book, and it’s poetry.
Another analysis by Tolstoy: he has such love for his own characters that it’s contagious. His writing has a tenderness and sincerity to it that is so lacking in other writers. His characters are so lovable and distinctive; not caricatures. He’s the funniest writer, alongside David Foster Wallace.
Dickens is beautiful, and the world is more beautiful thanks to him and his art. Read him. And, contrary to the myth that’s foolishly believed and repeated in an attempt to justify one’s own insecure opinion, he was not paid by the word....more
The same people rating the Iliad 1/5 while simultaneously rating Percy Jackson 5/5 are all you need to know about Goodreads ratings and reviews.
The AnThe same people rating the Iliad 1/5 while simultaneously rating Percy Jackson 5/5 are all you need to know about Goodreads ratings and reviews.
The Ancient Greek myths and plays are the first stories, characters, pieces of writing, etc., that I ever fell in love with. Reading them is the biggest comfort read for me. It still amazes me that multi-hundred long epic poems that are thousands of years old (and all the retellings that stem from them) are my biggest comfort read; both just from being swept away in the stories and dissecting the themes of each telling. It’s the best of both worlds....more
“Natural feeling demanded that he vindicate himself, prove to her that she was wrong; but to prove that she was wrong would mean to upset her still mo“Natural feeling demanded that he vindicate himself, prove to her that she was wrong; but to prove that she was wrong would mean to upset her still more and make the breach that had caused all the trouble still wider. One habitual feeling urged him to shift the blame from himself to her; another, stronger one urged him quickly, as quickly as possible, to smooth over the breach and keep it from growing bigger. To remain under so unjust an accusation was tormenting, but to hurt her by vindicating himself was still worse.”...more
Has been my favorite book series for nearly thirteen years now. It’s unlikely for that to change soon. The series being unfinished (as of now) in no wHas been my favorite book series for nearly thirteen years now. It’s unlikely for that to change soon. The series being unfinished (as of now) in no way changes the love and enjoyment I have for what’s published. I’ll reread them endlessly with no bitter feelings in my heart....more
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