OK, I am never doing that again. I read Bellefleur. To the end. All the way through. I actually enjoy JCO's writing structure, as it forces (literally grabs the eyeballs and the brain and forces) me to slow down, to read and digest each sentence separately, to keep in mind quirks and characteristics mentioned 300 pages previously (because they will be important later, trust me, quiz at the end of book Four!) The woman has a way with words, that's certain.
What I cannot stomach, however, is the sensation of being caught in a traffic jam at a roundabout upon which there was a violent and deadly automobile accident. I'm not a goose-necker at accidents. If there is no help yet, we pull over and offer aid (blankets, water, call 911). If help has arrived, we pray for those involved and those aiding the victims and move on. They don't need us in the way. They don't need us craning our necks to see what happened, or how badly it happened. But reading Bellefleur gives one the sensation of being stuck in traffic, and after a while, for lack of anything else, you view the scene. You recoil is alarm and look away. Eventually, your gaze drifts back to the carnage, and you notice something, perhaps a shoe or a cap thrown aside. How heartbreakingly jarring. Then you see an arm, and wonder whose it was. So you find yourself looking for a one-armed individual somewhere amidst the clutter, and that's when you notice the maggots. The mangy dog. The hysterical child. It's disturbing. What's worse, is that, while I didn't particularly care for any of the characters other than little Germaine, (I didn't get the feeling she wants the reader to identify with them, as most of them are so completely uni-laterally undeveloped, and what development there is, goes well over the realm of empathetic identification into what can only be described as a profile of a sociopath. Many of them. In one book.) I felt compelled to read on. I said I would finish the book, and I did. And I will never, never do that to myself again. It is safe to say that I have given her more than one glance, and I'm none the better for having done so.
I'm recovering now with Pride & Prejudice, which I've never read, and am absolutely kicking myself for not having done so many times before! It's just the balm my mind needed after the threshing it got with Oates. It's so delightful (or perhaps part of it the drastic contrast to the previous material?) that I've taken to following Zorak about the house, reading excerpts. Austen, however, isn't Stephenson, and I don't think he'll be picking it up just to make me stop. But that's okay, I can read and walk at the same time! *grin*
OCTOBER! It's October, and we are sooooo excited. Except, that, well, the temperatures are flaring back into the 90's this week, and that is so very, very wrong. Zorak said he smelled fall at 5:12 Friday afternoon. (I think that was the time. He did say he noted it when it happened, but I don't remember, precisely.) I missed it, and now it'll probably be another three weeks before it happens again. And I received a wonderful sweater in the mail from a friend, but it has to sit there on my dresser, taunting me, for a while longer. (Maybe I can wear it to bed? It's a really comfy sweater!)
The boys have their costumes lined up, which is good. Gives me plenty of time to procrastinate on getting them made. (It's good to know exactly what you're putting off, isn't it?) James wants to be Superman again, "since the costume still fits". (Love that kid! So practical!) John wants to be Jack Sparrow (something definite to pretend I'm already working on! WOOHOO!) and Smidge wants to be a ghost, or a pirate, or perhaps a pirate ghost, or *gasp*giggle*gasp* THOMAS! Yup, that one's mine, too.
My basic plan is to put off making anything until he decides (you know, so that I can purchase all the materials at once...) Then we will run around town like lost puppies ALL DAY LONG on October 31st, and it will be long, long past supper that I finally give up, staple strings of yarn to a black paper pirate hat, and shove them out the door. It's simple, no more than a variation on a theme, really. We've got it down, pat. What are your plans?
Kiss those babies! (Thankfully, they'll remember the kisses more than the botched costumes!)
~Dy
8 comments:
You're reading P&P for the first time!? Oh,LUCKY!!! I adore that book--definitely my favorite Jane Austen story. I recently re-read it and was delighted with all the little nuances that I'd missed the last go 'round.
I will be using a character in that book as a namesake for something,very shortly. I'll post about it.
I won't tell you what the temperature is here,this morning. But here's hoping for some cool fall weather heading your way very soon!!
Sorry for you! I agree with you about JCO and especially Bellefleur. Treating yourself to Austen's books will be a delightful antidote!
I read P&P for the first time almost exactly a year ago. I really enjoyed it too - there are so many delightful lines and I really liked Austen's voice in the story.
It is finally starting to feel like fall around here - we were in the 90's early last week, but then it cooled off and even rained a bit on Sunday. It is supposed to be in the 70's all week, so perhaps fall really has started at last.
I'm rather hoping we can ignore Halloween again this year, but somehow I doubt I'll get away with it again. It isn't so much that I dislike Halloween, it is more that I dislike all the candy and commercialism that goes with it. I guess I'm just old and grumpy :-D
P&P is my favorite Austen, too.
I happen to have a Jack Sparrow costume here if you want to "cheat" on one. Wig, hat, everything.
So far we have a cheerleader, a maybe Darth Vadar or perhaps Obi Won (is that spelled right?) and Year Two of I'm Too Old to Dress Up. Humph. Leo, is of course, going to be Thomas and Ella is going to be...dunno, probably just cute and in a warm coat. :)
Thanks for the heads up on JCO. I read a recommendation of her stuff somewhere recently in bloggyland, and I thought her subject matter might not be quite "me," but now I know for Sure that her books, excellent though they may be, are not my cup of tea. Jane Austen, though, She's my kind of author!
We have cool (well, Cold, to me) weather here, but I think that it may become Arctic pretty soon!
I LOVE P&P. Actually, I just love Jane Austen. Except for Northanger Abbey; never could get into that one.
More and more lately, I find myself unable to deal with dark or violent movies or books. They stay with me and keep me disturbed for a long time, so I'm just choosing to stay away from that stuff.
If you can, you should try to see the A&E/BBC version of P&P after you read it. There are some minor changes, but they mostly did it by the book and it is awesome. I've watched it, oh, a dozen or so times. :)
I felt the same way after reading P&P for the first time a few years ago--"What took me so long?!!" I had read other Austin books, just not that one. Definitely watch the A&E version if you haven't already. It's wonderful. I, um, don't think I'll pick up the Oates book any time soon, LOL. No need to add darkness and violence to the weird pregnancy-induced dreams! : )
Umm this is SO why I buy the costumes...LOL I did buy a few AHEAD of time and got GREAT deals courtesy of off season eBaying. ;-)
T is going to be the most adorable lion ever. A is going to be Dorothy. With R, the ninja thing is still up in the air, he knows the history - doesn't like it but still thinks the costume would look cool. I'm waiting for his decision on that one still. ;-) C wants to be a dinosaur but so far NONE of the dinosaurs he sees online are good enough. And I will be whatever we want her to be like the good little compliant 4th child she is...LOL
Hugs,
Jess
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