tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35847465.post7958473775416772689..comments2022-09-22T10:29:13.287+01:00Comments on written in water: Halfway Through Swing TimeMark Illishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383928947693009634noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35847465.post-36160697613352939792017-12-18T10:41:23.114+00:002017-12-18T10:41:23.114+00:00That's kind of you. Thanks. I did start My Bri...That's kind of you. Thanks. I did start My Brilliant Friend, but my interest wavered toward the middle. It wasn't anything to do with the characters, which were engaging, more to do with the feeling that I would have to pace myself as we were starting down a very long road and, for me, the thought of having to follow it was, unfortunately, a bit wearying. You know, that saga-ish vibe, which many people love, of course. Not good on sagas, too impatient. Personal flaw.Tom Saundershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00039740051188321433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35847465.post-89686060295209484962017-12-18T09:58:22.837+00:002017-12-18T09:58:22.837+00:00You put it better than I do! Have you read My Bril...You put it better than I do! Have you read My Brilliant Friend? Makes an interesting comparison. Mark Illishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18383928947693009634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35847465.post-35916295342781665992017-12-16T19:04:41.352+00:002017-12-16T19:04:41.352+00:00P.S. I posted this because I don't think we...P.S. I posted this because I don't think we've agreed so entirely on anything before or are likely to do so in the future. I'll get my coat.<br />Tom Saundershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00039740051188321433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35847465.post-58568185192600260512017-12-16T19:03:43.252+00:002017-12-16T19:03:43.252+00:00This comment has been removed by the author.Tom Saundershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00039740051188321433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35847465.post-42594644768091354292017-12-16T10:57:42.029+00:002017-12-16T10:57:42.029+00:00Reviewed this for my group page on Facebook.
&quo...Reviewed this for my group page on Facebook.<br /><br />"Enjoyed this but I'm not entirely sure why. Smith isn't a prose stylist, something I usually look for in a writer and require. I couldn't get into her first novel White Teeth and I almost gave up on this one. When I got into the meat of the book I was all right, I wanted to know how the lives of the two girls would work out and how their relationship would progress. Structurally, the book wanders somewhat and I didn't feel any strong conceptual thread. Even at the end, I wasn't convinced anything of great perception or merit had been said. The novel progressed but, for me, it didn't come together in a memorable or effectual way. It felt like she was assembling what she hoped would be thematic material without ever committing to the thrust of the book and making a final decision as to what the theme should be. The novel passed the time pleasantly enough and I was aware that Smith has a good mind. She has said it's about being black and I didn't feel any of that, I'm afraid. I often forgot that the central characters were black as their problems felt more like old world problems, never more so than when one of them goes to work in Africa."Tom Saundershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00039740051188321433noreply@blogger.com