Thursday, 16 Oct 2008

Location: More book reviews..., Mexico

Voss, Patrick White

L´s review - ¨Expansive, layered although simply filling in time before tragic demise¨.

B´s review - ¨Expansive, layered tragedy of human smallness and futile longings¨.

L: 3.5, B: 4.5

Everyman, Phillip Roth

¨Another dirty old man perpetrating pathetic fantasies on bored readers¨.

L: 1, B: 1

The English Patient, Michael Ondaatje

¨Would you just die already? Idiotic metaphors, bad writing, characters¨

L: 2, B: 1.5

A Death in Brazil, Peter Robb

¨Very engaging, personal history of modern Brazil. Go buy Eliza!¨

L: 3.5, B 3.5

No1 Ladies Detective Agency, Alexander McCall Smith

¨Gorgeous character, entertaining , short on suspense, high on sentimentality¨.

L: 4, B: 2.5

The Moonstone, Wilkie Collins

¨Drawnout saga of theft of moonstone that wasn´t theirs anyway¨

L: 3,

B did not read as sick of triumphal stories of colonial appropriations.

L says it was because book is long and B is a slow reader.

B says he is a critical and considerate reader. Not everything is about being first.

Sigh.