![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
decemberthirtyWell, I was searching for something to fill the void after the heartbreak of -Lonesome Dove-, and I settled on an old standard, Ursula LeGuin. I got -The Telling-, her latest book, for Christmas and still had not read it, so now I'm about halfway through.
It's good. Like all of her books, it's extremely well-written, full of beautiful, clear, luminous prose. It's got an engaging story and a really fascinating setting. However, it's not great. It may be better than many other authors could do, but it just doesn't measure up to her masterpieces like -The Left Hand of Darkness-, the Earthsea books, -Searoad-, -Always Coming Home-, etc... Of course when a writer has that many books that count as masterpieces (and I could list more!), I suppose it's excusable to produce a book that's merely good.
It's good. Like all of her books, it's extremely well-written, full of beautiful, clear, luminous prose. It's got an engaging story and a really fascinating setting. However, it's not great. It may be better than many other authors could do, but it just doesn't measure up to her masterpieces like -The Left Hand of Darkness-, the Earthsea books, -Searoad-, -Always Coming Home-, etc... Of course when a writer has that many books that count as masterpieces (and I could list more!), I suppose it's excusable to produce a book that's merely good.
hello there. :)
Date: 2001-07-30 08:37 am (UTC)I read your post in TheReadingRoom community and decided to, as you suggested, head on over here and see what you were reading.
It's really a good idea to keep a reading journal; I myself do it, but it's in paper form so I can carry it with me when I go to bookstores--helps me see what I liked/disliked which helps me make better purchases.
What types of genres are you most interested in? There's a bit of a break in the continuity line between Lonsome Dove and what you're reading now.
I'm currently in a gothic mystery mindset, reading The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. It's a fine piece of literature!
Later :)
Re: hello there. :)
Date: 2001-07-30 08:56 am (UTC)I realize that McMurtry and LeGuin don't have a whole lot in common, but I will read books in almost any genre, provided they are well-written and thoughtful. I did go through a period in my early teens when I read almost nothing but sci-fi/fantasy, and my interest in Ursula LeGuin is left over from that time. I don't read much of that kind of stuff anymore, but she's so good that I continue to seek out her books.
My girlfriend just finished reading -The Moonstone-. She loved it, and is now reading Wilkie Collins's -The Woman in White-. Maybe now that I've had two people recommend it to me I'll have to read -The Moonstone- myself.
Thanks.
Re: hello there. :)
Date: 2001-07-30 09:54 am (UTC)I understand completely the ability (desire?) to cross genre lines; what's good is good, no matter what "type" of book it is.
Early teens for me were filled with lots of Anne McCaffery(sp) and Piers Anthony as far as sci fi/fantasy goes. When I started college, I very rarely picked up those types of book, but every now and then I find things that truly impress/change me.
Ender's Game was one such book; the writing, characterization, and plot were so tight and delightful that I couldn't help but be dramatically impressed. While I didn't like any other books in that series, I did enjoy Ender's Shadow which I really don't count as a "Ender" book.
Byeee