Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Bright Light, Bright Light.
The Daily Mail is currently running an ad which essentially says buy us because our ink doesn't leave print on your fingers. I mean really is that your biggest selling point? Mind you I knew a woman once who cited that as the very reason she read the Daily Mail. She was a silly woman who once aged me at about 15 years older than I am so she was always going to be in the bad books.
I finished reading Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell last night and am perplexed. Not at the ending, because I understood that, but at why it was so long? I sat there and thought to myself so what happened for those 780 pages? Was there a thrilling conclusion? Were all transient characters and tangents brought together to reveal something hidden I hadn't seen along the way? Could the book have been printed as three exciting volumes? And the answer dear reader is no, no and not really. It was well written, in a busy and layered style (complete with footnotes) that I love, but now that I've finished I can't see what the point of it all was. Has anyone else read it? Please someone tell me what I've missed. I did enjoy it but I just think a very heavily edited book would have had the same outcome.
Next on the pile of books is Lizzie Sidall: The Tragedy of a Pre-Raphaelite Supermodel, which I was fortunate enough to receive for Christmas and co-incidentally I had just been to see a play called The Earthly Passion all about Lizzie's husband, that's Dante Gabriel Rosetti to you, so I am well in the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood.
Our self-titled 'Office Manager' (the link will give those of you who may know a clue as to who I'm talking about) just arranged for all the dead light fittings to be replaced, turning a once slightly dark but kind on the eyes office into blaze of white light. Stay away from the light Carrie Ann. I was relating this story to Rick who had a similar one of his own and he sent me a picture of the 'Independence Day' lights of his office to me. Only view with special glasses or you will go blind (drunk).
Cheers!
I finished reading Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell last night and am perplexed. Not at the ending, because I understood that, but at why it was so long? I sat there and thought to myself so what happened for those 780 pages? Was there a thrilling conclusion? Were all transient characters and tangents brought together to reveal something hidden I hadn't seen along the way? Could the book have been printed as three exciting volumes? And the answer dear reader is no, no and not really. It was well written, in a busy and layered style (complete with footnotes) that I love, but now that I've finished I can't see what the point of it all was. Has anyone else read it? Please someone tell me what I've missed. I did enjoy it but I just think a very heavily edited book would have had the same outcome.
Next on the pile of books is Lizzie Sidall: The Tragedy of a Pre-Raphaelite Supermodel, which I was fortunate enough to receive for Christmas and co-incidentally I had just been to see a play called The Earthly Passion all about Lizzie's husband, that's Dante Gabriel Rosetti to you, so I am well in the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood.
Our self-titled 'Office Manager' (the link will give those of you who may know a clue as to who I'm talking about) just arranged for all the dead light fittings to be replaced, turning a once slightly dark but kind on the eyes office into blaze of white light. Stay away from the light Carrie Ann. I was relating this story to Rick who had a similar one of his own and he sent me a picture of the 'Independence Day' lights of his office to me. Only view with special glasses or you will go blind (drunk).
Cheers!
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