Sunday, October 11, 2009

About those tears of joy....

I know I am supposed to be a patient reader by now, but John Irving's latest book is a test. The incessant details, the parenthesis riddled asides, the meandering plot have just about bored me or frustrated me to tears and I'm struggling to resume at page 78, knowing there are almost 500 more to go. I find myself drifting off on Irving's laborious history of river logging in New England to Jeffrey Lent's masterful depiction of harsh American history in Lost Nation or After the Fall, wishing to be swept away like that again. I need a story to carry me along this twisted river, and I need it soon. I will dig in, I will finish, no matter what Irving has in store for me, I owe him that much. I'm sure there is drama waiting to unfold, words waiting to pierce my heart, if I will just be more patient.
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6 comments:

  1. ElizabethOctober 30, 2009 at 10:28 PM

    I love John Irving and am sad to hear how difficult the book is to get into. And I've heard it from others. I, frankly, don't have time to plow through things that I just can't -- or patience. Keep us posted!

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  2. AnonymousNovember 1, 2009 at 2:59 PM

    I used to love John Irving but have found his later works (just as you have) need a bit of patience. Cider House Rules and A Prayer for Owen Meany remain my favorites by Irving. (So glad to have found YOUR blog, too! I love a good book that, when it ends, you feel like you've lost your best friend -- you never want it to end.)

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  3. Ms. MoonNovember 7, 2009 at 2:35 PM

    I was listening to Until I Find You on tape while I worked outside and walked and cleaned house and finally, on about the fifth or sixth tape I stopped the player, took it out and said, "Enough!"
    I just didn't care any more at all about that story, about those characters. And that's the honest truth.

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  4. MelNovember 7, 2009 at 5:12 PM

    Snort! Ms. Moon, I wonder if we quit at the same spot. I was so excited to receive Until I Find You, but I found it tediuos and couldn't finish!
    At the urging of a fellow book reviewer, I am digging into this latest after a 3 week hiatus. I have to admit, it's really growing on me. It's daunting, though, almost as long as the one we both gave up.

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  5. Maggie MayDecember 3, 2009 at 2:53 PM

    I'm hanging in there because I ADORE Irving and his past works have given me book bliss for a lifetime. But so far I'm trudging through it, not loving it.

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  6. Maggie MayDecember 15, 2009 at 10:23 PM

    liking it much more now...

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