tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post2248993461293968700..comments2023-11-05T10:11:31.578+00:00Comments on Just William's Luck: 'remembering the forgotten'William Rycrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056188088340973039noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post-21230593589365205962010-07-14T17:22:36.597+01:002010-07-14T17:22:36.597+01:00Will: It is what power "we" have, not w...Will: It is what power "we" have, not what power I have -- if both you and I like the book, then perhaps it is worth a shot. I do understand John Self's objection to the book, but I think he ended up denying himself a quite good read. O'Flynn does not set her ambitions too high (Richard and Judy seems a more likely -- and better selling -- destination than the Booker), but I still think it is an entertaining read.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post-28416264745207949222010-07-14T12:34:34.345+01:002010-07-14T12:34:34.345+01:00Wow, Kevin, did you see that, what power you have!...Wow, Kevin, did you see that, what power you have! Hope you both enjoy it and I'd be happy to hear that I've got it wrong.William Rycrofthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15056188088340973039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post-77489083402963365842010-07-13T20:32:35.958+01:002010-07-13T20:32:35.958+01:00Ah, I now see Kevin thinks I will like it. OK, tha...Ah, I now see Kevin thinks I will like it. OK, that's definitely made up my mind then -- I'll get cracking on it as soon as I finish my current read.kimbofohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01160466897342054963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post-26789611845615393232010-07-13T14:55:42.319+01:002010-07-13T14:55:42.319+01:00I'm rather looking forward to this one. I did...I'm rather looking forward to this one. I did like What was Lost, and it's nice here to have some warnings of the novel's failings so I can better appreciate its strengths.<br /><br />Fay Weldon doesn't strike me as someone who'd be overly bothered by unlikely plots, I have to admit.<br /><br />Anyway, I came here from Kevin's. He called it essentially a good summer read, which is likely the spirit in which I'll read it.<br /><br />Thanks again for the plot warning. I sometimes find that sort of thing rather annoying, a bit of prior innoculation will do no harm at all.Max Cairnduffhttp://www.pechorinsjournal.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post-80575038505480621972010-07-13T08:59:36.887+01:002010-07-13T08:59:36.887+01:00I agree, Kevin, that the journalism bits are the b...I agree, Kevin, that the journalism bits are the best.William Rycrofthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15056188088340973039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post-83940097979901642332010-07-13T01:45:40.655+01:002010-07-13T01:45:40.655+01:00I quite liked the book as a summer read -- very en...I quite liked the book as a summer read -- very entertaining, but I agree with your critical comments. Indeed, they set my expectations appropriately. It was fun, and that is just fine by me. Not great by any means. I think Kim will quite like it -- the journalism bits are the best part of the book.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post-50515536011032009362010-07-12T11:50:20.808+01:002010-07-12T11:50:20.808+01:00I look forward to reading your thoughts Kim. There...I look forward to reading your thoughts Kim. There are certainly lots of good things about the book but it never really hooked me. A consistently lukewarm reading experience I'm afraid.William Rycrofthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15056188088340973039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post-36204257178998976172010-07-11T21:38:22.555+01:002010-07-11T21:38:22.555+01:00I've been itching to read this book for awhile...I've been itching to read this book for awhile, not because I read her first one, but because I'm always fascinated by books that are about journalism. I got sent a review copy but forgot about it, and once or twice I've actually almost-but-not-quite bought it in Waterstone's. For some reason I woke up this morning and remembered I had a copy sent on spec! Have since dug it out of the pile and hope to read it this week.<br /><br />I'm hoping the fun elements, which you describe here, may make up for any shortcomings in the plot. Will let you know when I've finished.<br /><br />Interesting point about English domestic novels versus the Great American novel. I'd never really thought of that before, but I guess you're right. There was a similar debate not that long ago about Irish novels, the view being that they are always stuck in the past and not really telling the story of today (ie. country going bust as the Celtic tiger turns into a dodo).kimbofohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01160466897342054963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post-16978328076127968842010-07-09T00:52:56.509+01:002010-07-09T00:52:56.509+01:00Fay Weldon reviewed the book for the Guardian and ...Fay Weldon reviewed the book for the Guardian and loved it as you'll see <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/jul/03/catherine-oflynn-news-where-review" rel="nofollow">here</a>. What she seems to love are the details of characterisation and observation, which I would agree with, but she dismisses the 'wispy' plot with too much ease; it's not wispy, it's plain ridiculous.<br /><br />Interesting thoughts on how an author's approach can have an impact. I don't think it's about tackling deeper subjects or not, any piece of fiction almost can't help but touch on fundamental topics or universal themes, it's just a question of how much you want to tackle them. You don't even have to get all deep with them in order to make good use of them but I got the impression with this book that O'Flynn was keeping a safe distance from anything potentially difficult which is always going to end in a book which feels ok rather than anything more than that.William Rycrofthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15056188088340973039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post-45711304383306276452010-07-08T12:05:01.882+01:002010-07-08T12:05:01.882+01:00Interesting review, William. It's a shame this...Interesting review, William. It's a shame this novel hasn't quite worked. It does sound as if there are certain areas of writing that O'Flynn is very good at, such as capturing the charm of children's thinking (which she did in her debut, of which I was a fan) but that perhaps she's let down by other aspects. <br />The question of whether writers should aim for 'deeper' subjects or confine themselves to lighter ones is an intriguing one. I can understand why writers early on in their career might be wary of important or philosophical/existential topics because if you attempt that and fail you can look ridiculous, whereas if you stick with more insubstantial subjects you just look whimsical or unambitious, which isn't quite as crushing somehow in the UK where 'getting above your station' leads to derision. I do think some writers get stuck because of this - I had high hopes for Mark Haddon after The Curious Incident, but had to give up on his second novel because it was intellectually untaxing in any way.<br />It's a shame O'Flynn took the path of an implausible ending. I don't know why so many writers with talent do that - I remember reading one of Kate Atkinson's detective stories and the multiple coincidences and links rendered it almost risible.leylahttp://www.rocksbackpagesblogs.com/?author=20noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post-36676193233564174612010-07-08T09:28:57.134+01:002010-07-08T09:28:57.134+01:00I was one of the dissenters on O'Flynn's f...I was one of the dissenters on O'Flynn's first novel (I thought it was an OK debut, but not worthy of all the plaudits and shortlistings it got). Nonetheless I had a look at this one, partly because I got a free copy sent to me and partly because I do like her subjects and themes - of frustrated lives, parochial stasis, media culture and so on. However I gave up about a quarter way through <em>The News Where You Are</em> as I felt her handling of the subjects, as with <em>What Was Lost</em>, just wasn't up to scratch. Yes it's enjoyable enough, but it's lacking the meat that someone like Gordon Burn would bring the subject. And the whole structure of the newsman famous for telling bad jokes just seemed to be a quirky idea she had had one day which suddenly acquired unreasonable importance and ended up at the centre of a novel, where it should never have been. (A little like Yann Martel's unshakeable attachment to his donkey-monkey-shirt idea.)John Selfhttp://theasylum.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com