John Whittemore (gridbook) - Atlanta, GA (35 books)

John Whittemore added a quote

"Fiction is about everything human and we are made out of dust, and if you scorn getting yourself dusty, then you shouldn't try to write fiction. It's not a grand enough job for you." — Flannery O'Connor

John Whittemore added a quote

"I come from a family where the only emotion respectable to show is irritation. In some this tendency produces hives, in others literature, in me both." — Flannery O'Connor

John Whittemore added a quote

"Where you come from is gone, where you thought you were going to never was there, and where you are is no good unless you can get away from it" — Flannery O'Connor

John Whittemore gave

to:

The Complete Stories
by Flannery O'Connor

My rating:

John Whittemore gave

to:

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #2)
by C.S. Lewis

My rating:

These books shaped my imagination as a child more than any other books. I look forward to reading them to my children.

John Whittemore gave

to:

Collected Fictions
by Jorge Luis Borges

My rating:

John Whittemore marked as to-read:

Christ and the Meaning of Life
by Helmut Thielicke

My rating:

John Whittemore marked as to-read:

Being Human--Becoming Human by Helmut Thielicke

Being Human--Becoming Human: An Essay in Christian Anthropology
by Helmut Thielicke

My rating:

John Whittemore gave

to:

The Ethics of Sex
by Helmut Thielicke

My rating:

This book is a lot more than just sexual ethics. I saw this book on a book shelf and picked it up out of boredom. 3 hours later I paused reading only long enough to find myself a copy on Amazon.

No, it isn't titillating.

This is the most thoughtful ...more

John Whittemore gave

to:

1Q84
by Haruki Murakami

My rating:

I was shocked upon reading this book. Is this the same book that I chose after reading all the glowing reviews?

One of the early plot lines within the book is the editing of a book that has good ideas, but the writing is weak and in need of help. I...moreI was shocked upon reading this book. Is this the same book that I chose after reading all the glowing reviews?

One of the early plot lines within the book is the editing of a book that has good ideas, but the writing is weak and in need of help. I can't help but think the same is the case of 1Q84.

The book started out well. The novel introduces us to interesting characters facing interesting situations in and interesting new world. Then the plot, characters, and themes go nowhere for hundreds and hundreds of pages.

About 70% of this book is characters alone in Tokyo apartments. Most of the text is composed of monotonous descriptions of the food the characters eat, their stretching routines, the clothes they choose to wear each day, and their sleep schedules. Character's ruminate ad nauseum on whether or not their world is real. Questioning reality can make for great literature, but Murakami goes nowhere and does nothing with this idea. He just has the characters just ask the same question again and again.

The characters don't develop either. They end the story essentially unchanged from where they started. The key to the story seems to be that the man and woman are meant for each other. He tells us again and again that these two characters that only spoke once and held hands once when they were 10 years old are meant for each other. Both characters state again and again they are secretly in love and long to be reunited. After suffering through hundreds of pages going over their dull lives this reader had to conclude the only reason that they spend so much of the story ruminating on a day long elementary school romance is that their lives during the story are too boring to bear.

A fundamental rule of writing is "show don't tell." Murakami tells and tells and tells. We are told that these characters are in love but see no evidence as to why. Even when something interesting happens in the plot the characters ruminate on the event another 8 or 9 times until the interesting event becomes as dull and tiresome as the rest of the text. The book abruptly ends when these two are reunited. None of the other plot lines are are brought to any conclusion.

The only thing I found remarkable about this book is the amount of repetition. Perhaps those who praised this book felt that if things are repeated again and again they take on greater significance?

There are a few small parts of the book that were interesting: the "Town of Cats" and the story of the boy emperor and the kingdom beneath the sea. The interesting parts just don't make the long and literarily vacant parts of the book worth trudging through. This is one of the few books I have read that I think would make a better 2 hour movie than the book.

Having heard so many good things about Murakami I couldn't help but wonder if this book is just a bad translation, but it wasn't just bland writing that complicated this book. The entire book--plot, themes, character--fell flat in my reading. I don't expect I will invest my time on another book of his.(less)

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John Whittemore added a quote "Fiction is about everything human and we are made out of dust, and if you scorn getting yourself dusty, then you shouldn't try to write fiction. It's not a grand enough job for you." — Flannery O'Connor
Feb 15, 2012 11:40am · add quote added! · more quotes by Flannery O'Connor
John Whittemore added a quote "I come from a family where the only emotion respectable to show is irritation. In some this tendency produces hives, in others literature, in me both." — Flannery O'Connor
Feb 15, 2012 11:39am · add quote added! · more quotes by Flannery O'Connor
John Whittemore added a quote "Where you come from is gone, where you thought you were going to never was there, and where you are is no good unless you can get away from it" — Flannery O'Connor
Feb 15, 2012 11:38am · add quote added! · more quotes by Flannery O'Connor
John Whittemore gave to: The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor	My rating:
Feb 15, 2012 11:36am
John Whittemore gave to: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #2) by C.S. Lewis	My rating:
These books shaped my imagination as a child more than any other books. I look forward to reading them to my children.
Feb 15, 2012 10:56am · see review
John Whittemore gave to: Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges	My rating:
Feb 15, 2012 10:38am
John Whittemore marked as to-read: Christ and the Meaning of Life by Helmut Thielicke	My rating:
Jan 28, 2012 12:59am
John Whittemore marked as to-read: Being Human--Becoming Human: An Essay in Christian Anthropology by Helmut Thielicke	My rating:
Jan 28, 2012 12:57am
John Whittemore gave to: The Ethics of Sex by Helmut Thielicke	My rating:
This book is a lot more than just sexual ethics. I saw this book on a book shelf and picked it up out of boredom. 3 hours later I paused reading only long enough to find myself a copy on Amazon. No, it isn't titillating. This is the most thoughtful ...more
Jan 28, 2012 12:54am · see review
John Whittemore gave to: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami	My rating:
I was shocked upon reading this book. Is this the same book that I chose after reading all the glowing reviews? One of the early plot lines within the book is the editing of a book that has good ideas, but the writing is weak and in need of help. I...more
Jan 10, 2012 08:16am · see review

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