Benjamin - Slovakia (230 books)

Benjamin made a comment on Megan's review of Jane Eyre

"Let me know what you think of this because it's on my "maybe I should read it" list."

Benjamin liked Jack's review of The Infinities:

" “Banville has astonishing powers…This is unequivocally a work of brilliance” blurbs the Spectator on the back of the dust jacket. And my hometown paper, the KC Star placed it among its top 10 novels of 2009. So what the heck, I bought it on discoun... "
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Benjamin gave

to:

The Infinities
by John Banville

read in February, 2012

My rating:

I have long wanted to read a book by John Banville. I've started a few, sometimes among the shelves of a local bookstore, but have never gone past a few pages. Banville's stated goal when writing prose is to provide it with "the kind of denseness and...moreI have long wanted to read a book by John Banville. I've started a few, sometimes among the shelves of a local bookstore, but have never gone past a few pages. Banville's stated goal when writing prose is to provide it with "the kind of denseness and thickness that poetry has." As a lover of especially poetic prose, I was curious.

Quickly put, "The Infinities" follows the Greek god Hermes as he watches a modern family come together to pay final respects to their dying patriarch. He narrates their actions, explains their thoughts, and waxes on immortals' place in the universe. As the book progresses, the identity the narrator comes into question and subtle hints that this book takes place in an alternate universe emerge from the memories of the Godley family.

I found the conceit of the book intriguing, but I'm afraid it starts to lose its charm half-way through the book. By the time some of the characters begin to reveal their true selves, Banville had lost my interest. (Granted, I still finished the book.) The man's prose is pretty solid and remarkably particular in its word choice. (Sometimes Banville even seems to be showboating, using 25¢ words which I had to look up the meanings for. [Thanks Kindle for the handiness of your dictionary function!]) But his pedantic devotion to saturating his language drowned the story and its characters, obfuscated the alternate world he was trying to hint at, and just lost any of the whimsy that a modern tale featuring ancient gods may have had. Even with hit-you-over-the-head-with-a-hammer symbolism in the character's names, references to Greek myth and Bible stories, the novel just seems to reference itself and never comes to anything more than the book it is. Banville is somewhat disliked in some circles because of his clear statements that his writing, unlike those of many of his colleagues, is art. If so, his dexterity with words is impressive, but in the end this work of art had the curious and oxymoronic distinction of being heavy-handed and empty. Oh, well.(less)

Benjamin liked Michael's review of The Infinities:

" As enchanted as I was by Banville's beautiful prose, this farcical meditation on what it means to be silly foolish human things, babes really, I can't deny I was ready for this novel to end. To say by closing page I was well-worn would be fitting. Ti... "
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Benjamin gave

to:

The Temptation of St. Anthony
by Gustave Flaubert

read in January, 2012

My rating:

Delicious lists, fascinating philosophies, nightmarish visions, and hallucinatory images. Flaubert writes a novel (which almost reads like a play) that describes in detail the dreams that Anthony has during a single trying night. Flaubert's writing i...more

Benjamin made a comment on his review of Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary

"Sarah wrote: "Benjamin, that doesn't not sound like fun to me, killing, dying violently, and lonelines!?!"

I guess you haven't ever read any David Seda...more"

Benjamin gave

to:

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary
by David Sedaris

recommended to Benjamin by: Saara Myrene Raappana

read in January, 2012

My rating:

Brutal and acerbic yet honest and charming, a collection of fables and stories featuring animals consuming each other, dying violently, trying to combat loneliness, and acting like humans. A quick, fun read.

Benjamin made a comment on his review of The Cat's Table

"Sarah wrote: "I think I will read this one. Maybe I can get it on the kindle."

I read it on the Kindle."

Benjamin gave

to:

The Cat's Table
by Michael Ondaatje

read in November, 2011

My rating:

[Another entry in my reading-theme: Books About People Away from Home.]

I have had mixed feelings about Michael Ondaatje novels. Granted, I have only read half of the novels he has written, but they always struck me as being written beautifully, but l...more

Benjamin gave

to:

The Lost Warship
by John Kilgallon (Goodreads Author)

read in September, 2011

My rating:

I found some websites that let you download old pulp stories for the Kindle; this story was one I had found.

It's a fairly straight-forward pulpy kind of tale about a WWII warship that slips through a fault in time to the prehistoric past. Pterodactyl...more

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Benjamin made a comment on Megan's review of Jane Eyre "Let me know what you think of this because it's on my "maybe I should read it" list."
14 hours, 44 min ago · see review
Benjamin liked Jack's review of The Infinities: " “Banville has astonishing powers…This is unequivocally a work of brilliance” blurbs the Spectator on the back of the dust jacket. And my hometown paper, the KC Star placed it among its top 10 novels of 2009. So what the heck, I bought it on discoun... " Read more of this review »
Feb 11, 2012 01:26pm · see review
Benjamin gave to: The Infinities by John Banville read in February, 2012	My rating:
I have long wanted to read a book by John Banville. I've started a few, sometimes among the shelves of a local bookstore, but have never gone past a few pages. Banville's stated goal when writing prose is to provide it with "the kind of denseness and...more
Feb 11, 2012 01:22pm · see review
Benjamin liked Michael's review of The Infinities: " As enchanted as I was by Banville's beautiful prose, this farcical meditation on what it means to be silly foolish human things, babes really, I can't deny I was ready for this novel to end. To say by closing page I was well-worn would be fitting. Ti... " Read more of this review »
Jan 30, 2012 08:22am · see review
Benjamin gave to: The Temptation of St. Anthony by Gustave Flaubert read in January, 2012	My rating:
Delicious lists, fascinating philosophies, nightmarish visions, and hallucinatory images. Flaubert writes a novel (which almost reads like a play) that describes in detail the dreams that Anthony has during a single trying night. Flaubert's writing i...more
Jan 22, 2012 07:46am · see review
Benjamin made a comment on his review of Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary "Sarah wrote: "Benjamin, that doesn't not sound like fun to me, killing, dying violently, and lonelines!?!" I guess you haven't ever read any David Seda...more"
Jan 05, 2012 11:28pm · see review
Benjamin gave to: Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary by David Sedaris recommended to Benjamin by: Saara Myrene Raappana read in January, 2012	My rating:
Brutal and acerbic yet honest and charming, a collection of fables and stories featuring animals consuming each other, dying violently, trying to combat loneliness, and acting like humans. A quick, fun read.
Jan 02, 2012 09:20am · see review
Benjamin made a comment on his review of The Cat's Table "Sarah wrote: "I think I will read this one. Maybe I can get it on the kindle." I read it on the Kindle."
Nov 08, 2011 10:03pm · see review
Benjamin gave to: The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje read in November, 2011	My rating:
[Another entry in my reading-theme: Books About People Away from Home.] I have had mixed feelings about Michael Ondaatje novels. Granted, I have only read half of the novels he has written, but they always struck me as being written beautifully, but l...more
Nov 06, 2011 12:01pm · see review
Benjamin gave to: The Lost Warship by John Kilgallon (Goodreads Author) read in September, 2011	My rating:
I found some websites that let you download old pulp stories for the Kindle; this story was one I had found. It's a fairly straight-forward pulpy kind of tale about a WWII warship that slips through a fault in time to the prehistoric past. Pterodactyl...more
Sep 23, 2011 06:13am · see review

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