Ben’s review of Death Comes for the Archbishop > Likes and Comments
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Yeah I guess I did blow my load.
David, I think you'd love this. Zero pretentiousness, totally readable, balanced, tightly structured. I can't see a single way in which it would irritate your globule.
I will read it soon and hope to have the orgasmic experience you did. My globule feels completely unthreatened by this book.
I felt the same way about Nine Simone, incidentally—only the song was her version of 'Strange Fruit.'
I can relate to that. By the way, Cather isn't anywhere near as heartbreaking as Nina Simone, though nor does she sugar-coat things. You ever heard Nina sing 'The Other Woman'? Now that is sad.
You've made me want to reread this, it will be a certain pleasure.
As to the American Writer stakes, I'd like to add a name: Wendell Berry, whose Jayber Crow I'm reading at the moment, a surprising pleasure.
Yes I've heard of Wendell Berry via my Appalachian Goodreads friend Timmy. He's on the list... somewhere. But if he's as good as Willa Cather I'll be surprised.
I got as far as ordering this book, but it never came. I'll have to try again.
Nina Simone! ❤ ❤ ❤
Yes please do Miriam - the last half, if you can believe it, was even better than the first! I meant to copy some quotes and rant on a bit but had to return the book before moving house to a new town and never got the chance. Maybe I'll order my own copy and write a sequel to this review one day.
Long live Nina.
I'll bump it higher up my list!
Good luck with the move. Are you changing jobs as well, then?
Yeah I'll have to change jobs, but not sure what I'll be able to find in this neck of the woods (I'm out in the country). Thinking of bumming around and trying to finish my novel for a while.
That sounds enjoyable, if not remunerative.
Hopefully remunerative in the long-run, though I'll believe it when I see it. Still, hope springs eternal.
Passion for literature. Fantastic! That's what I want when I read... Thank you for the fine review...
My pleasure, William. Thanks for stopping by.
Mindblowing, Eddie. As I said to Miriam above, even better than the first half. Or let's say, as I read, my love for the book only deepened. Rarely have I been so enthralled.
Hmmmm, shoulda read the thread, and maybe I shouldn't have read other Cather before trying this. It did little for me.
Ah, so you liked her other stuff better? For me it's been a steady upward arc: O, Pioneers (good), My Antonia (great), Archbishop (greatest). This one seemed the most natural by far, and the most glowing with otherworldly colour. But I can see how few people could raise an interest in the subject matter.
Yes, Ben, I liked her other stuff - My Antonia, The Professor's House, and A Lost Lady way better. I wasn't even able to finish this, though I will surely give it another shot down the road. It went down like water but did nothing for my thirst. It also had a touch of Steinbeckian soft-realism that didn't sit too well with me. Not saying I found it awful. It just wasn't what I was looking for from her, and after almost 200 pages I felt like I didn't know Father Latour at all.
And that's pretty funny, Miriam!
The mistake is funnier than James Fenimore Cooper, unfortunately.
Surely some of his wooden sentences deserve a grim chortle.
I don't have my grim chortle down pat yet. I'll put off Cooper till later, then.
(Good excuse, thanks!)
Yeah I don't know that Father Latour is really the subject here; I'd say the title's misleading. As much as anything, the land is the subject. And the sweep of history across it.
I'm not very familiar with Steinbeck - I've read a few of the short novels a while back. But 'soft realism', I guess I can see that, not that I've ever used the term before. Maybe I'm getting old and soft is where it's at for me. I just loved sinking into it every night, like curling up in a sleeping bag with the stars above. And, y'know, it touched me.
I'm not very familiar with Steinbeck - I've read a few of the short novels a while back.
Have you read Cannery Row? If not, please do so post haste. I love that book.
Yes, read Cannery Row, then come to California and do a Steinbeck & Jack London tour up the coast.
Yeah I read Cannery Row a while back, don't worry. Might have to do so again though, as I don't remember what was so darn good about it.
Hmm. Maybe I liked it more because I'm familiar with the area and its economic changes.
Thanks for a great review. I read it on the return trip from New Mexico to Australia and found I couldn't pick up another book for days. Totally entranced by the characters, setting, humanity.
My pleasure, Louise. Thanks for stopping by. Read My Antonia, if you haven't already.
Really excited to read this book since my family history is in this part of New Mexico and even more so after reading your awesome review!
Thanks Betty! I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did. I only got to New Mexico once but from what I saw it's a beautiful place.
Ben you nailed it. And thanks for reminding me of how much I loved I Heard the Owl Call My Name. What else do you recommend ?
Hi Sue. You can check out my five-star shelf (link above) for some recommendations, but if you mean specifically more stuff in the Cather vein I'm not quite sure. So I'll go out on a limb and try three you may not have heard of: Hesse's Knulp, Giono's The Horseman on the Roof and Julia Voznesenskaya's The Women's Decameron.
This book is amazing! I couldn't put it down, yet I didn't want it to end. Not sure I've ever felt so much like restarting a book within minutes of finishing it!
Ben, thanks for your review. You captured how exquisite and powerful this novel is. I've never read anything like it (and I was a literature major). I'm curious how this work was received in Cather's lifetime. I hope she received the recognition her writing deserves. She is truly one of our greatest authors.
wow Ben, thank you for your review! i want to read this book as soon i will end my 3 books i am currently reading now......
Just based on this review I will read this book next. I have felt this way about a few books and I don’t find many people in my life that can relate. I read your review to my husband and he said he had never felt that way about a book. I told him I feel sorry for him because it is an amazing thing when it happens. Thank you for taking the time to write this review.
Hi Shel, thanks for your enthusiasm. To be fair to your husband, mine was not a very considered response. I hope you enjoy the book!
Have you ever traveled to New Mexico? If not, you must. Then re-read this book. The land is soaked with Spirit.
One more thing...You'd enjoy Ghost Ranch by Lesley Poling-Kempes. This is a detailed history of a (now) retreat center north of Santa Fe. It's famous for being one of Georgia O'Keefe's homes, but it's much more interesting than just that. Read it, then go there.
Hi Camille, thanks for the recommendation. Yes I have traveled to New Mexico, but only very briefly: I spent about 3-4 days there in 2000. I loved it though: the dryness reminded me of South Australia (where I grew up) but the alpine scenery and snow and foreign vegetation made it totally something else. I’ve always wanted to go back there. Maybe one day.
"Black is the Colour of My True Love's Hair" gets me every time
Ain't Got No is also pretty great Simone. I am only a few dozen pages into Death Comes for the Archbishop but it is everything you say-- not going to read any more reviews until after
Great to hear it Evelyn. Enjoy! I’ll listen to that Nina song.
While you're at it, Ben, you might want to check out her version of 'I Shall Be Released' (if you have not already heard it). I have always liked her work, but for some reason that one hit me the hardest. One of my favorite songs ever. Some people would no doubt find this shocking, but as I've never been much of a Bob Dylan fan I did not even realise the song was one of his until at least twenty years after I bought a copy of 'The Best Of Nina Simone'. Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, that entire LP is great aside from the very first track, which is fairly amazing for a "best of" collection...
Liam, sorry this comment got lost there for a couple of days. I've heard that song, Nina's and Bob's (and a bunch of other) versions, but it never really moved me. Have to admit I never listened that closely, so I'll try again: Nina's version. Funny thing, I am a Dylan fan (to some extent) but I heard Nina's version first too. The Dylan version is on the once-obscure and largely slightly throwaway (imo) The Basement Tapes; I didn't hear that in entirety until I got Spotify.
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Yeah I guess I did blow my load. David, I think you'd love this. Zero pretentiousness, totally readable, balanced, tightly structured. I can't see a single way in which it would irritate your globule.
I will read it soon and hope to have the orgasmic experience you did. My globule feels completely unthreatened by this book.I felt the same way about Nine Simone, incidentally—only the song was her version of 'Strange Fruit.'
I can relate to that. By the way, Cather isn't anywhere near as heartbreaking as Nina Simone, though nor does she sugar-coat things. You ever heard Nina sing 'The Other Woman'? Now that is sad.
You've made me want to reread this, it will be a certain pleasure.As to the American Writer stakes, I'd like to add a name: Wendell Berry, whose Jayber Crow I'm reading at the moment, a surprising pleasure.
Yes I've heard of Wendell Berry via my Appalachian Goodreads friend Timmy. He's on the list... somewhere. But if he's as good as Willa Cather I'll be surprised.
I got as far as ordering this book, but it never came. I'll have to try again.Nina Simone! ❤ ❤ ❤
Yes please do Miriam - the last half, if you can believe it, was even better than the first! I meant to copy some quotes and rant on a bit but had to return the book before moving house to a new town and never got the chance. Maybe I'll order my own copy and write a sequel to this review one day. Long live Nina.
I'll bump it higher up my list!Good luck with the move. Are you changing jobs as well, then?
Yeah I'll have to change jobs, but not sure what I'll be able to find in this neck of the woods (I'm out in the country). Thinking of bumming around and trying to finish my novel for a while.
That sounds enjoyable, if not remunerative.
Hopefully remunerative in the long-run, though I'll believe it when I see it. Still, hope springs eternal.
Passion for literature. Fantastic! That's what I want when I read... Thank you for the fine review...
My pleasure, William. Thanks for stopping by.
Mindblowing, Eddie. As I said to Miriam above, even better than the first half. Or let's say, as I read, my love for the book only deepened. Rarely have I been so enthralled.
Hmmmm, shoulda read the thread, and maybe I shouldn't have read other Cather before trying this. It did little for me.
Ah, so you liked her other stuff better? For me it's been a steady upward arc: O, Pioneers (good), My Antonia (great), Archbishop (greatest). This one seemed the most natural by far, and the most glowing with otherworldly colour. But I can see how few people could raise an interest in the subject matter.
Yes, Ben, I liked her other stuff - My Antonia, The Professor's House, and A Lost Lady way better. I wasn't even able to finish this, though I will surely give it another shot down the road. It went down like water but did nothing for my thirst. It also had a touch of Steinbeckian soft-realism that didn't sit too well with me. Not saying I found it awful. It just wasn't what I was looking for from her, and after almost 200 pages I felt like I didn't know Father Latour at all.And that's pretty funny, Miriam!
The mistake is funnier than James Fenimore Cooper, unfortunately.
Surely some of his wooden sentences deserve a grim chortle.
I don't have my grim chortle down pat yet. I'll put off Cooper till later, then.(Good excuse, thanks!)
Yeah I don't know that Father Latour is really the subject here; I'd say the title's misleading. As much as anything, the land is the subject. And the sweep of history across it. I'm not very familiar with Steinbeck - I've read a few of the short novels a while back. But 'soft realism', I guess I can see that, not that I've ever used the term before. Maybe I'm getting old and soft is where it's at for me. I just loved sinking into it every night, like curling up in a sleeping bag with the stars above. And, y'know, it touched me.
I'm not very familiar with Steinbeck - I've read a few of the short novels a while back.Have you read Cannery Row? If not, please do so post haste. I love that book.
Yes, read Cannery Row, then come to California and do a Steinbeck & Jack London tour up the coast.
Yeah I read Cannery Row a while back, don't worry. Might have to do so again though, as I don't remember what was so darn good about it.
Hmm. Maybe I liked it more because I'm familiar with the area and its economic changes.
Thanks for a great review. I read it on the return trip from New Mexico to Australia and found I couldn't pick up another book for days. Totally entranced by the characters, setting, humanity.
My pleasure, Louise. Thanks for stopping by. Read My Antonia, if you haven't already.
Really excited to read this book since my family history is in this part of New Mexico and even more so after reading your awesome review!
Thanks Betty! I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did. I only got to New Mexico once but from what I saw it's a beautiful place.
Ben you nailed it. And thanks for reminding me of how much I loved I Heard the Owl Call My Name. What else do you recommend ?
Hi Sue. You can check out my five-star shelf (link above) for some recommendations, but if you mean specifically more stuff in the Cather vein I'm not quite sure. So I'll go out on a limb and try three you may not have heard of: Hesse's Knulp, Giono's The Horseman on the Roof and Julia Voznesenskaya's The Women's Decameron.
This book is amazing! I couldn't put it down, yet I didn't want it to end. Not sure I've ever felt so much like restarting a book within minutes of finishing it!
Ben, thanks for your review. You captured how exquisite and powerful this novel is. I've never read anything like it (and I was a literature major). I'm curious how this work was received in Cather's lifetime. I hope she received the recognition her writing deserves. She is truly one of our greatest authors.
wow Ben, thank you for your review! i want to read this book as soon i will end my 3 books i am currently reading now......
Just based on this review I will read this book next. I have felt this way about a few books and I don’t find many people in my life that can relate. I read your review to my husband and he said he had never felt that way about a book. I told him I feel sorry for him because it is an amazing thing when it happens. Thank you for taking the time to write this review.
Hi Shel, thanks for your enthusiasm. To be fair to your husband, mine was not a very considered response. I hope you enjoy the book!
Have you ever traveled to New Mexico? If not, you must. Then re-read this book. The land is soaked with Spirit.
One more thing...You'd enjoy Ghost Ranch by Lesley Poling-Kempes. This is a detailed history of a (now) retreat center north of Santa Fe. It's famous for being one of Georgia O'Keefe's homes, but it's much more interesting than just that. Read it, then go there.
Hi Camille, thanks for the recommendation. Yes I have traveled to New Mexico, but only very briefly: I spent about 3-4 days there in 2000. I loved it though: the dryness reminded me of South Australia (where I grew up) but the alpine scenery and snow and foreign vegetation made it totally something else. I’ve always wanted to go back there. Maybe one day.
"Black is the Colour of My True Love's Hair" gets me every time
Ain't Got No is also pretty great Simone. I am only a few dozen pages into Death Comes for the Archbishop but it is everything you say-- not going to read any more reviews until after
Great to hear it Evelyn. Enjoy! I’ll listen to that Nina song.
While you're at it, Ben, you might want to check out her version of 'I Shall Be Released' (if you have not already heard it). I have always liked her work, but for some reason that one hit me the hardest. One of my favorite songs ever. Some people would no doubt find this shocking, but as I've never been much of a Bob Dylan fan I did not even realise the song was one of his until at least twenty years after I bought a copy of 'The Best Of Nina Simone'. Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, that entire LP is great aside from the very first track, which is fairly amazing for a "best of" collection...
Liam, sorry this comment got lost there for a couple of days. I've heard that song, Nina's and Bob's (and a bunch of other) versions, but it never really moved me. Have to admit I never listened that closely, so I'll try again: Nina's version. Funny thing, I am a Dylan fan (to some extent) but I heard Nina's version first too. The Dylan version is on the once-obscure and largely slightly throwaway (imo) The Basement Tapes; I didn't hear that in entirety until I got Spotify.
I've always wanted to read this book. Why haven't I?