Johanna Ellwood
asked:
I'm reading this book right now and struggling a little bit, especially with keeping the stories straight. I'd love some feedback about how you read the book - straight through, or did you go story by story (ie. 2.1, 3.1, 4.1 etc. then start the next storyline)?
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Orlaith
Read it through and don't try to remember what happened. Let it wash over you. Bits come back to you.
Dani Kass
My memory is horrible, so I actually put a post it on the beginning of each chapter and wrote small things to jog my memory. Had four colors of post its, one per storyline, so it was easy to refer back.
Mark Patton
I found that if I just flipped back to the end of the previous corresponding segment, I could glance around for a few seconds and get up to speed. "Oh, yeah, this is the guy who ..."
MaryLloyd
Believe me - trust the author. Read it straight through. It is a challenging but marvelous book. An experience well-worth your patience and dedication.
Rachel
I kept notes in my kindle from each Archie and just referred back to them each time I started a new section. It confused me because there were some overlaps in some of the versions and the notes helped me keep the versions straight.
John P
I agree with Orlaith. roll with it. i was frustrated at first but then i just let myself go along for a fantastic ride. many times, he drops clues at the outset of the particular chapter so you can remember which one. fascinating.
Paul Hedeen
One of the problems of this book is that the writer has forgotten how his readers might struggle with four versions of an encyclopedic narrative. After all, the versions aren't really that different from one another. I just read and read and gave up trying to sort it out.
Sunny Shore
Just read it the way Auster intended.
Declan
Straight though, but I rather wish I'd kept notes on which Archie had three fingers and what his relationship with Amy was, where he was studying in each part, who his Mum was married to.
But I'm not sure it matters too much, you remember eventually.
But I'm not sure it matters too much, you remember eventually.
Nina
I'm about 100 pages from the end and wondered the same thing as Johanna Ellwood about the use of his numbering system, whether it could or should be read that way...with a book of this length I have a hard time remembering a lot, particularly if I've had to interrupt it for a few days. As Orlaith suggests, I have let his prose "wash over" me and am enjoying the familiarity of it all as I grew up in Montclair and went to Montclair High School. I recollect many of the topics Archie encountered, not firsthand necessarily but that they were happening. I can't say Archie is a very likeable character but I suppose he's what you'd expect from a young priapic male.
Bill H.
If you don't mind some confusion--and don't like to keep notes--just keep reading, as Laurel apparently did. Once out of high school, Ferguson's life paths diverge more dramatically. Apart from his immediate family, too, there are a limited number of special friends and lovers that help separate the stories.
Laurel
This answer contains spoilers…
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Elma
Well I finished it this afternoon. It's well enough written but the idea isn't really exceptional enough to justify the length. Possibly someone who's more interested in mid 20th century American (student) politics and baseball than I am might find it more worth the time. I do agree with almost all of the comments above about just reading it in the order it's written in. The vague confusions aren't important enough to bother overmuch about. For anyone looking for a shorter Auster to read, I can recommend Timbuktu - you'll never look at a dog the same way again.
Roger Gravel
A cheat sheet is in order for reading this book. I am trying to imagine seeing Auster making use of tons of Post-It's nailed to a large blackboard making up for the crowded canvas of history.
Christina V
Midway through, I added post-its to mark each section, and made a one-page table with key plot points. It helped.
Kristin Hogk
I have to admit that I pretty soon switched into reading one (complete) version after another instead of sticking to the order of the book. Otherwise all these mixed up information would have killed me.
Liz Newton
I took notes. It was really helpful.
Sonia Martins
well, I have made a little cheat sheet :-)
Caroline
I'm reading it now with a couple of other books. Don't skip around. Read it as the author intended. You might not remember the details absolutely for each story but you will recognize the differences when they strike you. You're not meant to follow the numerous positions Aunt Mildred holds at University. Paul Auster knows what he's doing. Go with it.
Daniel
Looks like I'm coming to the party a bit late. I have one notebook for each Ferguson and after every chapter I jot down a few important notes and reread them every time I return to a specific world. This system works fine for me, try it.
cenap inci
I can understand the question why you're asking !! The answer is first of all, its best to read the review about to book before or while you're reading early fase. If you read straight through will you miss something important, which is how Paul Auster designed the storie. If you know how the storie is build up, so Just go straight through to read.
Kumari de Silva
I read it straight through. At first I had a real hard time keeping them straight, but I enjoyed each chapter as a self encapsulated short story. By the time I got to the chapter 4's I realized the different guys were starting to gel. But it's really enjoyable even if you don't quite remember who you were reading about because essentially the guy is the same, only the details blur
Bruiz
A mí me pasó lo mismo. cuando estaba en tercer bloque mezclaba todas las historias y ya no sabía qué le pasaba a quién. tenía prácticamente que releer los capítulos anteriores. Estuve tentada de leerlo por secciones, es decir la historia 1, la historia 2, la historia tres y la historia cuatro...
pero a partir del bloque 4 deje de perderme y es como he seguido leyendo todo el libro
pero a partir del bloque 4 deje de perderme y es como he seguido leyendo todo el libro
Nancy
I occasionally had the same feeling, but just went with it. I highly recommend NOT going story by story, but reading the book straight though...it takes some wherewithal, I get it, but there is a twist at the end that will make everything clear. It is so worth it.
João
I had the same doubt but decided to read it by the sequence of the book and took some notes of my own to keep trace of the different stories. Having finished it, now I think it doesn't matter how you read it as long as the last chapter is the last one you read.
Bill
Johanna, I'm in section 2.1 right now and came here because I had the same question - have you finished the book and if so, what's your recommendation now?
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