Reading Envy Readers discussion
Readalong: Ducks, Newburyport
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Quotable bits
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...the fact that considering Leo and I have no church and no guns it’s pretty surprising we’re tolerated at all... 39 hr 15 min
...the fact that I wonder if every household has too many bay leaves
...the fact that I feel most alone in a crowd, the fact that I feel obliterated by a crowd, the fact that crowds neglect individuals,
I’m not reading the book, but I’m curious about the repetition of the phrase “the fact.” Is this a repeated phrases throughout the book? Does that get annoying?
Elizabeth☮ wrote: "I’m not reading the book, but I’m curious about the repetition of the phrase “the fact.” Is this a repeated phrases throughout the book? Does that get annoying?" Yes, it is repeated over and over! She uses it to start each train of thought, but not necessarily for the tangents she goes off on. I'm listening to the audio book and found it annoying at first but not it's like white noise, I really don't notice it.
...because it's all about the ripeness of the bananas, cheerleaders, the fact that they need to be a little over-ripe, bananas not cheerleaders... 180
Thanks Jeff. I’m still not sure I’ll read it. I’m eager to hear the discussion.
the fact that what is with this constant monologue in my head 125
.....the fact that if I hadn't been wearing goggles she might've blinded me with that haboob she created....35 hr 56 min
Elizabeth, I’ve just listened to The Guardian books podcast interview with the author (link in the Why This Book thread) and she says she uses ‘the fact is...’ as a way of creating drama and tension; the reader doesn’t know what to expect in the sentence. The interview is well worth a listen, even if you’re not reading the book.
‘...the fact that I should think about the slow shallow waves in that little lake in Michigan, clear water, gently rippling waves, a canoe or two bobbing around, the fact that the blue flowers growing out of our garage wall are such brave, tiny things, the only colorful thing around now, the fact that they’re blue like the snow at twilight,...’ p250
...the fact that Ben tells me bird flu only has to mutate a few more times to cause a global pandemic like Spanish flu and that, if that happens, civilization will grind to a halt within a year...
...the fact that I wonder how a tardigrade defends itself against men with long hair and 70s beards... 27:55 remaining
...the fact that I like that David Attenborough because he goes on TV with messy hair and wades through mangrove swamps despite the leeches, Nellie Oleson, and he never harms a plant except once in a minor way when he tricked a little desert plant in to blooming by pouring some water on it, but that was no big deal... 27:35 remainingI laugh whenever she throws Little House references around willy nilly.
...the fact that there are seven and a half billion people in the world, so there must be seven and a half billion of these internal monologues going on... p514
...the fact that a human lifespan isn’t all that long, compared to planets or rocks or even trees, and I fill mine up with regrets and shyness, disappointments, embarrassments, success and failure, and yes, pie, and music, longings, evasions, neglect, driving, chicken feed, nostalgia, and then back to regret... p515
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The funniest thing about this is that one of the other books I'm trying to get through is EXACTLY this only maybe with more periods... it's Strange Hotel by Eimear McBride, an author I always struggle with and end up wishing I'd waited for the audio....
Jenny, I haven’t read any Eimear McBride yet and you’re not making me rush to that one. This book is, however, reminding me that I ought to get back to Swann’s Way which I abandoned 30% in at the start of the pandemic. It took a lot more concentration than Ducks though ...
...the fact that I’ve learned to keep almost everything and everybody out of my life, just to avoid separations p729
...the fact that they [her children] probably find me pretty distant, lemon drizzle disaster, the fact that maybe they don’t know I love them, p730
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"...it's the god's own truth that Christians spread disease, cholera, polio,..." 450
"...despair and dejection can make a cake fall flat... I misread recipes when I'm low, blue, purple - the fact that I think you can always sort of tell a depressive's pie..." 450
"...sometimes you just have to ignore everything and remember you're glad to be able to move and breathe..." 484
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...the fact that now they’re in the flower beds, the geraniums, not lions or kids... p789
...the fact that I’ve been thinking about Mommy my whole life even though she passed away years ago, the fact that I will always think about her, the fact that I’ve got that at least, though I wish I could remember more stuff... p868
...the fact that everyone seemed to agree that you can't be expected to fjord a river in full flood with a load of pies on your head dodging flaming houses as they float by, just to fulfill catering commitments...17:40 remaining
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"things happen so fast, too fast, the fact that you never have time to think properly, the fact that life is all crisis-management, the fact that is is like that for everybody" (772-3)
... the fact that whether this is because she feels fierce and free, or caged and cowed, doesn’t bear thinking about.THE END
...the fact that the more you bake the more you brood … 11
...the fact that all these terrible things happen, but still we have to do our taxes and get our windows fixed … 80