Member: novelcommentary

Thanks for the heads-up about the podcast link for South of Broad. I am hoping for better things in his next book because he has written some of my all-time favorite books.

It is a beautiful day here in Colorado, temperatures in the 60s, and no work because it is Veterans Day. Yippee!

Hope you're having a great day wherever you are and finding time for some reading -

Catie

posted by CatieN at 3:40 pm (EST) on Nov 11, 2009

Mike, thank you so much for putting that link to the NPR podcast on your South of Broad review. Thumbs up to you! I just listened to the podcast and found it so interesting. I'm glad to hear that he is working on another book about his father. I really got a kick out of his dad signing books alongside Pat and saying he was the reason the people were there in the first place. I'm sorry Pat had such a lousy childhood, but it gave him so much material for his books.

I jotted down a great quote from him: "The English language is a garden I like drifting through." You are absolutely right. The best thing about Conroy's books is his lyrical language. My husband and I went to Charleston in September, and when I read Conroy's description of it I was in awe. Btw, we visited friends that have a summer home on Fripp Island in SC and they showed us Pat's house. Kind of unassuming and the only one on the island with no name on the mailbox!

posted by Donna828 at 10:14 pm (EST) on Oct 28, 2009

I'm glad you thought enough of the review of South of Broad to leave a note! I will never waver from loving The Prince of Tides best.

posted by rivkat at 5:54 pm (EST) on Oct 28, 2009

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the compliment of visiting my page and reading my reviews. We do share many books. I see that you have listed South of Broad. I borrowed it from a friend and will be reading it soon. Can't wait...just hope it isn't the same disappointment that I had from Russo's That Old Cape Magic. I'll be interested to see what you think about both of those books. ~Donna~

posted by Donna828 at 7:23 pm (EST) on Sep 26, 2009

Thanks for your comment on my review of "Olive Kitteridge." I appreciate your taking the time!

posted by Laurenbdavis at 5:03 pm (EST) on Sep 13, 2009

Noticed you liked Breath, Eyes, Memory, and I was wondering if you'd be interested in reviewing my new novel and posting your comments here as well as a few other book-related sites. Thought you might like my novel since it's also about a young girl struggling to grow up in a violent atmosphere. I could e-mail you the novel in an e-book format if you'd like (I'm currently out of physical copies). If you're interested, send me your e-mail address (mine is mail@christophertusa.com), and I'll send you the e-book. Here's a link to a summary (and a sample chapter) in case you'd like to read more about the book before you commit:

http://www.christophertusa.com/

Thanks,

Chris

posted by cmtusa at 9:46 am (EST) on Sep 11, 2009

thanks a lot for your comment about my review - found "netherland" such a hard book to get a grip on though ...

posted by bibliobibuli at 2:58 am (EST) on Jun 29, 2009

Thank you for commenting on my review of The Reluctant Fundamentalist. I found it a haunting read and have also enjoyed reading the opinions of others.

Laura

posted by notjustlaura at 3:45 pm (EST) on May 20, 2009

Good heavens, I don't mean to be daunting and didn't mean to sound dismissive of The Reluctant Fundamentalist. It's just that I was disappointed, frankly, and wanted so for him to succeed. However, in my opinion (and of course it is no more than that)I consider the book to be what we writers call an wonderful failure. ;-)

You ask if you should read one of my books. Well, of course, I hope you will. Looking at the books you've read and like, might I be so bold as to suggest "The Radiant City?"

If you do read it, I hope you'll let me know what you think.

Cheers.

posted by Laurenbdavis at 12:55 pm (EST) on May 13, 2009

Hi, Thanks for your comment re The Reluctant Fundamentalist.
You might be interested to hear the interview Hamid did on the BBC's World Book Club programme (it's available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/wbc). I was quite impressed with what he had to say and it made me wonder if I gave the book a fair crack of the whip by being too interested in what the ending would be rather than the journey itself.

posted by thelistener at 9:31 am (EST) on May 13, 2009

Thanks for your comment. I have read your review and I will look for the podcast that you mention on it. I am glad that you also enjoyed the book!

posted by alalba at 11:00 am (EST) on May 11, 2009

Thanks for your comment. I never thought about the possibility that Changez had planned it, but that's definitely possible. I just love the ending.

posted by ruinedbyreading at 2:29 pm (EST) on May 10, 2009

Thanks for your post. The Reader is an incredible book. After reading the book, I rented the movie. Have you seen this? I recommend it.

posted by Whisper1 at 3:11 pm (EST) on Apr 30, 2009

Hi,
Thanks for contacting me to ask about The History of Love. I have read this book a couple times and listened to the audio version (which was very well done btw). I loved the writing and the story and am waiting anxiously for a follow up novel. The group raved about it but it was inconclusive as to whether Bruno was real or not, but I think not. The last line on page 212.."Perhaps I shouldn't have called him a fool, because now when I needed him most there was nothing at all." There was a real Bruno Schulz, 1892-1942 and he wrote a book of short stories called "The Street of Crocodiles and other stories". Go figure. There is just a ton of literary references in this novel. It's very complex. Most loved it, but some just didn't get any of it and berated it. Personally it's one of my faves. I will never forget when Leo goes into his son's home. I can't wait for her next work and also H of L the movie will be out sometime this year, that might explain some of the book's mysteries! I hope this helps. Glad you enjoyed it, she's an exceptional writer and it was a good choice for my group.
Cheers,
Clamato

posted by clamato at 10:24 pm (EST) on Jan 10, 2009

Hi,there! First of all, it's nice to hear from you and second:you have great taste in books! I also loved "Lush Life", liked your review too. I would pick "Clockers" as my favorite by him, but I haven't read it in several years. I have read a couple William Kennedy novels, it's been awhile, but one of them was "Ironweed", which was excellent. I have also read Richard Ford, "Independence Day" but nothing later. My daughter had to read "The Things That They Carried" for school, so I read it too and was blown away. I'd like to read more by him. The one you have read that's high on my tbr list, is "Out Stealing Horses". I need to just get to the library and pick it up. Have you tried Jhumpa Lahiri or Haruki Murakami? They are 2 of my favorite authors right now! You should join the "What are You Reading Now" group! It's a great way to keep up! Stay in touch! Mark

posted by msf59 at 9:14 pm (EST) on Dec 3, 2008