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Loading... Imagined London (edition 2004)by Anna Quindlen
Work detailsImagined London: A Tour of the World's Greatest Fictional City by Anna Quindlen
Enjoyed all the literary references. Interesting and fun book. (  ) Harrod | Dec 8, 2012 |  A fun little book comparing fictional and real London. Cute. (  ) BooksForDinner | Oct 3, 2011 | I fully expected to breeze through this little book and totally love it. Sometimes life doesn't turn out as you expect and this was just one of those times. The beginning was wonderful as is the concept, but the execution just didn't enthrall me. I never felt I'd returned to the London of the past that I met through my books, or the London I lived in myself in the 70's or visited in the 80's. There were some great references, and I know Quindlen loves this city as much as I do (indeed, I'm always amazed when I find someone who doesn't love London.) And though my introduction to London came from writers of the past, it is via present day writers (and Dr Who) that I am able to visit the city again and discover it's current day vibrancy. Still this was an interesting exercise from one of my favorite authors, and fun to sit on Quindlen's shoulder to hear her comments when she reads some of the greats. ( ) bookczuk | Mar 3, 2011 | I've long been a fan of Anna Quindlen's fiction and essays, but this book was a bit of a hard slog. The book is a series of reflections on literary London, the London that appears in some of the world's great literature (Dickens figures heavily here, among others), and how that compares with the real London of today. This would be a great read for an Anglophile who had read all the authors cited within. Unfortunately, I can't really lay claim to either, other than having read a few Dickens books and making vague plans to travel to London some day. I did particularly like her vocabulary exploration, near the end of the book, of colorful Englishisms, some of which I knew from my own readings, and many of which were delightful and new. In the best of possible worlds, Quindlen would offer to be my tour guide when I visit London someday. (  ) burnit99 | Jan 27, 2011 | This book was fun! It was great to travel to London with Anna. A confessed lover of books, and an early reader, Quindlen set the goal of visiting the primary haunts of London that were so prominently featured in books she read since childhood. Touring the home of Charles Dickens, visiting the small, narrow alley ways of the settings for Oliver Twist and David Copperfield, this self professed extrovert likened herself to the character of Mrs. Bennet in Pride and Prejuidice when locals were taken aback by Quindlen's chatty and open effusiveness. Walking in the village of Knightsbridge brought images of Forever Amber, observing the areas in London where the burnt out buildings from WWII are still preserved for historical purpose, Quindlen thought of Doris Lessing and her book The Four Gated City, and Elizabeth Bowens novel The Heat of the Day. This was a delightful tale of the literary contributions and images that the wonderful city of London has bestowed upon those who love to read. Recommended ( )1  Whisper1 | Sep 22, 2010 | no reviews | add a review
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