Erin, my first thought was, "God, that is one of the saddest things I've read in recent memory." But it was also really good! Very bittersweet, as Shanxi noted.
The characters Grover and Luke both were very conscious of the idea of time and how fleeting it is. It's an idea that many writers like to tackle, but I'm not sure I've read it handled as deftly as that.
This was my first exposure to Thomas Wolfe, and I didn't really know what to expect. I found his writing style pretty interesting. Very free flowing, if that makes sense.
The story was really poignant, I agree. The final chapter was especially touching, I thought.
I liked it a lot! At first I was put off by the sing-songy repetition and was looking for the plot to start, then I realized it was really a poem with a very soothing kind of rhythm — like the endless replication of memory.The past is past, and all that remains is a collection of memories running through your head again and again. Most of our life is in the past at any given point. It reminded me of Jack Kerouac and of a lot of his imagery in "On the Road": the vastness of America, the desolate summer heat, the loneliness of night, the romance of trains and traveling, and bittersweet nostalgia.
I love his image of the train tracks in summer, how "you could smell the ties, a kind of wooden tarry smell, and feel a kind of absence in the afternoon after the car had gone."
It's so simple but so evocative.
And the image of the little boy at the candy store with no money, only a lesser kind of currency. It takes a grown-up to put words to that kind of desire.
And when Grover's dad went into the candy store and mercilessly humiliated the crippled old man, that was just an astounding scene.
The opening chapter was so evocative, you're right. Did you get the sense that the descriptions of the town square were a little beyond the capacity of a little boy?
Yes, I did notice that! It didn't feel like the perspective of a little boy, but of an older person imagining himself as one. I suppose in some way that's more honest, since Grover wasn't actually around, since it's all memories told from different perspectives.
Very. Touching, poignant, introspective ... I did like it, but in a bittersweet sort of way.
ReplyDeleteErin, my first thought was, "God, that is one of the saddest things I've read in recent memory." But it was also really good! Very bittersweet, as Shanxi noted.
ReplyDeleteThe characters Grover and Luke both were very conscious of the idea of time and how fleeting it is. It's an idea that many writers like to tackle, but I'm not sure I've read it handled as deftly as that.
This was my first exposure to Thomas Wolfe, and I didn't really know what to expect. I found his writing style pretty interesting. Very free flowing, if that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteThe story was really poignant, I agree. The final chapter was especially touching, I thought.
I liked it a lot! At first I was put off by the sing-songy repetition and was looking for the plot to start, then I realized it was really a poem with a very soothing kind of rhythm — like the endless replication of memory.The past is past, and all that remains is a collection of memories running through your head again and again. Most of our life is in the past at any given point. It reminded me of Jack Kerouac and of a lot of his imagery in "On the Road": the vastness of America, the desolate summer heat, the loneliness of night, the romance of trains and traveling, and bittersweet nostalgia.
ReplyDeleteI love his image of the train tracks in summer, how "you could smell the ties, a kind of wooden tarry smell, and feel a kind of absence in the afternoon after the car had gone."
It's so simple but so evocative.
And the image of the little boy at the candy store with no money, only a lesser kind of currency. It takes a grown-up to put words to that kind of desire.
And when Grover's dad went into the candy store and mercilessly humiliated the crippled old man, that was just an astounding scene.
And sorry I was so tardy in responding, Erin! I know it's not as fun when the responses aren't somewhat timely. I'll be more on the ball next time.
ReplyDeleteAnd now I'm super tardy in responding!
ReplyDeleteThe opening chapter was so evocative, you're right. Did you get the sense that the descriptions of the town square were a little beyond the capacity of a little boy?
Yes, I did notice that! It didn't feel like the perspective of a little boy, but of an older person imagining himself as one. I suppose in some way that's more honest, since Grover wasn't actually around, since it's all memories told from different perspectives.
ReplyDelete