Girls, not only is the Fall season kicking in, it is kicking my ass!!!!!!! Remember when there was ONE book heralded to be (and usually turning out) the Literary Event Of The Season???? Last year, that distinction went to Jonathan Franzen's "Freedom," which was deserving of every word of praise heaped upon it, and, in true Franzen fashion, has gone on to become the American Literary Event Of The Decade!!!!!!!!
It is hard enough to keep up with one book, when it generates so much advance word!!!!! But this year there are no less than 6 works of fiction worth perusing this Fall Season, though I think one has been out sometime, since earlier this year. Nevertheless, these are all the books on my current Reading Radar, that I have my eyes on, so, darlings, if you want to know what to get moi for a birthday or Christmas gift (if I don't buy them first!!!!) check this list!!!!!
1.The Grief Of Others, by Leah Hager Cohen
2.The Art Of Fielding by Chad Harbach
3.The Night Circus, by Erin Morganstern
4.The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
5.1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
6.The Instructions by Adam Levin
Girls, I am going to have to hole up in a cave somewhere, like a bear in hibernation for the Winter, if I am to get through even ONE of these. How I will finish all 6 by the end of the year is anyone's guess.
Now, the important thing to note here, darlings, is that I have NOT read these yet, but, based on what I have read and heard, they are the most promising. Rest assured that as soon as I have read one, and, as I go through the others, I will let you know whether or not these are truly Literary Events!!!!!!
So, let's start at the beginning!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Grief Of Others by Leah Hager Cohen --Girls, this looks to be the annual Jane Smiley-Thousand
Acres weepie we get every year. You know, penetrating relationships, bruised
emotions, and fluid writing technique. Very classy, darling, but these novels
are a dime a dozen; they are practically a cottage industry in themselves!!!!
What I want to know is what separates Hager's novel from the others, or if it
can be judged separately; that is, if it is unique enough to stand on its own.
Well, as soon as I read it, darlings, I will tell you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Art Of Fielding by Chad Harbach--Darlings, the way this book has been
touted, you'd think it was "Gone With The Wind!" Or at least a "Gone With
The Wind" about baseball. Hell, what do I know? The first time I saw the
book in the stores, I thought it referred to Henry Fielding, who wrote "Tom
Jones." Shows where my head is at, honey!!!!!! Truthfully, this is shaping
up to be the Book Of The Year!!!! Just like Jonathan Franzen's "Freedom" was
last year!!!!!!!! And Harbach's book even has a ringing endorsement by
Franzen, plus a featured story in "Vanity Fair" magazine!!!!!! Is it any
good? I will let you know. Though anything less than the Second Coming Of
Fiction, as it has been suggested, would be strictly anti-climactic!!!!!!!!!!
The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern--This one I have to admit intrigued me;
circus stories always do. And it was the center of a bidding frenzy at book
auctions at the Javitz Center in NYC. What is it? Are we talking another
"Something Wicked This Way Comes?" A love story, set in a magical circus,
which I am sure will have dark overtones????? Sounds like fun, loves. Who
knows, the way Harbach's book has been hyped, this could turn out to eclipse
it!!!!!!!! Time will tell, dolls!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Marriage Plot--Just the fact that it is written by Jeffrey Eugenides,
who wrote "Middlesex," and happens to be his first novel since that
fabulous work, is enough to make it an Event! "Middlesex" is admittedly
a tough act to follow, and I wonder if this one will. He seems to go
in an entirely different direction, offering up a story of two young people.
Madeline Hanna and Mitchell Grammaticus (only in literary fiction would you
find a character so named!!!!) who take off on a pilgrimage of the world, a la
"The Razor's Edge," by Somerset Maugham, interspersed with a coming of age
story centering on the generation after the Baby Boomers!!!!!!!!! Will it
fly???? You can't top Maugham, but can Eugenides even come close to his
earlier triumph???? Word out there is that he has, though for me there is
much to live up to. As soon as I am done with it, darlings, we will break
tea and crumpets over it!!!!!!!!!!!!
1Q84-- I just loved Murakami's "Kafka On The Shore" and "After Dark," and I
am always being urged to read his "The Wind Up Bird Chronicles!" Just looking
at the title tells me two things off the bat--it is a riff on Orwell's "1984,"
and it is this author's bid for this book to be his "2666." It may have the
epic scope, but whether it will hold its own against Bolano's work (another
tough act to follow) is anyone's guess. This is the one I have heard the
least about, so it is right now coasting on the author's rep and reader
expectation!!!!!! Let us hope those expectations--mine especially,
darlings!!--are satisfied!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Instructions by Adam Levin--This, I think, was published earlier this
year, but I have my eye on this one. Marketed in binding suggesting an
adult version of a hardback children's book, this mammoth, 1030 page novel
concerns itself with insurrection against the administration by boys at
a private Jewish boys school. Sort of "if..." meets "Lord Of The Flies,"
which is interesting enough, BUT how is it sustained for over a
thousand pages???? And can Levin sustain it???? This book rides on its
potential, but as we know, darlings, potential has to be lived up to, in
order to be realized. Easily the longest of the works mentioned, it will
demand the most time. Personally, I think this is Levin's bid to be
Pynchoneseqe. He may be biting off more than he can chew. Or it could
be the reading experience of the year. But I have to read it to let you
know, girls, and I will!!!!!!!!!!!
So, you can see how much work I have cut out for me. And all this between working, maintaining this blog, keeping Monsieur happy, and some family drama of my own coming down the pike this Fall!!!!!!! No wonder I need to chill out and curl up
with "Pan Am"!!!!!!!!! But, truthfully, with all this ahead, I am going to have to put those "Law And Orders" on the back burner, until I am near a meltdown!!!!!!!! Because I have to let all my girls know if these Literary Events really are such!!!!!!!
Stay tuned, darlings!!!!!!! And look for me at book parties; you never know where and when I may turn up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Adieu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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