Monday, June 9, 2008


I made it to page 152. A strange and not altogether pleasant journey. Reading, to me, has always been a source of pleasure as time found to partake is generally limited. I have found my new mantra.
"Life is too short to read bad books."
This book is very difficult to follow. Written as an oral history, it shimmies back and forth between multiple voices, with different tones and different purposes. Pieces are fragmented and surreal. At one point I told myself, "Keep going, you started it, so finish it!" And this morning, I decided to throw in the towel. I like to feel that I am gaining something from the books I read - something at all - but this just felt like too much work and too little reward.
I'll bring it to the next meeting for someone to borrow - nay, keep. Someone else may have a different perspective on the book. Just not for me. Could it be that Faulkner is beckoning, hence my lack of stamina on "Rant?"

2 comments:

Burpykitty said...

Sorry to hear that it wasn't worth the effort. I am not surprised that it was strange and surreal, I have heard that pretty much anything by this author is a "mind f*#k" (to quote my brother) I still might try it but like you said I have many others that will probably come first.

Bethany said...

Adria, I barely made it through Faulkener for the exact reasons "Rant" was difficult for you. I will review it later today.