Pondering Light in August

I am pretty excited to tell you...I just finished another Faulkner book that I actually understood. I'm feeling quite accomplished! Perhaps Radcliffe kindly listed these novels in order of difficulty and it will be smooth sailing from here on out?

Truth.

Now that I understand what's happening, I more readily see the beauty in Faulkner's page-long-sentences and unique style. I somewhat wish that I'd started with Light in August and worked my way up to The Sound and the Fury. I might have appreciated it more.


Light in August follows Lena Grove's quest to locate her unborn baby's father in Jefferson, Mississippi, and along the way we learn of the tragic life of Joe Christmas, a mixed race man who commits a murder in the town. Each of the main characters is in some way an outcast, whether that because of racial heritage, marital status (or lack thereof), social beliefs, or a checkered past.

Not because they sang chart topping hits.

In reading the story, I wondered if Faulkner chose to portray each of these individuals on the fringe of society because they were more interesting, or because society then was so judgemental that there were just more outcasts as a result. I would not expect an unwed single mother or an interracial couple today to be ostracized in the way that these people were, but perhaps I'm being naive.


What do you think? Have we become more accepting as a society? Is this good or bad or maybe a bit of both?


Images found here and here.

All I Can Say Is...Read It!

I finished Bonfire of the Vanities yesterday. I don't even know if there should be much more to this post than, "Read it." I liked it that much.

Tom Wolfe is definitely not the best writer on this list (I thought he was never going to stop repeating the words "gloaming" and "snout"). But his characters and the storyline were so interesting and layered and deliciously complex that I could hardly put the book down (which is really saying something - if you'll recall, the only version I could find was a hefty large-print edition that probably weighed 10 lbs). Read it!

I looked like this. Except that I didn't wear a suit or glasses, and I'm not a man. Almost entirely unlike this, actually.

The novel follows the derailment of bond tradesman Sherman McCoy's charmed life after he is involved in a hit-and-run accident in the Bronx. A sleazy reporter's newspaper articles quickly magnify the case into a local sensation, charged with racial tensions and political intrigue. Many people behave badly, but Wolfe's genius is that most of the character's motivations are so complicated that it becomes increasingly difficult to say who the "good guys" are...if there are any at all. My description doesn't do it justice. You should really read it.

I have been told not to watch it though. Evidently not a good adaptation.

Disclaimer: The back of my book contained critics' remarks raving about the book's hilarity. The satire is amusing, but I didn't find it to be laugh-out-loud funny. In case it bothers you when book jackets don't necessarily match up to the contents (and sometimes it does me), you have been notified.

What's the last book you read that you would definitely recommend "Just read it!"?

Reading man photo found here. Bonfire movie photo found here.

On fire for Bonfire

I am having so much fun reading Bonfire of the Vanities. Tom Wolfe's writing is fast-paced and often funny, and I haven't read a good crime drama in a while. And perhaps best of all, the story is set in the 80s, which means I get to picture fun visuals like these:

Green letters on a black screeen? I remember you.

The protagonist calls himself a Master of the Universe. Thankfully he wears a suit and not tiny briefs.

The description of the socialites' clothing is a-mazing. Only eclipsed by descriptions of their shoulder pads.

So can't wait to figure out what will become the "what were they thinking???" trends of today.

My vote is definitely cuffed sandals. What's yours?

Computer photo found here. He-man photo found here. Amazing 80s dresses found here.