Running notes thread here: techhub.social/@NearerAndFarther/113770832559620500
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Wide reader but tend toward: - Fiction: literary fiction, historical fiction, fiction in translation - NF: history; philosophy/theory; language; music
Poetry in the mix, too.
Mastodon: @NearerAndFarther@techhub.social
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Trevor Burrows's books
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Trevor Burrows started reading Infinite History by Emma Rothschild
Trevor Burrows commented on The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett
There was something about the coast town of Dunnet which made it seem more attractive …
My Mastodon thread of running notes: techhub.social/@NearerAndFarther/113697355028127026
Trevor Burrows finished reading The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett
The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett
There was something about the coast town of Dunnet which made it seem more attractive than other maritime villages of …
Trevor Burrows started reading The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett
The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett
There was something about the coast town of Dunnet which made it seem more attractive than other maritime villages of …
Trevor Burrows commented on The Unredeemed Captive by John Demos
Running thread: techhub.social/@NearerAndFarther/113647065489133871
Trevor Burrows finished reading The Unredeemed Captive by John Demos
Trevor Burrows reviewed Pilgrims by Matthew Kneale
Good idea that never takes off
2 stars
A motley group of people makes a pilgrimage to Rome. The book is the story of the group told through the first-person voice of many of its participants. We learn of individuals' backstories and reasons for making the journey, while the group itself faces challenges and drama, adding and losing members along the way.
This never took off for me, and I almost DNF'd it. It sounds perfect for me, and I like ensemble novels that pull on multiple individual stories to create something larger, but it just felt very redundant and tedious after a while.
100% might have been where my brain was while reading, but this never clicked, and I was glad to finish it and put it away.
Trevor Burrows finished reading Pilgrims by Matthew Kneale
Not great... in fact, would not recommend.
One or two comments in a thread here: techhub.social/@NearerAndFarther/113574151142389262
Trevor Burrows commented on American Mirror by Roberto Saba
Trevor Burrows finished reading American Mirror by Roberto Saba
Trevor Burrows reviewed Western Wind by Samantha Harvey
Ridiculously good
5 stars
A mystery told backwards set in early modern Britain. The narrator and one of the main characters is a priest, John Reve, who has to deal with the fallout of a death in his small village. As the story progresses, every piece of it grows more rich and complex, with special attention paid to themes of time, adaptation in a changing world, mortality, and faith. The whole book has the feel of a good ensemble film or tv show, where even small characters become important and the village itself - with its daily work, its gossip, its petty and not-so-petty dramas - is a key character.
The backwards structure might sound gimmicky on paper, but it serves the plot well and reflects one of the book's central themes (the nature of time). You could easily pick the book right back up after finishing it the first time, and re-read it …
A mystery told backwards set in early modern Britain. The narrator and one of the main characters is a priest, John Reve, who has to deal with the fallout of a death in his small village. As the story progresses, every piece of it grows more rich and complex, with special attention paid to themes of time, adaptation in a changing world, mortality, and faith. The whole book has the feel of a good ensemble film or tv show, where even small characters become important and the village itself - with its daily work, its gossip, its petty and not-so-petty dramas - is a key character.
The backwards structure might sound gimmicky on paper, but it serves the plot well and reflects one of the book's central themes (the nature of time). You could easily pick the book right back up after finishing it the first time, and re-read it to try and connect certain dots. I'm not going to do that right away, but I'm already looking forward to reading it again someday. Hits all the right buttons for me: 100% recommend.
Trevor Burrows finished reading Western Wind by Samantha Harvey
Trevor Burrows reviewed Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison (A Borzoi book)
Song of Solomon is a 1977 novel by American author Toni Morrison, her third to …
Top of the top.
5 stars
Have by no means read all of Morrison's work but this is easily my favorite of hers so far.
In many ways, it's a book about stories, and just about every page or two packs an evocative, tightly-wound passage that one could imagine spinning off as an entirely separate story. Equally important, it's just a masterclass in style: Morrison's language feels both familiar and absolutely unique. Characters just jump off the page, and settings feel vivid and immediate.
It was a joy to read, though heavy at times, and I'm almost mad I rushed through it. Will likely return in the next year or two and take it a bit slower.
Trevor Burrows finished reading Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison (A Borzoi book)
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison (A Borzoi book)
Song of Solomon is a 1977 novel by American author Toni Morrison, her third to be published. It follows the …