some initial impressions

by Knip

Posted to What Are You Reading? on 2003-05-13 11:03:00

Parent message is 449528
…only about 25% through thus far….am finding i have to double back occasionally…..i swore that darl had gone to make $3 with jewel, and here he was narrating the chapter where addie bundren dies…..took me a while to rationalize that…not sure if i really succeeded….

..there are two things i am particularly enjoying about this book…first, by telling the story from numerous character’s viewpoints i find i get a varied and full picture of the setting….the varied perceptions the narrators bring lets me look at situations from differing vantage points…this adds perspective to situations….it also facilitates running sub-plots side-by-side…

….the second thing i like is that i have to think harder…..there is no narrator to tell me how old vardaman is, for example, or whether darl and dewey dell are brother/sister, and if not, what is dewey dell’s position in the family?…..the story is like a funnel, where i start at the wide end and facts get narrowed down as i approach the narrow end …… certainly not for everyone, but it definitely displays the power of writing and what is possible when one tinkers with form….

…so far, an excellent first choice, meanhippie……looking forward to hearing what other folks have to say…



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