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2008 First Quarter Comparative Reading Circle


Kell

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Anyone who would like to get hold of a copy of these books and join in the circle - there are a few copies available at Green Metropolis of



The Man Who Smiled by Henning Mankell

but none (at this moment) of

Heaven's Prisoners by James Lee Burke

A new year, a new comparative reading circle!

 

Over the months of January, February and March, we will be reading, discussing and comparing the following two titles (although the thread will remain open indefinitely, so that others who read the novels later can add their thoughts).

 

Please feel free to make posts at any point, even if you are only part way through one or the other of the books in question - it will be interesting to see how your perceptions change as you read.

 

NOTE: When making posts relating to plot points, please use the spoiler tags and state (before the spoiler tags) which chapter of which novel you are up to (so that others who haven't reached that point can avoid that part of the post, and those who have reached or passed it know it's safe to take a look.

 

The Man Who Smiled by Henning Mankell:

Crestfallen, dejected and spiralling into an alcohol-fuelled depression after killing a man in the line of duty, Inspector Kurt Wallander has made up his mind to quit the police force for good. When an old acquaintance, a solicitor, seeks Wallander's help to investigate the suspicious circumstances in which his father has died, Kurt doesn't want to know. But when the solicitor also turns up dead, shot three times, Wallander realises that he was wrong not to listen. Against his better judgment, he returns to work to head what may now have become a double murder case. A rookie female detective has joined the force is his absence, and he adopts the role of mentor to her as they fight to unravel the mystery. An enigmatic big-business tycoon, who hides behind an entourage of brusque secretaries and tight security, seems to be the common denominator in the two deaths. But while Wallander is on the trail of the killer, somebody is on the trail of Wallander, and closing in fast.

 

Heaven's Prisoners by James Lee Burke:

Dave Robicheaux is trying to put a life of violence and crime behind him, leaving homicide to run a boat-rental business in Louisiana's bayou country. But one day while fishing in the Gulf with his wife Annie, he witnesses an event that will change his life forever. A small two-engine plane suddenly crashes into the sea and Robicheaux dives down to the wreckage to find four bodies and one survivor; a little girl miraculously trapped in a pocket of air. When the authorities insist only three bodies were recovered from the plane, Robicheaux decides to investigate the mystery of the missing man.

 

SOME POINTS TO PONDER:

(You do not have to answer all, or indeed, any, of these questions, they are meant only as points for you to perhaps mull over as you read, and provoke more discussion. Please feel free to ask and answer any questions that come up as you read.)

 

* How do the styles of prose compare? Are there major similarities / differences in the way the stories are told?

* How do the portrayals of detectives / crime-solving methods in the two novels hold up to / differ from one another? In your opinion, is one more strongly / weakly written, and in what ways?

* What do you think each novel says about how crime is dealt with in each respective country? Are there major differences / similarities depending on the location? How were the detectives protrayed? How has their life of fighting crime affected their personal lives?

 

* What did you think of how the criminals were protrayed? Was there sympathy and understanding towards how the criminal acted, or were they protrayed as compleete monsters?

 

* Was the writing suspenseful, making you work out each clue along with the detective; or were you, as reader, one step ahead of the detective, always knowing something more than the other characters?

 

* Did you find either of the novels particularly graphic/disturbing in any way? How do those scenes compare to graphic scenes in other, similar novels that you have read?

 

* Did you enjoy one novel more than the other? Which was it and why? Was there a particular part of either one that really stood out for you? Were there any parts you struggled with and why?

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