chesilbeach Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 My Thursday Next re-reading surges on with the completion of The Well of Lost Plots. I'm still enjoying these more on the second reading than I did the first time round, and this one has one of my favourite pieces of writing of almost every book I've ever read. There is a Jurisfiction meeting where one of the items on the agenda is had had and that that problem; one of the cleverest and funniest pages of a book ever. Read it. Read the whole series. It's brilliant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 My Thursday Next re-reading surges on with the completion of The Well of Lost Plots. I'm still enjoying these more on the second reading than I did the first time round, and this one has one of my favourite pieces of writing of almost every book I've ever read. There is a Jurisfiction meeting where one of the items on the agenda is had had and that that problem; one of the cleverest and funniest pages of a book ever. Read it. Read the whole series. It's brilliant. I'm reading your post and manically nodding my head in agreement! My second reading has been wonderful, and the 'had had' 'that that' problem is sublime! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Glad to hear you are enjoying your re~reads of Thursday Next Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 I'm reading your post and manically nodding my head in agreement! My second reading has been wonderful, and the 'had had' 'that that' problem is sublime! It's just amazing, isn't it? I read it three times today, as I just can't believe how clever and funny it is, each time with a grin on my face the Cheshire Cat would be proud of! Glad to hear you are enjoying your re~reads of Thursday Next Thanks, Paula - can't wait for tomorrow and the next instalment!!! (although I do want to finish the re-read of books four and five first - about a quarter of the way through Something Rotten at the moment) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 25, 2011 Author Share Posted February 25, 2011 Something Rotten and First Among Sequels now happily read and information lodged in my brain, and I'm off to find a nice corner table somewhere with a large mug of coffee, and settle down to start One Of Our Thursdays Is Missing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 26, 2011 Author Share Posted February 26, 2011 After a four year wait, and having just re-read the first five books in the series, I've now finished the new Thursday Next book, One Of Our Thursdays Is Missing by Jasper Fforde. Please note, I won't be including any spoilers in these comments, even within a spoiler box, as I don't want to tempt anyone to read something they don't want to know. First off, I'm going to say that I laughed, I chuckled, I chortled and I read bits out to anyone who would listen. I enjoyed it a lot. But, there are certain aspects of these books and the world that Fforde has created that I felt were missing, and I did feel a little bit letdown by the absence of these elements. Once a few more people have read the book, I'll happily discuss it with anyone who wants to then, but for now, I am a tiny, tiny bit disappointed, but I will reiterate that I did enjoy it a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Interesting review, Claire! I'm glad you mostly enjoyed it though. I think I'm going to try and wait until the smaller paperback version is released. I still have a few other Jasper Fforde books to read in the meantime. I hope I can wait that long! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 28, 2011 Author Share Posted February 28, 2011 Thanks, Kylie, It's a tricky one to write, as I know I'm the first person here to read it, and I really don't want to spoil it for anyone, but there were things I missed from the previous books, despite that fact it's still a fantastic, funny story with some great Fforde writing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted March 1, 2011 Author Share Posted March 1, 2011 I settled down on Sunday for what I hoped would be a gentle read with Mr Rosenblum's List by Natasha Solomons, and I was not disappointed. Jakob Rosenblum, his wife Sadie and daughter Elizabeth manage to obtain exit visas from 1930s Germany, and make their way to England to start a new life. Jakob becomes Jack, and decides the way to make the best of his new life is to assimilate and inspired by a pamphlet he receives when he arrives in England, he sets about compiling a list of exactly how to be an Englishman. The book follows Jack and Sadie's lives from the early days in London to their move to Dorset. The cover and blurb of the book doesn't really give much away, and I was surprised by the length of period that the book covers, and the direction Jack's life took, as I have to admit, I was expecting it to cover just the war years, but it goes beyond that. I did know that the author lives in Dorset, and I was expecting the book to be a much more middle of the road, fish out of water, city man gets an allotment and gradually is accepted by the local villagers, and yet it was nothing like that at all! I found Jack quite a frustrating character at times, but I loved Sadie. Her sadness, and at times anger, was palpable on the page, and her transformation throughout the book felt totally believable. I did have one complaint, but I'm going to have to spoiler it as it gives away a bit too much, so if you haven't read it yet, don't open the spoiler!!!! I thought the resolution of the golf course storyline was a bit far fetched, and I didn't believe in it, compared to the rest of the story. Why did they suddenly get over refusal of the planning department - did Sir Waegbert withdraw his complaint? Why did Bobby Jones not respond to any of the letters? Why did he suddenly decide to claim his friendship? It all seemed too contrived for me. However, this was a small complaint really, and only affected one chapter of the book, and I think the final chapter made up for it. A very good book, that I loved reading, and I'm looking forward to Natasha Solomons next book, The Novel in the Viola which is due out at the end of April. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Great review Claire, its sounds like a good read, is there anything endearing about Jack? As I mentioned before (sorry for mentioning it again), I have Mr Rosenblum's List on my tbr pile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted March 1, 2011 Author Share Posted March 1, 2011 Hey Paula, yes, Jack does have an endearing quality about him at times, but I just found him quite frustrating for being too single-minded at times and oblivious to those around him. I think you'll enjoy it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Hey Paula, yes, Jack does have an endearing quality about him at times, but I just found him quite frustrating for being too single-minded at times and oblivious to those around him. I think you'll enjoy it! Thanks Claire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Chesilbeach, you mentioned being frustrated with Jack's single-mindedness, which I find very interesting because that trait of his was one of the reasons why I liked his character I like it that he stays optimistic, even a bit naive, and goes for the things he wants, no matter how many obstacles he has to face and break through. But I can see what you mean, he could've been more sensitive towards Sadie, although she didn't quite compromise in her willingness to wallow in sadness either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted March 3, 2011 Author Share Posted March 3, 2011 Frankie, please don't think I'm ignoring your comment, but I'll come back another day and discuss it, as I'm not feeling up to it at the moment. I couldn't face my current book today, and had to try and shake my mood with some escapism, so I started Angel by L. A. Weatherly, a young adult book about angels and assassins (so far, at least), which luckily got me through my lunch break fairly unscathed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Are you not feeling all right? I hope you'll feel better soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Hope you are okay Chesil,take care Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted March 4, 2011 Author Share Posted March 4, 2011 Thanks for your concern guys, just felt a bit world weary. But, the sun is out, it's the weekend, and I'm feeling much better today! Chesilbeach, you mentioned being frustrated with Jack's single-mindedness, which I find very interesting because that trait of his was one of the reasons why I liked his character I like it that he stays optimistic, even a bit naive, and goes for the things he wants, no matter how many obstacles he has to face and break through. But I can see what you mean, he could've been more sensitive towards Sadie, although she didn't quite compromise in her willingness to wallow in sadness either. I think it was more a case of his blindness to others in his single-mindedness that frustrated me. I could see, at heart, he was a good man, and wanted to get the best for his family, but I think his attitude became too much about his own need to fit in, and ended up blinkered to what was going on with Sadie. He didn't seem to really acknowledge the guilt she obviously felt at taking the exit visas when her family was left behind, and the subsequent loss meant she needed to stick to her beliefs in order to help her through, and he seemed to want to hide his religion in order to assimilate. It was lovely that they both came to understand each other and settle towards the end of the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 I'm glad you are feeling better Claire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted March 4, 2011 Author Share Posted March 4, 2011 Thanks Paula Read some more of Angel this afternoon, and I'm absolutely loving it. I would probably have finished it, but fell asleep in the chair! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Glad to hear it hen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 I've come to a decision. I need to read something, anything by Jasper Fforde, as from what I can gather I'm obviously missing out. I've seen any number of people recommend him; both on here and in class at college. I'm making a mental note - in fact, scrap that - a written note, to remind myself to by The Eyre Affair as soon as possible. Other than just wanted to say it's good to see you having a good reading year; I enjoy reading your reviews and recommendations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted March 5, 2011 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 Thanks, Ben You can get all the Jasper Fforde books on Kindle (although they are quite expensive compared to discounted paperbacks). I treated myself and downloaded all the Thursday Next series for my recent re-reads even though I've still got all my paperbacks and hardbacks too. I'm planning to gradually whittle down my real book collection and only keep the books that really mean something to me, and there is no way those Jasper Fforde's are ever leaving my house! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 (edited) Oh Ben, you NEED to read Jasper Fforde! I'm positive you'll enjoy it I'm so happy to hear you're feeling better chesilbeach! Re: Jack. Thanks for further explaining your views on it, I was only thinking about his single-mindedness in terms of setting his sights on doing something and never loosing track on gaining his goals. I think he is a good man, but like you said he was insensitive to his wife's needs and feelings. I think he was just so afraid of not blending in that he got tunnel vision and became blind to some of the things that were happening in his immediate family. I think he was subconsciously scared of being sent back if he did not assimilate and I think that's why he didn't understand where Sadie was coming from. The past drove Jack to focus on the future, whereas Sadie couldn't let go of the past. I'm really happy that in the end they re-connected and made good with each other. Edited March 5, 2011 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 (edited) Thanks, Ben You can get all the Jasper Fforde books on Kindle (although they are quite expensive compared to discounted paperbacks). I treated myself and downloaded all the Thursday Next series for my recent re-reads even though I've still got all my paperbacks and hardbacks too. I'm planning to gradually whittle down my real book collection and only keep the books that really mean something to me, and there is no way those Jasper Fforde's are ever leaving my house! No problem. Yeah I had a look on the Kindle Store a bit earlier and thought they looked a bit more on the steep side. I guess I could pick up the first and see what I think of that first. I'm probably going to read Jane Eyre first though; shamefully I just never got around to reading it for some reason. I know what you mean about whittling down your real book collection; I decided yesterday that I'm going to have to pass on some of the ones that I'm just never going to get around to reading. ): Oh Ben, you NEED to read Jasper Fforde! I'm positive you'll enjoy it Haha thanks Frankie, I'll be sure to check them out soon now. Edited March 5, 2011 by Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted March 5, 2011 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 Well, as usual, reverting to my favourite YA genre has lifted my spirits. I've just finished Angel by L. A. Weatherly, and absolutely loved it. Willow Fields has never really fitted in. Not just because she's cared for her sick mom since she was a little girl and they've had to move in with her aunt, or because she doesn't follow the latest fashions, or because she a whizz with cars. It's because she's psychic, and just from a touch she can see into their possible futures. Alex is an assassin. Aged seventeen but older than his years, and he's been given a new target ... Willow. Now, there's nothing particularly new and original about this supernatural fantasy, in fact, as most people know, whether it's angels or demons, vampires or werewolves, these theme of books seem to be flooding the YA market. But, I have to say, I absolutely loved this book. It's a fast, thrilling read, and although it's on the surface quite predictable, I liked the way the author developed the story and the relationship between Willow and Alex, even if they were slightly too chaste considering the situation they found themselves in, but it is YA after all so I could understand why the author kept it that way. I think I like these type of stories so much, as I've always been a bit of a loner myself, and I tend to sympathise with the characters so much, and it makes me hope for a world where there is someone for everyone. Plus, you can't beat a plot with an assassin and the existence of angels, surely? The characters and story are set up nicely for the next installment. I think it will be a trilogy eventually, which I like, as it means the author has a definite idea of where the story is going, and won't end up just another seemingly never ending series that drag on well beyond the limits of the characters and plot (The House of Night series springs to mind ). A great piece of escapism for a winters day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.