Urban Roy Posted February 27, 2009 Posted February 27, 2009 Hello all. I came across this site and after a little bit of lurking I thought that I would say hello. My name's Roy and I probably fool myself into thinking that I have more eclectic reading tastes than I really do. I'm not a particularly prolific reader but this year so far I've got through The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri and On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan. I'm currently reading The Sea by John Banville, Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (if reading's the correct term) and Obama's The Audacity of Hope. I'm not very good at reading one thing at a time... I have a bunch of authors that I enjoy but I've probably said enough for now. I'm looking forward to meeting you all and joining in the fun! Quote
BookBee8 Posted February 27, 2009 Posted February 27, 2009 On Chesil Beach is on my TBR pile . What did you think to it? Quote
Chimera Posted February 28, 2009 Posted February 28, 2009 Hello and welcome Roy! How are you finding The audacity of hope? I just read Dreams from my father and enjoyed it a lot but I think they are quite different. Quote
Charm Posted February 28, 2009 Posted February 28, 2009 Hi Roy to the forum. Hope you enjoy it here! Quote
Urban Roy Posted February 28, 2009 Author Posted February 28, 2009 Thanks all for the warm welcome, that is really kind. On Chesil Beach is on my TBR pile . What did you think to it? I enjoyed it and found it pretty standard McEwan fare. I find Ian McEwan can be a little hit and miss, in that I really enjoyed Atonement, but I thought that Amsterdam, was just awful (given that it won the Booker I think that is my failing). I think that On Chesil Beach compares to The Innocent in terms of a fantastical, but belivable, plot and the style of writing. Have you read any other McEwan? What do you think? How are you finding The audacity of hope? I just read Dreams from my father and enjoyed it a lot but I think they are quite different. I find American politics fascinating and this is very much Obama's take on how to sort out America. He is writing for an American audience so to me (as a British reader) some things don't resonate as much as they could, and others seem frankly a little strange. Also, while there are glimpse's of his poetry, this reads in a much more conversational way. But in light of what is going on in the world today, if this is, in some ways, his manifesto, it will be really interesting to see if he stands by his views. What's Dream's from my father like? Quote
BookBee8 Posted February 28, 2009 Posted February 28, 2009 I enjoyed it and found it pretty standard McEwan fare. I find Ian McEwan can be a little hit and miss, in that I really enjoyed Atonement, but I thought that Amsterdam, was just awful (given that it won the Booker I think that is my failing). I think that On Chesil Beach compares to The Innocent in terms of a fantastical, but belivable, plot and the style of writing. Have you read any other McEwan? What do you think? No, On Chesil Beach will be my first by him. I'd heard quite a few positive things about it so figured it was well worth a try! If I enjoy On Chesil Beach then I'll probably look at a few others by him. But thanks for the tip about him being a bit inconsistent! I'll keep that in mind. Quote
Urban Roy Posted February 28, 2009 Author Posted February 28, 2009 No, On Chesil Beach will be my first by him. I'd heard quite a few positive things about it so figured it was well worth a try! If I enjoy On Chesil Beach then I'll probably look at a few others by him. But thanks for the tip about him being a bit inconsistent! I'll keep that in mind. Hope you enjoy it. On Chesil Beach is a good place to start and at 50-60,000 words it shouldn't feel like a massive commitment if it turns out that it's not your kind of thing! Quote
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