tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post110838227340768659..comments2024-03-29T11:20:37.238+00:00Comments on Grumpy Old Bookman: Kate Atkinson: Case HistoriesMichael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11338398159818400930noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-53355148861771125692008-04-08T13:21:00.000+01:002008-04-08T13:21:00.000+01:00Hi Michael. Kate is appearing at a free event on 2...Hi Michael. Kate is appearing at a free event on 27 April 2008 at the National Museum of Scotland. Find out more on www.nms.ac.uk/celebration. Best wishes, James.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-52033138598125719932007-07-18T15:10:00.000+01:002007-07-18T15:10:00.000+01:00Thanks, Michael, for the insightful commentary on ...Thanks, Michael, for the insightful commentary on Atkinson's Case Histories. I'm teaching the book in the Fall.maryt/theteachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17516961981692076719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-76898557868816436212007-07-05T16:34:00.000+01:002007-07-05T16:34:00.000+01:00I have not read Atkinson. But as a writer, I do be...I have not read Atkinson. But as a writer, I do believe writing literary fiction is an incredibly demanding task and I even hate to admit I aspire to that because of how pretentious it sounds. I once heard Maya Angelou say something that goes to the heart of what you're saying about praise potentially distracting a young writer. She said when someone praises her, she does not "pick it up" and make it hers, make it a part of what she believes about herself, because this is something she does not want to "carry." And the same with criticism: It can continue to remain someone else's.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-1164661659726285432006-11-27T21:07:00.000+00:002006-11-27T21:07:00.000+00:00I agree. While I did enjoy reading the book, the ...I agree. While I did enjoy reading the book, the ending was dreadful. My sister called it a 'love boat' ending--everybody ended up happy even though the resolutions were bizarre and highly unlikely. Since it was annoying to read all the glowing reviews, I was happy to find this one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-1117883889954121552005-06-04T12:18:00.000+01:002005-06-04T12:18:00.000+01:00Hi I have to write some discussion otes (4000 word...Hi I have to write some discussion otes (4000 words or so) on this book for Book Groups Tasmania along with a dozen or so discussion questions. Any ideas?<BR/>MichelleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-1108592838341184902005-02-16T22:27:00.000+00:002005-02-16T22:27:00.000+00:00I wish I shared your enthusiasm with "the writer's...I wish I shared your enthusiasm with "the writer's how to" books. Unpaid amateurs find as little reward in reading the many "do it this way" guides as they will be rewarded in their writing. (You have written of the limits of writing rewards in previous posts)<br /> Of course, we know our lack of progress is due to our lack of skill. One obstacle being retaining the "how to"s and applying them to what is essentially a hobby. What then? Some unsuspecting reader or publishing agent latches onto our words? Is this not how all novelty writer's are discovered? We gain experience by writing badly. We take the risks and suffer the consequences of misinformation and misinterpretation for the joy of reading words on a page. Words, we can mistakenly call our own.<br /> I haven't read Kate Atkinson's work. I found J.R. Tolkien's, Lord of the Rings tedious, but impossible to criticize. If Kate Atkinson's invested a few million for a film trilogy, is there any doubt her books would become classics?Constancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468565066764728551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-1108560573497203062005-02-16T13:29:00.000+00:002005-02-16T13:29:00.000+00:00I agree with a lot of this. Except I'd go further ...I agree with a lot of this. Except I'd go further and point out that "literary fiction" IS a genre - and one of the least interesting ones. For me, "literary" writers get interesting when they utilise and subvert popular forms, science fiction, crime, etc - Jonathan Letham in Motherless Brooklyn, Marc Behn in The Eye of the Beholder. Cormac Macarthy's greatest novel is a western - Blood Meridian. But he got most of his critical acclaim for Cities of the Plains, because it could be pigeon holed as "literary fiction," and smuggled past the critics' consciences.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com