To be and not to rest to touch and not to watch to flood and not to yearn.

[decemberthirty]

I finished My Michael yesterday, and I'm not sure I have much to say about it that I haven't already said. Beautiful prose, heavy interiority, a very dream-like and slow narrative.... The book didn't engage me much, but I enjoyed reading it and just letting it wash over me. Oz devotes more energy to Hannah's fantasy life than he does to the real events of her life, just as Hannah herself does. As a result the fantasy sequences are tremendous -- dark, vivid, violent, semi-sexual fever dreams that repeat endlessly through her mind -- but, knowing that they were nothing but fantasy, I was left feeling that the book gave me very little to hold onto.

I'm pleased to report that my book club's discussion about My Michael was the most interesting we've had so far. I had probably the most positive response to the book of anyone if the group; several members hated it so much they were unable to finish. It's often easier and more entertaining to talk about books that you hate, so that probably had something to do with the liveliness of our meeting, but I think it also has to do with the fact that we have recently been reading books of a higher quality than we were a few months ago. Even if you don't enjoy it, there's just more to talk about with a "better" book. (Better in quotes because what does that even mean, anyway?)

The next book club selection is Kate Chopin's The Awakening. This is one of those books that I feel is a major hole in my education, one of those "They gave you an English degree and you've never read that?" books, so I'm very glad that I'll finally be forced to read it.

Comments

[slowlyawake.livejournal.com]

AUGH! I *love* The Awakening!!!

Dude! It's seriously time for you to read it. I can't believe you haven't before.

I almost know it by heart at this point from having taught it more than anything else in my short career so I will refrain from completely geeking out about it. You may hate it, though. Hard to say. I don't want to say what about it I think you will like and what I think you will hate for fear of tainting your experience.

[decemberthirty.livejournal.com]

I almost hate to say it, but given our opinions on books, your enthusiasm doesn't bode very well for me... ;)

It may be a little while before I get around to The Awakening. The next book club meeting is not until mid Sept. and I'm looking forward to using the hiatus to read a few books of my own choosing. But once I read it I will be very interested in talking about it with you.

[sarajw.livejournal.com]

Add me to the discussion list, too. I read that in high school and again in graduate school and had such a different response to it. It's really a lovely book, though I do sometimes feel a little put off by how many people see it in a certain way. It can be odd how the very act of cannonizing a book makes me less interested in reading it. Will revisit this when you finish!