Saturday, April 04, 2009

Knowing when to stop ...

... When to Put a Book Down. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

1 comment:

  1. The linked article contains the following: "A book I initially dropped and then went on to admire was Kazuo Ishiguro's 'Never Let Me Go.'"

    I understand the article author's dilemma about knowing when to stop reading a book when everything stacks up against continuing. I also share in the author's experience with Ishiguro's novel. The book simply did not work for me when I first picked it up to read it. After it sat on the shelf for a few months, I gave it another try. It was a completely different reading experience, and I also very much admire the book now. In fact, I have included it in my Introduction to Literature course as a compelling example of the modern novel.

    So, somewhere in all of this is the solution to the problem of knowing when to stop reading. Were I smart enough, I would know the solution and could pass it on to others. Instead, I can simply offer my anecdotal experience. Sometimes you never know what you might be missing if you do not continue reading.

    The bottom line is this: If you haven't read Ishiguro's NEVER LET ME GO, then you really are missing something special.

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