Sunday, March 21, 2010

Ed Norton Has a Widow's Peak?

Ed Norton starred in the movie The 25th Hour, which I enjoyed. What I really enjoyed, though, was City of Thieves, the second novel by David Benioff, whose first novel was The 25th Hour. So it seemed like I ought to read the book.
The people in the book are so well drawn that I was not even picturing the actors. They're sad and clear and strong and pathetic and exactly who they are. And the stories--the anecdotes--and the plot of the book were well-explored; it's a sad goodbye, which is explored on every level.

But. This is a book for a lover of writing, and of New York. It's the kind of book that contains all the neat little New York stories that a guy has been saving up--the monologues about death and loyalty, the loving descriptions of looking out across the river at Queens in the pre-dawn light, the strange characters you see on the street or meet in a nightclub or on a subway platform.

What that makes it is not my kind of book. I can appreciate the execution, and I can enjoy the characters and the story, such as it is. But the foundation of this book is about texture and observation--and New York--and, as such, is really not meant for me.

Benioff has a book of short stories, too, which has some nice blurbs. I wish I liked short stories more. Brenda, you should read it. (Or hey, somebody else--this is a public blog.) It's called When the Nines Roll Over. Somebody let me know how it is. I absolutely loved City of Thieves.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

See, I actually like short stories and this makes me want to read the book. Hmmmm, maybe an add to my Goodreads list?

Anonymous said...

See, I actually like short stories and this makes me want to read the book. Hmmmm, maybe an add to my Goodreads list?

Brenda Pike said...

Thanks, Sharon! You've never steered me wrong, so I've already put a sample on my Kindle.

LibraryHungry said...

I absolutely MUST have steered you wrong at some point, mustn't I? I'm flattered, and a little intimidated!

Claire said...

I think this needs to go onto my to-read list.