Pages read since last post: 314
Days reading Proust: 130 (16, 64, 29, 16, 5*)
Books read since last post: 2
Graham Swift, Last Orders
Jean-Dominique Bauby, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
I'm making sterling progress through this one, though I'm at a bit of a loss to explain why. Even by Proust's lofty standards this has been a remarkably uneventful volume. Actually, that's not strictly true, there have been several events of note e.g. Swann's death, Bergotte's death, Cottard's death (and mysterious resurrection due to poor editing), yet all are covered with uncharacteristic brevity. The majority of the 300 pages I've read so far have been occupied with general moping about Albertine's lesbianic tendencies or otherwise... with scant evidence to support this hypothesis. Still, as ever the language is a delight and having left just one week between volumes I seem to be riding "The Big Mo" a la Senator Obama. I intend to capitalise on this and press on through Fug with equal endeavour.
Briefly, Last Orders - excellent, and a worthy Booker winner (1996). Better than the enjoyable movie adaptation. TDBATB - OK... not especially profound, but short and certainly the best nictitated book I have ever read.
1 comment:
...and finished! 7 days, my first single-figure volume. Very pleased both with myself and with this book generally - slow starter but it turns into a real tale of intruige for the last 100 pages, even if it is all in the narrator's mind. Another cliffhanger of an ending too. Am undecided as to whether to plough on or to hold off for the weekend, knowing that I won't read very much tomorrow due to the Cotton nuptials. I might select something brief as a slight diversion and hit Fug in earnest on Sunday afternoon. Still, the smug value of reading Proust whilst sitting in All Souls SCR must be worth making the effort for.
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