Ian McEwan Emergency
"He did not know, or would not have cared to know, that as she ran away from him, certain in her distress that she was about to lose him, she had never loved him more, or more hopelessly, and that the sound of his voice would have been a deliverance..."
Could someone please help me when it comes to Ian McEwan?
I think he is a beautiful writer. I have read two of his books - Enduring Love and the latest, On Chesil Beach. But no matter how beautiful a writer he is (see the quote above from the end of On Chesil Beach), I simply do not get anything out of his plots. I find them, well, somehow lacking the ability to enthrall me.
Enduring Love is kind of pedestrian, buying into the worn out obsessional stalker storyline. Admittedly the stalker himself is unusual (a gay, ultra- religious nutter), but the ending lacks originiality. I loved the opening scenes with the balloon disaster though, and how all the characters responded to it. But, a book has to go into unchartered territory. I want it to take me somewhere I cannot easily go in real life... (Langwitch - are you wondering here why I didn't like Neuromancer? Definitely not territory I could go into in real life). It was just, a little, predictable and almost Hollywood. No wonder they made a film of it. I haven't seen it yet, but intend to.
The latest release, On Chesil Beach contains no surprises either. I guess I wanted the book to take me in an unexpected direction. It didn't - but it's a nice read.
So, the question is, should I persevere with a writer whose craft I admire so much, even if his end products fail to inspire?
And if so, where should I go next?
We have three possible options - here are weblinks (just to Wikipedia - it makes life so easy sometimes). I would love for anyone to comment on which one I should read.
Amsterdam
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsterdam_%28novel%29
Atonement
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atonement_%28novel%29
Saturday
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_%28novel%29
I think I am leaning towards Saturday at the moment.
Labels: Choosing Books, Ian McEwan
posted by welloflostplots at
11:43 PM
1 Comments:
"When it comes to being reasonable, they rather go over the top."
Maybe this quote, from Amsterdam, describes what you're feeling about Ian McEwan.
Did you read all of the supporting material on Enduring Love? that was interesting. anyway, I have read Amsterdam, and I did like it. I'll try to get Ruth to blog about McEwan, because she thinks he's wonderful.
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