I've begun reading The Talented Mr. Ripley and am finding the character, Tom, very interesting in a 'look at that crime scene' kind of way. I only vaguely remember the movie, but so far the story of the novel is about a small time con artist, and very charming man Tom Ripley being sent to Europe …
The City and the City, by China Mieville
I finished reading The City & The City and was impressed, intrigued and am interested in reading some of his other books. A murder investigation in a foreign city which is actually two cities who spend their days ignoring each other... what could go wrong? I found this crime novel to be very creative, and …
Unseeing
Humans are particularly good at not seeing things they find uncomfortable, or that upset the way they think the world works. In The City & The City this idea is taken literally... Two cities occupy the same space, and each ignores the other. Language, script, styles of architecture and clothing let the citizens know who and …
A likable “I”
I started reading The City & The City, by China Mieville and my disappointment at it being in first person was quickly quashed by the great writing and non-annoying character. Too many times, first person narratives have the same arrogant, 'quirky,' snide, sarcastic character that everyone around them seems to love, but I want to …
Doers and preservers
I just listened to the section in Crime and Punishment featuring the talk about Raskolnikov's article. (very minor spoilers) The article talks about what Raskolnikov calls 'ordinary' and 'extraordinary' people, and their differences. The ordinary people, he says, are happy to be ruled and told what to do, and have not many exciting or interesting …
Jonas David 