blonde book club launch.

[phatomch]

lol, i have read 2 books since that one and i only got it a few weeks ago

[gatso]

I'm gonna go to blockbuster later, see if I can rent the video

[cdw1111]

I finished it a while ago.Meh

[Colchester Kev]

I am half way through it .... enjoying it tbh .... will probs finish it on the train home on monday.

[kinboshi]

I am half way through it .... enjoying it tbh .... will probs finish it on the train home on monday.

It's worth starting then?

[Bongo]

Haven't had much time to read recently but still over half way through the book so hopefully will have it finished at the same time as everyone else

[thetank]

I'll start spamming the thread with guff aboot the book on Saturday.

If y'all want to start before then, I'm no bothered, fire on I reckon.

[Colchester Kev]

Saturday sounds good t me, should have finished it by then ... 

[phatomch]

I will reread it this week so I can remember the finer points

[kinboshi]

Saturday sounds good t me, should have finished it by then ... 

I'll try to start it by then. I'll need to find the thing first.  It's packed in a box, somewhere....

[thetank]

Okay, here's a question to kick us off.

What role do you think New York the city plays in the novel?

Throughout the novel there is a common theme of people to New York and quickly achieving the success that was denied them elsewhere. Solomon's friend Singer in one era, the narrators girlfiend Marilyn in another. it is not until Victor reaches New York that he is able to express himself freely and create the work of art that is the impetus for the story.

This common theme, do you think it is a deliberate use of symbolism on the part of the author? The city as some sort of live giving force on which humanity can suckle if it so chooses to make it's way there? If so, is there a way the continual references to the 9/11 terrorist attacks play a part in this symbolism, or do you think the author just happens to be a big fan of New York?

[Colchester Kev]

Finished it at the weekend ..

The 9/11 references being plentiful made me think the book was being written in the months after the event ... and the writer felt he had to include them in the book.

I Loved the way the book was written, the "interlude" chapters were genius imo.


I have always been good with being able to put faces to characters in my imagination, but i really struggled to put a face to Marilyn... strange.

Wont go into too much more detail at the mo, because I know people are still reading.

[Ironside]

managed to pick it up from libary today

membership card was 5 years out of date wtf?

[gatso]

I really have been useless with this, still have 60 pages to go. will do it v. soon

I have always been good with being able to put faces to characters in my imagination, but i really struggled to put a face to Marilyn... strange.

this line interested me as I had real issues but with Ethan. for at least half the book everytime I started reading a bit I'd picture the narrator as a woman for a bit then I'd remember it was a bloke. not too sure why though, something in the author's style just seems a bit feminine to me

[thetank]

I'd picture the narrator as a woman for a bit then I'd remember it was a bloke. not too sure why though, something in the author's style just seems a bit feminine to me

I felt that a little bit of that too, especially in the first half of the book.
Perhaps it was because of some amount of gender bias in the characters with positive traits.

If you consider the narrators half brother against his half sister. It's the sister who is the compassionate and understanding one. Then obviously there's the relationship the narrator had with his mother vs that of his father.

The Marilyn character is a strong woman in control of her enviroment, and Bertha in the flashback being something of a puppet master too. Another female character who comes across positively is McGrath's daughter.

Indeed, it's not until after McGrath's death when we are introduced to his ex-wife that we come across a female character for whom the balance of her virtues and vices is skewed towards the negative.