Comments on: Waiting for Joe, by Sandra Birdsell

By: KevinfromCanada

KevinfromCanada — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 19:54:24 +0000

Max: I think you would find the Hay interesting — alas, I cannot recommend Birdsell.

By: Max Cairnduff

Max Cairnduff — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 11:46:49 +0000

Thanks for that Kevin, I’ll take a look.

By: KevinfromCanada

KevinfromCanada — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 15:03:40 +0000

Here is a link to the NY Times review of Late Nights on Air — it is consistent with my thoughts, both positive and negative. Actually, reading it reminded me how much better the Hay is than Waiting for Joe.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/01/books/review/Wolitzer-t.html

By: KevinfromCanada

KevinfromCanada — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 14:58:56 +0000

Max: Sorry, I read the Hay a couple of years before I started blogging. I don’t have a reread planned — if I come across a good review I’ll let you know.

By: Max Cairnduff

Max Cairnduff — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 12:58:04 +0000

You’ve not blogged the Hay have you? I just checked for it. Will you be writing it up?

Love the last sentence Kevin, you’re absolutely right.

By: KevinfromCanada

KevinfromCanada — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 19:01:30 +0000

Max: I had a bit of a problem with things like the final para of the quote. While the book is driven by narrative, it periodically swoops off into lyrical language that doesn’t seem to fit.

I also find arrival more interesting than flight — in fact Hay’s book is about the collection of flee-ers who have ended up at the radio station in Yellowknife and it would be my favorite of those I mentioned.

As for what happens when you get there, for Wallace Stegner you keep on wandering around. Or write for Hollywood (Fante). Or solve crimes.

By: Max Cairnduff

Max Cairnduff — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 18:53:41 +0000

The mothers thing sounds a little contrived.

I found the final paragraph in the quote a bit overweighted. As I got to the end of it I felt it was toppling slightly, unbalanced. Do you know what I mean at all?

One of the things I find interesting about stories set in the West is that once you get there where is there left to flee to? The flight West is interesting, but in some ways for me personally the arrival is perhaps more so. That’s not a criticism of the book though, just a comment on what I’d find a little more intriguing.