|
muscles like this! posted:While it isn't killing off a character the unabridged version of Les Miserables has a long rear end section about the battle of Waterloo which is ended by mentioning a side character was there. I remember that book going insane for bit characters, like that bishop JV-J stole the candlesticks got this endless and tiresome section which I suppose was meant to expound upon his piety but coming off a musical where his scene is like two minutes during a cool song it seemed interminable.
|
#
?
May 8, 2020 23:12
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 3, 2024 07:45 |
|
|
thepopmonster posted:
I just wanted you to know I saw that.
|
|
#
?
May 8, 2020 23:29
|
|
|
Brawnfire posted:I remember that book going insane for bit characters, like that bishop JV-J stole the candlesticks got this endless and tiresome section which I suppose was meant to expound upon his piety but coming off a musical where his scene is like two minutes during a cool song it seemed interminable. Yeah I love that book but my God he goes on. I see people complain about Dickens or Stephen King being meandering and I'm like, I know a worse guy.
|
|
#
?
May 8, 2020 23:32
|
|
|
Serephina posted:As a kiwi, I'm laughing at the idea of a farmer being given a lengthy description as if he was some sort of exotic creature. Like Matt, from over in Hamilton? What's next, a lurid description of the salacious lifestyle of a retail clerk? I mean tbh that's basically the foundation of half of classic NZ literature—farmers being sad. The other half is drowning near a bach.
|
|
#
?
May 8, 2020 23:53
|
|
|
Ichabod Sexbeast posted:When I was a kid, I read a book called Comrades of War, about a wehrmacht penal regiment of condemned criminals sent to the russian front (I should probably not have had that book as a kid). Sven Hassel! Long story short the guy was entirely a fraud, he claimed to have been a war veteran but was actually a small time Danish failson/criminal/occupational police informant named Borge Pedersen who managed to get himself kicked out of the Danish Nazi Party during the occupation because he stole the party head's car, crashed it, and tried to impersonate a police officer to escape. Convicted of treason he only served a few years of his sentence before being released and wrote a bunch of what would best be described as "nihilist war porn", and was apparently the most successful Danish author of the 50s-70s period, from what I found a lot of his books (especially later ones) may have been ghost written by his wife and he apparently used the books as "proof" he'd fought for the Germans so that he could scam medical treatment from the German government. Until his death Hassel maintained that he couldn't possibly have been this Pedersen guy, because how could he have been a police informant in Denmark if he'd been fighting on the Eastern Front? C.M. Kruger has a new favorite as of 00:14 on May 9, 2020 |
|
#
?
May 9, 2020 00:07
|
|
|
muscles like this! posted:While it isn't killing off a character the unabridged version of Les Miserables has a long rear end section about the battle of Waterloo which is ended by mentioning a side character was there. That bit and the bit about the sewers were my favourite parts of the book.
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2020 06:09
|
|
|
Some of the historical stuff is actually helpful for modern readers who wouldn't know the relevant history of the place. The Count of Monte Cristo was a bit confusing for me til I checked the footnotes for info on Napoleon's interrupted reign, since the specifics of how that played out are so important to the plot.
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2020 06:20
|
|
|
Doctor Spaceman posted:That bit and the bit about the sewers were my favourite parts of the book. The sewers stuff was awesome, I would read a whole book of just sewer historicity.
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2020 07:46
|
|
|
The version I have banished the sections on convents and argot to appendices and after reading them yeah, I can see why. But I would also read a whole book about sewers.
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2020 07:59
|
|
|
HopperUK posted:Yeah I love that book but my God he goes on. I see people complain about Dickens or Stephen King being meandering and I'm like, I know a worse guy. I don't know anyone who's read any unabridged Hugo that didn't think he sucked. E: just checked the two-volume translation of Les miserables in my mum's bookcase and it's abridged. It's still more than 10 cm thick altogether. 3D Megadoodoo has a new favorite as of 05:34 on May 10, 2020 |
|
#
?
May 10, 2020 05:31
|
|
|
the most enjoyable version of count of monte cristo is the psychedelic anime series Gankutsuo, and it's actually better than the source material. it's the greatest film adaptation by far.
|
|
#
?
May 20, 2020 17:22
|
|
|
Doctor Spaceman posted:The version I have banished the sections on convents and argot to appendices and after reading them yeah, I can see why. Blasphemy. 3D Megadoodoo posted:I don't know anyone who's read any unabridged Hugo that didn't think he sucked. Sorry about your pathetic attention span.
|
|
#
?
May 20, 2020 18:07
|
|
|
The Count of Monte Cristo is a fun read, I thought. It's definitely got an episodic structure, complete with the side plots and stories that aren't necessarily important but are pretty fun on their own merits. It's kinda funny to imagine how it must have been at the time as it was published in newspapers, it must have been like the Game of Thrones of the day. Though probably better reception for the ending. Actually would be interesting to see what people thought of famous stories at the time they were coming out. Probably a lot of startlingly familiar trends.
|
|
#
?
May 20, 2020 19:02
|
|
|
Ghost Leviathan posted:Actually would be interesting to see what people thought of famous stories at the time they were coming out. Probably a lot of startlingly familiar trends. There's a book called Rotten Reviews and Rejections which quotes negative contemporary responses to books now considered classics.
|
|
#
?
May 20, 2020 19:46
|
|
|
I was reading through an English translation of Count of Monte Cristo, and the forward mentioned how the writing style was very different and influential and appeals to modern audiences. I enjoyed the read thoroughly, thinking how accessible it is compared to other great classics (translated or not). It took a long while after to notice that tiny asterisk on the cover saying that it's an abridged version, and I've since felt like a dirty philistine.
|
|
#
?
May 20, 2020 23:59
|
|
|
Serephina posted:I was reading through an English translation of Count of Monte Cristo, and the forward mentioned how the writing style was very different and influential and appeals to modern audiences. I enjoyed the read thoroughly, thinking how accessible it is compared to other great classics (translated or not). It took a long while after to notice that tiny asterisk on the cover saying that it's an abridged version, and I've since felt like a dirty philistine. Shame on you, egg oval office.
|
|
#
?
May 21, 2020 00:13
|
|
|
I’m reading Les Miserables myself and while some sections read better than others I get what Hugo’s doing. He’s not writing about a group of characters, he’s writing about France in this period of history, between revolutions. It’s a big ambitious treatise on humanity and society. There is something pleasurable about taking your time with something like that. A lot of individual chapters are kinda short so you can take it a little at a time.
|
|
#
?
May 21, 2020 02:52
|
|
|
SerialKilldeer posted:There's a book called Rotten Reviews and Rejections which quotes negative contemporary responses to books now considered classics. Thanks for mentioning this, I find contemporary reactions fascinating. I think I’ve mentioned it before but I wish there were more surviving fanworks prior to ‘zines being a thing as a way to understand peoples’ reaction to a work. I know Pamela was popular enough to get merch like playing cards featuring the characters, and in Little Women there’s a chapter dedicated to the sisters’ having their own fan club based on The Pickwick Papers, which in turn was based on Alcott’s own writing with friends.
|
|
#
?
May 21, 2020 14:00
|
|
|
SUPERMAN'S GAL PAL posted:Thanks for mentioning this, I find contemporary reactions fascinating. Check out the young Brontës' stories, RPF about Lord Byron, Wellington, Napoleon, etc. Some of them were published recently. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bront%C3%AB_family I've definitely also seen 19th century Austen ripoff porn, but can't remember where.
|
|
#
?
May 21, 2020 15:40
|
|
|
Maxwell Lord posted:I’m reading Les Miserables myself and while some sections read better than others I get what Hugo’s doing. He’s not writing about a group of characters, he’s writing about France in this period of history, between revolutions. It’s a big ambitious treatise on humanity and society. I don't have time for that; I'm on a two books per week quota! Anyway I'm currently reading something that, extremely surprisingly for a 1800s book by a Frenchman, doesn't need to be abridged at all but fits into the thread because every three pages the author stops to point out that black people are the ugliest creatures on earth, even uglier than the completely useless native Americans!  Also that lady in the red mini-dress on the cover is Robert Grant 
3D Megadoodoo has a new favorite as of 15:45 on May 21, 2020 |
|
#
?
May 21, 2020 15:42
|
|
|
  
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2020 17:46
|
|
|
I must know more about the Christian spies.
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2020 17:51
|
|
|
Isn't Victor Hugo's whole thing that his stories are more abstract that most due to being about a time or place rather than a story? Like Hunchback of Notre Dame is basically about the fact that everyone will die but Notre Dame will live on despite that due to Hugo trying to draw attention to the building to get it looked after because he was one of the first people to give a poo poo about keeping historical architecture intact.
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2020 18:00
|
|
|
chitoryu12 posted:I must know more about the Christian spies. Summary of first 3 books quote:Forced to choose between military school and a Christian spy organization, skeptic Spencer Garmond signs on with the Bible geeks. But before he even boards the plane for Moscow, Spencer realizes this is no Bible club. quote:After an exhausting school year, Spencer is thrilled to discover that the summer training mission will take him and his fellow agents-in-training to Okinawa, a tropical paradise. But there's little time for R & R as Spencer must attend school, volunteer at a local martial arts training facility, and track and report a mysterious girl named Keiko. quote:It's here! The third, full-length novel in The Mission League series.
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2020 18:56
|
|
|
What is a Jolt movie and where can I watch it?
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2020 23:05
|
|
|
Are the endless identical 90s Christian Horse Girl books still a thing, or was ripping off Sweet Valley Twins But With Jesus purely a generational fad
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2020 23:27
|
|
|
...but she can't stop worrying about the bears.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2020 06:16
|
|
|
Tiggum posted:...but she can't stop worrying about the bears. PYF Terrible Book: but she can't stop worrying about the bears.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2020 07:46
|
|
|
Agents are GO! posted:PYF Terrible Book: but she can't stop worrying about the bears. *Governor General of Canada's ears perk up*
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2020 07:59
|
|
|
TheKennedys posted:Are the endless identical 90s Christian Horse Girl books still a thing, or was ripping off Sweet Valley Twins But With Jesus purely a generational fad Ripping off x thing but with Jesus is an eternal trend in Christian culture, so it's probably just moved onto some other teen girl property. The real question is if Horse Girl books are still a thing.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2020 15:18
|
|
|
I was a kid in the 90s who was obsessed with ufos and the x-files and accidentally bought some "teens investigate ufo crash in the desert but christian". I don't remember much aside from the disappointment.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2020 15:24
|
|
|
BioEnchanted posted:Isn't Victor Hugo's whole thing that his stories are more abstract that most due to being about a time or place rather than a story? Like Hunchback of Notre Dame is basically about the fact that everyone will die but Notre Dame will live on despite that due to Hugo trying to draw attention to the building to get it looked after because he was one of the first people to give a poo poo about keeping historical architecture intact. Yes, the actual title of the book in French is Notre-Dame de Paris.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2020 16:22
|
|
|
Wait, do these four cousins look for love separately or.... together?
|
|
#
?
May 24, 2020 01:38
|
|
|
Danger - Octopus! posted:Wait, do these four cousins look for love separately or.... together? I really hope Cammy Tang isn't a pseudonym because white people writing Asian characters is always incredibly cringe, but it veers right off the road into 'loving insane racism' when it's romance novels or Christian fiction.
|
|
#
?
May 24, 2020 05:09
|
|
|
GreenMetalSun posted:I really hope Cammy Tang isn't a pseudonym because white people writing Asian characters is always incredibly cringe, but it veers right off the road into 'loving insane racism' when it's romance novels or Christian fiction. You're goddamn right on that front. I'm glad to be bearer of good news! Camy Tang's website says this: "I am a fourth generation Japanese American married to a third generation Chinese American (hence my Chinese last name)." So she is Asian, but that doesn't necessarily mean her books aren't going to be gross in another way. They're likely not going to be racist against Chinese- or Japanese-American people, anyway. She might be racist toward other peoples; who can tell! Speaking of South East Asian characters, I've been struggling to get through Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge by Paul Krueger. This book isn't even bad, per se. Krueger has pinoy heritage, so it's not that many of his characters are SEA that is a problem, either. The book is not offensive or cruel or sex-weird as previous stuff mentioned ITT. It's the dialogue. I sometimes wonder if this guy has only ever heard Joss Whedon characters talk. Maybe his social circle is chock-full of just wits and snark 24/7? Here's a random page I've flipped to:  I can't bring myself to dislike the characters, because they're all so drat earnest, but I find myself zoning out when they have conversation. Maybe quarantine is making me unnecessarily judgmental or sour. I rarely pick up a book and don't finish it, because I'm pretty choosy, but I've been really bouncing off this book since I bought it some time ago. I'm going to try to sit down and really give it a fair shot this weekend. (As an aside, I would suggest the Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold as perfect quarantine reading. The Vorkosigan Saga has everything previously requested for a good sci-fi series, and it's critically underappreciated. There's also a whopping nineteen of the books and a few short stories, so you have something to wile away the hours. The TOR Blog reread threads are always a delight, if you want to look them up. I agree with almost all previous good book recs. I'll be adding any I haven't read yet to my own TBR list.)
|
|
#
?
May 24, 2020 07:38
|
|
|
So in 1985, Jim Hatfield (who would later write Fortunate Son, a fake expose on George W. Bush that led to his suicide when his extensive and insane criminal record came out and caused the book to collapse) wrote an unauthorized James Bond book that kills Bond off at the end, The Killing Zone. This is where he meets the Bond Girl:quote:"I know your name," she said haltingly, staring at his beach towel, "because..." she lowered her voice. Glanced around. They stood on the sun-washed terrace between the lobby doors and the parking lot. "Because my father has bugged some of the rooms. He's a little perverted, my father, I'm afraid. He likes to listen when people are making love. There's one in your room, and I listened when you went in there to talk to the other man called Felix. I wanted to find out what you're doing around here. I heard him call you Bond. And he's going to bring some guns today, and some spying equipment, and you're doing something secret. And it's not safe."
|
|
#
?
May 24, 2020 07:45
|
|
|
Serephina posted:I was reading through an English translation of Count of Monte Cristo, and the forward mentioned how the writing style was very different and influential and appeals to modern audiences. I enjoyed the read thoroughly, thinking how accessible it is compared to other great classics (translated or not). It took a long while after to notice that tiny asterisk on the cover saying that it's an abridged version, and I've since felt like a dirty philistine. For what it's worth abridged versions of Count usually cut most of the first 2/5s of the book (Dante's "death" and the creation of the Count.) While I love the book and have read the unabridged version, it really doesn't lose a lot by cutting straight to the Count plot. There's a reason most adaptations start there
|
|
#
?
May 24, 2020 17:10
|
|
|
Yeah, but Dantes' death is pretty funny. Also it's kind of key to the contrast - Edmond is a very nice person so seeing his behaviour as the count is an incredibly jarring experience, it shows just how badly the betrayal hit him. He completely abandons his humanity.
|
|
#
?
May 24, 2020 17:13
|
|
|
I can see the whole Dantes part being easily skippable depending on how you tell it, but kind of the point is that it's the tense build up to how his life is completely destroyed out of incredibly petty jealousy, cowardice and greed when he'd only just achieved modest success and happiness and showed nothing but good will towards the people who betrayed him. That said, it's a very different kind of story before the time skip, but I find it quite intense since there's so much emphasis on getting inside his head.
|
|
#
?
May 24, 2020 17:41
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 3, 2024 07:45 |
|
|
chitoryu12 posted:Jim Hatfield (who would later write Fortunate Son, a fake expose on George W. Bush that led to his suicide when his extensive and insane criminal record came out and caused the book to collapse) Anyone else initially read this sentence in a completely different way?
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2020 07:59
|
|
