tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596203844533164378.post306732525867070782..comments2023-04-23T13:10:44.188+09:00Comments on this is how she fight start: The Testament of Jessie Lambkamohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10785763841038321633noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596203844533164378.post-88144948061518235572012-04-23T18:33:54.369+09:002012-04-23T18:33:54.369+09:00Hi Wendy, thanks for stopping by.
"...not li...Hi Wendy, thanks for stopping by.<br /><br />"...not liking the protagonist all that much..."<br /><br />I was going to say that Jessie strikes me as a fairly accurate teenager, but I'm not even sure that's true. I know we all thought we could change the world, but I can't ever remember being that humourless about it.<br /><br />This got long listed for the Booker, and shortlisted for the Arthur C Clarke (of which more later). There's a real sense it might win the latter, if only because the others are weak or repetitive. It's written well enough, but I simply couldn't buy that central premise and so the rest just fell apart. Not award-winning material, imho.kamohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10785763841038321633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596203844533164378.post-45422629522872278992012-04-23T07:47:50.724+09:002012-04-23T07:47:50.724+09:00I've been struggling to get through this book....I've been struggling to get through this book...and I think you nailed exactly why. I find myself not quite believing the premise, and then not liking the protagonist all that much, and then add in the despair and negativity and I want to throw the book against a wall (I also wanted to slap the kid in Catcher in the Rye - so there you go). I have reached the half way point of Jesse Lamb's testament...and I think I am just done with it.<br /><br />http://www.caribousmom.comWendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14332796775305098552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596203844533164378.post-29347551484059933412012-04-19T21:35:24.862+09:002012-04-19T21:35:24.862+09:00I keep meaning to have a go at my wife's copy,...I keep meaning to have a go at my wife's copy, but I had to do Remains of the Day at school, way back when. It didn't turn me off Ishiguro exactly, but I'm not chomping at the bit to get back to him, either.<br /><br />That's exactly it about not getting past a single thing and so maybe missing a ton of stuff. Like the kid from The Wonder Years in Austin Powers; it doesn't matter how serious or important the things he's saying are, all you're thinking is 'MOLEY MOLEY MOLEY MOLEY! MOOOOOOOLEY!!'<br /><br />I probably should have written that in my coursework, come to think of it...kamohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10785763841038321633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596203844533164378.post-20226753828544779302012-04-18T12:40:45.054+09:002012-04-18T12:40:45.054+09:00Have you read Never Let Me Go? I think I felt the ...Have you read Never Let Me Go? I think I felt the same way you did about the above story with NLMG. The kids just suddenly know who they are and what their lives are all about and just go on living. Maybe there were deeper things I couldn't really get into because I couldn't get past their acceptance. They were around 11 years old if I remember correctly...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596203844533164378.post-33835371792532630512012-04-17T19:34:31.371+09:002012-04-17T19:34:31.371+09:00Fair point, and if that were the case here I'd...Fair point, and if that were the case here I'd be able to suspend my disbelief. Spoilers coming up, if anyone cares...<br /><br />The protagonist ends up volunteering for scientific research as a living incubator, a process that is certain to be fatal for her, but (maybe) not for the child. At 16 I still needed to get a note from my parents to go on school trips, I can't see how voluntary euthanasia could be less serious. There's not even an attempt to explain it away, either, which as a reader give me nothing to cling on to. And because it's a cosy catastrophe, and thus very much business as usual except for that pesky end of the world, it makes it even harder to process than it would be in a good old fashioned apocalypse. It's a little distracting to have a voice in your head repeating 'but what about...?' for half the story.<br /><br />Glad you're enjoying the trip.kamohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10785763841038321633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596203844533164378.post-45695810464600155802012-04-17T19:24:55.484+09:002012-04-17T19:24:55.484+09:00You as in me, or you as in people in general, or y...You as in me, or you as in people in general, or you as in, err, you?<br /><br />I like to think I'm relatively well read, but there's a huge amount of stuff that I really should have read by now but haven's. Zen and the... being one. I've not had a splurge on Amazon since christmas, so I've probably got one coming up soon. Reckon I'll add that to the pile.kamohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10785763841038321633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596203844533164378.post-16952842963733380522012-04-16T21:50:53.360+09:002012-04-16T21:50:53.360+09:0016 in my neck of the woods usually meant the kid w...16 in my neck of the woods usually meant the kid was either working to make payments on her car or doing work-study to make payments on her car while her toddler was in the high school's daycare center. In some places, kids grow up kind of fast, whether or not they are ready for it. Parents can only not consent if they are paying attention. <br /><br />All this talk of journey has me smiling while looking forward to the pleasure of frequenting your blog.Willhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596203844533164378.post-79138335567360295542012-04-16T13:50:36.497+09:002012-04-16T13:50:36.497+09:00"therein lies the rub"
I LOVE using thi..."therein lies the rub"<br /><br />I LOVE using this phrase!! <br /><br />Like looking knowingly at 1/2 the crowd which kinda saw this coming and giving them a wink.. then looking at the other 1/2 and busting out some crayons and a big white paper to start drawing stick figures and arrows in big bright colors.<br /><br />Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. <br /><br />My favorite book of all time. Can you read it again and give it some thought now that you've gotten older than the 1st time you read it?...Chrishttp://badboyinjapan.blogspot.jp/noreply@blogger.com