another restless egg...sunny side up! found one new word (chimerical) and one "old" one (penultimate) that i vaguely remembered hearing for the first time, years ago, in what i believe was a eulogy you shared after your father's passing. either way, thinking of josie and your dad and you right now and thurman's quote...of this i'm sure, you're joy is unspoiled.
Reading your comment I realized I couldn’t give a decent definition of chimerical myself….I just had vague notions about it….so thank you for getting me to look it up! Just one of those words I’ve glazed over all my life.
Thank you for this. Seems like a perfect match for this AS Byatt quote (from Still Life):
"George Eliot, Stephanie thought, was a good hater. She looked long and intelligently at what she hated, with curiosity to see exactly what it was, and the necessary detachment to imagine it from within and without, these two breeding a kind of knowledge that was love."
I guess we all need to learn to hate like George Eliot (or Byatt for that matter).
Thank you for engaging with my review with such thoughtfulness! I do think this stems from being a writer myself. It's fine if someone doesn't like one of my novels but people can be so mean spirited about their dislike. If I think something sucks, I try to interrogate why it didn't work for me, and question if I am not the right audience--usually I'm not. And even if I really hate something I still assume the writer worked hard and loved what they wrote, even if I didn't.
Thanks for parsing out your approach to reviewing…it’s a guard against falling into snarkiness and self-righteousness. And applies to many things! I appreciate your writing in!
Hi Maggie, I so look forward to reading your column (is that the right word??) I loved Shark Heart, even though it wasn’t my typical. Thank goodness for book groups that made you read things that you would never read on your own! As you say, it is a lesson in life to try to accept unfamiliar, potentially scary things in real life. I had to comment because of your food for thought. While worrying may not be completely good for us, it is our kids, and maybe between the two of us, worrying will keep them safe!?!
Oh Maggie..such a great one and such a touching end. Thank you!❤️
another restless egg...sunny side up! found one new word (chimerical) and one "old" one (penultimate) that i vaguely remembered hearing for the first time, years ago, in what i believe was a eulogy you shared after your father's passing. either way, thinking of josie and your dad and you right now and thurman's quote...of this i'm sure, you're joy is unspoiled.
Reading your comment I realized I couldn’t give a decent definition of chimerical myself….I just had vague notions about it….so thank you for getting me to look it up! Just one of those words I’ve glazed over all my life.
Thank you for this. Seems like a perfect match for this AS Byatt quote (from Still Life):
"George Eliot, Stephanie thought, was a good hater. She looked long and intelligently at what she hated, with curiosity to see exactly what it was, and the necessary detachment to imagine it from within and without, these two breeding a kind of knowledge that was love."
I guess we all need to learn to hate like George Eliot (or Byatt for that matter).
I really liked your explanation of this quote and will copy and paste with your permission!
Thank you for engaging with my review with such thoughtfulness! I do think this stems from being a writer myself. It's fine if someone doesn't like one of my novels but people can be so mean spirited about their dislike. If I think something sucks, I try to interrogate why it didn't work for me, and question if I am not the right audience--usually I'm not. And even if I really hate something I still assume the writer worked hard and loved what they wrote, even if I didn't.
Thanks for parsing out your approach to reviewing…it’s a guard against falling into snarkiness and self-righteousness. And applies to many things! I appreciate your writing in!
Hi Maggie, I so look forward to reading your column (is that the right word??) I loved Shark Heart, even though it wasn’t my typical. Thank goodness for book groups that made you read things that you would never read on your own! As you say, it is a lesson in life to try to accept unfamiliar, potentially scary things in real life. I had to comment because of your food for thought. While worrying may not be completely good for us, it is our kids, and maybe between the two of us, worrying will keep them safe!?!
If only….! Thanks for your supportive comments!
Enjoying these Restless Eggs. You mentioned Moby Dick.
I watched In The Heart of the Sea on Netflix that was about Moby Dick and now i want to reread the book and check out the story you talked about. Thx
Wondering if we read Moby Dick in high school