G Vico Posted September 2, 2006 Share Posted September 2, 2006 I've started this novel about 3-4 times based on recommendations like this and simply can not get into it. I can't figure out why, but I think the main character is so repulsive that I can't just enjoy him. It's true though, Oliver Platt would be an excellent choice. Let's hope he doesn't die. Wolf Girl, A friend of mine used to observe that people who don't like A Confederacy of Dunces inevitably have more than a little bit of Ignatius J. Reilly in their character. I've never been able to test this out, since a lot of people I think resemble IJR also tend to like the book, though that may just be the exception that proves the rule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
werewolfv2 Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 Wolf Girl, A friend of mine used to observe that people who don't like A Confederacy of Dunces inevitably have more than a little bit of Ignatius J. Reilly in their character. hrmm.. I hope not I wasnt a big fan of the book when I read it years ago. I just dug it back out of a box and added it to me "gonna read sometime" pile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valyriansword4sale Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 Well, I have some sorrow for those who couldnt get into Confederacy. I have probably read it 6 times in the last 15 years and really haven't found any protagonist that I can identify with. Its a slice of life story in my opinion, loaded with outrageous characters that appear so real, that I cant imagine them not existing somewhere. The comedic scenes have me laughing out loud, even in doctor waiting rooms, while the exploration of some the less enlightened characters saddens me. Maybe a reading of an edition with the Walker Percy introduction would help put the novel and the genius of Toole into perspective. I would also recomment the novel he wrote as a teenager called The Neon Bible. I was moved to tears at the end of something written by a 17 year old. His suicide robbed us. BTW I totally agree with the person who recommended Mark Helprin. His novel a Winter's Tale is one of my all time top 5, dont know why I didnt mention it with Confederacy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Girl Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 hrmm.. I hope not me too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. X Posted September 4, 2006 Share Posted September 4, 2006 Tim O'Brien The Things They Carried I will second (or third, or whatever number is necessary) this book. One of my friends uses the title story from this collection to begin any literature or writing classes she teaches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ealdorman Halasahr Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 In the field of fantasy, Ellen Kushner is a widely acclaimed author, whose writing is beautiful, I think. The dialogue is witty and the characters aren't too bad either. I recommend Swordspoint (which is the only book I've read by her, thus far; I have another one lying around, somewhere, though). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearly Headless Ned Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Ray Bradbury has a wonderful style. Would also recommend Angela Carter,Robert Holdstock and Shirley Jackson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Charles Fraizer, Pat Rothfuss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearly Headless Ned Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Charles Fraizer, Pat Rothfuss. Yeah. I was one of those people who didn't really get the whole obsession with Rothfuss. But he does have a really nice style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dornish Pasties Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Has no-one mentioned Robin McKinley yet? I luxuriate in her writing! It's so beautiful and somehow comforting. She writes fantasy inspired by fairy tales (Rose Daughter, Spindle's End, Deerskin), and she also has a vampire book that could be called urban fantasy (Sunshine), and several books/stories set in a country called Damar (The Blue Sword, The Hero and the Crown). All thoroughly recommended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickg Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Anything by cormac mccarthy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grack21 Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Gene Wolfe for the win! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smeech Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 For me, it's Joseph Conrad. He's simply the most spellbinding writer I've ever encountered. And English was his third language...and he didn't learn it until he was in his twenties (if I recall). Honorable mentions to Joyce (no,I'm not referring to Ulysses; Dubliners is sublime.), George Eliot, Nabokov and Saul Bellow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Screaming Turkey Reborn Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 The most beautiful prose I have ever read is probably by Patrick White. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arbor Gold Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grack21 Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 The more I read of Steven Saylor's Roma sub Rosa books the more I love the prose. It feels so authentic. This isn't just Gladiator part 17, this guy knows his shit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tehol Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Gene Wolfe for the win! This. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fitheach Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Anything by Nabokov, my favorite being Pale Fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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