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There are two types of readers and two types of readers only.
One type has several different books going. They might have one on their nightstand and one in their backpack, another stashed at work for lunchtime reading and who knows where else. I don't understand these people. They have a wild book love life.
Others, like me, cannot cheat on our current books. We are book monogamists, faithful to the book that currently has our attention even when we're apart and there are tempting new books in front of us.
Which type are you? Do you like having several books going or do you read one at a time?
Art: Interesting Story by Laura Muntz Lyall
As I was (finally) starting to read THE GIRL AND THE DRAGON TATTOO, which I had been warned gets off to a notoriously slow start, I was pondering whether I would have agreed to represent it if I had read it as a manuscript.
And, you know, if I were actually still an agent. Which I'm not. (Please, no more query letters!!).
And... honestly? I don't know that I would have sent it out in its present form. That first chapter (note: the actual 1st chapter, not the prologue) is one of the slowest chapters I can recall reading in a book that's extremely popular. It's almost as if THE GIRL AND THE DRAGON TATTOO became such a success precisely because everyone has at least a few friends urging them on with "No, I swear it gets better!!"
It does get better. And that banal, antiseptic chapter ends up serving useful purposes. But wow. Had this book not
traveled its own unique path, for better or worse I can't imagine it being published first in the United States with that chapter intact.
It's About the CharactersNow, I'm writing this having read only about fifty pages, which I think may actually be a benefit for the purposes of writing this post. I don't know what's to come in the plot and I have only had the briefest of introductions to the characters.
But already I feel like I have a sense of what would have kept me reading as an agent had I made it past that first chapter.
And it's simple: These are extremely interesting characters.
But it's complicated: The reason these are interesting characters is difficult to pull off.
Contradictions What makes these characters interesting is that they are seeming contradictions. Lisbeth has all the outward appearances of a surly, irresponsible youth, and yet she's wildly competent at her job. Armansky is simultaneously attracted to, vaguely repulsed by, and paternal toward Lisbeth. Blomkvist is buttoned up and seemingly honest, and yet he lives a cavalier private life and he seems to have been improbably set up in a conspiracy.
(Again, I've only read 50 pages, none of this may turn out to be true. What's important here are first impressions)
And why that's difficult to pull off is that it's rarely believable when characters behave in ways that appear inconsistent, especially when we don't know them very well. When someone we know to be buttoned up is taken in for a scam, we'll say, "Wait, that doesn't seem right, I thought that guy was too cautious for that." When someone who seems irresponsible and surly turns out to be wildly intelligent and competent, it feels like the author is trying to force something that can't be real.
But I haven't felt that way so far. These characters are immediately compelling
because of the contradictions, not despite them.
The Clinic And, circling back to the beginning of this blog post, I actually think this is a case where the cold, detached, clinical prose, the same prose that nearly bored me to tears in Chapter 1, works to Larsson's benefit.
Precision has an oddly reassuring effect on the reader because it completely hides the hand of the author. There aren't literary flourishes in THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, there aren't artful similes, there aren't moments that remind you that there was an actual author who chose the words you're reading. It's just facts, rendered straightforwardly. (At least, it should be noted, as it's translated)
So ultimately: It'
Stella Villalba teaches English as a Second Language at Beechwood Elementary in Columbus, Ohio. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, she started her career in education teaching ESL in Asuncion, Paraguay. Stella also publishes articles on the topic of teaching ELLs at Choice Literacy and is a teacher consultant for the Columbus Area Writing Project. Stella [...]
Edited by Ruth: Pssst…today is Mary Helen’s birthday! Won’t you join me in leaving comments on her blog post about one of her very favorite books? Mary Helen Gensch is currently a literacy coach and Title I interventionist for Pierceton Elementary School in Indiana. Her journey as a writing coach began with the AllWrite!!! Consortium [...]
There are two types of people in this world.
There are those who, when they realize they're not enjoying a book, fling it against the wall or "lose" it on the subway or let it languish on a nightstand gathering dust. They don't look back and consider life to short to waste on substandard reading experiences.
And there are those who, whether through guilt, optimism, or thriftiness, power through even the most excruciating of books and don't feel at peace until they know how it ends. Even if they stopped caring somewhere around Page 5.
Which kind are you? Poll below, you'll need to click through to see it if you're in an RSS reader or reading by e-mail.
Me: I used to be a power through-er, but in my old age I've become a stopper.
I have been reading like a writer lately. In my current W.I.P., I am nearing the end. I know something horrible is coming. I know what it is. I have been dreading writing it. It will be very emotional for me. I know I need to write this part of the book, yet it's difficult.
One of the questions I've been thinking about is how much tragedy can a teen reader take? An agent wanted me to consider the fact that I have tragedy at the beginning and the end of my book. My first response is--tragedy happens in real life. I want to show a character who rises up from unspeakable tragedies. This agent wasn't telling me NOT to write this book, but merely wanted me to consider was I writing two stories or one? It was a valid point.
Unfortunately, multiple tragedies can happen in real life to real teens. It's horrible, but it happens. I don't want to skirt around tragedy or give my protagonist an unrealistic situation.
Over the weekend, I read a YA novel with incredible emotional punch. In Gayle Forman's
If I Stay, Mia's family is in a car accident. She is close to death. She has to decide if she should hang on and try to live or if she should slip quietly from this earth. I don't want to give away all of the reasons she gives to stay or to die. Those heart-wrenching reasons are the very fabric of this story.
It made me think of why we read in the first place. We read because we want to feel something. We may want to laugh, cry, escape, or be touched. But in all cases, we want to be moved.
Forman's novel is gut-wrenching and emotional. It will make you cry. But I didn't feel teased or as though she'd played with my emotions. Mia goes through a life or death decision. She lives through something I pray I never do.
When I read this book like a writer, it gave me a better understanding of how deeply I can cut to an emotional core. I don't want to taunt my readers' emotions, but I want them to feel, even if it's a tragedy. But more than anything I want them to have hope.
This past weekend, I revisited Francine Prose’s craft book, Reading Like a Writer. She posed the question: Can Creative Writing Be Taught?
You can ask 10 different people and probably get different answers. I always answer with that dreaded phrase: “It depends.”
When I first starting writing, I really didn’t know anything about the craft and structure of writing. I just wanted to tell a story. So for me, going to writing classes and finding my writer mentor really helped me. I learned a lot things about writing fiction in a classroom setting.
But Francine Prose also makes a distinction of writers being taught in classes:
“Because if what people mean is: Can the love of language be taught? Can a gift for storytelling be taught? then the answer is no.”
I believe this as well. My thought is that you don’t take a one-day seminar or a six-week class and then go write a novel and get it published. It could happen but I think the people who can do this are already gifted storytellers.
Francine Prose also shares how she learned to write:
“In the ongoing process of becoming a writer, I read and re-read the authors I most loved. I read for pleasure, first, but also more analytically, conscious of style, of diction, of how sentences were formed and information was being conveyed, how the writer was structuring a plot, creating characters, employing detail and dialogue.”
To develop as a good writer, I believe that you first must become a good reader. It never ceases to amaze me how many people want to be writers but never read anything. You have to READ. And not only read, but read CLOSELY.
I have started to read closely in the last few years and it has opened up a whole new world for me. It was like I had been living in the Matrix, took the red pill, and then saw the meaning and structure of words in front of my eyes. It was an “a-ha” moment. Before, I read a book and loved it but now when I love a book, I figure out WHY I love it so much. I read it carefully — maybe several times. It has for me been the best teacher.
I think creative writing classes definitely can provide a foundation. Especially if you’re unclear about the mechanics of writing. Craft books can also be a great start for independent study. But if you’re serious about writing, you also have to be serious about reading.
Reading a writers' craft book authored by a literary author, as compared to a 'nuts-and-bolts' author, can be a gratifying experience. Particularly where the author guides the reader through examples taken from classical literature—whether short stories or novels—or from contemporary literature that may yet await a judgment of time. Francine Prose's book "Reading Like a Writer" is interesting enough to read straight through in daily sessions, though it might be better to take it slow and intersperse such craft reading with a good fiction book. Give the subconscious a little more time to dwell on the writing strategies visited. A good interview of Prose by Andrea Dupree appears in the Writer's Chronicle, Sept. 2007, and touches on many of the topics included in her crafts book.
One of the topics Prose discusses that was of interest to me in my YA fiction writing deals with the voice and Point-of-View of a young person. At times, some authors use a wiser, more mature narrative voice than a first-person YA protagonist might be thought to use. Prose says "I've been writing a novel from the point of view of a fourteen-year-old girl, and I was tormented by the question of adult consciousness versus child consciousness, adult language versus child language—you know, that stupid statement: I don't think a fourteen year old would say that." Nonetheless, Prose goes on to discuss a story by Leonard Michaels where a seemingly adult consciousness works for a kid at times. "And when I read the Lenny Michaels story, I found things in the story that clearly come from the pre-adolescent kid, and things that clearly come from the adult looking back... It's first person, but sometimes it's a first-person twelve-year-old, and sometimes it's the first person forty-year-old, and it really works…" It's somehow freeing to read that, but of course if one is an unknown writer it could be a risky business.
Along that line, Dupree says to Prose, "In 'Reading Like a Writer,' you encourage people to disregard the typical rules that are trotted out in writing classes. At the same time, do you feel that writers who are transgressive in their writing have as good a shot of breaking in as others who are more conventionally polished?" Prose allows that it may set a higher hurdle to overcome in selling the book, but, "I don't think there's any choice. If somebody is talented, they're not going to be able to write for what they think the market wants." Sounds right, or ought to be right.
Another kernel that Prose tosses out, "�the better the writer is, the greater the degree of self-doubt. I've had students who really think they're Tolstoy, and they're not the best students I've ever had. Whereas my friends, whose work I respect enormously, whose work I feel lucky to read, are tormented by self-doubt."
There's a certain thrill in reading a good crafts book. One usually concludes that, armed with such insights, the next book is going to be written better than the last. Give Prose's book a try.
By: scriberess,
on 5/17/2007
Blog:
A. PLAYWRIGHT'S RAMBLINGS
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Elvis – The Real Story
By Eleanor Tylbor
A short play-ette speculating as to what Elvis would be doing if/he is alive today.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
TAMMY 40-something avid Elvis fan and wife of Len
LEN 40-something husband of Tammy
ELVIS, former big star/singer/performer
THE TIME
The present
THE PLACE
Jackson’s 7-11 GAS BAR AND DINER
Photos of Elvis cover a large portion of one wall and Elvis songs play non-stop. There is a table with two chairs on one side of the room, while the other side of the room has the usual gas station displays of motor oil, etc.
AT RISE:
TAMMY and LEN are seated at a table, looking around the room
Len
(Scrutinizing the surroundings)
Um…who recommended this place?
TAMMY
(reading small book)
The restaurant guide write up says it’s fine dining with a difference
LEN
Fine dining if you’re a rat! Did you happen to notice that a cockroach just crawled out of our breadbasket? Must be one that escaped the Chef’s special catch-of-the-day
TAMMY
Stop being so negative and take in the atmosphere
LEN
You mean the “eau du garbage” coming from the back? Phew!
TAMMY
You’re so…provincial in your thinking, sweetheart. Look at all this authentic ‘60’s décor!
LEN
More like early condemned. Take a look at this place. Every square inch of wall space is covered with faded Elvis photos and the man’s been dead for how many years?
TAMMY
That the beauty of this place! It’s like a shrine devoted to “The King”
LEN
Are you saying that this…this garage and one-table-café was the King of Rock and Roll’s eatery of choice? Not!
TAMMY
For your information they say he used to eat fried chicken here and sometimes he even entertained diners
LEN
Was that before or after he turned into the Goodyear blimp? If I had known we were coming here to eat, I’d have checked to make sure my insurance policy was paid up
TAMMY
You know how long I hadda wait to get reservations for this restaurant…
LEN
…obviously not long enough…
TAMMY
…seven months! If you think I’m going to give up the chance to dine here…
LEN
And a fine dining establishment it is – if you’re into salmonella poisoning
TAMMY
Get a grip! The waiter is coming to try to act normal, if that’s possible
(the waiter dressed in an Elvis jumpsuit struts over, swinging his hips in a typical Elvis-like walk. He smoothes the sides of his hair with his hands, frequently)
WAITER
(swinging his hips between every word)
Evening folks’. Need a menu? Uh-huh – oh yeah…
LEN
No. We prefer to use ESP to order. Of course we need a menu!
TAMMY
Don’t mind my husband – I don’t. Leave the menu and we’ll choose
LEN
All these dishes are Elvis songs. “Bee bop a lu-la chicken wings…” The Love Me Tender t-bone looks interesting and it comes with fries and a “I Did It My Way” salad. Look at this. Says here on the menu that all their steaks are aged to perfection. Wonder if they mean that their meat is yesterday’s road kill?
TAMMY
Have you considered that your cranial spark plugs have stopped kicking in? I can’t make up my mind – so many choices…
(the waiter comes over to take the order)
LEN
Are all those dishes served a la carte?
WAITER
(swinging hips)
No – on a plate. Uh-huh…
TAMMY
Just go and choose something already, will ‘ya?
WAITER
Want me to come back, folks? Uh-huh…
LIGHTS DIM
TAMMY
Ssshhh! Quiet! The shows is gonna begin
SOUND: GUITAR TWANG
LEN
I don’t see why we hav’ta be quiet. Cheez – I can hear the sound of someone pumping gas outside…
(The song from “2001: A Space Odyssey” is heard and the clerk dressed in a mechanic’s uniform on the other side of the room walks in front of the counter holding a hand mic:
CLERK
“For you entertainment and plea-sure, the King has entered the building!”
(An over-weight bordering-on-obese man dressed in a white jump suit enters stopping to pose while leaning on a cane. A wide belt hangs well below a sagging stomach; black avaiator glasses covers his eyes and a badly-fitting black wig sits lob-sided towards the front of his head)
CLERK
“Direct from his engagement at the luxurious Pink Flamingo Laundromat and Bank Drive Thru in Tijuana, Mex-i-co, the management of Jackson’s 7/11 and Diner is pround to present, “the” King of Rock’n’Roll himself, the one – the only – El-vis!”
(A bent over Elvis slowly makes his way to the other side of the room. He stoops over to kiss Len, who pushes him way:
ELVIS
“Whoops – sorry. Gotta get my eyes checked
(he whips out a dirty handkerchief, spits on it and cleans his eyes and replaces it in a back pocket)
ELVIS
(in a weak squeaky voice)
Thank y’all very much! It’s the first time I been back this way goin’ on twenty years…or maybe it’s thirty… Anyway… Good to see y’all ain’t fergetten the King
(whips out his handkerchief again and blows his nose)
ELVIS
Guess I ain’t the same Elvis you remember a ways back, huh? But then who is?
(starts coughing and choking. Scantily dresses nurses rush over to pat him on the back
ELVIS
See? I still got it but now I don’t know what to do with it! Thank y’all very much… Listen ladies – go see if you can find my extra set of dentures that I left in a steak yesterday.
(starts to choke again and a well-endowed female doctor wearing tight fitting clothing enters, with a stethoscope draped around her neck)
DOCTOR
Now Mr. Elvis – honey – you know you gotta take it easy. Your ticker ain’t what it used to be
Elvis
(laughing and staring at her breasts)
Yeah but ask me if I care. Thank you all very much. And now before the spaceship comes to take me away, I’m gonna sing you a personal favourite of mine…
(Elvis sings the first few lines of “My Way” completely off-key
LEN
(starting to get up)
Oh fer… We’re not gonna stay and listen to this… The man is obviously senile
(sound of tires squeaking to a stop and the slam of car doors)
ELVIS
Uh-oh…they’re coming back…I knew they’d find me… Damn aliens!
(Two male “punkers” i.e. pink/green/purple hair wearing white outfits move on either side of Elvis and take his arms)
MALE 1
C’mon pops. You got another gig at Wilsons Shop-A-Rama…
ELVIS
But…but…I ain’t finished my set, yet!
MALE 1
(shaking his head and winking at Len and Tammy)
You don’t wanna be late for your big entrance.
ELVIS
Where’s my peanut butter and banana sandwich. I caint sing without it!
MALE 1
Here you are…
(the two men start to lead Elvis off the stage but Elvis stops and addresses the couple)
ELVIS
Thank you all very much!
(Elvis walks over, signs a piece of paper and hands it to Len and then exits with the men)
LEN
(addressing waiter)
That was not “the” Elvis Presley now, was it? You got us here under false pretences. And that’s against the law, y’know!
WAITER
The guy is 72 years old. Whad’ya expect? He’s got two hip replacements and a bad knee and his shaking days are behind him. By the way, know that piece of paper he handed you?
LEN
I really couldn’t care less about the man’s autograph… In fact this is what I think of you AND your Elvis
(LEN rips up the piece of paper into small pieces)
WAITER
You shouldn’t have done that. Uh-uh…
LEN
Elvis my a-s-s!
WAITER
That piece of paper would’a given you a tank of gas with your meal. Oh well…uh-huh…
(Len throws himself down on the floor picking up the pieces of paper trying to put them together)
LEN
A tank of gas is a tank of gas…
VOICE OVER
“The King has left the building”
Elvis – The Real Story
By Eleanor Tylbor
CAST OF CHARACTERS
TAMMY 40-something avid Elvis fan and wife of Len
LEN 40-something husband of Tammy
ELVIS, former big star/singer/performer
THE TIME
The present
THE PLACE
Jackson’s 7-11 GAS BAR AND DINER
Photos of Elvis cover a large portion of one wall and Elvis songs play non-stop. There is a table with two chairs on one side of the room, while the other side of the room has the usual gas station displays of motor oil, etc.
AT RISE:
TAMMY and LEN are seated at a table, looking around the room
Len
(Scrutinizing the surroundings)
Um…who recommended this place?
TAMMY
(reading small book)
The restaurant guide write up says it’s fine dining with a difference
LEN
Fine dining if you’re a rat! Did you happen to notice that a cockroach just crawled out of our breadbasket? Must be one that escaped the Chef’s special catch-of-the-day
TAMMY
Stop being so negative and take in the atmosphere
LEN
You mean the “eau du garbage” coming from the back? Phew!
TAMMY
You’re so…provincial in your thinking, sweetheart. Look at all this authentic ‘60’s décor!
LEN
More like early condemned. Take a look at this place. Every square inch of wall space is covered with faded Elvis photos and the man’s been dead for how many years?
TAMMY
That the beauty of this place! It’s like a shrine devoted to “The King”
LEN
Are you saying that this…this garage and one-table-café was the King of Rock and Roll’s eatery of choice? Not!
TAMMY
For your information they say he used to eat fried chicken here and sometimes he even entertained diners
LEN
Was that before or after he turned into the Goodyear blimp? If I had known we were coming here to eat, I’d have checked to make sure my insurance policy was paid up
TAMMY
You know how long I hadda wait to get reservations for this restaurant…
LEN
…obviously not long enough…
TAMMY
…seven months! If you think I’m going to give up the chance to dine here…
LEN
And a fine dining establishment it is – if you’re into salmonella poisoning
TAMMY
Get a grip! The waiter is coming to try to act normal, if that’s possible
(the waiter dressed in an Elvis jumpsuit struts over, swinging his hips in a typical Elvis-like walk. He smoothes the sides of his hair with his hands, frequently)
WAITER
(swinging his hips between every word)
Evening folks’. Need a menu? Uh-huh – oh yeah…
LEN
No. We prefer to use ESP to order. Of course we need a menu!
TAMMY
Don’t mind my husband – I don’t. Leave the menu and we’ll choose
LEN
All these dishes are Elvis songs. “Bee bop a lu-la chicken wings…” The Love Me Tender t-bone looks interesting and it comes with fries and a “I Did It My Way” salad. Look at this. Says here on the menu that all their steaks are aged to perfection. Wonder if they mean that their meat is yesterday’s road kill?
TAMMY
Have you considered that your cranial spark plugs have stopped kicking in? I can’t make up my mind – so many choices…
(the waiter comes over to take the order)
LEN
Are all those dishes served a la carte?
WAITER
(swinging hips)
No – on a plate. Uh-huh…
TAMMY
Just go and choose something already, will ‘ya?
WAITER
Want me to come back, folks? Uh-huh…
LIGHTS DIM
TAMMY
Ssshhh! Quiet! The shows is gonna begin
SOUND: GUITAR TWANG
LEN
I don’t see why we hav’ta be quiet. Cheez – I can hear the sound of someone pumping gas outside…
(The song from “2001: A Space Odyssey” is heard and the clerk dressed in a mechanic’s uniform on the other side of the room walks in front of the counter holding a hand mic:
CLERK
“For you entertainment and plea-sure, the King has entered the building!”
(An over-weight bordering-on-obese man dressed in a white jump suit enters stopping to pose while leaning on a cane. A wide belt hangs well below a sagging stomach; black avaiator glasses covers his eyes and a badly-fitting black wig sits lob-sided towards the front of his head)
CLERK
“Direct from his engagement at the luxurious Pink Flamingo Laundromat and Bank Drive Thru in Tijuana, Mex-i-co, the management of Jackson’s 7/11 and Diner is pround to present, “the” King of Rock’n’Roll himself, the one – the only – El-vis!”
(A bent over Elvis slowly makes his way to the other side of the room. He stoops over to kiss Len, who pushes him way:
ELVIS
“Whoops – sorry. Gotta get my eyes checked
(he whips out a dirty handkerchief, spits on it and cleans his eyes and replaces it in a back pocket)
ELVIS
(in a weak squeaky voice)
Thank y’all very much! It’s the first time I been back this way goin’ on twenty years…or maybe it’s thirty… Anyway… Good to see y’all ain’t fergetten the King
(whips out his handkerchief again and blows his nose)
ELVIS
Guess I ain’t the same Elvis you remember a ways back, huh? But then who is?
(starts coughing and choking. Scantily dresses nurses rush over to pat him on the back
ELVIS
See? I still got it but now I don’t know what to do with it! Thank y’all very much… Listen ladies – go see if you can find my extra set of dentures that I left in a steak yesterday.
(starts to choke again and a well-endowed female doctor wearing tight fitting clothing enters, with a stethoscope draped around her neck)
DOCTOR
Now Mr. Elvis – honey – you know you gotta take it easy. Your ticker ain’t what it used to be
Elvis
(laughing and staring at her breasts)
Yeah but ask me if I care. Thank you all very much. And now before the spaceship comes to take me away, I’m gonna sing you a personal favourite of mine…
(Elvis sings the first few lines of “My Way” completely off-key
LEN
(starting to get up)
Oh fer… We’re not gonna stay and listen to this… The man is obviously senile
(sound of tires squeaking to a stop and the slam of car doors)
ELVIS
Uh-oh…they’re coming back…I knew they’d find me… Damn aliens!
(Two male “punkers” i.e. pink/green/purple hair wearing white outfits move on either side of Elvis and take his arms)
MALE 1
C’mon pops. You got another gig at Wilsons Shop-A-Rama…
ELVIS
But…but…I ain’t finished my set, yet!
MALE 1
(shaking his head and winking at Len and Tammy)
You don’t wanna be late for your big entrance.
ELVIS
Where’s my peanut butter and banana sandwich. I caint sing without it!
MALE 1
Here you are…
(the two men start to lead Elvis off the stage but Elvis stops and addresses the couple)
ELVIS
Thank you all very much!
(Elvis walks over, signs a piece of paper and hands it to Len and then exits with the men)
LEN
(addressing waiter)
That was not “the” Elvis Presley now, was it? You got us here under false pretences. And that’s against the law, y’know!
WAITER
The guy is 72 years old. Whad’ya expect? He’s got two hip replacements and a bad knee and his shaking days are behind him. By the way, know that piece of paper he handed you?
LEN
I really couldn’t care less about the man’s autograph… In fact this is what I think of you AND your Elvis
(LEN rips up the piece of paper into small pieces)
WAITER
You shouldn’t have done that. Uh-uh…
LEN
Elvis my a-s-s!
WAITER
That piece of paper would’a given you a tank of gas with your meal. Oh well…uh-huh…
(Len throws himself down on the floor picking up the pieces of paper trying to put them together)
LEN
A tank of gas is a tank of gas…
VOICE OVER
“The King has left the building”
I got that book as a Christmas present from my niece. Still haven't opened it. Don't plan on it. Too busy with other books.
I trudged through the first book. I don't really know why. I think I wanted to finish it before the Swedish movie came out? Maybe? Started the second one but put the series away for good when Lisbeth got fake boobs.
Good luck!
I had the same thoughts reading the first 100 or so pages of Dragon Tattoo. It does get better, but doesn't live up to the hype as far as I'm concerned. Maybe I would have felt differently if I had pictured Daniel Craig as the main character while reading...
I'm not going to say too much, because I don't want to give anything away, but for me these books (I've only read the first two) are all about the plot.
There are some good characters, but it's the plot that rules.
The writing is kind of like Swedish architecture and design: austere, yet functional.
I never finished the first chapter because of the boredom factor. I assumed it was one of those books that didn't live up to all the hype.
Great post. I haven't read this book yet but, of course, have had it recommended to me. I might give it a go some day. Loved the character analysis. Some stuff to think about.
Not I book I'll be attempting again anytime soon. I prefer to keep down the food I've eaten, and this one tripped my "ick" sensors.
Was this book translated from Swedish? I found the writing to be unmusical. In fairness to Larsson I haven’t read many translated books that are.
As for the rest of the book, I think Larsson lost track of his story’s boundaries and because of this the book feels overwritten.
I like Matt's description relating this type of writing to Swedish architecture.
Haven't read this book yet, but I agree that characters are what attaches me to a story. If I like the characters, I'll read a couple of chapters to give the story a chance. I do like some hint of the plot near the beginning of the story.
Aren't we all contradictory in some ways? We want this or that, but we know we shouldn't; duty calls, but temptation lures.
It makes writing enjoyable when we give these conflicting traits to our characters.
I never got to finish the first chapter because I got bored. I remember I kept asking myself why the heck it's so popular. I watched the movies and loved them! I guess it's one of those very rare instances where you say the movie is better than the book. I wish I had the patience to wait until the book got better.
This is why a lot of people couldn't get through the first chapter of FREEDOM.
I did and loved it...I love Dragon Tattoo as well. But it's love/hate with most people.
Now, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS depressed the hell out of me and I stopped reading that one. I want to read about old people in old age homes?
I enjoyed the movie, as well. Didn't even want to tackle the book after hearing so many reports re: pace drag, but now I'm curious. I think that there's a difference between deliberately constructed contradiction, and an author not knowing his characters and consequently being inconsistent as hell, then saying "well, people are conflicted in real life" as an excuse.
Loved your analysis, Nathan! You may have almost tempted me to read this - even though it sounds suspiciously like literary fiction - which I tend to avoid, because it makes me THINK.
Your post made me think in a good way, though. It sounds like the author was able to capture fascinating characters. Making internal contradictions believable - that is real skill. And I also loved your description of his authoritative style - confident to the point of invisibility. That's also exceptional skill.
Love reading posts from Nathan the editor. :)
I plowed through it because a friend pressed it into my hands. It seemed to me a book bookended by another book. The middle was great, the bookends dull. The same friend claims the next one is better. I doubt I'll read it, although Lisbeth is one of the best characters around.
I read this one, but had no desire to read any of the others. I didn't get the hype, and just felt maybe something had been lost in its translation. If it hadn't been for book club, I never would have finished the book.
Thinking back on it now, It was plot driven, the pacing often times racing once you got past the middle. The characters were hard to follow. And the names...oy!There were a couple of threads dropped, so it didn't truly stand alone. Also, there were one or two eye-rolling coincidences. Then it got all squicky. Yuck.
In truth, it felt to me like this was one of those suitcase jobs where the author packed everything, including the kitchen sink.
@spytower: I actually think a lot of the Latin authors translate well. Isabel Allende is breathtaking, for example.
But I know what you mean. I've read translations that seemed flat and wooden. I always wondered if it was a stylistic difference between cultures.
@Anonymous 8:31- they don't stay in the nursing home for long and it's a great story, again, because of the character and their drama/tension. Plus, once you meet the elephant, she is quite the character herself.
I was warned also about what a long intro the book had before it got meaty, and have to say, it didn't seem that way at all to me because I was drawn in by the characters immediately. The writing didn't bother me because I am quite used to reading translations of the Swedish and Icelandic mysteries that became so popular in the last few years. It is the last book of the trilogy that I found hard, but I won't say why because it might be a spoiler for those of you still planning the whole thing.
I got about 2/3 of the way through the book. Still wasn't motivated to finish it. I could see how it could have been a great story and I hear the dry, clinical tone is common in that genre in that country. Didn't do it for me though.
I don't remember the first chapter of Dragon Tattoo being boring.
The first book held my attention all the way through. It's different for everyone.
I was just so happy to finally have a really different female main character, someone who is damaged and not always pleasant.
Laurel, I think you’re correct. I read the Jarvis translation of Don Quixote and it’s fabulous. Certain languages, German comes to mind, are structured differently than English (Long sentences with the verb at the end). Because of this, works in those languages don’t translate well. This can contribute to a story in unintended ways. Kafka reads as strange and, in an unusual way, beautiful in translation with its long, uninterrupted blocks of text. More often than not, for me at least, it makes the writing ponderous or dull. Maybe that’s why The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo feels lethargic at it’s beginning. Maybe in it’s native language it has better rhythm and flow and thus feel “faster”.
As for slow buildups, Steven King has more than one book that takes its time getting off of the ground and, as far as I can tell, he’s been mildly successful. Is mildly the correct adverb here?
When I first started writing, I had a steamy love affair with similes and metaphors until I realized it wasn't really going anywhere. My engorged writing was like a huge public display of affection (ahem - I apologize for yet another simile). Now I realize that it is much more difficult to get together with tightly driven plots and intriguing story questions. Lucky Steig has adroitly pulled this feat off in this book. I give him full props!
To be as spoiler-free as possible, I thought the way the investigation unfolded was quite clever, and the end has it's payoff in regard to shock / thrill value (and ick factor, which it has in gross abundance, pun totally intended).
The main detractor for me was the back-and-forth between the story and back-story. It seemed as each new character was introduced, he/she entered the scene with 2-3 pages of back-story, and in most cases, that back-story had nothing to do with the actual story.
I think about 150 pages could have been edited out without sacrificing anything.
But I did finish it and I did read the second in the series, so that must count for something...
Very interesting you mention how you might not have sent this book out in its present form. I read this in my book club earlier this year, and I thought the same thing, which made me wonder if the conventions in contemporary writing differ depending on the region/country. Do you think that's likely? I haven't read any other books from Sweden or Northern Europe, but I wonder if they all begin in the same sort of fashion--a slow start and build up--and the readers from that area have come to expect that. Perhaps they (or some) might find western books to be too, well, fast, or too immediate? Just a thought. I could be completely off the mark, but that's what we discussed in our book club. :)
No matter how much people urged me to continue, I could not get past the start of Lord of the Rings. 100 pages into it and all they did was walk to the end of the road and stop to eat for the fifth time I was done.
I will have to implement a contradiction or two into my current work in progress.
@spytower: HA! I was thinking primarily of germanic language translations, myself, when I referenced the ones that seemed dry. Almost bleak.
And this King fellow...name sounds familiar ;)
I'm also surprised at how popular these books are. The beginning of Tattoo is definitely a drag, but it picks up. I found the tone appropriate and personally loved all the mentions of Swedish cities and specific locations, but I wondered if a lot of people would get bored with it.
The second book is definitely my favorite, and the only one of the 3I felt wasn't overly long. I think Tattoo could be tightened considerably and it would be a great read.
I bought it in June. I trudged through about 75 pages before realizing that, although I'd heard good things about how suspenseful the book was, I didn't care about the characters.
So I stopped reading it, and I haven't felt any impetus to start again.
Since then, I've spoken to three other people who read the book. Their reaction: "I wish I'd stopped at the beginning rather than trying to slog through it!"
I think that we have to remember that books don't become best-sellers because they're good books. They become best-sellers because people buy them, not because people finish reading them afterwards.
I'm with Heather that this is two books in one. There's a boring story about the libel suit, and stuck in the middle of it is a strong but gory mystery-thriller. Were I an agent, I would've passed after seeing the partial because it'd all be the boring libel suit.
Funny, though... I thought the translation was excellent. I didn't find anything that made me even slightly aware that it'd originally been written in Swedish.
For the third book, they even moved the apostrophe in the title of the American edition so that it was misplaced just like Americans would do. ;) [UK: Hornets' Nest; US: Hornet's Nest]
I didn't care for the book, but I have to admit that Lisbeth Salander is one of the most memorable characters I've come across in a long time.
You've absolutely nailed exactly what I loved about the books. The characters are compelling.
Kudos to you, Nathan, for praising a book you would have turned down as an agent, I’m guessing because U.S. publishers wouldn't have bought the book, even though it went on to huge success. This is why self-publishing is such a wonderful opportunity for writers...or, in the case of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, it was published outside the United States first. (I have a writer friend in a similar situation. He has an agent, is published and receiving top literary awards outside the U.S., but can’t even get an agent inside the U.S.) There are lots of simply amazing self-published books available right now, readers can find out-of-the-box novels that are going on to receive fantastic professional reviews and awards. Agents have passed on so many amazing books because the query letter didn't read well, the book didn't grab them in the first chapter...or, in many cases, the first paragraph, it broke too many rules, and so on. It's wonderful, I think, to have many different writing styles available to readers. In the past few weeks, I’ve discovered quite a few self-published books by Hugo and Nebula Award winners, an Aurealis Award finalist, authors published in Asimov’s Magazine, etc.. It pays, I think, to keep an open mind about books because, otherwise, every book you read fits the same old pattern.
It took me 60 pages to like it, but i also think it says something about the book that I continued reading. I wonder if somethings been lost in the translation to English. It seemed a bit bland. Once my head was tuned to bland translation I was away. I too loved the characters.
I thought all three books kicked ass. I liked that first chapter, when he just got out of court and he's been beaten.
But overall, the theme of those books is so strong. The whole feminist theme really stuck with me. Those have got to be some of the most powerful books I've ever read.
Also, Marilyn Peake's comment was really good!
Ah, but you're only on page 50. I would love to hear what you think of the book IF you finish reading it. I won't spoil the book for you, so I won't comment on either the characters or plot.
I will tell you that when I got to Chapter 11, page 221 of the book, I felt like I had been reading backstory since page 1. So I stopped reading, flipped to the end and read enough to determine that it wasn't worth my time to plow through to the end.
Hurry up and finish reading as much as you're going to, so we can discuss the characters and the plot. :)
Haven't read the book but I know I've read books where the narration is transparent like you describe. It's a style of writing that doesn't to draw attention at all to the writing. I wonder if that was intentional on the part of the author or just his particular voice.
It's a snoozer in the beginning. But it gets good, and yes, the characters are fascinating. I ended up loving it and appreciating how stylistically different it was from most books I read.
I agree with you about the beneficial effects of the clinical prose style. I actually really liked it (at least as translated). I've heard many people refer to it disparagingly, but to me it was kind of like Ikea-style prose - spare, streamlined, and functional, giving you the essentials at a fair price.
Interesting, not least because I am about to embark on reading the book (in Swedish) having first seen the (two of three) film(s). The films don't drag in the least but are very hard work in the nasty violence area, albeit, for brief episodes. Will be interested to see if the films and book match up - and after reading this I will do an English first 50 pages to compare with the original. But I think to be fair, he did die before these were published right? So he may have planned to edit the opener some more. Who knows!
I happened to read this series while taking some novel writing courses at my local university (focusing on commercial fiction), and I remember thinking, "These books break every rule I'm learning about how to write a salable novel!" I do think the entire series could have used a strong edit--there is much that is overwritten. It seems doubtful the books could have made it in the American publishing climate (at least the traditional industry). But the story and (especially) the characters are compelling. So I guess it's good for the Larsson estate and the series' thousands of fans that the books started out in Europe. Otherwise they'd likely be mouldering in a trunk or withering on Amazon.
ZOMG you're an agent? Can I send you a query? (j/k) :-)
I wasn't planning on reading it due to my friends not liking it, but maybe I'll pick it up. I need help w/ character development.
Your 'inconsistencies' aren't though
I know a number of people who are 'irresponsible and surly turns out to be wildly intelligent and competent' - in fact surly almost *goes* with intelligent like chips and ketchup. There are exceptions, but the smartest people I know are the grumpiest, with very rare exceptions.
Buttoned up =/= equal 'impervious to scams' - anyone can get taken by the right scam,
Sorry, I love your posts, but this one doesn't make any sense.
(BTW I have not read these books, so I am only going by what you say. Intelligent people are often irresponsible - see the fine line between genius and madness.
Just because some one is irresponsible and surly doesn't mean they aren't damn good at their job or thicker than pig shit. Gandalf is surly, and not stupid. Captain Jack Sparrow is irresponsible and not stupid. Both are damn good at what they do,
Sorry - while I haven't read the books, your description shows no obvious inconsistencies. That would come in the writing. Your issue is with the characterisation and the handling perhaps. Not that these things cannot exist in one person. Because they can and do.
Anon-
People are like that, conveying that on the page and making it believable isn't easy. We don't walk around thinking, "Yeah, I don't believe that you're actually a real person," we do think that a lot while we're reading.
Exactly - so the problem is not with inconsistencies, but with the writing/handling of the characters!
Because a great writer can make you believe ANYTHING!
I could not, for the life of me, make it through the first ten pages. I started falling asleep. I couldn't take it. It drove me crazy.
I read the first and second but could not finish the third. By that point- I had enough of the sexually irresistible Blomkvist and all of the female characters that dove into his bed! The only character I cared about was Lisbeth. I was really hoping that she'd resist Blomkvist's advances but of course she didn't. Although the plot is interesting, the writing was a bit dry and slooooow. I was disappointed.
I am an American Scandinavian. We really are that complicated, and I suspect most folks in the world are as well.
What has happened to Americans that they need a gun fight or auto chase every other chaper? Sheesh!!
www.VermillionRoadPress.com
Three years ago I found that book next to the mailboxes in the mobile home park I live in. I'd never heard of it and it looked unread. The title was intriguing and so I gave it a shot. Five pages later I was ready to give it away. Then six months later when I saw something about it in a mag, or online or somewhere, I gave it another shot. Still haven't gotten to the end of chapter one and probably never will. Like so many others, just can't get into it...which makes me think I should write like that since it became a hit! Geez.
Funny, I just started it today. I just finished the 1st chapter, but was ready to put it down several times. Let's see what happens tomorrow.
I haven't read the entire post, but already feel compelled to chime in. Perhaps you address this later, but the remarkable (in a bad way) about TGWDT is that the writing is so dreadful. Yes, perhaps it's the translation, but the idea of such a dreadfully written - on a granular level - novel being published in the U.S. seems slim. I made it through the first book, and quit the second not even halfway through. The wooden prose was about 99% of that. I couldn't help but wonder if Steig was given a pass because the expectations for the writing were less ("Oh, he's Swedish"), or because the story does (grudging admiration here) become, eventually, totally involving?
I read all three novels and I had trouble putting each one down. They were rip-roaring reads for me. In addition to the translation issue, I think Larsson was a journalist (and an expert on the neo-Nazi right-wing movement in Europe) which could account for the authoritative tone.
@Anonymous -- Nathan definitely did address the "wooden prose" near the end of the blog post. He made some very worthwhile observations about Larsson's (translated) style. Take a look! I really loved this style of writing and the way it served the characters and story. It didn't need flowering up at all, and it sometimes it was so literal and straightforward that it felt as though Larsson was winking at the reader. (Think the detailed paragraphs about how Lisbeth "did this, this, and that, then immediately feel asleep for eight hours without waking up once." Or her Ikea shopping trips...)
It's just a style thing, which obviously isn't for everyone. After page 85, I could not put these books down, all the way until the end of "Hornet's Nest." The plot is so expertly crafted, and Lisbeth was extremely fascinating to me.
Similar to what Marilyn said above, it will be very interesting to see what comes out of this new publishing frontier, now that a select few are no longer the world's literary gatekeepers. I consider the Millennium Trilogy to be one of my best reading experiences (for a number of reasons) in the past few years. Funny to think that it easily could have been left on the slush pile floor.
Darlene Underdahl
It wasn't because it was "slow" that I, personally, stopped reading. I read a lot of books that most people would consider slow. I stopped becuase there were so many unnecessary side trips that went nowhere and because I couldn't care about the characters.
If all americans cared only about the car chase and explosion type reading I think the rapes and sexual content would have kept them enthralled. As it is we just couldn't get through the extraneous stuff to get to the characters and story.
I say this speaking for myself and not having finished the book. If I've made wrong assumptions I apologize.
I like characters that are multi-dimensional. I've read books where certain characters didn't change at all from page 1 to the end, and they were less interesting because of that. I think that people in real life are full of contradictions, so it's nice when authors can show that in their books.
I think you've hit on a few things here.
1) Scratching "Bransford" off the list of agents I intend to send my latest project to.
Seriously. I'm wondering if it's even the tone, more than the characters, that carry the book. The authoritative tone. The airtight, here's what happened and I know because I was there sort of indisputable voice.
As an example: The beginning of "Lord Jim," by Joseph Conrad, isn't particularly capitvating, until he abandons his first ship only to have it saved by its Malaysian crew (the embarrassment is the key, of course).
Conrad in a few sentences shows us the expectation of the character--his own, and those who judge his actions based on what actions he was expected to take.
I'll never forget someone telling me at a party how much fun I appeared to be (uninhibited), confessing "I always thought you were so buttoned-down!" (A description, by the way, that had my wife and close friends in stitches for years).
Perhaps--just perhaps--today's agents are in too much of a hurry, wanting to be wowed immediately, by "high concept" and "blockbuster" and "exciting" openings, and not actually erudite or patient enough to read, truly read, let the words and tone and story sink in, before judging the saleable, as opposed to literary, merits of some works?
I confess, I've had the same problem reading David Eggers, and even Annie Proulx. Not to mention agreeing largely with B.D. Myers' "A Readers Manifesto" that "Snow Falling on Cedars" should have been named "Sleep Falling on Readers."
I still laugh reading about what some thought of "The Sun Also Rises" before Max Perkins took the risk and got Ernest Hemingway to break his contract with Boni & Liverite by agreeing to publish both it and the abominable, purile "Torrents of Spring."
"A bunch of people going around Paris and Spain and not really doing anything."
Fair criticism, for that, essentially, is true. Yet, the characters are memorable--perhaps because the revelation of Brett Ashley's true self as actually a caring individual contradicts her initial appearance; or, perhaps, just perhaps, because in that novel, as with his short stories, Hemingway wrote as if all of it were airtight, indisputable truth.
And maybe it was...:)
I love Conrad, by the way, because his 'slow' beginnings--Marlowe sitting in a chair on a veranda on a tropical night, lighting a match--are exactly what draw me in, like a moth to the flame interrupting the darkness above his smoke, to the words that follow...
Best,
T
But I haven't read Larsson's series, and thanks to your endorsement--I don't have time or the need to read books just to say I have--I'm unlikely to, unless your post intrigues me enough to double-check your usually excellent analysis.
The discussion brings me to another question, though: so, what agent read it, in Swedish or English, and, based on its sales in Sweden? decided it would be big here?
And why WAS it so big here (it was), so well-hyped, that EVERYONE who was ANYONE HAD to read it and pronounce it of such greatness that nothing written in English since Dashiell Hammett's "The Dane Curse" could possibly compare?
It obviously made a lot of money, for somebody (since Larsson was dead when it came out).
Another example of "literary" taste being defined by sales figures and ancillary rights profits? Who and how figured they could make a mint with it, and why, after having to push through the first 50 pages? Aren't we actually saying that publicity and marketing, more than characters or tone, were responsible for the series' "popularity," not to mention sales? And how many other less than stellar works have been paid for by a similarly swayed public?
Don't worry, Mira, I'm unlikely to insist you read my novels, or any other for that matter. But I must say, your honesty is most refreshing!
For my shame, I have not heard of this author, but seems very interesting! I will look for his books!
I'm a big fan of novels that open with eccentricity. (It's one of the main things I emphasize in How To Write Your Best Story). Eccentricity is naturally intriguing; normality is not. It's what makes a story worth telling . . . "something interesting happened today that was odd." Or in this case . . . "here are some truly eccentric characters. Want to hear more?" Then, once you're pulled in, the plot can develop. But story comes first, and is what (as Nathan points out) tends to appeal to literary agents and attract readers. As an acquisitions editor, I agree; it's why we can read a chapter and already want to publish the book, long before we discover where the plot goes.
I thought I was crazy.
Page 63.
That's where I made it before I shut the book over a few years ago. I've looked at it on the shelf, wondering if I'd ever open it again. Wanting to open it, just to read what's spawned two films and a book trilogy.
I made it to page 63, largely because I realized there was probably something lost in the translation.
Something about Larrson's work reminded me a lot of Henrick Ibsen. Painfully slow setup, giving us a great full depth of character, and setting up the problem -- but man, pick up the pace some.
So maybe it was the language barrier.
And I wholeheartedly agree -- Lizbeth is the type of character I want to read about. I was sold a few pages in. But the more I read, I more I begged the book (no shit, actually begged the book) to get started.
I've read through my stack of new books. Haven't picked up anything in awhile. And there it is, staring back at me from the shelf.
This review couldn't be more aptly timed, as I've found myself wrestling over whether or not I can torment myself by re-reading those 63 pages, and marching on through to the end.
I'm not sure I can do it.
I'll just watch the movies instead -- (David Fincher's version looks like it got Lizbeth's character wrong. She looks soft in a way the foreign version doesn't. She looks absolutely badass in the foreign version).
Great post, Nathan.
Also, I read this book. I found the characters compelling and the plot as well. What threw me out of reading the sequel was the gratuitous violence. That seems a dark ingredient often used in the Swedish writing (i.e., "Let the Right One In"), like they must include such, at least in those Swedish novels I have seen published that I have read or started reading.
Thanks for this post. I'm glad to know I wasn't the only one feeling as if the opening was pure torture to read. I gave up, actually, deciding to just watch the movie (which I haven't done yet either). My daughter told me I should stick with it, that it gets better. As a writer, it goes against everything I have ever learned about engaging your reader in those early pages.
I'm trying to remember the opening of the book (I read them about two years ago now) and I can't picture what it was that was so boring. It started off with Blomkvist being sentenced, and I found that compelling enough myself.
But, I also was one of three people on the planet who enjoyed the financial dealings and unravelings described in such detail, and enjoyed knowing what Blomkvist ate for lunch (all those open-faced sandwiches with unlikely ingredients!). The books were very different from how I write, but I still enjoyed them immensely. Thanks for the post disssecting what did work about the beginning for most!
My spoiler-free review of Dragon Tattoo, for those interested...
http://ajmass.blogspot.com/2011/05/book-with-draggin-plot.html
In fairness, all 3 books could use a LOT of trimming. Book 2 has an entire beginning section full of characters with no connection to the rest of the story. The only part that was important really was that Lisbeth has gotten some bodily alterations.
I've read all 3 books and watched the Swedish movies. The movies in this case are much better than the books because they trim out all the extra stuff that weighed the books down.
If you haven't read the books, watch the Swedish movies because they're worth it.
I never read the books because I watched the original films, but now that you've written this post, I think I will check it out and see what I think. I LOVED the original movies and when I saw the English movie trailer I was in AWE - looks so great I can hardly wait. But the books would add another level to the stories. I have always loved contradiction in characters - it reveals the underlying bias in people (in real life) and sets up some surprises if done properly in fiction.