Hey guys.

Can someone help me with Invitation to a Beheading by Vladimir Nabokov? I would like to think I've been paying close attention, but I feel like there's something I'm not getting in this book. The general story about a guy who's in this cell in a city with weird trippy lucid dreamlike properties seems....clear enough...but I feel there's something more about this story that I'm just not understanding.

Our professor told us to focus on the objects that Nabokov places in the novel, but focusing on that hasn't helped me at all. There's books, the cuff links from the guy's lawyer, the walls (and the other properties of the cell), pencils, tables...they seem all kind of important...but....I just feel like there's something more important that's just completely flying over my head.

Xirroh

Canada146 Posts

February 08 2015 01:24 GMT

#187

dmnum

Brazil6910 Posts

February 08 2015 01:38 GMT

#188

Let me know what you think of Water Margin Xirroh, I've been meaning to read it for a while.

Antares777

United States1971 Posts

February 08 2015 02:07 GMT

#189

I have to read several books by Vladimir Nabokov for one of my classes. We've already read Speak, Memory and we're reading Lolita last.

This author is interesting, to say the least. Speak, Memory was difficult for me to follow, but so far King, Queen, Knave isn't as complex.

dmnum

Brazil6910 Posts

February 09 2015 02:22 GMT

#190

A River Called Time is not really a great book. The setting is nice, and I appreciate the presentation of African religion and culture, but:

1) The writing feels very forced; some metaphors are terrible and the phrasing is unpleasant sometimes. The impression it gives me is that Couto is trying too hard to recreate the poetic beauty he achieves with apparent ease on his greater works;

2) There are too many characters(almost 10) and not enough pages to explore them(the book is 160 pages long).

I wouldn't recommend this book, especially you could read Sleepwalking Land, which is an amazing novel.

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I had forgotten how good One Hundred Years of Solitude is. Marquéz is unrivaled in pure storytelling ability - maybe Borges can equal him, but I'm not sure.

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Ubik is a fucking thrill, man. It's funny and scary and made me feel really paranoid. I love how the door threatened to sue Chip! And the penultimate paragraph of the penultimate chapter gave me the chills, so well written.

Now reading:
+ Show Spoiler +

farvacola

United States18819 Posts

February 09 2015 02:33 GMT

#191

Gravity's Rainbow is not to be taken lightly; make sure to report back as to your thoughts on it! It's a book I partly learned to love through my father's having considered it one of his favorites.

dmnum

Brazil6910 Posts

February 09 2015 02:58 GMT

#192

I started it once but college and not knowing what the fuck was going on made me give up after 200 pages or so. Now I'm on college break and have read and liked TCoL49 so I'm more willing to stick with it.

corumjhaelen

France6884 Posts

February 11 2015 23:35 GMT

#193

Other stuff too, but I have to talk a bit about Sutter's Gold (Blaise Cendrars). Apparently it was very badly received in the US when first translated. A pity, it's a great, albeit a bit simple, novel. Who whants gold ?

Doublemint

Austria8366 Posts

February 12 2015 00:36 GMT

#194

great, great book so far.

Acritter

Syria7637 Posts

February 12 2015 04:08 GMT

#195

Recently finished reading The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. It's a solid book: the imagery is quite fantastic, especially at the beginning of a specific chapter towards the end, and in general the language is superb. The only thing I have to say against it is that it falls into that age-old trap of emphasizing the alien nature of a foreign land through absurd terrors. It's a rather shameful ploy, but I'd hope most readers can identify it for what it is. All in all a recommendation.

Currently reading The Brothers Karamazov. Halfway through, and working my way along at a slow but steady pace. Definitely a masterpiece: can anyone not love the Elder Zossima? Astoundingly beautiful prose and ideas, especially considering what a dour man Dostoevsky was. Anyone who enjoys the philosophical in their reading should pick this up at some point, though it's best to wait until they're good and ready.

nbaker

United States1341 Posts

February 12 2015 04:56 GMT

#196

On February 09 2015 11:33 farvacola wrote:
Gravity's Rainbow is not to be taken lightly; make sure to report back as to your thoughts on it! It's a book I partly learned to love through my father's having considered it one of his favorites.

Yea Gravity's Rainbow is an interesting one. I'm curious what you love about it? I personally never came around to like it, although I did enjoy Against the Day, which I think is considered a much lesser work of Pynchon's. If nothing else, Pynchon is witty as hell and can write a beautiful paragraph.

I'm currently reading The Remains of the Day. Honestly, it's a bit stately for my taste, but it's pleasant to imagine England the way it's described in the novel.

bookwyrm

United States722 Posts

February 12 2015 05:30 GMT

#197

Tried again recently the whole gravity's rainbow thing. Hated it So puerile

thedeadhaji

39489 Posts

February 12 2015 07:11 GMT

#198

Finished Reading (1): [image loading]

Surprisingly poignant and unexpected from Steve Martin (the actor) of all people.

Finished Reading (2): [image loading]

I expected a bad book and it was an expectedly shallow book. Salacious and cheap entertainment at its finest haha. This must be what most airport bookstores are filled with. (even one of the back cover reviews says "I couldn't put it down during my flight!"

Currently Reading: [image loading]