The Shadow of Books
Jun. 23rd, 2007 12:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
niriniaI'm on the verge of finishing "The Shadow of the Wind", and, despite the reasoning of two of my friends, I like it. It's fascinating - admittedly full of tiring italics and summaries -, and from what I've sensed, the ending is just as bleak as I like them (I'm hoping the Russians will prove the masters of bleak endings I've been promised). I balked at a few clichés along the lines of people shedding a single tear, but it is, none the less a beautiful story. And things do happen, they are just not close to the scope of the events Brown dishes out.
Entirely unrelated, I was reminded by Gina of "Violin", and I skimmed parts of it. I impersonated Freud, and I think I know why I liked it: the antagonist - it is the only term I can think of that fits - is a beautiful, dead Russian violinist, who adored Beethoven and answers to Stefan. Note that his name is nothing of that silly Swedish sort, with the long -e, and ridiculous sound. It's the delightful russian version, with the characteristically long -a ("Stefaan"). Not only am I week for fictitious Russians, but for the name Stefan in particular. Him being the apprentice of my favorite composer does not hurt, either.
And this summer's reading-list is growing. It currently encompasses what works of the Russians I can get my hands on, Proust, Joyce, French grammar and general glossary and the history of Norwegian literature. I should perhaps also try to expand my English vocabulary, I don't think I know all the words in my dictionary yet. I have a lot of lost time to make up for.
Entirely unrelated, I was reminded by Gina of "Violin", and I skimmed parts of it. I impersonated Freud, and I think I know why I liked it: the antagonist - it is the only term I can think of that fits - is a beautiful, dead Russian violinist, who adored Beethoven and answers to Stefan. Note that his name is nothing of that silly Swedish sort, with the long -e, and ridiculous sound. It's the delightful russian version, with the characteristically long -a ("Stefaan"). Not only am I week for fictitious Russians, but for the name Stefan in particular. Him being the apprentice of my favorite composer does not hurt, either.
And this summer's reading-list is growing. It currently encompasses what works of the Russians I can get my hands on, Proust, Joyce, French grammar and general glossary and the history of Norwegian literature. I should perhaps also try to expand my English vocabulary, I don't think I know all the words in my dictionary yet. I have a lot of lost time to make up for.
