Ben

Clunky

Revisado: 06-03-18

The only good thing about this much-vaunted novel is its capacity to build up a person's appetite to read Ulysses again. Just consider what would happen if you took Septimus and Lucrezia out of the picture. How slight it would be. Exploitation much?

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Uplifting all over

Revisado: 08-27-17

Having listened to The Elephant in the Room, you may be inclined to think that it's all up for Ronson, but here he is back more lovable than you can possibly imagine.

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Shine a light

Revisado: 02-22-16

Any additional comments?

If you're like me, strongly averse to musicals and TV dramatisations but with a keen interest in finding out where on earth people get their ideas from, then you need to read this book. It's left me feeling like a guy who just discovered the existence of a place called "Ikea." Possibly even more modern-day-lifestyle-influential than "Day of the Dead" or that ghastly "Scarface" movie. Yes, there are digressions – but they never trouble the lower-Tolstoyean depths of feuilletonistic sophotastery. And the audio mastering is indeed terrible, but it's nothing the iTunes equalizer can't handle.

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very poor show, the late nineteenth century

Revisado: 07-30-15

If the frequent outbreaks of excruciating racism don't get you, the relentless bonhomic smugness of the narrative voice surely will.

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The Key to All Strategies finds its Casubon

Revisado: 07-09-15

A widely-read, well-connected, highly qualified man takes us on an extended ramble through a subject ripe with fascination. So where did all the interesting go?

In the true mystery tradition, there are clues (and one or two red herrings) all along the way, with a full explanation clearly set out in the final few pages.

I've included that full explanation at the bottom of this post. I've reversed the text for the benefit of the spoiler averse, but this, after all, is non-fiction – you're supposed to put this sort of thing at the *front* of the book, preferably within the compass of the Audible preview, so that those of us who think this sort of cold, clunky, undilutedly materialistic, absolutely humourless mid-century complacency should go back to the pre-Roger-Penrosean monochrome ages and leave me, my monthly credit and thirty hours of my life alone.

„˙ʇou op ʎǝɥʇ ɟı sǝɔuǝnbǝsuoɔ ǝɥʇ sǝıɹɐsɹǝʌpɐ oʇ ɓuıuıɐldxǝ ɹo noʎ ɥʇıʍ ʞɹoʍ oʇ sɹǝɥʇo ɓuıɔuıʌuoɔ ɹǝɥʇǝɥʍ 'uoısɐnsɹǝd ʇnoqɐ sʎɐʍlɐ sı ʇı snɥʇ – sɹǝɥʇo ɟo ɹnoıʌɐɥǝq ǝɥʇ ɓuıʇɔǝɟɟɐ ɥɓnoɹɥʇ sʞɹoʍ ʇı ʇnq 'ʍolloɟ uɐɔ sɹǝɥʇo ʇɐɥʇ os 'spɹoʍ oʇuı ʇnd ǝq oʇ pǝǝu ʎɓǝʇɐɹʇs sǝop ʎluo ʇoN ˙ɯǝɥʇ ʇnoɥʇıʍ ssǝlɓuıuɐǝɯ sı ʎɓǝʇɐɹʇs ǝsnɐɔǝq sı uoıʇɐɔıunɯɯoɔ puɐ ǝɓɐnɓuɐl ɟo suoıʇsǝnb oʇ uǝʇɟo os pǝuɹnʇǝɹ sɐɥ ʞooq sıɥʇ uosɐǝɹ ǝɥ⊥„

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the spell is never broken...

Revisado: 07-03-15

...not to say that the spell mightn't push its luck once or twice (like the infrequent flirtations with silliness don't provide much needed relief). As it is with Finnegan's Wake, this would be a good one to save up for a while, seeing as how it leaves a lot of other very worthwhile novels reading like so much fan fiction. Also as it is with Finnegan's Wake, you're more or less guaranteed at least one moment where some long-forgotten-dream memory will burst its banks.

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meticulous presentation of superb material

Revisado: 06-22-15

As time goes by, Wilkie Collins becomes more and more contemporary. Quite a trick. There are, no doubt, as yet unformulated genres in media still inconceivable within which he will one day, quite justly, be considered the protypical author.

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I feel some kind of explanation is in order

Revisado: 06-15-15

In particular, the depiction of computer hacking betrays a contempt for the reading public which is borderline incomprehensible. A person could almost forgive Dan Brown for that awful "Lost Symbol" book. Almost.

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peddling complacency

Revisado: 04-21-15

do yourself a favour and leave the boy in Canterbury - it's nothing but mawkish, self-satisfied nonsense from thereon out

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