Liezel Liebenberg Liebenberg itibaren 15020 Pozzengo AL, İtalya
I was thrilled by this book, probably because I love mystery, hiking, the outdoors, and especially the Sierra Nevada. I was motivated to make it through some of the drier, explanatory parts of the book (NPS protocols, legal issues, etc.) because I couldn't wait to read more about Randy, search and rescue stories, and the real-world issues one faces in marriage and relationships. One of the best books read this year!
I wish I could remember when I read an afterword to a book that actually helped. I must have once experienced an afterword that was smart, engaging, and made me more interested in the book. I really wish I could bring that afterword to mind; I wish I could raise it as the shining example that all other afterwords should be. But I don't remember. And maybe I've never read a good one. But then, you'd really have to ask...why the hell do I keep reading them? For more on this rant about Afterwords from authors, see my review of Fahrenheit 451. In Gentlemen of the Road, Michael Chabon does a lovely job of putting Jews into an adventure story. I'm taken unaware by that, and it's kind of fun. A delightful sort of tramping tale about double-crosses and cross-dressing and trickery. It's not my favourite of his short novels, but it was fun. Then he spends a good five pages defending his decision to write an adventure story. He talks about how he knows this is different from his previous work, and he explains why he's doing it. As if the literary wunderkind can't just write what he wants. It's boring. Writers, artists, musicians, anyone should follow whatever stylistic inspiration they can find, and if your fans don't like it, no amount of defense will help. Neither will any weak murmurings about how the golden child of letters wants some adventure in his life (take a fucking trip!) People will see that you're doing something different, something new. They might not like it, but they can't help seeing it. Considering how much Mr. Chabon has been talking about the beauty of genre fiction (since McSweeney's 10, at least!), I think his point has been made. He should feel welcome to write about whatever he'd like. His theories on literary genres will be taught and debated and discussed for years to come, and many people, will continue to buy his books--including me. I suppose I could just learn to stop reading the moment I see "Afterword."