Fall Fiction + Jane Austen
Ken Follett, author of Pillars of the Earth is has written a new novel, World Without End, due out October 4th. Pillars is an epic story of a family involved in the design and building of a fictional cathedral in Kingsbridge, England. It was an amazing book, and one that helped me understand the history of the design of European cathedrals, and the incredible amount of work and faith (and a bit of corruption as well) involved in the raising of these amazing buildings. Pillars is definitely on my Top Twelve books(--or are we at thirteen now? :) Anyway, I'm very excited about this new book of Follett's centering on the same village, 200 years later as it enters the Black Plague.
Also, the luminous Irish writer (Ok, I stole that word from one of his critics, but I can't think of a better one) of Four Letters of Love and As It Is in Heaven, Niall Williams, has written three more since I was last in Ireland--none of which have been published in the US. (Do you see how deprived we are in a literary sense?) I love Williams' poetic prose--there is no other way to describe his writing...well, except for perhaps "luminous" (smile). He is a novelist with the soul of a poet, and this is reflected vibrantly in his writing. It doesn't seem to matter if his main character is young or old, man or woman, Irish or American, I am able to connect with that person on a very deep level. There is such an amazing sense of recognition--almost an anam cara experience, but with a fictional character. I was delighted to find his new books, and am savoring each one. I finished his short story, "Unrequited", and am currently enjoying Only Say the Word, about a young father who has lost his wife, and is dealing with his own grief, the grief of his children and is coming to grips with his own past losses all at once. That's how grief is though, isn't it? Each loss seems to bring all our previous losses to mind and heart once again.
Finally, I can't wait for the release of A Walk With Jane Austen: A Journey of Adventure, Love & Faith, by Lori Smith. That sounds like exactly what I need right now!
So, October is full of good reading--I guess, like most months around here. :) Book reviews to follow, but for now, I'm enjoying fall weather, and most of all, the writing.
L
Also, the luminous Irish writer (Ok, I stole that word from one of his critics, but I can't think of a better one) of Four Letters of Love and As It Is in Heaven, Niall Williams, has written three more since I was last in Ireland--none of which have been published in the US. (Do you see how deprived we are in a literary sense?) I love Williams' poetic prose--there is no other way to describe his writing...well, except for perhaps "luminous" (smile). He is a novelist with the soul of a poet, and this is reflected vibrantly in his writing. It doesn't seem to matter if his main character is young or old, man or woman, Irish or American, I am able to connect with that person on a very deep level. There is such an amazing sense of recognition--almost an anam cara experience, but with a fictional character. I was delighted to find his new books, and am savoring each one. I finished his short story, "Unrequited", and am currently enjoying Only Say the Word, about a young father who has lost his wife, and is dealing with his own grief, the grief of his children and is coming to grips with his own past losses all at once. That's how grief is though, isn't it? Each loss seems to bring all our previous losses to mind and heart once again.
Finally, I can't wait for the release of A Walk With Jane Austen: A Journey of Adventure, Love & Faith, by Lori Smith. That sounds like exactly what I need right now!
So, October is full of good reading--I guess, like most months around here. :) Book reviews to follow, but for now, I'm enjoying fall weather, and most of all, the writing.
L
Labels: books
Posted by Anonymous
9:02 PM
1 Comments:
I loved Pillars of the Earth. That was the first Ken Follett book I ever read, and none of his other books have ever met my expectations since the high ones set by POTE. But I guess I should give another one a try...
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CaliValleyGirl, at 1:54 PM
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