This is the third David Morrell book I’ve read and for me it was the least satisfying. I prefer Brotherhood of the Rose and Fraternity of the Stone, the first two books of a trilogy. The last is The League of Night and Fog which is a possible TBR.

I’m currently reading David Morrell’s “Creepers” in which one of the characters refers to this book and Dreiser’s miserable writing style. I think we read this book and “An American Tragedy” because they are examples of American Naturalism. There are naturalistic classics in other countries as well, for example Emile Zola’s novel Germinal in France and Gerhart Hauptmann’s play “The Weavers” in Germany. All contain in copious detail the misery of lower class life as it was being affected by the rise of industrialism. These works, like Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle” are critiques calling for social reform.

The American edition of this book is “Close to Home” and it is the one I have indicated on my Books I’ve Read in 2008.

By all means read the introduction to this Oxford edition. I found myself snickering at some of the events in this book, especially near the end. Between Austen’s Northanger Abbey and this book, it’s been a surprise to me that “send-ups” were by no means a rarity in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. When I was younger I wasn’t especially good at detecting irony. I guess I’m getting better at it.

This was on a summer reading list when I was in hospital. Getting through it was like walking through molasses. Maybe I’d feel differently today, but I’m not about to find out:)

Three novellas by three distinguished women writers. Hightly recommended!

I didn’t think I’d like this movie. I’d heard about the plot and figured it would be platitudinous and message ridden. I think it was Roger Ebert’s review that persuaded me to watch it. It’s really very well done. Some of the characters might have been stereotypical in other hands but these were all well-rounded and surprising (in a positive way) characters. Bravo, Doug Atchison!

I thought this film was beautifully done. The subject matter was handled with great tenderness and Mom’s ultimate support of her son was inspirational.

A couple weeks after I started taking most of the supplements suggested I came down with my first case of hives!

This is my first Preston-Child book and I really enjoyed reading it. Aside from Pendergast’s ability to mentally recreate with more detail than he “knows” (hocus pocus, mumbo jumbo) the plot was interesting and believable. Don’t remember reading anything quite like this before.