That's pretty much my take. I'm sure his publisher has hired a publicist to deal with the media, so I don't get why Oprah (apparently, I say, because this was described to me) expected him to be all thrilled about her choice of The Road for her book club.
Tara: What's so bad about them coming here? Aren't they good guys? I mean, Watchers, that's just like whole other Gileses, right? Buffy: Yes! They're scary and horrible!
'Potential'
Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
Hayden - Jun 06, 2007 9:03:36 am PDT #2762 of 28176
aka "The artist formerly known as Corwood Industries."
lisah - Jun 06, 2007 10:09:20 am PDT #2763 of 28176
Punishingly Intricate
I don't get why Oprah (apparently, I say, because this was described to me) expected him to be all thrilled about her choice of The Road for her book club.
He should be thrilled if he wants to sell a ton more books then he does normally. It is not an unreasonable expectation.
eta I think he is entitled to feel however he wants about being picked.
sumi - Jun 06, 2007 10:13:12 am PDT #2764 of 28176
Art Crawl!!!
But he was being nice right? He wasn't being all asshatty about it? Like that one guy - who's name I cannot remember.
ETA: Jonathan Franzen - he's the guy.
Hayden - Jun 06, 2007 12:18:42 pm PDT #2765 of 28176
aka "The artist formerly known as Corwood Industries."
if he wants to sell a ton more books then he does normally
I think his position was that he really doesn't care whether people read his books or not. But my impression was that he was pretty nice about it.
sumi - Jun 06, 2007 12:24:04 pm PDT #2766 of 28176
Art Crawl!!!
Okay -- over at Readerville the feeling was similar to your's - his body language indicated that he didn't want to be there, but he was gracious about it and Oprah didn't press him. (I can't believe I forgot it was on.)
Consuela - Jun 06, 2007 8:32:35 pm PDT #2767 of 28176
We are Buffistas. This isn't our first apocalypse. -- Pix
A sweet story of father-son love? Uh, yeah, that's not exactly what I got out of The Road. Like, the kid was the only thing keeping the father from going completely feral. And the baby on the barbecue. There was a hell of a lot more going on in that novel than that the guy loved his kid. Although he did.
lisah - Jun 07, 2007 4:56:10 am PDT #2768 of 28176
Punishingly Intricate
body language indicated that he didn't want to be there, but he was gracious about it and Oprah didn't press him.
that's cool. I love people behaving like grown ups!
Toddson - Jun 07, 2007 5:09:18 am PDT #2769 of 28176
Friends don't let friends read "Atlas Shrugged"
It has the charm of novelty.
DavidS - Jun 07, 2007 8:26:44 am PDT #2770 of 28176
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
One of my favorite prose stylists, Annie Dillard, has a new novel out.
Some gorgeous examples of that prose:
“in her company he wrapped himself in misery like a robe. Between them self-consciousness bulked as a river silts its channel.”
“His hot eyes cooled. Invisible clouds blocked the sky and its atmospheres where noises of people dissolve. The sea beside him, a monster with a lace hem, drained east.”
“Twice a day behind their house the tide boarded the sand. Four times a year the seasons flopped over. Clams live like this, but without so much reading.”
flea - Jun 07, 2007 8:53:58 am PDT #2771 of 28176
information libertarian
I regret to have to say I dislike Annie Dillard's prose style enough that I wasn't able to make it through that famous book she wrote. Um, the one about the pond, or whatever it was.
But I did babysit for her 5 year old daughter Rosie once, when I was in high school. What a rambunctious kid.