Because I knew (and surely this is no spoiler; we *know* the author, and he wouldn't pull such a hackneyed trick) that nothing corny like the superheroes *stopping* the terrorist attacks would happen.
It doesn't have to be corny.
But then Knut would've run the risk of being called an Ex Machina imitator.
Sort of like in The Poisonwood Bible where you know one of the girls is going to die.
Or like in The Secret History, which just starts flat-out by saying that they kill Bunny, and then takes you up to it, through it, and yet *still* manages to create suspense and dread and such empathy for both Richard et al, AND for Bunny. (Okay, actually I never have any empathy --or symapthy, or any good feeling -- for Bunny, no matter how many times I read it. But still.)
(Also a VERY well-done first novel, IMO. Much like Superpowers, revealing Bunny's murder right up front is a big risk because the payoff *could* have fallen flat. But instead she did it beautifully.)
Sort of like in The Poisonwood Bible where you know one of the girls is going to die.
Seeing Raq mention Poisonwood gets my ire up. That book's last 200 pages felt so terrible extraneous to me. Sigh.
I hated feeling the dread,but somehow I didn't at the same time. And
Jack's aging felt even worse because I knew what was happening soon. Just a perfect feeling of never enough, and what does matter
But I'm still very tangled up in
Superpowers.
Reading it around July 4th was fitting.
That book's last 200 pages felt so terrible extraneous to me. Sigh.
That's my favorite part of the whole book! I loved reading about the sisters' lives as they grew up. It does feel like a separate book, but to me it's the more interesting one.
YAY BSA!!!
OK, I finished Superpowers. I had to lock myself in the bathroom at home, and then sit in the parking lot at work to read, but I couldn't stop. Bravo!
I now am in possession of Knut's book. Looking forward to getting to it. I'd love to have a drive-by post by the guy.
And now, for a different level of literary...
I'm looking for more picture books Annabel might enjoy. She adores the Mo Willems Pigeon books, she's liked the Kevin Henkes books we've read to her so far
(Chester's Way
and
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse),
and she loves
Tyrannosaurus Drip.
Basically, I'm looking for something not too long, but with a definite plot, humor, and fun illustrations.
Also, around what age would you typically start reading to a kid from chapter books? I'd love to start
Little House in the Big Woods
with her soon, but I don't think her attention span is really there yet, and she'd probably be disappointed by the relative lack of pictures. She'll sometimes get annoyed when some important action is only narrated rather than illustrated.
