MELONEY LEMON: SWEET AND SOUR.

MELONEY LEMON: SWEET AND SOUR.

Tuesday 6 March 2007

'From Kuzhnisk, the world appeared faded as if through a nurses stocking'

Have just finished 'Ludmila's broken English' by DBC Pierre.
So I do actually read - not just manage children and their 
homework. Feel that literary types, apart from those that know
me better - are deserting this blog. Arggh have been labelled a
saddo that writes about kids as nothing else in life.

Anyway, right. I read this book right. (And it did take me weeks and
I did have to renew it 3 times. And once upon a time could
have finished it in a day....and been hunting round for something else.)

It was worth hanging on in there - because this is a novel you can
stand your spoon up in.

The story is a mere posturing, anorexic clothes horse, but it wears it's
prose like Kate Moss. Each page is packed with bizarre similes that seem
to have escaped the refining process and jump instantly from instinct to page.
Boy are they quick. Loads and loads of living description and conversations
that are still writhing on the paper as you attempt to pin them down.

After a while it is totally indigestible and you just have to stop to process everything.
Sort of the opposite to reading a children's story.

I think it has a happy ending.

6 comments:

S. Kearney said...

Literary types would do well to read more about real life! :) I loved the way you summarised this book. Happy ending?

Debi said...

Always love your reviews. Suspect (though not necessarily in this case) they might be better than the book they're about.

John said...

What you write about matters less than whether--trust your instincts and do it.

Unknown said...

That was an excellent review, Meloney. It sounds as the novel might have come together very organically.

Palanivel Raja said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Meloney Lemon said...

Thanks everyone I'm all cheered up now. But Debi the reviews are not better than the books they are about....ahem - I've done a couple of yours, remember.