FRENCH: Okay, first of all, THIS, from page 147 (hardback) of The Secret Place, when Detective Moran is reflecting that, despite the way he imagined a potential work partner, he's beginning to feel bonded to Detective Conway:
"Your dream partner grows in the back of your mind, secret, like your dream girl. Mine grew up with violin lessons, floor-to-high-ceiling books, red setters, a confidence he took for granted and a dry sense of humor no one but me would get."
HE WAS FANTASIZING ABOUT SHERLOCK XD
I'm very interested to hear your thoughts on the Likeness, not least because I want to appreciate what you loved in it as it was not my favorite; my favorite is far and away Faithful Place, followed close behind by In the Woods. I'm nearly done with the Secret Place, and it's so bad to have her books around when you are actually supposed to be accomplishing things since it's nearly impossible to do anything but read them. I loved Faithful Place for French's scarily accurate ability to render character and DIALOGUE; one of the best I've ever read in any genre, any era; I feel like I'm listening to a conversation that she surreptitiously recorded and then then simply transcribed. Loved In the Woods for the relationship between Cassie and Adam, and the painful against-all--odds androgynous equality of it, and the inevitability that wrecks it. I think French understands tragedy--in the classical sense of the word--really really well.
sorry if you're getting multiple notifications to this post; I just realized I'm writing in public comments and not privately; I cut what was formerly here and am DMing it to you instead :)
Tana French and your dissertation
"Your dream partner grows in the back of your mind, secret, like your dream girl. Mine grew up with violin lessons, floor-to-high-ceiling books, red setters, a confidence he took for granted and a dry sense of humor no one but me would get."
HE WAS FANTASIZING ABOUT SHERLOCK XD
I'm very interested to hear your thoughts on the Likeness, not least because I want to appreciate what you loved in it as it was not my favorite; my favorite is far and away Faithful Place, followed close behind by In the Woods. I'm nearly done with the Secret Place, and it's so bad to have her books around when you are actually supposed to be accomplishing things since it's nearly impossible to do anything but read them. I loved Faithful Place for French's scarily accurate ability to render character and DIALOGUE; one of the best I've ever read in any genre, any era; I feel like I'm listening to a conversation that she surreptitiously recorded and then then simply transcribed. Loved In the Woods for the relationship between Cassie and Adam, and the painful against-all--odds androgynous equality of it, and the inevitability that wrecks it. I think French understands tragedy--in the classical sense of the word--really really well.
sorry if you're getting multiple notifications to this post; I just realized I'm writing in public comments and not privately; I cut what was formerly here and am DMing it to you instead :)