So, I’m reading the Pulitzer Prize winning books right? And I’m enjoying myself, I like the books, there have been one or two I haven’t loved (“Empire Falls”, boo), but generally I’m quite pleased. “The Edge of Sadness” is a book I never would have found or read and it is definitely in my top five (what are my top five you ask? I’m not sure; I’ll try and figure that out and post it tomorrow, I got my top three right handy). You know, these Pulitzers, well…they’re some pretty good books; they don’t just award the Pulitzer to some piece of claptrap do they?
Yes, I guess they do.
I FINALLY finished “Arrowsmith” by Sinclair Lewis and I’m not sure I’ve ever been so bored in my life. Blech, patooey, yuck, boo, barf.
This is by far, one of the most boring, un-insightful, un-beautiful, un-anything books I have ever read. I forced myself to finish it because I want to be able to say that I read ALL of the Pulitzers, but it took will power, more will power than quitting smoking ever did. I actually woke up this morning with a smile on my lips, looking forward to this day because this is the day I finished this infernal book.
It is the story of Martin Arrowsmith who wants to be a doctor! Or a chemist, or a biologist, but he has such a hard time getting there! Well you know what? So does every Tom Dick and Butthead. He is an insipid character, he’s not a hero, he’s not an anti-hero. He’s not mean, he’s not nice. He’s like….a Trixie, shallow without being perverse. Arrowsmith then manages to marry the laziest woman who admits to lying on the couch all day and sometimes has buttons missing on her jacket! WOW.
I read some commentary just to kind of see why this book is a classic and some bullshit about “exposing the medical community” back then. You know, there are a ton of books exposing conditions at the turn of the century that, even though those conditions make no sense to us in this day and age, you can still feel the drama and the cutting edgeness of the book, but this? No, not, I’m not buying it.
Ack. I’m almost willing to say I hate this book, but I have a hard time with that kind of language when it comes to books, its like saying you hate a dog. A compassionate human can’t really HATE a dog, or a book.
But this is the closest I’ve ever come I tell you.
Boo, Sinclair Lewis, boo all over your ass.
3 comments:
Thank god I'm not the only person who was bored off my ass reading Empire Falls. Ugh.
Oh man, seriously. What a slog. Although, at least I could see why it won a Pulitzer. It was an amazingly detailed world, just not a detailed world I want to live in for a week or two.
Exactly my thoughts. The first thing I thought when I was reading it was, "Man. This feels just like HAVING to read a book for school." Like I know it's well written and important or whatever but I just.....can't.....do it.
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