Page #: 384
Author: Neil Gaimon
Author: Neil Gaimon
Published: 2005 HarperTorch
Began reading: Nov 15th '06
Began reading: Nov 15th '06
Finished Reading: Nov. 16th '06
My 2nd Year at McGill I took a Japanese Literature class with Anne McKnight. The first day we all had to introduce ourselves and tell us our favorite book. Cecilia - someone who had been to the same cegep as myself but a year older - was there and she said that she was a hudge Neil Gaimon fan. This was really suprising for me because she had always seemed to be the type that would only read classics and Nobel Prize winners (not that thats bad at all unless your like this girl I known M.) Anwyays since then I have been meaning to pick up a copy of something by him - American Gods is what he is better known for - which I finally did... 3 & 1/2 Years later.
The Parable: Jesus wasn't the only one who knew how to make every word count! Gaimen is drawing on the 'tale' - the ones we are all familiar with: the lion & the mouse, the turtle and the hare... all those animal stories that spoke true and taught us a lesson that Muggles often cannot express quiet as well. His hybrid of characters- Fat Charlie, Daisy the one-nightstand-turned-dective, Maeve the ghost & Her Husband Morty, Graham the psycho boss, Heaven's New Tourist Guide, Spider the brother-turns-God with a lot of sibling history (little of it good), Rosie the virginal fiancee soon to become permiscuous adulteress, and her mother who manifests all the steryotypes of the in-laws - makes for an incredible adventure that explores the oral tradition in all of its possibilities.
Comments: Satire isn't really being done these days (or perhaps its just that nothing is as good as Seinfeld). This is my first Gaimen - definitly not going to be my last. His ideas on storytelling & song merged with mythology was not what I expected. Rather for some reason my expectation was a sci-fi twist but if anything there is more fantasical elements. Here you find amazing characters & fast paced unpredictable plot making it a WONDERFUL read. My favorite character was Daisy for being both real & sur-real (its possible?!) Overall though it's the mythology element that sets this work apart - it presents this ingrediant as a penetrator of our cultures and daily detials. I wonder why only animal gods though - why not a combination of?
Best Part: The Chapter Headings!!! Such as: 'In Which Fat Charlie Answers The Door & Spider Encounters Flamingos' and ' In Which Rosie Learns to Say No to Strangers & Fat Charlie Acquires A Lime'.
Recommend To: Not sure... perhaps... Well, it seems to be more the kind of book that would recommend when/if the topic(s) ever came up. Not necessarily the perfect fit for anyone in particular - of my small and humble circle of aquantanecs that is.
Cool Fact: theres a movie on Neil Gaimen's thoughts on his new success at http://www.neilgaiman.com/exclusive/Video/ . You'll also find his online journal, bio, and other cool facts about the author.
The Parable: Jesus wasn't the only one who knew how to make every word count! Gaimen is drawing on the 'tale' - the ones we are all familiar with: the lion & the mouse, the turtle and the hare... all those animal stories that spoke true and taught us a lesson that Muggles often cannot express quiet as well. His hybrid of characters- Fat Charlie, Daisy the one-nightstand-turned-dective, Maeve the ghost & Her Husband Morty, Graham the psycho boss, Heaven's New Tourist Guide, Spider the brother-turns-God with a lot of sibling history (little of it good), Rosie the virginal fiancee soon to become permiscuous adulteress, and her mother who manifests all the steryotypes of the in-laws - makes for an incredible adventure that explores the oral tradition in all of its possibilities.
Comments: Satire isn't really being done these days (or perhaps its just that nothing is as good as Seinfeld). This is my first Gaimen - definitly not going to be my last. His ideas on storytelling & song merged with mythology was not what I expected. Rather for some reason my expectation was a sci-fi twist but if anything there is more fantasical elements. Here you find amazing characters & fast paced unpredictable plot making it a WONDERFUL read. My favorite character was Daisy for being both real & sur-real (its possible?!) Overall though it's the mythology element that sets this work apart - it presents this ingrediant as a penetrator of our cultures and daily detials. I wonder why only animal gods though - why not a combination of?
Best Part: The Chapter Headings!!! Such as: 'In Which Fat Charlie Answers The Door & Spider Encounters Flamingos' and ' In Which Rosie Learns to Say No to Strangers & Fat Charlie Acquires A Lime'.
Recommend To: Not sure... perhaps... Well, it seems to be more the kind of book that would recommend when/if the topic(s) ever came up. Not necessarily the perfect fit for anyone in particular - of my small and humble circle of aquantanecs that is.
Cool Fact: theres a movie on Neil Gaimen's thoughts on his new success at http://www.neilgaiman.com/exclusive/Video/ . You'll also find his online journal, bio, and other cool facts about the author.
1 Comment:
I'm not a huge fan of Gaiman, but I really enjoyed his book Stardust. Great fairytale!
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