Goodreads Ireland discussion

Margo I am delighted you found a Bradbury that works for you! There is something truly epic in his vision that makes you stop, think and take stock.

Im dying to know why you gave it only 4. I will be patient and finish the book then read through spoilers :-)

Wow!!! Just finished. Woke up this morning, got coffee, then turned on story. Surfaced 2.5 hours later with 101 things to catch up on but walking on air :-D

While I go and try to catch up with the day I have a qestion for you all. What work of literature would you be? I think I'd be a Kavenagh poem - probably Stoney Grey Soil.

I'd be A Little Love Song by Michelle Magorian.

Oddly I think I'd pick this book. While the lesson it tells would probably be useless at the point the world has reareac, a book about the importance of books and the tragedy of there loss would be important to preserve.

Good question Margo. I'd be The Night Circus because it's my very fzvorite book. I'm not like the characters but if I need to become a book I should like it.

I probably would be a little-known book of poetry and paintings Sunny Spells, Scattered Showers . Both the poetry and paintings speak to me. Though, ask me this questin another day and you will probably get a different answer.

Interesting answers. I have to agree with Maria - my answer would probably change daily.

Sherry, my reactions to this book reminded me very much of my feelings while I listened to The Night Circus. I know the stories are very different but there was that same sense of being on an emotional roller coaster. Images flashed by faster than I could react to them but it didn't matter. I was caught up in the beauty of the words and the power of the images.

The only negative for me was the weakness of the female characters. This man has a low opinion of women.

I saw a comment somewhere (still haven't had time to go through the thread) that the story was very much a reaction to MacCarthy-ism. That was very apparent in the text.

I forgive 1950's male American writers for their obvious sexism very easily (it would be like blaming Irish authors in the same period for being too Catholic). Also, the Character of Clarisse was so outstanding and essential to the plot, there was at least one decent female character.

Yes, I fogive them, but it sticks out with some more than others! It's a bit like rereading the older Agatha Christy book - can't help but whince a bit at the colonial attitude :-)

Yes I reread EN Nesbit this time last year and had to whince at both her colonial attitude and her beliefs about the working classes. But then I reminded myself that these bliefs of the author are history captured in it's purest form.

LOL good point Maria :-)

Well I've just read through the thread and some real eye openers there! First I did think of the film Equilibrium when preparing to read this book but once I started I thought it had a very difficult feel to it. Good, but different.

My main thoughts are that the audiobook must have had a very different feel to the text, or maybe it's because I listened in such a short time period (couldn't put it down). The narrator, Tim Robbins, invested a lot of energy and emotion in the final 3/4 of this book. He really brought it to life. It was, as I have said in my review, a series of images of amazing power which didn't really give me time to think. It is a book that I think I'll definitely buy and reread. We watched the film last night and I didn't think it neary as good. It was much more cold and clinical. The audiobookwas about emotion and feelings. It was more than books that were being destroyed; it was freedom of speech and thought, it was individuality. In that context, the main characters outburst of poetry was entirely understandable and in keeping with the fact that he had been "infected" by ideas.

Also the war seemed to me to be another prophetic moment. OK its not exactly over our heads but it's on our tv screnes 24/7 and we calmly sit and eat our cornflakes while we watch scenes of carnage.

Paul, if you ever do carry out your thread to listen to an audiobook, make it this one ;-)

Margo, do you mean the 60s version with Julie Christie? It's not good.

Sherry wrote: "Margo, do you mean the 60s version with Julie Christie? It's not good."

Yes - is there another version? Pete loved the film but he hasn't read the book. I'm trying to convince him to listen before it goes back to the library. I even put it onto his phone ;-)

Tell Pete I said so ;-)

I dont know if there's another version Margo. I wasn't sure so that's why I asked it that way. Julie Christie's duel role was odd.

Sherry wrote: "I dont know if there's another version Margo. I wasn't sure so that's why I asked it that way. Julie Christie's duel role was odd."

LOL we're confusing each other - in my case that's easily done!! I didn't notice the duel role. I assume the also was the the woman who was burned with her books? I saw her as the older woman in the dream sequence.

She was Montags wife with long hair and Montags neighbor in short hair...strange. The lady who set hersef on fire didn't even say ouch. Lol right! I don't think it's worth painful and torturous suicide.

I think she only had her books to love so she wanted to be with them . That world seemed cold and heartless with no joy

That about right Emma . He would be better for the world but just as bad for us in regard to all of our rights . He pretty much doesn't care about the constitution except the 2 amendment which is the right to bear arms . They both need to get impeached but then we are stuck with Paul Ryan

Emma, thats true. He might be less dangerous in that respect.

Colleen wrote: "I think she only had her books to love so she wanted to be with them . That world seemed cold and heartless with no joy"

In the movie she almost looked happy and felt no pain.

I don't think we ever have

I dont really know. Clinton was impeached and finished his term. I don't know if impeachment would make a difference.

Sherry wrote: "She was Montags wife with long hair and Montags neighbor in short hair...strange. The lady who set hersef on fire didn't even say ouch. Lol right! I don't think it's worth painful and torturous sui..."

I did not notice that! Amazing what differences the wig makes. I was thinking while we watched that they had cast all the women as similar types to make a point.

Margo, that could be. It's a strange story.

Emma, second votes are fair.

Margo wrote: "Paul, if you ever do carry out your thread to listen to an audiobook, make it this one ;-)"

I listened to the audiobook and wasn't a big fan. He just seemed to shout a lot and he voiced the female characters in a girly, breathless manner. I had to switch over the book. Could not get into it at all.

I have tried starting the audio book of Something Wicked This Way Comes a couple of times but could never get into it. I have a paperback version as well. I should try that as it may be the narrator of the audio version that I am not clicking with.

Narrators often make or break a book.

The only ones I've liked so far have been The Night Circus with Jim Dale and his dark materials but that has a full cast.

I loved his narration of The Night Circus. I like Neil Gaiman as narrator of his own books.