The Bowie Book Club discussion

Which edition are you reading?

Do not forget to put here your review :)

Some beautiful language and lot's of great sound bites, but overall not a huge fan of the narrator. Here's my Review of Herzog

I'm reading Penguin Classics edition with an Introduction by Phillip Roth.

Samanta wrote: "I'm reading Penguin Classics edition with an Introduction by Phillip Roth."

This would be a great introduction, I guess.

I don't know why but I'm not feeling like reading this book...

I'm not in awe with it, either. I'm reading it because I'm not a quitter, but I wouldn't be devastated if I didn't finish it.

I absolutely LOVE the first sentence, though.

I'll try and read the first sentence then ;-)

Ok, I'm giving up. I just can't. I started reading on April 19 and I still haven't reached page 100. That's enough to make a decision. I just don't like the book. In my opinion, it's at least 200 pages too long.

Samanta wrote: "Ok, I'm giving up. I just can't."

I'll skip it, for ever, I think. Looks so tedious.
Started reading White Noise and I'm enjoying it so far.

It is tedious. I don't understand the characters at all. I'm probably missing something essential about his ex-wife's behaviour (because it's also horrendous!), but I just don't have the desire to find out.

I'm glad to report I did finish it, even if a bit late, and it was worth it. But it was the hardest book to read in a long time.

I think the beginning is the toughest, for mostly two reasons: first, because it is hard to digest that not a lot of coherent things happen either in the story or on an ideological level - it's basically the ramblings of a guy with a nervous breakdown. Also, it would help if one were very familiar with all the philosophers he writes to and whom he writes about - these letters are supposed to be funny but I guess the humor gets lost when you don't always get what he is on about.

However, the book becomes significantly more accessible towards the second half: as Herzog mind clears out, all the characters and their actions become much more understandable, easier to relate to, and even exciting. So if you are almost there, don't give up! The first part took me a couple of weeks, but I finished the second part in less then 2 days.

In the end I think it is a good book, and I'm very happy that I finished it. It gave me a lot to think about, specifically, about the nature of our relation to the world. Also, now I'm free to pursue the rest of the Bowie books!

Btw, here is a funny write-up on Herzog:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/200...

Thanks Peter. I have to say that I'm not as pugnacious as you are. I have so many Bowie books in delay. Hum. I found a second-hand copy of Herzog a couple of weeks ago at the biannual second-hand English books sales (I live in Belgium so it's more Dutch and French here) because I found it so difficult to concentrate on this book reading it on an e-reader.

Which books do you have to catch upon?

I read them in the order we chose for them, so I still miss all the ones after Herzog. But I have a good feeling that with this tough cookie out, the rest will will let themselves read quicker:)