Book question for you

Mr Express,

Re: Ford

I have about 100 pages left of Lay of the Land. (Hits too close to home after turning 50.) Fan of The SW, but Ind-Day is the superior book.

YHS, etc

 

Ford's a real downer. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing. But he is. I liked the Sportswriter (a lot), and Independence Day (less so, but enough). I've read a New Yorker story that I gather is at the heart of Lay of the Land, and a few reviews, and my general sentiment was "enough, already, with the existential whining from the grown-up yuppie man who doesn't realize how good he's got it." So it's not high on my list.
Double Down (as usual) is right. Ford's great in short story form. Longer stuff can get tedious.

 

don't even OPEN 'Hannibal Rising.' it's a 25 dollar coaster/door stop/table leveler.

i wish i bought it at costco so i could bring it back for a refund

 

Ah, I got to read it. I'm a Hannibal-ophile.

 

please don't say you weren't warned

 

Yes, I understand. I've read some of the online reviews. Several say it doesn't even read like Thomas Harris wrote it.

 

I was bored with both The Sportswriter and Independence Day. Nothing happened in either book, but I guess that was the point. I just didn't care about what was going on and kept reading to find out if something happened, yet nothing did.
Anybody care to explain what the appeal of these books is?
Is it because we're supposed to be interested in this schlep's meandering thoughts on the boredom of life?

 

Ford = ennui fiction, not my taste. The Tender Bar, while entertaining and worthy, is not as good as his best newspaper work, and is far from a lasting work The younger the character is, the better the book is - in fact, the book is best the farther away it stays from the bar. Then the book rushes to end, as if the editor was getting bored and was afraid the reader would too.