if you like to read something other than celebrity gossip, you know, something to keep one balanced, i just finished something you might enjoy. it’s actually proper literature, so if this doesn’t frighten you, keep reading.
alan hollinghurst’s the line of beauty tells a tale of superficiality, greed and debauchery through the eyes of nick guest, a young gay londoner coming of age in the “me” decade. while the novel, which won england’s 2004 man booker prize, isn’t flawless (i wasn’t terribly fond of the ending), it was refreshingly well written.
the washington post gave it a very positive review. michael dirda wrote, “what makes the book so fine, though, is its writing — suffused with enough wit to keep the diction original and lively without overpowering the reader with campiness or excess.”
maybe it’s due in part to my anglophilic inclinations, but i found it thoroughly enjoyable, even despite the book’s permeating sense of melancholy. i dare say i found it quite, well, beautiful.
Mrs. Sugarbritches | 24-Jan-07 at 1:50 am | Permalink
Yes, the book’s permeating sense of melancholy (and irritating self-seriousness) kept me from finishing it. Bring on the camp and excess!