http://reader2.com/ldelaneyenhttp://reader2.com/ldelaney by ldelaney
Tags: psychology british fiction art classic religion philosophy love literature essays death novel tragedy shipwreck britain boat lifeafterdeath boatingdisater

]]>Sun, 11 May 2008 23:59:20 GMTitem_id_11109_8468ldelaneypsychologybritishfictionartclassicreligionphilosophyloveliteratureessaysdeathnoveltragedyshipwreckbritainboatlifeafterdeathboatingdisaterhttp://reader2.com/ldelaney by ldelaney
Tags: fantasy psychology fiction american magic classic adventure horror america supernatural literature death ghosts psychicalresearch lifeafterdeath hauntedhouse]]>Thu, 01 May 2008 17:52:55 GMTitem_id_20100_8468ldelaneyfantasypsychologyfictionamericanmagicclassicadventurehorroramericasupernaturalliteraturedeathghostspsychicalresearchlifeafterdeathhauntedhousehttp://reader2.com/ldelaney by ldelaney
Tags: history biography art american historical chicago illinois victorian america nonfiction architecture aynrand true midwest arizona wisconsin]]>Sat, 26 Apr 2008 23:29:17 GMTitem_id_49835_8468ldelaneyhistorybiographyartamericanhistoricalchicagoillinoisvictorianamericanonfictionarchitectureaynrandtruemidwestarizonawisconsinhttp://reader2.com/ldelaney by ldelaney
Tags: women history art germany holocaust historical war adventure philosophy crime nonfiction nazi worldwarii german cinema poland fascism true propaganda film filmhistory]]>Sat, 26 Apr 2008 23:11:53 GMTitem_id_49833_8468ldelaneywomenhistoryartgermanyholocausthistoricalwaradventurephilosophycrimenonfictionnaziworldwariigermancinemapolandfascismtruepropagandafilmfilmhistoryhttp://reader2.com/ldelaney by ldelaney
Tags: history british france french germany historical christmas nonfiction german britain true worldwarI christmastruce]]>Sat, 26 Apr 2008 23:05:30 GMTitem_id_49831_8468ldelaneyhistorybritishfrancefrenchgermanyhistoricalchristmasnonfictiongermanbritaintrueworldwarIchristmastrucehttp://reader2.com/ldelaney by ldelaney
Tags: women history british fiction art magic romance classic france french historical adventure love crime literature death overrated novel tragedy britain boat]]>Thu, 20 Mar 2008 04:57:55 GMTitem_id_15584_8468ldelaneywomenhistorybritishfictionartmagicromanceclassicfrancefrenchhistoricaladventurelovecrimeliteraturedeathoverratednoveltragedybritainboathttp://reader2.com/ldelaney by ldelaney
Tags: history american historical illinois america crime nonfiction death tragedy shipwreck true boat marinearchitecture+engneering greatlakes boatingdisater capsizing]]>Mon, 17 Mar 2008 02:28:57 GMTitem_id_47831_8468ldelaneyhistoryamericanhistoricalillinoisamericacrimenonfictiondeathtragedyshipwrecktrueboatmarinearchitecture+engneeringgreatlakesboatingdisatercapsizinghttp://reader2.com/ldelaney by ldelaney
Tags: american business america nonfiction overrated true Walmart]]>Thu, 07 Feb 2008 12:01:55 GMTitem_id_45785_8468ldelaneyamericanbusinessamericanonfictionoverratedtrueWalmarthttp://reader2.com/ldelaney by ldelaney
Tags: women history psychology fiction art romance classic religion germany historical philosophy love literature novel german masochism]]>Mon, 10 Dec 2007 03:54:15 GMTitem_id_5546_8468ldelaneywomenhistorypsychologyfictionartromanceclassicreligiongermanyhistoricalphilosophyloveliteraturenovelgermanmasochismhttp://reader2.com/ldelaney by ldelaney
Tags: women history historical worldwarii argentina fascism evita true peron peronism buenosaires]]>Sat, 08 Dec 2007 07:52:15 GMTitem_id_16726_8468ldelaneywomenhistoryhistoricalworldwariiargentinafascismevitatrueperonperonismbuenosaireshttp://reader2.com/ldelaney by ldelaney
Tags: women psychology fiction art american classic philosophy america literature novel objectivism aynrand]]>Tue, 27 Nov 2007 21:48:05 GMTitem_id_739_8468ldelaneywomenpsychologyfictionartamericanclassicphilosophyamericaliteraturenovelobjectivismaynrandhttp://reader2.com/ldelaney by ldelaney
Tags: humor american comedy love america nonfiction satire literature essays true]]>Fri, 09 Nov 2007 17:50:39 GMTitem_id_436_8468ldelaneyhumoramericancomedyloveamericanonfictionsatireliteratureessaystruehttp://reader2.com/ldelaney by ldelaney
Tags: humor american america gonzo nonfiction]]>Fri, 09 Nov 2007 17:49:12 GMTitem_id_40761_8468ldelaneyhumoramericanamericagonzononfictionhttp://reader2.com/ldelaney by ldelaney
Tags: women history psychology art american historical love america nonfiction death true mothers sixties]]>Mon, 22 Oct 2007 05:18:49 GMTitem_id_40113_8468ldelaneywomenhistorypsychologyartamericanhistoricalloveamericanonfictiondeathtruemotherssixtieshttp://reader2.com/ldelaney by ldelaney
Tags: history psychology fiction classic germany literature novel german worldwarI]]>Tue, 16 Oct 2007 04:28:59 GMTitem_id_39754_8468ldelaneyhistorypsychologyfictionclassicgermanyliteraturenovelgermanworldwarIhttp://reader2.com/ldelaney by ldelaney
Tags: fantasy history fiction american mystery magic classic historical horror america paranormal crime supernatural murder literature death novel occult sci-fi lifeafterdeath]]>Tue, 16 Oct 2007 04:22:33 GMTitem_id_7413_8468ldelaneyfantasyhistoryfictionamericanmysterymagicclassichistoricalhorroramericaparanormalcrimesupernaturalmurderliteraturedeathnoveloccultsci-filifeafterdeathhttp://reader2.com/ldelaney by ldelaney
Tags: fantasy british fiction children family mystery magic humour adventure philosophy love supernatural literature death series novel britain occult sci-fi lifeafterdeath]]>Wed, 15 Aug 2007 22:24:30 GMTitem_id_31242_8468ldelaneyfantasybritishfictionchildrenfamilymysterymagichumouradventurephilosophylovesupernaturalliteraturedeathseriesnovelbritainoccultsci-filifeafterdeathhttp://reader2.com/ldelaney by ldelaney
Tags: fantasy women fiction humor family mystery religion philosophy love supernatural literature death novel mothers lifeafterdeath]]>Tue, 31 Jul 2007 15:44:48 GMTitem_id_27605_8468ldelaneyfantasywomenfictionhumorfamilymysteryreligionphilosophylovesupernaturalliteraturedeathnovelmotherslifeafterdeathhttp://reader2.com/ldelaney by ldelaney
Tags: history psychology british american mystery magic religion france historical philosophy america paranormal supernatural nonfiction death britain occult true psychicalresearch lifeafterdeath]]>Tue, 31 Jul 2007 15:42:10 GMTitem_id_35118_8468ldelaneyhistorypsychologybritishamericanmysterymagicreligionfrancehistoricalphilosophyamericaparanormalsupernaturalnonfictiondeathbritainocculttruepsychicalresearchlifeafterdeathhttp://reader2.com/ldelaney by ldelaney
Tags: fantasy british fiction humor children family magic classic humour adventure victorian literature novel britain]]>Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:46:14 GMTitem_id_34843_8468ldelaneyfantasybritishfictionhumorchildrenfamilymagicclassichumouradventurevictorianliteraturenovelbritainhttp://reader2.com/ldelaney"After all, how unbelievable death was! -- that it must end; and no one in the whole world would know how she had loved it all; how every instant..."

Were Virginia Woolf to return and read Minot's tiresome novel, I have little doubt that, pockets laden with stones, she would once again throw herself into the waters of the River Ouse. What a tragedy that the modern feminist movement should have produced such a grandaughter as Minot!

What a headache I had at the end of this book!

Minot depends too much on a well-worn formula which assumes that in order to be profound, all you need is a disastisfied upper-middle class woman chaffing at the constraints of an inflexible and unsympathetic society.
We've travelled down that road several times before, thank you very much.

A tired and unoriginal plot coupled with a set of unlikeable characters, this novel makes for a truly tedious exercise in writing. The book reads like a roster of the main character's less-than-satisfactory love affairs. For Woolf, the real tragedy of death comes from her character's insatiable joie de vivre. All of Woolf's beautiful and original insights stem from this desperate and stubborn joy in the face of ultimate death and decay. Minot's book is hollow, lacking in substance. What we have here, my friends, is soap opera. Pure, unadulterated schmaltz.

And please, gentle reader, Don't be fooled into thinking that her creative license with punctuation or use of stream of conciousness make her an original. These are simply parlour tricks to distract you from her story's inherent averageness.
Artistic license does not an artistic writer necessarily make. Perhaps these devices fall more into the category of pretention than art.

Minot, while she can certainly can tell a story, offers no fresh perspectives. Therein lies the main difference between genius and mediocrity in writing. Minot is a storyteller; Woolf, an artist.
This novel is perfect for a Lifetime original movie, but completely undeserving of any place of honor in a library of modern literature.

Vacuous, empty, asinine, unoriginal, pretentious, whiney, tired. Take your pick.


by ldelaney
Tags: women fiction american romance love america literature death overrated novel]]>Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:07:30 GMTitem_id_34646_8468ldelaneywomenfictionamericanromanceloveamericaliteraturedeathoverratednovelhttp://reader2.com/ldelaney by ldelaney
Tags: psychology british fiction classic religion philosophy victorian literature novel britain]]>Fri, 13 Jul 2007 20:07:17 GMTitem_id_34647_8468ldelaneypsychologybritishfictionclassicreligionphilosophyvictorianliteraturenovelbritainhttp://reader2.com/ldelaney by ldelaney
Tags: history psychology fiction children american family classic historical illinois adventure philosophy love america literature novel sci-fi]]>Fri, 13 Jul 2007 02:21:42 GMTitem_id_2091_8468ldelaneyhistorypsychologyfictionchildrenamericanfamilyclassichistoricalillinoisadventurephilosophyloveamericaliteraturenovelsci-fihttp://reader2.com/ldelaney by ldelaney
Tags: fiction humor american comedy classic religion war adventure philosophy love america literature novel vietnamwar sixties]]>Tue, 10 Jul 2007 03:12:57 GMTitem_id_4066_8468ldelaneyfictionhumoramericancomedyclassicreligionwaradventurephilosophyloveamericaliteraturenovelvietnamwarsixtieshttp://reader2.com/ldelaney by ldelaney
Tags: history fiction art american classic humour historical america literature novel aynrand ernesthemmingway robertfrost]]>Sun, 01 Jul 2007 18:23:08 GMTitem_id_11222_8468ldelaneyhistoryfictionartamericanclassichumourhistoricalamericaliteraturenovelaynrandernesthemmingwayrobertfrost