Hihi.
Hi, y'all. I am Jae, as of this semester a junior, intending to major in English and political science. I think. XD I'm familiar with the cornerstones of fantasy--Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Harry Potter, His Dark Materials, etc.--and have read a number of other books within the genre whose titles escape me now that I'm on the spot.
That said, I'm not sure that I could readily define fantasy, but, as the saying goes, I know it when I see it. Having slogged through Magic for Beginners at last, I feel confident in declaring that Kelly Link is not it. The only two stories within Magic for Beginners that I found remotely palatable were the Faery Handbag, which was disjointed but in a way I could actually handle and enjoy, and Stone Animals, which I actually really did like right up until the ending, which I abhored. Overall, I'd classify the book as drifting more towards absurdism and downright insanity and disjointedness than anything fantastic (in both senses of the word). I can handle unlikely events; I can handle and even enjoy things that are impossible in the real world. I have nothing against zombies. But Link's writing seemed random for the sheer sake of it, plotless, unrelatable, with characters to whom I felt absolutely no connection--and whatever genre that might fall under, it's not something that I care to read.
That said, I'm not sure that I could readily define fantasy, but, as the saying goes, I know it when I see it. Having slogged through Magic for Beginners at last, I feel confident in declaring that Kelly Link is not it. The only two stories within Magic for Beginners that I found remotely palatable were the Faery Handbag, which was disjointed but in a way I could actually handle and enjoy, and Stone Animals, which I actually really did like right up until the ending, which I abhored. Overall, I'd classify the book as drifting more towards absurdism and downright insanity and disjointedness than anything fantastic (in both senses of the word). I can handle unlikely events; I can handle and even enjoy things that are impossible in the real world. I have nothing against zombies. But Link's writing seemed random for the sheer sake of it, plotless, unrelatable, with characters to whom I felt absolutely no connection--and whatever genre that might fall under, it's not something that I care to read.
posted by Jae at 9:42 AM
1 Comments:
Yes, that sums it up pretty well. I was really hoping for something at the end of the book that tied it all together and made some sort of meaning out of it, but, alas, no such ending was forthcoming.
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