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Recently read books
There seems to be a meme for doing this on Wednesdays, but whatever.
The Charioteer, by Mary Renault
I've seen this book mentioned a lot (plus,![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
naraht is doing a chapter-by-chapter reread), so I wanted to check it out. I enjoyed it a lot! The writing drew me in from the start, and I felt invested in the characters. I seem to ship the unpopular couple, though? I would've preferred Laurie/Andrew as opposed to Laurie/Ralph. Sure, Ralph says that he doesn't want someone he can push around, but it's like he keeps doing things for Laurie and talking him into things and generally that he's still a bit the older boy with authority that Laurie admired and looked up to. I didn't quite like that dynamic, although the ending did reconcile me to them more. They do have chemistry, though! Talk about UST in that first scene at school. I felt a bit cheated with those blink-and-you'll-miss-it sex scenes. *g* Anyway, I so wanted to push Laurie out of seeing Andrew as all pure and couldn't-possibly-be-interested-in-me-physically. I totally wanted them to make out in the kitchen that time when they were interrupted by the nurse. Sadly, there's pretty much no fic for them, but hey, I'll happily read some Laurie/Ralph fic, too, and see what writers make of them.
And huh, there are some issues with women in this book. I have no idea if it's the main character, the author, or the time period? Maybe all three. I also felt like some things in the book went right over my head because the social codes were unfamiliar to me. Like, at one point there's a scene where an aunt sees her adult nephew's bare feet, and it causes horrible social embarrassment? At least I think it's the bare feet that caused it?
Cranford, by Elizabeth Gaskell
Alas, I did not get through this. I listened to probably a third of it before giving up. I knew going in that it was not going to have much of a plot, and I don't necessarily mind that if I'm invested enough in the world or the characters. But in this case I wasn't.
I am also listening my way through some Elizabeth Moon military space opera (the Vatta books, done by Graphic Audio). They have great space battles and work very well as radioplays, and that kind of competent female lead character obviously satisfies something in my id, but I do tend to see them as a sort of guilty pleasure. According to the worldview in those books, capitalism and military discipline cures all ills. Which, well, is not my worldview. Also, they're pretty weird about kink? The only kinky people in the books are eeeeevil.
Next up: Rosemary Sutcliff's Frontier Wolf!
The Charioteer, by Mary Renault
I've seen this book mentioned a lot (plus,
naraht is doing a chapter-by-chapter reread), so I wanted to check it out. I enjoyed it a lot! The writing drew me in from the start, and I felt invested in the characters. I seem to ship the unpopular couple, though? I would've preferred Laurie/Andrew as opposed to Laurie/Ralph. Sure, Ralph says that he doesn't want someone he can push around, but it's like he keeps doing things for Laurie and talking him into things and generally that he's still a bit the older boy with authority that Laurie admired and looked up to. I didn't quite like that dynamic, although the ending did reconcile me to them more. They do have chemistry, though! Talk about UST in that first scene at school. I felt a bit cheated with those blink-and-you'll-miss-it sex scenes. *g* Anyway, I so wanted to push Laurie out of seeing Andrew as all pure and couldn't-possibly-be-interested-in-me-physically. I totally wanted them to make out in the kitchen that time when they were interrupted by the nurse. Sadly, there's pretty much no fic for them, but hey, I'll happily read some Laurie/Ralph fic, too, and see what writers make of them. And huh, there are some issues with women in this book. I have no idea if it's the main character, the author, or the time period? Maybe all three. I also felt like some things in the book went right over my head because the social codes were unfamiliar to me. Like, at one point there's a scene where an aunt sees her adult nephew's bare feet, and it causes horrible social embarrassment? At least I think it's the bare feet that caused it?
Cranford, by Elizabeth Gaskell
Alas, I did not get through this. I listened to probably a third of it before giving up. I knew going in that it was not going to have much of a plot, and I don't necessarily mind that if I'm invested enough in the world or the characters. But in this case I wasn't.
I am also listening my way through some Elizabeth Moon military space opera (the Vatta books, done by Graphic Audio). They have great space battles and work very well as radioplays, and that kind of competent female lead character obviously satisfies something in my id, but I do tend to see them as a sort of guilty pleasure. According to the worldview in those books, capitalism and military discipline cures all ills. Which, well, is not my worldview. Also, they're pretty weird about kink? The only kinky people in the books are eeeeevil.
Next up: Rosemary Sutcliff's Frontier Wolf!
no subject
Cranford, again, all about the social mores. Nothing much happens, and it happens pretty slowly. I love it, but poss because it's local (literally but also socially) - the costumes have changed but the people haven't.
no subject
In general I liked the writing in The Charioteer, but yeah, sometimes it is a bit opaque, and I was left wondering about all the things that were happening between the lines.