Books, Man
Three mini book reviews. Let’s do this.
Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler: Most people who know me know I love Chelsea Handler on Chelsea Lately. This is her first book I’ve read, and I’m sad to say I’m still someone who says I love Chelsea Handler on Chelsea Lately (and presumably her standup). I didn’t realize this before, but her humor really pops thanks to her deadpan delivery, her responses to her guests, and her foul-mouthed criticism of celebrities. In this memoir the profanity remains but her humor, in written form and concerned with her personal life, falls flat. Love you Chelsea, but I’ll stick with you IRL.
The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton: This debut novel from was first of these three books I started reading and one, I’m sorry to say, I didn’t finish. It’s quite interesting and nicely literary (the author is supposedly the “next Joshua Ferris”): the story moves back and forth between a young boy attending acting school and a girls’ class rocked by scandal (the stories tie together in the end). The twin narratives allow for lots of interesting situations to arise and provoke thoughts on on how acting relates to life; the meaning of representation; the power dynamic between teachers and students and other, older students; the struggle of being a teenager and young adult. And Patton’s voice is fresh and unusual. My problem with this book was that these good qualities were buried by the philosophical riffs that distract character and literary voice alike. All books need not have the page-turning pace of, say, a thriller, but they should strike a balance between style and plot progression and not feel repetitive; for me this book “pauses” too often to ruminate on the issues raised above, seeming to revisit them all over and over without any spark of new interest. As I read further into the book it started to feel tiresome, and in particular the riffs on acting felt indulgent—although actors talking about acting can feel that way at the best of times. I think this book may really appeal to readers who have a particular interest in theater or performance, but for me 2/3 of the book was enough.
Walks With Men by Ann Beattie: I devoured this (forthcoming) novella from Ann Beattie. This is literary fiction of a much different style from The Rehearsal: sparse, simply told, tantalizingly aloof. The characters that appear (and disappear) throughout this short novel are vividly realized—so vividly that, even though the novella takes place in NYC, in my mind’s eye the world consists of just these characters in an empty city, everyone else fading completely into the background. Still, I’m continuing to chew over their fates days later. Great subway reading.
Now: on to Wolf Hall (finally!).
