BOOK-A-HOLICS discussion

This is a discussion room for the book 2666 for the May/June 2009. Beware only look in this room if you have read or are reading the book.

If you plan on writing a spoiler then make sure you post that it is a spoiler.

Thanks
Wes

I just ordered mine on ebay brand new for 18.90 plus 3.99 shipping.

That is the cheapest I have found it new. The paperback does not come out till october.

has Boleno's 2666 superseded Marquez' 100 years of solitude? that's the question.. I think

I just got my copy in the mail yesterday... I did not realize that the book was published after the death of the author

I have just started 2666. I am about 50 pages in and am not really captivated at this point though the writing is lovely.

I am now on The Part about Amalfitano. So much of the text appears to be seemingly random flights of fantasy. At this point I am not really following the point of all these digressions. Perhaps I am not enough of an intellect to understand the point. I will persevere though this is not a book I can spend the afternoon reading.

Bolano's writing elicits from me the same response I have to Norman Mailer, Tom Wolfe, and Gore Vidal. I find their writings merely a tribute to their own egos. The language, obtuse metaphors, and endless tedious narrative makes me want to tear out pages.

I get the purported story. I see that Santa Theresa (Cuidad Juarez) is the common thread connecting each section. I see the inhumanity, the cheapness of concern for the city's women.

I hated the writing style. I adore the writing of other Spanish novelist. Marquez, Zafon, Perez-Reverte. The translations of their works maintain the lyrical beauty of the original language while relating a story which is compelling, clear and coherent. I am sad to finish any one of their works.

But I am so happy that this ordeal is over.

I am enjoying the book. I like how the author shows the characters are known to each other in ways common to each other, that they share, such as their fascination with Archimboldi. They are known to each other in their own unique ways: for example, the very different nature of the love affairs with Norton.
The characters are well developed with unique, odd, and yet believable desires and motivations. And yet, we are not over-exposed to their interior. This is well played in the tale of Amalfitano and his wife and her odd quest, the diversion of the book on the clotheline - unfulfilled dreams.
I am about a quarter of the way through this book, and not in a hurry to finish. I want to live here a while.
"The weather is good, it's sunny, you can go out and sit in the park and open a book....and then you go over to a friend's house and talk. And yet your shadow isn't following you anymore. At some point your shadow has quietly slipped away. You pretend you don't notice, but you have, you're missing your fucking shadow, though there are plenty of ways to explain it, the angle of the sun, the degree of oblivion induced by the sun beating down on hatless subterreanean tanks of pain, the fear of more contingent things, a disease that begins to be apparent, wounded vanity, the desire for just once in your life to be on time. But the point is, you shadow is lost and you, momentarily, forget it." (p.121)

a pain of isolation? fear of mortality? a disease of disconnection/disassociation? wounded vanity of love lost? the desire to be on time-to find what you seek?

For those who are still attempting to hang in there...after reading through a long somewhat tedious chronicling of murders, we seem to have settled on a couple of intriguing characters to follow. It is interesting again - enough so that I am still wanting to read it, although it was debatable for a while.

Has anyone finished reading this one yet?

Wes wrote: "Has anyone finished reading this one yet?"

I am about a hundred pages short of finishing. It has been a slow read.
The best I can say so far is that the characters and stories are so detailed and fully realized that they are fully believable, even when they are outlandish. I have found many of the story threads to be interesting enough that I want to hang in there to see if and how it all comes together. Although I am beginning to doubt if it will.

You must finish it tonight so you can motivate us to read this book... The author died and this is his legacy to be published after his death to support his family. If it was me and I knew I was dying I think I would have written a shorter book so I could spend some time with the family but he chose to entertain us instead.

I doubt if I will finish tonight. I will post when I do.

Cyd wrote: "I doubt if I will finish tonight. I will post when I do."

Sounds good

You can see my review from 5/20. I think that says it.

I have now finished this book. The book was definitely a lot of work at times, but it was ultimately very satisfying.
There are certainly many threads and side stories woven together; often I wondered what to make of it all. My earlier concern was whether it would all come together at the end. I think in a curious way, it did. If our interest in the beginning was in who is Archimboldi, the answer was given in an all encompassing and rich manner. Not that I would say that is the "take away" here. There is a depth to this work not matched in any other works of literature I have read.

*Possible Spoiler*
I finished this book last night. It took me a long time - not bedtime reading (the murders)
I thought it was fantastic - so creative - no cliches.
i want to talk to others who have read this book.
I didn't think it was self-indulgent - but I don't really know how to describe it to others...
I thought Wimmer's translation was fantasticly readable.
The funniest part was the house for vanished writers.
The book took me 6 months to read.