Guardian Newspaper 1000 Novels discussion

In July we will be reading Malone Dies by Samuel Beckett for our Family & Self category - who's in?

You wait for a Beckett for 6 years and then 2 come along at once!

I forgot that I had this on my shelf, so I pulled it down. No promises--I've been in an extended reading slump for the entire year, but I have it sitting here, looking at me, so I may be guilted into reading it, we'll see.

I've read a few pages. I can't say it's doing very much for me, but that may have a lot more to do with the reading mood I'm in than anything else.

Of course, I read Watt a few months ago, and that didn't do much for me either. I did enjoy the stage adaptation of Waiting for Godot that I saw on television several years ago, so I don't know of Beckett is totally inaccessible to me, but I'm having a harder time with his written pieces.

Such a short book, but it's taking me forever to get through it--even speed reading. I don't really get the fascination with this book, but most reviewers tend to rate it very highly, and it did make the Guardian and Boxall list. So whatever the appeal there is, it doesn't seem to be something I respond to very well.

I've started this and am about half way through. I think I'm with Brian on this one. I don't "get it." I don't understand why this is so highly regarded.

A couple of things as I'm half way and you guys may be able to help me with appreciating this more.....

I've come to this straight from Molloy. I can see that there are some recurring ideas here in a material sense - he is intending to make a list of his possessions at some point, greatcoats and hat styles play a role. Is there some message behind this? Is this a commentary on all people being ultimately alike at the end? Is the message that we all live and die the same way and that despite our eccentricities and personal "crazy", it's all just a bunch of fluids and bodily functions and a pile of possessions that don't even get a mention at the end? Or is it all just drivel and the point is there is no point?

Also, is Malone gay? And if so does this have a bearing on the commentary of life? There appears to be a lot of oblique mentions of males he's known and then it's all gone wrong in some way. Whereas Molloy was very graphic in its discussion of heterosexual intercourse and masturbation. Is this part of the idea of everyone ultimately being alike?

I may have missed the point of this completely or be reading way too much into it so HELP!!!!!!!

Just finished. I have to say that the line: “A stream at long intervals bestrid - but to hell with all this fucking scenery.” made me laugh far more than it ever would have in a book in which things happened.

Overall a much better and easier read than Molloy, if only because of the use of paragraphs.