Trail-Mix Readers discussion

Post your thoughts here.

Review has been posted on Amazon, Goodreads and my blog at www.mirandashanklin.com :)

shared, Miranda! Thanks!

On Amazon and Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Mine is here.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

On Goodreads only at the mo. I'll post it on Amazon tomorrow.

Where would be the place to discuss it in a book club kind of way?

Jamie,
Feel free to pose questions and discuss what you want right here! Use <#spoiler#> and <#/spoiler#> to hide spoilers (just take out the hashtags).

And now it's also on Amazon.

Thank you, Jamie!

Do you want to say something here about your experience with Operation Ivy Bells? I read your review and thought you were right about the technical explanations.

I'll wait until the end of the month. That way other reviewers can avoid my thoughts until then.

O.K.

I like first person narrative. I also prefer it in past tense. "Ivy Bells," had both. Yet I think "Ivy Bells," missed out on two of the things that past tense can give. The ability for reflection, and the ability for retrospection.

I'm also aware that many writers prefer present tense; so I'm interested in other writer's views of what I've suggested above - and on my view that the lack of retrospection and reflection by the narrator of "Ivy Bells," prevented the humanity of the narrator coming through.

This may not be a surprise to anyone - but I've never been either a submariner, or a knife wielding cold warrior. I had no idea idea how it felt to be either prior to reading "Ivy Bells;" and after reading "Ivy Bells" I still have no idea.

I think it's one of those esoteric topics that one has to experience to really understand it. Personally, as a reader, I prefer past tense, especially when the narrator appears to be telling the story and reflecting on the experience. I agree that "Bells" does appear to lack reflection, but it's made up for in its vignette-style storytelling. My favorite part was the interactions between the member of the Halibut crewOperation Ivy Bells: A novel of the Cold War. Some of the scenes are hilarious but you can tell they are still "on duty" and all committed to getting the job done. I like first- and third person tense, but the authors has to carefully decide what's appropriate for the story (in my novel, I used three third-person narrators, something I was criticized in reviews for, but it was the only way to tell this particular story. I could have used multiple third-person but I wanted to focus on the narrators' thoughts and feelings. Somehow, saying what someone else was feeling or thinking just doesn't feel right to me (but that's just my opinion). In Bells, I would have liked to hear more of what the other characters were thinking (especially the Russian captive) but Mac managed to express the story clearly and poignantly (and humorously) on his own.

I'm not saying it didn't have moments - and I did wonder from time to time what the cold warriors would have made of the fall out from Tail Hook. (Does that qualify as dramatic irony? In that we know their future?) It's just that it wasn't for me.

There's a series of pulp fiction of the sea written by Douglas Reeman. I loved them as a kid. Reeman figured out a basic truth that Horatio Hornblower revealed - that Britain's wild west was the sea: and her wild west heroes were wartime sailors. It helped also, that the Royal Navy always had the best warship names. Reeman could never be accused of producing high art - but he did produce what the English would call 'ripping yarns,' and he produced them over and over and over again.

I couldn't help wondering what Reeman would have made of this audacious mission if he had known about it; another ripping yarn no doubt.