In The New York Times Book Review, Andre Dubus III considers Richard Ford?s new novel, ?Canada,? in which a teenage boy?s life is changed forever when his parents make the unlikely decision to rob a bank. Calling the book ?a masterwork by one of our finest writers working at the top of his form,? Mr. Dubus writes:
On a purely plot-hungry basis, turning the page seems the only thing to do, but ? as is so often the case with the fiction of Richard Ford ? what actually happens in the story feels secondary, or at best equal, to the language itself. In the hands of a lesser writer, this can create problems: the prose begins to feel self-indulgent, written not to illuminate any truths but to please the writer, and in the process, story itself is lost and the reader is left behind. But ?Canada? is blessed with two essential strengths in equal measure ? a mesmerizing story driven by authentic and fully realized characters, and a prose style so accomplished it is tempting to read each sentence two or three times before being pulled to the next.
This week on the podcast, Mr. Ford discusses ?Canada? and the craft of writing; Julie Bosman has notes from the field; Mark Hyman talks about the rising cost of youth sports; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Sam Tanenhaus is the host.
the five year engagement chris kreider correspondents dinner 2012 white house correspondents dinner 2012 whcd 2012 nfl draft kevin durant
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.