Todavida Leyendo

I haven't been reading as often as I was there for a while in the Spring, but I'm knocking back a few as I go. I'm stuck in some books right now and kinda unmotivated, too. As I used to do with food, so now I do with books. I ate my entire side of broccoli before attacking the pasta; I read all of Neal Stephenson before commencing with Nick Hornby. It's logical and yet not because authors different novels can vary enough to make at least some of their works uninteresting to me. It's not their fault, but there I sit, stuck on page 200 of an 800-page monstrosity, out of steam.

So instead I run to the library and find a diversion and continue finding diversions until I'm stuck in Emma for 8 years. Still haven't finished it! True story!

Happily, I finished The Constant Gardener after work today. I loved it. Le Carrè's style is so fluid that he can incorporate all the elements of a good novel seamlessly. His plotting, pace, and especially his character development are beautifully rendered and a delight to read. The story itself is inventive, and much more nuanced than most other thrillers. It's funny to think of it as that, but it has all the makings of a John Grisham novel, but it manages to be more than just a clever conspiracy theory. You meet so many different people along the way, and some who start out being clear-cut antagonists later get a chance for partial redemption, or at least some sympathy. There are layers to most of his characters, even some of the minor ones. Some have said that obviousness of who's behind the conspiracy is a minus, but I think it leaves the focus on how they pulled it off, usually the most difficult part of a plausible conspiracy plot. Personally, I thought it was quite good and worth reading, even if you've seen the movie. If you loved the movie? READ IT RIGHT NOW. Forget about your Emmas and forget the guilt until you finish.