What do you notice about the author's writing style in your book club book so far? Think about the topics we have discuss in class: voice, character, simplicity, words, unity, etc.
Please respond to at least one of your book club group member's responses.
So far, i have noticed that the words the author uses in my book club book stand out. Right off the bat, the author starts to draw the reader in by using similies and words that stand out. For example, the author states how the Gulf of Mexico launches hurricanes like a pinball into New Orleans. Throughout the book so far, the author also uses very descriptive words and sentences while talking about the patients in the hospital.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Fink has great use of alliteration in the book. With so much going on from the storms she describes, it is easy to picture yourself there, and really visualize what is going on, and how bad it is getting.
DeleteDo you think the figurative language is over used? Does it make sense?
DeleteFrom what I have read, Sheri Fink has an almost intimate approach towards his writing. He really digs into the dilemmas of the different characters such as the medical staff and the patients themselves. To me it seems he works well with with setting the scene/ atmosphere, and so he can ease his way into everything else.
ReplyDeleteSheri Fink's writing style in "Five Days at Memorial" is extremely suspenseful. In the early stages of the book, so far nearly every chapter is ended with a cliff hanger. Ultimately we know what is going to happen, that hurricane Katrina will hit, but Fink has does an excellent job and keeping your attention even though you know what is coming. Just by dropping some small hints to foreshadow the hardships that are coming, like detailing the small amounts of food some people have. As Fink moves from doctor to doctor you begin to get a real connection with each one, wondering if they make it out alive, or even who will make it out if anyone.
ReplyDeleteWhat you point out here is very important. Like you said, we know what the impact of the hurricane was so it's important for the writer to make readers want to read the book and understand something new.
DeleteThis book so far has had some depressing aspects, but this writing style can also be uplifting. This is because Mortenson doesn't let the obstacles that he faces prevent him from doing something. Rather, he realizes that they may open up a new opportunity or help him come to a realization that something good can come out of it. When he realized he was not going to be able to climb the mountain K2, he didn't give up his journey. He realized through education and building schools would in fact be the best way to honor his sister.
ReplyDeleteBreach of Faith author Jed Horne seems to be a cluttered writer so far. I feel that he tries to capture the moment but gets carried away with some of the wording.
ReplyDeleteHorne covers the Katrina tragedy through the eyes of several people and sometimes the way he transitions from one character to another makes the reader have to remind themselves who and what the characters background was originally.
So far Horne is objective. It seems like that may change and I feel that we will be able to see the book evolve into a political piece. We will know where the author stands personally once we are done reading the book (that is my prediction).
I agree with you. Sometimes I have to double back when I'm reading to figure out which person we are talking about. I think you might be right to about knowing the where the author stands at the end of the book. I feel like that's the direction we are headed in.
DeleteI'm having a hard time following. He's all over the place. I'm still wondering if Peters and her daughter survived or not.
DeleteBreach of faith has a somewhat cluttered feel to it. Jed Home captures many characters at once. Sometimes I don't know what character I'm reading about since he transitions from character to character very fast. Each character does have a point a separate point of view. Some characters were for evacuation of the city, some stayed in the city, others evacuated to various different places around New Orleans (Florida, Texas, Alabama). Because of this I feel like Home's is being objective since he's covering people from every area of the city and both people that stayed in the and evacuated.
ReplyDeleteThree Cups of Tea has been pretty good thus far. Mortenson tells his story in a determined nature that you want to root for him. I wish I didn't read up on him further though. Makes it hard to take anything he says seriously
ReplyDeleteI know! I literally was talking to my aunt about this book, and all she could say were bad things about Mortenson. Changes everything.
DeleteHorne "Breach of Faith" had me in the beginning with Peters and her on the roof getting ready to die and then he moved onto something eles. As I read more I got lost. His writing is easy to read sometimes then he goes all over the place. I'm getting bored.
ReplyDeleteI am finding that the book has some interesting points but Horne lacks simplicity so the book drags and the story gets easily lost and confused.
Deleteagreed girls... I am finding it very difficult to follow along. I keep re-reading the same section.
DeleteKrakauer's writing style is straight forward from a first glance, so much so that it is rather dry & dull. Getting past that, he directly quotes Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea, only later to introduce new information which completely debunks Mortenson's statements. In particular, Krakauer discusses Mortenson's experience as an "accomplished Mountaineer" with half a dozen successful Himalayan accents. Just after quoting Mortenson, Krakauer refers to American Alpine Journal which has no recorded history of Mortenson even attempting these accents. I give Krakauer an applaud on both, simlicity & clarity. He is easy to follow and understand. As for character, right from the start, he makes Mortenson out to be a pretty shitty one.
ReplyDeletePat, do you think he has a pretty solid argument? Why?
DeleteI believe that Krakauer's argument is valid, however, he devotes a lot of unnecessary effort (i.e. writing this book) into proving Mortenson wrong & making sure everyone who reads this story knows it.
DeleteBreach of Faith, begins on a very somber note. He is very detailed... but i have a hard time grasping what hes trying to describe, i sort of get dizzy within his words.
ReplyDeleteHe appears to have an objective standpoint on his subjects. He doesnt necessarily focus on just one person and bounces from character to character, leaving me having a hard time getting attached to their particular story. Maybe that's the point though... to not get attatched so you can take the other stories to equal lengths.
I was and still not very much invested in watching news. So even when it was presently happening I tried not to watch too much coverage on the matter because it was so depressing.