Annie Proulx: Brokeback Mountain

(Several days ago, actually)

I haven't seen the film yet, but of course I have heard of its praise. I still intend to see it some day. Later than the news of the film I read about the book or rather the not-so-short story by Annie Proulx, and it was praise, too. I read her Shipping News several years ago (as a gift, in german translation, unfortunately) and liked it a lot, so I was definitely curious about Brokeback Mountain. I bought the book for the vacation in February, but didn't get around to reading it until recently.

Well. I liked it, and it has its strengths, but for some reasons it didn't really reach out to me. The praise I had heard, or rather read, tells me there is something strong, important, definitely remarkable, and, yes, praiseworthy about this story. For some reason I did not get it. I think it could be something about the language (after all, English is only my second language), or even more likely a cultural thing. US culture and my own, german, middle european, are different, and even if I read a lot about US culture, this isn't the same as being part of it. Still recommended. Shipping News even more though -- that was something I could relate to.

Diana Gabaldon: A Breath of Snow and Ashes (just begun)

It was probably my mother who made me read "Cross Stich"/"Outlander", the first of Diana Gabaldon's "Jamie and Claire" series, or whatever you would call it. I have read all books since, and while I found one of them disappointing -- it was the one with all that pointless traveling around in the carribean, the third, I think --, I like the series in general very well.

Most of its appeal is due to the strong, likeable characters, in particular Jamie and Claire, of course. With Jamie she has probably invented her ideal male idol, strong, caring, sensitive, sexy, while Claire seems to be what she herself is or even more probably what she would like to be.

When I write it like this, it sounds flat and transparent, but it isn't -- I find the characters so believable and well-developed, including the huge supporting cast, that it is a great fun to read. Having her story placed in history, and apparently well-researched at that, makes it very interesting, even more so as she has characters inside of the story that can comment on it from a 20th-century point of view.

Some may consider the story too long and tiring, but I enjoy spending time in an interesting and well-described world, so the longer the better.

I may write some more about it once I am through with this volume. At the moment I am less then 100 pages into it, just a small part of the nearly thousand pages. The last being a few years ago, I expected to have a difficult time remembering all the details needed to get back into the story, but Gabaldon makes it easy for the reader, dropping clues about past events where necessary. A pleasant reading right from the beginning, although probably not for someone who hasn't read the previous volumes. I am looking forward to the next rides on the train to work, which is quite something!