Aaaaah! Can't keep up with exponentially-growing thread and huge Bare lovin'!
Now I'm going to have to find the CD and listen to it while I read "At Swim, Two Boys." 30 pages in, and I couldn't be more bored. It gets better, right? 13, don't worry - it get A LOT better. When I first read it, I also found the first 60 pages or so slow; but it's purposely that way to set up the mood, and get into the "cadence" (oooh, English essay word there; = the rhythm of the language) of the text. You'll notice that O'Neill is very crafty with how he chooses and arranges his words, to create that lyrical rhythm. That's why I think the book is almost like an epic prose poem.
Although "At Swim, Two Boys" and BARE share a few similarities in the emotions they evoke (that's why I recommended the book), they are completely different works so listening to the recording while reading may be reductive and definitely anachronistic ("At Swim" is unapologetically a historical novel, with Irish nationality and the Easter Uprising at its core; BARE is very much a contemporary piece). But it doesn't hurt to imagine Michael Arden as Jim! (And as an aside, imagine Colin Farrell or Jude Law as MacMurrough! Yum!)
Speaking of altar boys, Michael Arden was an altar boy.
BlueWizard's blog: The Rambling Corner
HEDWIG: "The road is my home. In reflecting upon the people whom I have come upon in my travels, I cannot help but think of the people who have come upon me."
Updated On: 8/28/04 at 02:29 AM