tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post8050031570172821534..comments2024-02-10T19:58:20.327+00:00Comments on Stuck in a Book: P.D. JamesStuckInABookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-32925471347578723742012-04-02T12:43:53.713+01:002012-04-02T12:43:53.713+01:00Cover Her Face does intrigue me - but I'm not ...Cover Her Face does intrigue me - but I'm not one to dash at crime. She is still a wonderful speaker, which is enough for her age!StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-36187956786150528452012-04-02T12:43:24.582+01:002012-04-02T12:43:24.582+01:00I might turn to it on a rainy day sometime - Mum h...I might turn to it on a rainy day sometime - Mum has a copy - but I shan't be buying it. That's my conclusion!StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-60725242776854545912012-04-02T12:43:00.090+01:002012-04-02T12:43:00.090+01:00Hope Anne Tyler was good! I was going to recommen...Hope Anne Tyler was good! I was going to recommend that we meet up for a coffee, but I actually wasn't in Oxford during Sunday.StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-26547113631462921942012-04-02T12:42:37.368+01:002012-04-02T12:42:37.368+01:00It does seem pretty universal here, doesn't it...It does seem pretty universal here, doesn't it? I don't know how her reviews were. Presumably the Sunday Times was favourable.StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-40836097566501324402012-04-02T12:42:01.525+01:002012-04-02T12:42:01.525+01:00Lovely response!Lovely response!StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-16163074052132154072012-04-02T12:31:30.801+01:002012-04-02T12:31:30.801+01:00My friends were in that queue! My Lent ban meant ...My friends were in that queue! My Lent ban meant I wasn't, but I'm not regretting it too much now... <br /><br />I heard Claire T speak a while ago - she was great, of course!StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-66581356526986129662012-04-02T12:30:51.917+01:002012-04-02T12:30:51.917+01:00A dischordant voice! I shall bear the witness for...A dischordant voice! I shall bear the witness for the defence in mind :)StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-51655471435031488762012-04-02T12:30:18.178+01:002012-04-02T12:30:18.178+01:00Ha! I can't help liking Wickham a bit after t...Ha! I can't help liking Wickham a bit after the Lost in Austen tv series 'revealed' him to be misunderstood...StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-42371305834734935052012-04-02T12:29:45.525+01:002012-04-02T12:29:45.525+01:00Good luck! Alison knows my lack of love for crime...Good luck! Alison knows my lack of love for crime novels, so I probably shan't bother...StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-69465541672592351982012-04-02T12:29:23.620+01:002012-04-02T12:29:23.620+01:00She is simply wonderful - I think I got the best o...She is simply wonderful - I think I got the best of both worlds, by hearing her speak without reading the book!StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-16593706206439616342012-04-02T12:28:58.808+01:002012-04-02T12:28:58.808+01:00You obviously have the same suspicious mind! ;)You obviously have the same suspicious mind! ;)StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-84836813857491825492012-04-02T12:28:47.731+01:002012-04-02T12:28:47.731+01:00Strong words indeed, Claire! Especially given you...Strong words indeed, Claire! Especially given your willingness to enjoy it. Hmm...StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-10351430690704317512012-04-02T12:28:29.664+01:002012-04-02T12:28:29.664+01:00It sounded such fun, too!It sounded such fun, too!StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-10826224433119649862012-03-31T04:30:05.628+01:002012-03-31T04:30:05.628+01:00I feel that it is unfair to judge her body of work...I feel that it is unfair to judge her body of work based on this one example written, lets face it, in her dotage. Actually, her last 3 or 4 books have not been up to her earlier standards. The most recent is truly awful; however, if one reads some of her earlier work and one enjoys a well constructed traditional mystery her skill will be obvious. I have read them all and I remember Cover Her Face and The Skull Beneath the Skin as particularly good.EllenB in NYCnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-78276148713093586942012-03-30T23:44:53.460+01:002012-03-30T23:44:53.460+01:00I will agree with Cornflower on this one. If you d...I will agree with Cornflower on this one. If you don't expect a lot, it's sort of fun. But, it did feel if she was trying just a little bit too hard to pull off the Austen voice. The beginning was fine, but as you read further, you can sense the tension of it getting harder to do. My dd#2 read it with me and felt the same. We did enjoy the references to other Austen characters, though. :)Susan in TXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09550766549670690646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-73656604847319787902012-03-30T23:07:18.194+01:002012-03-30T23:07:18.194+01:00Admire P D James but I'm not crazy about Auste...Admire P D James but I'm not crazy about Austen sequels. My book group has selected it though, so I'll reserve judgement until I've read it.<br /><br />I'm going to the festival on Sunday to see Anne Tyler. Shame I missed you!Vintage Readinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05971819409379613967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-89738326771415157082012-03-30T21:12:54.672+01:002012-03-30T21:12:54.672+01:00Oh dear. I cannot remember so many negative commen...Oh dear. I cannot remember so many negative comments about a book you discussed for quite some time (leaving aside your own displeasure with 'In Cold Blood'). The only person I know who has read 'Death Comes to Pemberley' was also rather unimpressed. Despite this, anyone who remains interested in hearing P. D. James discuss the book and why she wrote it, can do so in this Faber podcast: http://soundcloud.com/faberbooks/p-d-james-death-comes-toDavid Nolan (David73277)https://www.blogger.com/profile/16898875181095358216noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-22762206409523022852012-03-30T20:39:13.693+01:002012-03-30T20:39:13.693+01:00I promise I will consider it, at least :) Thanks f...I promise I will consider it, at least :) Thanks for the recommendation!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-511892124660213052012-03-30T14:47:58.308+01:002012-03-30T14:47:58.308+01:00My Book Club read this book and we have several Ja...My Book Club read this book and we have several Jane Austen fans. Most enjoyed it though I found it a bit boring. One member felt that P.D. James should not have written a sequel. P.D. James herself said that she apologized to Jane Austen and thought that Ms. Austen would have responded " had she wished to dwell on such odious subjects, she would have written it herself and done better."Michèle Dextrashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11468081817772390240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-257612825658893122012-03-30T12:02:53.787+01:002012-03-30T12:02:53.787+01:00Please don't be put off P.D. by this aberratio...Please don't be put off P.D. by this aberration. Try one of her early books. I recommend "Death of a Nightingale", but only if you like crime novels of course.Ali Malhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01595941215998565255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-81060841583131780912012-03-30T12:01:46.357+01:002012-03-30T12:01:46.357+01:00Simon, this book is *awful* & I am a fan of th...Simon, this book is *awful* & I am a fan of the great P.D. Didn't spot you yesterday as I was going into the next event after P.D.'s (The wonderful Clare Tomalin) I did get a glimpse of the lady busily signing books with a healthy queue of fans lined up.Ali Malhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01595941215998565255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-62787536614194020782012-03-30T10:32:14.244+01:002012-03-30T10:32:14.244+01:00I thought the book was fun, and above all it was P...I thought the book was fun, and above all it was P. D. James having fun! Don't go into it with high expectations but read it as a little self-indulgence on the author's part, and it's an enjoyable piece full of social satire, casual references to characters from other Austen novels, and some great lines. Take it in that spirit and it will pass muster (it did for me).Cornflowerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17779286635989616330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-22225303379035113402012-03-30T09:52:02.089+01:002012-03-30T09:52:02.089+01:00I haven't read it, though I recently read a mo...I haven't read it, though I recently read a moderately positive review. The central mystery of the novel isn't at all interesting to me. So somebody murdered Wickham. Who cares? In my mind, there would be a big party at Pemberley to celebrate the occasion. Would anybody actually miss him? After years of being married to that cad, I'm not sure even Lydia would grieve him for very long.<br /><br />I love the Humpty Dumpty anecdote!Dianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02957349442523993974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-90044629532263241042012-03-30T09:48:36.514+01:002012-03-30T09:48:36.514+01:00I second Claire's "awful". No sparkl...I second Claire's "awful". No sparkle or wit at all. It was my first and definitely my last foray into P. D. James literature.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-46434135423895121192012-03-30T08:39:51.264+01:002012-03-30T08:39:51.264+01:00I've read it -- and I'm afraid it is disap...I've read it -- and I'm afraid it is disappointing though I wouldn't go so far as to say awful. She gets JA's voice amazingly right, especially at the beginning, but you were right not to buy it. However she is absolutely wonderful and I'm glad you saw her -- I saw her last year at the OLS and loved every second.harriethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04470091985662379182noreply@blogger.com