sleepy
audrey_e at Book 26: Consider the Lobster26 CONSIDER THE LOBSTER David Foster Wallace (US, 2005)
David Foster Wallace's collection of essays includes reflections on a diversity of topics such as pornography, John McCain's presidential campaign, and the ethics of cooking lobsters.
A few years ago, I read an essay taken from A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again for a creative writing class, and absolutely loved it. This might be why Consider the Lobster is a bit of a disappointment.
There's no denying that Wallace has a sharp sense of humor, and that his writing style is recognizable at first glance. But it's his voice that I didn't like as much as I wanted to, and while liking or not a main character in a novel is often irrelevant when judging its quality, the voice of a personal essay needs to be likeable. There are a few things that I didn't like about Wallace, and that might have spoiled some of the pleasure I took in his writing style. I also felt that some of his essays were dragging on, and would've been better shorter.
Maybe this wasn't the right book for me, and I intend to try his work again to see if I change my mind.
2.5/5
David Foster Wallace's collection of essays includes reflections on a diversity of topics such as pornography, John McCain's presidential campaign, and the ethics of cooking lobsters.
A few years ago, I read an essay taken from A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again for a creative writing class, and absolutely loved it. This might be why Consider the Lobster is a bit of a disappointment.
There's no denying that Wallace has a sharp sense of humor, and that his writing style is recognizable at first glance. But it's his voice that I didn't like as much as I wanted to, and while liking or not a main character in a novel is often irrelevant when judging its quality, the voice of a personal essay needs to be likeable. There are a few things that I didn't like about Wallace, and that might have spoiled some of the pleasure I took in his writing style. I also felt that some of his essays were dragging on, and would've been better shorter.
Maybe this wasn't the right book for me, and I intend to try his work again to see if I change my mind.
2.5/5
