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Tildes Book Club - How are you doing with Ocean at the End of the Lane?
I've had competing responsibilities, so I'm only about 25 percent of the way through. The premise is intriguing and I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out. What about you?
I am 0% through, but luckily I have read it before and own a copy. I just need to find it. I remember it being a little hard to get started but a quick read once you got into it, so I'm hoping to have it finished quickly.
Just finished a few days ago. I got shipped off to Australia (from the US) for work and had plenty of time to read on flights and in hotels.
I'm choosing to pass (rather than missing it accidentally I swear) due to the recent news about the author. So I really hope to actually be able to participate next month.
https://www.tortoisemedia.com/2024/07/03/exclusive-neil-gaiman-accused-of-sexual-assault/
Well, shit. I like Gaiman's work, but those allegations are disturbing. And even if what he said about the accusations is true and everything was totally consensual, he still admitted to having a sexual relationship with an 18 year old when he was in his mid-40s, which is pretty suss. And him accusing the other woman (who was his kid's nanny) of "suffering from a condition associated with false memories at the time of her relationship with him" sounds like a really pathetic excuse.
I finished the book before that news broke... I don't think it colors how I feel about the novel's plot or characters, but it does make me sad to hear.
Yeah the whole thing is complicated and I don't want to go into it here - there are some issues with the source but the women speak directly on it so yeah. I'm avoiding his work for the time being.
Thanks for the update.
oh shit I forgot that was this month thank u for the reminder!!! im finishing Mistress of the Empire atm, ill read this next!
update: okay I read it last night! I'm really looking forward to the discussion, a lot of super interesting stuff going on. I felt like it had similar vibes to Atonement (which I adored) and I wonder if it was inspired at least a bit by that novel.
Yeah, I also missed this one, but it's on order now and I'm looking forward to it.
I'm actually almost done with it already. I've been really curious to see how it wraps up and it's a pretty short book
Bump.
I'm now at 50 percent
I made the mistake of starting to read S.A. Tholin's Primaterre series last month after someone on Tildes (I can't remember who... was it you, @boxer_dogs_dance?) mentioned the first book, Iron Truth, winning the 2021 SPSFC contest. Now I'm thoroughly hooked on it, and am midway through the second book, so I haven't had a chance to start OatEotL yet. But I am definitely looking forward to OatEotL, since I have greatly enjoyed every other Gaiman shows/movies/comics/novels I've consumed. I might just be a bit late to the discussion this time though... especially if I end up finishing Primaterre first, which I am likely to do since I hate switching to new books midway through reading a series. :P
I am on Chapter 4, sorry about not participating in the last ones before. Thankfully my library has it on audiobook, so I am getting through it that way. And I am really liking it so far.
Appreciate the bump on this thread, @boxer_dogs_dance, I just finished it last night. It was my first Gaiman novel and, somewhat unsurprisingly, it felt a lot like a Discworld novel in that it was a very digestible read, and the pages seem to melt away (though it helped that it was a relatively short book too).
Really excited to discuss it with the group when the time comes!
OT: I haven't been able to finish the previous two books because I was put off by things that (apparently) change in the end. I want to participate in the book club honestly and I tried to read the books, but I couldn't make it halfway there.
As a result, I feel like I end up complaining about things I shouldn't or something. So I don't post. Like, the protagonist in PHM was insufferably perfect. I get that, later in the book, there is some issue with his supposed cowardice, but I couldn't make it there.
Is criticizing a book you only got done half way bad form?
I think it's ok, but are you open to the feedback that things change in the end? Because I think it makes sense to say "I didn't finish because of X up to this point" and for others to say, "oh X actually changes later" which may or may not be worth you reassessing your interpretation. You might still feel like X was too much to slog through.
On a larger scale I've never finished WoT and it's a fucking SLOG in the middle and I feel ok talking about how I've failed to get past book eight 3 times, and also have feelings about gender portrayal in the series. Someone could tell me that I'm book 13 everything is fast paced and the gender stuff is way different and it still may never be worth it to me to try to get through Book 8. But I'll always be open about where I stopped to make my criticism make sense.
Idk just my 2 pence.
Totally open to feedback. Also, my experiences aren't universal, so others are going to have different perspectives. Congratulations on getting to Book 8 in WoT. I think I made it to 7 before exempting myself from the remainder.
Then I'd say go for it in the discussion.
I think I made it to 8 each time but I can't swear to it anymore, it's been decades since I tried.