I don’t think I can claim to have fully understood We Do Not Part, but I loved it nonetheless. And I’m halfway through the Hazzard and once again I’m blown away by her writing. I think the dialogue in this one can be a bit sticky, not quite convincing, but the prose itself is just SO FREAKING GOOD. I’m also interested in what she’s saying about the Antipodes (in other words, Australia 😂) as an Australian woman who, at the time of writing, had lived in the US for most of her life. Not to mention THAT plot point that will have people raging (but that I am enjoying talking about 🤷🏻♀️)
Yes! I agree with everything you said here. I hope you'll be able to make it to one of our book clubs! I would love to hear your perspective and get to discuss more!
Of course! This is the first one I've ever done so I'm not an expert, but I'm taking this particular seminar through McNally Jackson. The Center for Fiction and NYRB also offer similar online seminars. Additionally, I know some universities have online continuing education. Someone in the FM group mentioned taking courses through Stanford and I'm looking at an online summer course through Oxford. That's what I've got now, but I'll report back if I learn of any other good options. I'm also trying to figure out how to offer some myself so stay tuned!
Sara, I had a similar thought about the pairing of We Do Not Part and The Great Fire from the perspective of US involvement in the those early post-WWII years. Geez. and ugh.
A few months ago on your Instagram, you recommended the audio version of Brideshead Revisited, narrated by Jeremy Irons. It recently became available for me on Libby, and I'm halfway through it. Thank you for the push to pick up this classic in a more accessible format!
OMG yay!!! I'm so glad you gave it a try and that you're enjoying it! To me, it's counterintuitive to do classics on audio, but sometimes it just works beautifully!
I feel the opposite, actually! I like doing classics on audio because somehow I can process the unfamiliar language patterns better that way and I don’t get as bogged down. Thank you for the rec!
Yes yes I agree! I’m just surprised that that’s the case because I find I have to read classics so closely on the page but in audio it just kind of absorbs me!
I just finished We Do Not Part, and… wow. I knew nothing about the events she describes, and the way the story unfolded brought up waves of emotions similar to the actual waves that washed away evidence of the crimes. I was intrigued by Kang’s use of physical pain (protagonist’s chronic pain but also her friend’s injury) and how the protagonist fights through it to try to save the bird, symbolizing hope/innocence, just like having to fight emotional trauma to keep going in life. What a way to learn about this period in history.
Yes to everything you said here! She is truly a masterful writer and the way she explores trauma is extremely effective. It's difficult to bear as a reader, but I also have so much trust in her that it works beautifully.
If you’re going to read some classic detective fiction/noir, I highly recommend Dorothy B Hughes’s In a Lonely Place. Hope you haven’t seen the film because it doesn’t even come close because of the novel’s POV.
Thanks for this! I'm not sure if you've heard of or read THIS MOTHERLESS LAND by Nikki May? It's a loose re-imagining of MANSFIELD PARK but decolonized. I'm not familiar with MANSFIELD PARK, but I thought THIS MOTHERLESS LAND was great! Very emotionally-compelling and thought-provoking by also commenting on race and class. It was great on audio, too!
I recently read my first Han Kang novel - Human Acts. From everything I'd heard said about her writing I expected it to be difficult, but I found this novel to be extremely readable. I was blown away but the writing and the power of the novel and I can't wait to read more. I have We Do Not Part on my Kindle now and plan to read it next month.
I don’t think I can claim to have fully understood We Do Not Part, but I loved it nonetheless. And I’m halfway through the Hazzard and once again I’m blown away by her writing. I think the dialogue in this one can be a bit sticky, not quite convincing, but the prose itself is just SO FREAKING GOOD. I’m also interested in what she’s saying about the Antipodes (in other words, Australia 😂) as an Australian woman who, at the time of writing, had lived in the US for most of her life. Not to mention THAT plot point that will have people raging (but that I am enjoying talking about 🤷🏻♀️)
Yes! I agree with everything you said here. I hope you'll be able to make it to one of our book clubs! I would love to hear your perspective and get to discuss more!
I’m just trying to work out the time zones but hopefully yes if I can work it out 😅
Hi Sara, can you share where you find online seminars? Would love to get back to learning too !
Of course! This is the first one I've ever done so I'm not an expert, but I'm taking this particular seminar through McNally Jackson. The Center for Fiction and NYRB also offer similar online seminars. Additionally, I know some universities have online continuing education. Someone in the FM group mentioned taking courses through Stanford and I'm looking at an online summer course through Oxford. That's what I've got now, but I'll report back if I learn of any other good options. I'm also trying to figure out how to offer some myself so stay tuned!
Sara, I had a similar thought about the pairing of We Do Not Part and The Great Fire from the perspective of US involvement in the those early post-WWII years. Geez. and ugh.
Yes! This is such important history to know as an American—always but maybe especially right now.
A few months ago on your Instagram, you recommended the audio version of Brideshead Revisited, narrated by Jeremy Irons. It recently became available for me on Libby, and I'm halfway through it. Thank you for the push to pick up this classic in a more accessible format!
OMG yay!!! I'm so glad you gave it a try and that you're enjoying it! To me, it's counterintuitive to do classics on audio, but sometimes it just works beautifully!
I feel the opposite, actually! I like doing classics on audio because somehow I can process the unfamiliar language patterns better that way and I don’t get as bogged down. Thank you for the rec!
Yes yes I agree! I’m just surprised that that’s the case because I find I have to read classics so closely on the page but in audio it just kind of absorbs me!
I just finished We Do Not Part, and… wow. I knew nothing about the events she describes, and the way the story unfolded brought up waves of emotions similar to the actual waves that washed away evidence of the crimes. I was intrigued by Kang’s use of physical pain (protagonist’s chronic pain but also her friend’s injury) and how the protagonist fights through it to try to save the bird, symbolizing hope/innocence, just like having to fight emotional trauma to keep going in life. What a way to learn about this period in history.
Yes to everything you said here! She is truly a masterful writer and the way she explores trauma is extremely effective. It's difficult to bear as a reader, but I also have so much trust in her that it works beautifully.
Thank you for sharing the episode. I’m obsessed with Torrey now.
She seems so cool!
Sara, House of Leaves is a must read for you. It may be a Horror novel in theory - but it's really about epistemology. You'll be fascinated.
Ok yes I really need to read it!
If you’re going to read some classic detective fiction/noir, I highly recommend Dorothy B Hughes’s In a Lonely Place. Hope you haven’t seen the film because it doesn’t even come close because of the novel’s POV.
Brutal is a great way to describe Han Kang's writing. I am not motivated to read another after The Vegetarian and I don't quite know why...
I have to admit, I did not find House of Leaves scary but maybe that word means something different in books than say movies or IRL.
Thanks for this! I'm not sure if you've heard of or read THIS MOTHERLESS LAND by Nikki May? It's a loose re-imagining of MANSFIELD PARK but decolonized. I'm not familiar with MANSFIELD PARK, but I thought THIS MOTHERLESS LAND was great! Very emotionally-compelling and thought-provoking by also commenting on race and class. It was great on audio, too!
I recently read my first Han Kang novel - Human Acts. From everything I'd heard said about her writing I expected it to be difficult, but I found this novel to be extremely readable. I was blown away but the writing and the power of the novel and I can't wait to read more. I have We Do Not Part on my Kindle now and plan to read it next month.