I’m happy to say that spring arrived here this week and we appear to be on our way to some glorious weather ahead. Wahoo. Of course we still have quite a bit of snow that needs to melt. Our yard is still covered under quite a few inches, but I think its days are numbered. Stella, our dog, and I even sat out on the back deck yesterday for the first time of the year …. with hopefully many more times to follow.
In book news this week the comic novel “Less” by Andrew Sean Greer won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction. I had previewed this novel last August and got it from the library but then didn’t get around to reading it. I think I will give it another go. The Washington Post critic Ron Charles said it’s very funny and it’s not often that comic novels win the top prizes to begin with. So kudos to Mr. Greer whose novel takes a humorous look at an American abroad — as well as being about growing older and a love story. We will see. Meanwhile I will leave you with reviews of what I finished lately.
Sigrid Nunez’s book “The Friend” is a bit of an unusual little novel (just over 200 pages) that features an unnamed narrator — a woman whose lifelong friend and mentor has unexpectedly committed suicide at the story’s outset and she is bequeathed his Great Dane dog, Apollo. The woman had met her friend decades earlier when she had been a student in his class. They both went on to be authors and taught writing — he having had quite a bit of success but also being a bit of a womanizer, who dated his students and eventually married three times.
Still they remained close, and she becomes unmoored by his death and is left his dog, which she tries to pawn off on his ex-wives but ultimately keeps him when no one will take him. The dog too is grieving after his master’s death, and the narrator and Apollo become unlikely companions in mourning, sharing a dinky NYC apartment, and eventually forming a bond that helps them to heal.
This is the gist of the story, though at times it’s a novel that seems not too caught up in its own plot. It includes more about observations the narrator thinks about along the way such as on: writing and books, loss and death, and various forms of love. She’s darkly funny at times, and also cynical. It’s filled with quotations and anecdotes from the lives and works of various writers and some who’ve committed suicide.
In this way I found its observations quite interesting and worthwhile, though it’s also disjointed if you’re into books with more of a plot-based story. Some of the writing is very good and I wanted to jot down several of its lines. The narrator is knowledgable about the NYC writing and teaching scene (as might be surmised from the author’s 2011 memoir about her friendship with Susan Sontag). It’s a book perhaps that is a little like some of Rachel Cusk’s recent novels (if you’ve read her) in that it’s: cerebral and a bit meandering.
While I liked it, I didn’t overly love it. It was different though. Still it’s a novel about the affinity for a dog and writing. Of course (being a dog lover, not to mention books too), I couldn’t help but be lured by that. Apparently animals are in all of Nunez’s books. She must know their lovable essence and goodness. So perhaps my main gripe about the book is that the hardback, courtesy of the library, had a tiny font. It’s a slim book with a tiny font. Argh, why, why why …. and no, no, no! (See Pet Peeve No. #101, can’t read typeface).
Next up, after the cerebral, I listened to the dirt of Molly Bloom’s 2014 memoir “Molly’s Game: The True Story of a 26-Year-Old Woman Behind the Most Exclusive, High-Stakes Underground Poker Game in the World.” Cassandra Campbell reads it for the audiobook. And of course, it came out as a movie in December, with Aaron Sorkin directing and writing the screenplay for it.
For those who don’t know its particulars: it’s the true story of a Colorado girl (an Olympic skier) who soon after college in 2003 decides to move to L.A. for a year and ends up becoming an assistant to this real estate developer — a jerk, who eventually involves her in running his underground poker games at the Viper Room. There, various wealthy stars gather to play in the game every Tuesday night (bankers, Hollywood actors and athletes), and Molly ends up taking home large sums of money in tips.
Eventually she takes over the game from her boss, obsessively seeing to every detail: of getting wealthy players each week and collecting the losses and paying the winners and staffing the game and its whereabouts. Along the way, the stakes get bigger, where eventually millions of dollars are changing hands, some of the players become troublesome, and Molly’s life spins out of control.
Gracious, I sort of felt the need to brush my teeth after this story, which portrays the greedy, opulent, icky lifestyle of various underground high-stakes poker players. Suffice it to say: I’m not enticed by gambling or by what often comes with it, but I admit Molly Bloom tells a pretty compelling story that seems stranger than fiction (filled with some pretty outrageous stuff) and I was curious to see it to the end.
In many ways in the memoir, Molly’s not exactly the most likable person: she becomes so ambitious to make tons of money and get power at such an early age. How she gets mixed up in this is pretty nuts. She gets sucked into this creepy world for the thrill and money and power of it. Yet despite everything, I still felt myself pulling for her to keep it together, overcome all the obstacles, and not go illegally rogue (she does seem to work her rear off). However this doesn’t exactly pan out. Along the way, she goes over the edge and loses her way (puts her family through hell too), all of which she admits in the book. From what I can tell, she’s lucky to be alive and out of jail — after the mob and a ponzi schemer get involved in her games. Scary stuff.
The book and movie differ in various ways. The movie has more about the court case and her lawyer (played by Idris Elba), which is minimal in the book. Also there is more in the movie about her strict father, being the source of her motivations in life, and he is much less in the book.
Although it’s obvious by the book that Bloom is no literary wiz, I actually liked the book quite a bit more than the movie. The immediacy of the story felt more to me in the book and the movie seemed too crafted and overly long; it even dragged a bit to me. Jessica Chastain plays Molly very coolly and business-like in the movie, which it seems like she was, but she also seemed a bit more nuanced too, which perhaps comes across a bit more in the book.
The book mentions such stars as Leo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck, and baseball player Alex Rodriguez who all played in her high-priced poker games, but the one who comes off the absolute worst is Tobey Maguire. Oh my, who knew he was as awful as he’s portrayed in the book. Yikes. Spider-Man?
What about you — have you read either of these books, or seen the movie — and if so what did you think?
I had read that Less won the Pulitzer and had my eye on it. There are so many prize winners, both old and new that I want to read. Time is so short though. Comic novels can be tricky. I find that humor works so differently for different people. With that, this book sounds very good.
Yeah Brian, I too am wondering if Less will indeed be funny. I agree humor works differently for different people, so I think I need to check it out.
I haven’t read any of those books but Molly’s Game does intrigue me. I’d also like to read Less.
Spring can’t decide if it wants to stick around here or not. It was 40 degrees when I got up this morning and that’s cold for us.
Hi Kathy, 40 degrees is pretty chilly. Spring is slow this year! I think you might like the audio of Molly’s Game. It kept me listening, and I’m not even into poker or gambling … so it did capture me in some way.
Your reviews are so entertaining today. I have wondered about both books and the movie. No wonder I feel like brushing my teeth so much here in LA, right? Happy Spring at last! I want to know the minute all your snow is gone.
Thanks Judy, it’s nice to hear the post might be entertaining this week. Ha. I think a lot of teeth brushing would be necessary in LA. All the money these people were throwing around in Molly’s Game — made the sleaze factor feel high to me. But no one’s shallow there, right? I will let you know about the snow. Can’t wait to see my lawn!
Molly’s Game sounds good. It seems that she came across as someone with whom one can empathize despite all the dirty dealings. I haven’t seen the movie yet, or most of the ones that competed at the award shows earlier this year. I will be doing that in the coming two months.
I want to finish the regular ones first, but they are taking me longer than usual because, at least two, have had previous installments and I’ve had to get up to speed with their earlier entries before moving on. A lot of movies came out in the final two-three months of the year and they are becoming available now on rental. I can’t seem to make up my mind about reviewing the award-winning ones, one by one, or in mini-reviews as I have grown used to. I guess I’ll cross the bridge when I get there. Sorry Susan, I didn’t realize I was venting! 😉
Hi Carmen, you’re right about Molly’s memoir — in some way I was pulling for her despite her dirty dealings. Sort of because of how her life unfolds in her 20s. The movie is all right, just a bit too long. I always look forward to your takes on movies, so I’ll be interested to see what you post over the next few weeks. It’s true a lot seems to be out now.
The tiny font drives me nuts, too. It’s probably the main reason I prefer reading on a Kindle. Still, The Friend does sound interesting and with being short it’s not much of a risk. Maybe this summer?
I commend you for going back and reading a book after seeing the movie. I don’t seem to be able to do it. I need to read the book first if I’m going to do both.
As for the Pulitzer, less was a surprise and I’ll be interested to hear what you think of it. I feel like I’ve not had the best of luck with Pulitzer winners.
Yes Susie, I hate tiny fonts! A bit of a headache in The Friend. I started the memoir to Molly’s Game and I was in the middle of it when I saw the movie of it on rental, which felt sort of like cheating. But then I was still into listening to the audio and had to see it through. I will try to get Less back from the library — I too am a bit curious what I’ll think of it.
Both Less and The Friend appeal to me enough to add them to my GoodReads Want to Read status. Not so with Molly’s Game–despite being a Colorado “girl” myself, this sounds like the type of thing MSNBC would run on a Sunday night–that is, gratuitous. I liked the bit about needing to brush your teeth after reading it!
Ha Jane. Funny. Every once in awhile I’ll mix in a memoir or thriller that’s a bit crazy and this one fit the bill perfectly. It’s a look at contemporary life that sometimes can surprise you that it’s happening. Chalk it up to a study of human nature.
We saw Molly’s Game and enjoyed it! Recently, we saw Chappaquiddick, and although I only went because my husband heard it was good, I really liked it – so well done.
Hope you’ve been doing well and reading lots of good books as well.
Hi Diane, thanks for the word on Chappaquiddick; I think I will see it. Also glad you enjoyed Molly’s Game. All is well here, thanks, and I hope so for you too.
Less sounds appealing to me. I’ve read a couple of Greer’s earlier novels… not comic by any means. The Story of a Marriage was especially good.
The Friend sounds interesting, too… was going to say I’d read her before, but then realized I was thinking of Siri Hustvedt. Whoops!
Hooray for spring and sitting on the deck… at last! Have a great week.
Thanks JoAnn. The weather looks promising this week — into the 60s! Bye bye snow! I will have to check out Less sometime in the near future. I usually like humorous novels, if indeed they are funny. Sigrid Nunez is a writer I hadn’t heard of before this — but she’s written quite a bit. Enjoy your week.
Bookworm has a wonderful interview with Greer about his book Less, maybe 4 months ago? I picked up a copy after that interview and lo and behold he wins the Pulitzer. It does sound very funny.
I’ve not seen Molly’s Game but it’s featured on On Demand so I keep seeing a commercial for it. It looks good and I have ZERO interest in gambling.
Hi Ti, I second that — I had Zero interest in gambling too, yet the memoir sort of caught me up in Molly’s rise from rags to riches & then her fall. Thx for telling me about the Greer interview. I will have to check that out along with his novel. Cheers!
I’m intrigued by Less and will be interested in what you think about it!
Thanks Laila, I need to get Less back from the library. I’ll put myself on the waitlist once again. Cheers. Less is probably a lot More right?
I didn’t know that Less had won the Pulitzer! I must be living under a rock. I’ve seen this at the library – I’l have to bring it home with me one of these days. It’s kind of nice to see a comic novel win.
This is the first I’ve heard of The Friend, but I’m very tempted (especially with that beautiful Great Dane on the cover!)
Hi Naomi, I must admit I’m a sucker for dog stories! I need to get Less back sometime, perhaps it’s good as a summer read. Who couldn’t use some humor?