[This is a weekly post where I talk about whatever I happen to be reading at the moment. No book too great or too small to be read. Since most of my reading happens on my subway commute, I'm calling it Subway Fare.]
Yesterday a friend gave me this book. There's nothing better than having a friend over for breakfast and she turns up with a bag full of books for you to read on your commute. She put this one in my hands and in retrospect I guess I went all Frollo on her, mustering a pained face full of distaste and saying something peevish like "What---is---this---peasant---trash." On the strength of her masters degree in literature, she rolled her eyes and said, "Ignore the cover, you'll finish it in an afternoon."
OK, I will say to no one's surprise and with no animosity to our author Ms. Clare, this certainly did not hit the New York Times list on account of the exquisite writing. Here's a taste of the exposition technique:
He'd asked her to stop calling him Uncle Luke about a year ago, claiming that it made him feel old, and anyway reminded him of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Besides, he'd reminded her gently, he wasn't really her uncle, just a close friend of her mother's who'd known her all her life.
GEE, THANKS FOR MAKING THAT CLEAR, EXPOSITION. "Besides, he'd reminded her gently for the sake of any third party who might ever read the story of their lives and wonder how he and Clary are related since obviously there is no way she has FORGOTTEN unless she is like that girl in 50 First Dates and can't remember ANYTHING, he wasn't really her uncle."(Also, Uncle Tom's Cabin!? Is it possible that a human person who has been alive on the human earth for any amount of time could have only ONE association with the word "uncle" and that it would be a 19th century sentimental protest novel?? Like, how long did you ponder that one, Clare?)
With that minor caveat, I am ready to admit that there are a lot of sexy magic people, which is really why YA fiction exists and NOBODY is complaining about that. Certainly not this girl.
So I've been reading it on the subway. (And in parks. And in my apartment.) But I usually hide the cover.
(Because I still care about what people on the subway think of me because most of them are so well dressed and might be models. I'm sure this is something I will grow out of when I have children.)
P.S. I just read a line that says, "Her voice was like honey poured over ice." Ugh.
Bahaha, this whole thing made me laugh. The fact that we ALL have read that book in some way or another, your point about YA fiction, and the fact that you ride the subway, all made me so so happy. Keep writing!
ReplyDeletePS. I have to tell you that when this post popped up on my feed I originally ignored it when I saw the book cover, thinking, that's wordpress feed, not anyone I know. Hehe! :)
ReplyDeleteHannah, tickle me PINK!! Not only are you funny, but I'm learning about Exposition, THANK YOU! It's so sad when you shine that glaring light on that line about being an uncle, yikes. Right, it's so obvious it's for US, got it. And I WAS confused about the Uncle Tom's Cabin reference... why WOULD it remind him of that? Uncle Tom was actually young and had a lovely wife and children (young to a 52-yr-old). Love this: "most of them are so well dressed and might be models." Might be models, tickle me PINK. I love the surprise tickles! Can't wait for your next book review (I think I WON'T read this one.).
ReplyDeleteHoney over ice! That's a terrible description! Ew! But yes, we all read stuff like this and hide it from the models. I think even as a mom I would still do that... maybe when I'm old and don't give a crap what people think.
ReplyDeleteHere I am rediscovering your blog and I think that some of the blogs I follow got dropped during the Google Reader to Feedly transfer. Love that you are reading while you are on the Subway...I need to go catch up on my "I capture the castle, london foggy blog" reading.
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