_The Hearts of Horses_ is an enjoyable read, more page-turning than its quiet, even-tempered tone would initially give you cause to guess. It may prompt you to chuckle in company, and, when pressed, explain lamely, "Just horses being horses." It gives you a sense of these animals, these people, and even this country, even though they are invented from hoof to hillock.
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(2 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
This memoir is lucidly written and holds far more profound interest than a mere peek into a mental institution. Kaysen's story is told in short and focused chapters, almost stand-alone essays, easy to devour. The book raises questions not only about the biases and assumptions present in our society's mental health industry, but about the entire concept of 'sane' and 'insane'.
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(2 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
I'm not sure it's fair for Coupland to pick so many squirming thoughts, impressions and experiences directly from my brain and pin them to his pages, especially as he is writing about a different generation of geeks from mine. This book is a rambling, musing journal written from the point of view of a codemonkey tired of the grind at Microsoft in the early 90's. If I had to say what it is about, I'd say it's about technology, isolation, the creation of self and family, intellectual and cultural evolution, and change. So, basically, everything.
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(3 of 5 readers found this comment helpful)
Four Quartets is one of the most astounding pieces of writing I've ever encountered. It may start off strange and esoteric, but it becomes more and more familiar through the reading, until you feel almost as if you are experiencing Eliot's journeys and musings instead of reading a poetic result of them. It builds upon itself in the most transparent yet masterful ways. An incredible experience for me as a writer and a thinker.
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(3 of 4 readers found this comment helpful)
Eilonwy has commented on (4) products.
The Hearts of Horses by Molly Gloss
Eilonwy, May 13, 2008
_The Hearts of Horses_ is an enjoyable read, more page-turning than its quiet, even-tempered tone would initially give you cause to guess. It may prompt you to chuckle in company, and, when pressed, explain lamely, "Just horses being horses." It gives you a sense of these animals, these people, and even this country, even though they are invented from hoof to hillock.(2 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
Eilonwy, January 6, 2008
This memoir is lucidly written and holds far more profound interest than a mere peek into a mental institution. Kaysen's story is told in short and focused chapters, almost stand-alone essays, easy to devour. The book raises questions not only about the biases and assumptions present in our society's mental health industry, but about the entire concept of 'sane' and 'insane'.(2 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
Microserfs by Douglas Coupland
Eilonwy, September 20, 2007
I'm not sure it's fair for Coupland to pick so many squirming thoughts, impressions and experiences directly from my brain and pin them to his pages, especially as he is writing about a different generation of geeks from mine. This book is a rambling, musing journal written from the point of view of a codemonkey tired of the grind at Microsoft in the early 90's. If I had to say what it is about, I'd say it's about technology, isolation, the creation of self and family, intellectual and cultural evolution, and change. So, basically, everything.(3 of 5 readers found this comment helpful)
Four Quartets (Harvest Book) by T S Eliot
Eilonwy, April 30, 2007
Four Quartets is one of the most astounding pieces of writing I've ever encountered. It may start off strange and esoteric, but it becomes more and more familiar through the reading, until you feel almost as if you are experiencing Eliot's journeys and musings instead of reading a poetic result of them. It builds upon itself in the most transparent yet masterful ways. An incredible experience for me as a writer and a thinker.(3 of 4 readers found this comment helpful)