Comments on: Fortress of Solitude http://blacknell.net/dynamic/2006/09/27/fortress-of-solitude/ Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:40:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: MB http://blacknell.net/dynamic/2006/09/27/fortress-of-solitude/#comment-146 MB Fri, 29 Sep 2006 01:51:46 +0000 http://blacknell.net/dynamic/2006/09/27/fortress-of-solitude/#comment-146 Thanks for the pointer. The magical realism was a bit jarring, I agree. For me, it didn't add anything to the story . . . until we got to Mingus and Robert Woolfolk in jail. What happened there was exactly on point. I've been thinking about this book for a few days now, and I'm realizing that I don't really have much useful criticism from a literary point of view. From a personal point of view, though? This book absolutely catches it. I was not Dylan Ebdus (tho' Nita might have been, I bet), but I absolutely understand him. In a fundamental way. Thanks for the pointer.

The magical realism was a bit jarring, I agree. For me, it didn’t add anything to the story . . . until we got to Mingus and Robert Woolfolk in jail. What happened there was exactly on point.

I’ve been thinking about this book for a few days now, and I’m realizing that I don’t really have much useful criticism from a literary point of view.

From a personal point of view, though? This book absolutely catches it. I was not Dylan Ebdus (tho’ Nita might have been, I bet), but I absolutely understand him. In a fundamental way.

]]> By: Beth http://blacknell.net/dynamic/2006/09/27/fortress-of-solitude/#comment-144 Beth Thu, 28 Sep 2006 15:40:01 +0000 http://blacknell.net/dynamic/2006/09/27/fortress-of-solitude/#comment-144 See, I thought it was almost a great book, but not quite. Mostly that was because the magical realism (for lack of a better term) stuff didn't quite work for me, but also because I was really frustrated that we didn't hear from Mingus until so close to the end. I think the examination of race would have been more interesting if we could have heard both sides earlier on. But I think I need to reread it. I did this one as an audio book and it left me with so many "what the fuck?" moments that I probably ought to try it again the old-fashioned way. We had a brief but kind of good discussion about it <a href="http://www.theusuals.net/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=236905&page=&view=&sb=5&o=&vc=1" rel="nofollow">over here</a>. See, I thought it was almost a great book, but not quite. Mostly that was because the magical realism (for lack of a better term) stuff didn’t quite work for me, but also because I was really frustrated that we didn’t hear from Mingus until so close to the end. I think the examination of race would have been more interesting if we could have heard both sides earlier on.

But I think I need to reread it. I did this one as an audio book and it left me with so many “what the fuck?” moments that I probably ought to try it again the old-fashioned way.

We had a brief but kind of good discussion about it over here.

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