Challenge – Page 6 – The Relentless Reader

By Nightfall by Michael Cunningham
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication Date: September 2010
Category: Literary
Source: Library

Description:
Peter and Rebecca Harris: mid-forties denizens of Manhattan’s SoHo, nearing the apogee of committed careers in the arts—he a dealer, she an editor. With a spacious loft, a college-age daughter in Boston, and lively friends, they are admirable, enviable contemporary urbanites with every reason, it seems, to be happy. Then Rebecca’s much younger look-alike brother, Ethan (known in the family as Mizzy, “the mistake”), shows up for a visit. A beautiful, beguiling twenty-three-year-old with a history of drug problems, Mizzy is wayward, at loose ends, looking for direction. And in his presence, Peter finds himself questioning his artists, their work, his career—the entire world he has so carefully constructed.

Like his legendary, Pulitzer Prize–winning novel, The Hours, Michael Cunningham’s masterly new novel is a heartbreaking look at the way we live now. Full of shocks and aftershocks, it makes us think and feel deeply about the uses and meaning of beauty and the place of love in our lives.

My Thoughts:
I read By Nightfall as part of The Literary Others LGBT reading event hosted by Adam at Roof Beam Reader.

By Nightfall was listed at Over the Rainbow Books and was a finalist for gay fiction in the 23rd Annual Lambda Literary Awards.

I know the dude won a Pulitzer for The Hours, and this book was smiled upon by critics as well. But By Nightfall didn’t do it for this girl. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it.

The writing was agreeable. The story was fine. What I didn’t like was the whiff of smarty-pants snobbery. Maybe I’m a sensitive person. Maybe I don’t like a book that talks down about my area of the country. Repeatedly.

In conclusion, it was an ok read. Would I read it again? Nah.

Once again I’ve been knocked over the head by a book that I should have read long ago. Knowing that there are other books out there that I’ve missed is the kind of thing that keeps me up at night! This was a stunning read that made me bawl like a baby. If you haven’t had a chance to read this yet please do so. Please!

Flowers for Algernon

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

Short story published in 1959

Novel published in 1966

progris riport 1-martch 5, 1965
         
            Dr. Strauss says I shud rite down what I think and evrey thing
         that happins to me from now on, I dont know why but he says its
         importint so they will see if they will use me. I hope they use me.
         Miss Kinnian says maybe they can make me smart. I want to be
         smart. My name is Charlie Gordon. I am 37 years old. I have
         nuthing more to rite now so I will close for today.

“I was her bestist pupil in the Beckman School for retarted adults and I tryed the hardist becus I reely wantd to lern I wantid it more even then pepul who are smarter even then me.”

“How strange it is that people of honest feelings and sensibility  who would not take advantage of a man born without arms or legs or eyes-how such people think nothing of abusing a man with low intelligence.”

“Dr Strauss said I had something that was very good. He said I had a good motor-vation. I never ever knew I had that. I felt proud when he said that not every body with an eye-q of 68 had that thing. I don't know what it is or where I got it but he said Algernon had it too. Algernons motor-vation is the cheese they put in his box. But it cant be that because I didnt eat any cheese last week.”

― Daniel Keyes, Flowers for Algernon

I read this book in celebration of Banned Books Week and as part of The Classics Club challenge.

The Classics Club

Tag: Challenge

Review: By Nightfall by Michael Cunningham

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes