tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post6687753003701242280..comments2023-10-03T11:41:21.191+01:00Comments on The Truth About Lies: String BridgeJim Murdochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-81904426931750741862011-11-11T10:59:47.272+00:002011-11-11T10:59:47.272+00:00Thank you for that, Hilary. I do hope new reviewer...Thank you for that, <b>Hilary</b>. I do hope new reviewers make up their own minds before they start looking at existing reviews for ideas. It’s tempting I know. I usually have a wee look after I’ve written the body of my article to see if I’ve missed anything.<br /><br>Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-58365988584579030202011-11-10T18:27:41.379+00:002011-11-10T18:27:41.379+00:00Hi Jim .. I hope a lot of others who are reviewing...Hi Jim .. I hope a lot of others who are reviewing Jess' book will read this .. and inwardly digest - purely for process - as it's an opinion as you say - but coming from a worthwhile source as I say .. so good for a read through by other bloggers and reviewers ..<br /><br />Cheers HilaryHilary Melton-Butcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17596532480645510678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-36757187639593965492011-11-10T15:25:26.198+00:002011-11-10T15:25:26.198+00:00Delighted so see you still want to read the book, ...Delighted so see you still want to read the book, <b>Hilary</b>. I was a little worried that because it didn't quite work for me that might put people off. Personally I don't let reviewers make my mind up for me. They offer an opinion, present their case and then leave it up to me to decide. I've bought books that have had rave reviews and hated them. It can work both ways.<br /><br>Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-20369363952090511112011-11-10T14:40:03.568+00:002011-11-10T14:40:03.568+00:00Hi Jim and Jessica - I enjoyed reading this .. and...Hi Jim and Jessica - I enjoyed reading this .. and as I haven't read the book - I will now be a little more aware of what's to come - I enjoy having some extra background - so your review will come into its own as I read through (in due course - I add).<br /><br />Thanks - I'll probably be back to re-read this .. HilaryHilary Melton-Butcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17596532480645510678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-9924926287985892042011-11-05T09:46:38.392+00:002011-11-05T09:46:38.392+00:00You pick on one of my obsessions with regard to po...You pick on one of my obsessions with regard to poetry - that there is a definite limit to the number of adjectives any one poem can carry. To my mind it is usually a very small number indeed. I am rarely moved by a poem suffering from adjectosis.Dave Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08430484174826768488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-12690305968581207922011-11-03T12:57:07.033+00:002011-11-03T12:57:07.033+00:00I have never been a fan of descriptions, Dave, and...I have never been a fan of descriptions, <b>Dave</b>, and I know in this particular case it’s just one word and I seem petty for bringing it up, it just seemed like the perfect example of a word too many. I agree totally with the previous commenter who pointed out that the sink didn’t necessarily have to be porcelain. My point is that’s it isn’t important enough to mention at all. I wrote a review a few months back of a book called <i>The Pink Hotel</i> and whereas I praised the author for some of her descriptions I also pointed out where they let her down citing this – to quote my review – “groan-worthy” example:<br /><br /><i>I was wearing Lily’s tight black knee-length dress and a vivid smudge of her red lipstick over my mouth this time. Her earrings framed my pale opal face, and her sunglasses kept the hair out of my eyes.</i><br /><br />People don’t talk like that. Yes, I know it’s a book but I like to feel that I’m being addressed directly by the narrator and I’m looking for a narrative that flows. <br /><br>Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-52603396527176088662011-11-03T11:53:33.518+00:002011-11-03T11:53:33.518+00:00I, too got hung up with the white porcelain hand b...I, too got hung up with the white porcelain hand basin. I was glad that you then mentioned it, as I was beginning to wonder if I was being finicky. I don't think I would get a lot out of this, though - not as much as reading the review, put it that way.Dave Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08430484174826768488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-24133474830389519272011-11-01T14:45:25.309+00:002011-11-01T14:45:25.309+00:00At the end of the day, LTM, a book review is only ...At the end of the day, <b>LTM</b>, a book review is only an opinion and people’s opinions differ. There were already a few reviews of this book up when I wrote mine and they had nothing bad whatsoever to say about the book. And that’s fine. I didn’t connect with Melody. As I said in my comment to Mairi I suspect this is because I <i>could</i> relate to her. I’d like to think that I can rise above that and praise a book where it deserves it. I’ve tried to give brief examples of what I didn’t care for in the style. I agree totally that the editor needs to take some responsibility but I have no doubt that Jessica approved the proofs and so, ultimately, she takes responsibility for what end up on the page; it’s her name on the cover. I picked one paragraph to illustrate my point about the similes but, <i>for my tastes</i> there were far too many in the book. I agree, Jessica is a talented writer. I was most impressed by her poetry collection. It was not my intention to tear the book apart because overall it is a good book and I say so and, if she trusts me to read her next book I’ll be happy to do so but just because I like a person isn’t going to stop me for being honest. Yes, I’m a man, but I’m really not interested in especially male topics and I’ve read several books recently by females like the one I highlighted in the article, <i>True Things About Me</i> by Deborah Kay Davies. Some I have connected with more than others but there wasn’t one I gushed over. I think a lot of women will relate to the main character here – there is nothing wrong with the heart of this book – and they’ll probably love her use of metaphor. And that’s fine.<br /><br />And, <b>Jessica</b>, you’re welcome. By the time all 150 reviews and interviews are up no one is going to pay a blind bit of attention to my review but I respect you too much to be anything less than honest. This is your first novel and okay some first novels are classics but mostly not. Although I have a soft spot for my own first book a part of me would dearly love to rewrite the whole damn thing. <br /><br />There is no doubt that more women than men will relate to this book and I expect more women than men will read it. This bothers me because it’s the men who need to read this book. The women know what it’s like to be oppressed. You might want to give thought in future how you might market/target your books to reach a wider audience rather than preaching to the choir. One way might be to have a male protagonist. It’s a challenge writing in a different gender – in my last novel all the main characters are women – but it’s certainly not aimed at a female readership.<br /><br>Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-36828144974570126802011-11-01T14:26:46.417+00:002011-11-01T14:26:46.417+00:00Thanks for at least giving it a go, Jim. It's ...Thanks for at least giving it a go, Jim. It's definitely more targeted toward the female audience :o)Jessica Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10889900730906728317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-69918610862767738732011-11-01T14:02:52.513+00:002011-11-01T14:02:52.513+00:00It's interesting to read a male perspective of...It's interesting to read a male perspective of a book that expertly handles a uniquely female experience. <br /><br />Destiny aside, I wonder if anyone would ever expect a man to give up a career or at the very least feel guilty for *not* giving up a career or a treasured pastime to "be a good father." Or to be a better father... Not being male, I wouldn't know, but I sincerely doubt it.<br /><br />As enlightened as we are in this new Millennium, the pressure to put "their" needs above your own is still very strong for many if not most women. And I think the internal struggle that pressure creates is the focus of this very well-written debut novel.<br /><br />I have to take exception to the parts of this review that criticize Jessica's ability as a writer. <br /><br />It's one thing to say, "I don't like this book." Period. But to criticize her talent is unfair and just simply wrong.<br /><br />Jessica is a talented writer who handles a difficult topic and flawed characters with an understanding and sensitivity that is impressive to me, who has at least as much or more in common with the MC than she. <br /><br />If there were too many "likes" in a passage, I would point to the editor rather than the writer. This is not a self-published book.<br /><br />And as for the white porcelain of the sink, I found that to be a great description in a country where sinks can be made of marble, aluminum, clear or colored glass, and whatnot. Description and metaphor are Jessica's forte, and in a story that's told largely through the thoughts and observations of a musical main character, it makes perfect sense.<br /><br />I think women will appreciate this book for the message it contains, and the writing is beautiful and evocative. Best~LTMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05239077455322030275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-85012642906088988662011-11-01T13:29:16.533+00:002011-11-01T13:29:16.533+00:00I think we all like a bit of misdirection, Mairi, ...I think we all like a bit of misdirection, <b>Mairi</b>, as long as we don’t get completely lost. I like starting my blogs off topic so that readers wonder, “What the hell is Jim on about?” and then I pull them gradually into the posts theme proper. Hence the quote from John McCain of all people to open up a book review about a frustrated ex-pat. I don’t know how many other reviewers will pick up on the whole destiny thing but it jumped out at me and that’s why it’s good that Jessica has had such support for this books because only by comparing reviews with someone come to appreciate if the book will be for them or not. I think perhaps one of the reasons I didn’t take to Melody is that I empathised with her and as I don’t have much time for the person I was then it’s perhaps understandable that I wouldn’t have much time for her. I never felt that Destiny had it in for me, nor God but people nowadays tend to attribute the Universe with more control over our lives than it deserves. There have been plenty of times in my life when I’ve approached an off ramp but felt I was duty bound to keep on the straight and narrow. More fool me.<br /><br>Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-23385190480131711712011-11-01T12:58:29.356+00:002011-11-01T12:58:29.356+00:00Hi Jim. I'm thinking about your comment in the...Hi Jim. I'm thinking about your comment in the review of Tim Love's poems, about good poetry misdirecting.I'll have to spend some time with that. <br />Poor Amelia. Thank goodness things came right for her in the end. The whole idea of destiny - and you've given it impressive coverage here - is worrying. I think I'm with Lawrence and Amelia in principle but am probably not bloody minded enough to be effective.Mairihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09329522168121977658noreply@blogger.com