tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post8934509003070417993..comments2023-10-03T11:41:21.191+01:00Comments on The Truth About Lies: SpinnersJim Murdochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-35827380475273511702010-03-25T11:09:41.089+00:002010-03-25T11:09:41.089+00:00Glad you liked the review, Sarah, and I'm sure...Glad you liked the review, <b>Sarah</b>, and I'm sure that there are layers of meaning in that title.<br /><br>Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-18032337966384219482010-03-23T15:42:35.938+00:002010-03-23T15:42:35.938+00:00What a fantastic review - author will be very plea...What a fantastic review - author will be very pleased. I love your attention to detail, interestingly When I heard 'spinners' for the first time, I thought of the old connotations i.e. spinning a yarn so I don't know. Thanks very much for the review.Sarah Byershttp://www.schieldenver.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-33220839076589883032010-02-25T13:07:43.551+00:002010-02-25T13:07:43.551+00:00Thanks for the comment, Laura, and welcome. My fir...Thanks for the comment, <b>Laura</b>, and welcome. My first Transylvanian that I’m aware of. I’m delighted you liked <a href="http://www.jimmurdoch.co.uk/dejavu.html" rel="nofollow">'Déjà Vu'</a>. I’ve always been fascinated by the Rorschach Test images hence the reason I use one as the logo on my website and on the covers of my books.<br /><br>Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-14037616716132928192010-02-25T11:42:44.700+00:002010-02-25T11:42:44.700+00:00Hi Jim, I just discovered you in the comments sect...Hi Jim, I just discovered you in the comments section of another blog and wanted to stop by and tell you that I have very much enjoyed visiting your website.<br />I'll take more time to read your blog too, but for now let me tell you that I absolutely loved "Deja Vu". <br />It's eerie...Awhile back I blogged a short metaphor-story with the same title and cars and accidents are part of it. <br /><br />I'm glad I found you. Follower now.:)Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01412146742072723407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-27512759121201619322010-02-23T15:18:45.316+00:002010-02-23T15:18:45.316+00:00Thank you, Kass, and you know I never picked up on...Thank you, <b>Kass</b>, and you know I never picked up on the ‘holy cow’ – well spotted! I’ve just put the finishing touches to a two-part post about Alan Bennett and one of the things I mention there is the capacity of males to gossip. It’s too often touted as a dominant trait of the female of the species but not in my experience. My father was a terrible gossip.<br /><br />And, <b>Elisabeth</b>, perhaps I’ve over-stated the religious undercurrent in the book. It’s there, most definitely, but it’s not in the minds of the characters only the author. There are many books that because they’re funny on the surface come across as light and this is one of them. If you want to sit in a beach on devour the thing in an afternoon you could but, and I found this true of <i>Death of a Superhero</i> too, that really does the book a disservice. I’ll certainly have no problem reading another book by him.<br /><br>Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-24691399324541138892010-02-23T11:33:10.029+00:002010-02-23T11:33:10.029+00:00Your review never flags Jim, in much the same way,...Your review never flags Jim, in much the same way, I imagine from your review, this book never flags. <br /><br />I love the religious references and the way McCracken juxtaposes them with sci-fi and with the everyday small town life in country New Zealand. <br /><br />The deoth of the books content despite its apparent light hearted humour also appeals to me. <br /><br />Thanks, as ever for a wonderful introduction to a book I might otherwise never get to know anything about.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-25733460519137613312010-02-22T15:46:57.449+00:002010-02-22T15:46:57.449+00:00When I saw "Spinners" I thought you woul...When I saw "Spinners" I thought you would be talking about the American musicians from the Sixties.<br /><br />I enjoyed reading this review very much. I liked the teenager's name because Chapman was my mother's maiden name and she told me we were related to all the Chapmans I would ever encounter around here. New Zealand is far away, but I still feel related.<br /><br />I think all girls would like to say God or an alien took their virginity. Those stories are as outrageous as this uniquely first event feels. The truth of this encounter is too weird for all of us. We see God, we feel the spirit. We are no longer intact and that is mystical stuff. And if a holy cow is squashed in the process - bonus. No wonder so many parallels are made in literature to Mary's experience.<br /><br />The tell-a-woman quote concerning gossip reminds me how my physician husband shared every bit of juicy information about the patients in his practice that I knew. I was privileged to information about chlamydia, herpes, HIV (he's dead so I can't get him in trouble)...Did I tell? Not always, but certainly this time (without names).<br /><br />Great review.Kasshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05233330248952156754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-75793668821056719312010-02-22T09:23:18.620+00:002010-02-22T09:23:18.620+00:00Spinning a yarn works too, Ann. As for the length?...Spinning a yarn works too, <b>Ann</b>. As for the length? Well, I think too many people try and cram everything into a few hundred words, especially in magazines where space is at a premium. I like to let the review breathe and include a couple of chunks of the author’s own words which is something so many reviews miss. That certainly makes them feel long.<br /><br />And, <b>Rachel</b>, no, you’ve not read the book. For as much as I put in I also miss out a lot though I do concede I probably tell a little more than some people would like. It’s a hard call. As a general rule of thumb I tend to focus heavily on the opening to a book and gradually say less and less until I say nothing about how it ends, or next to nothing. I also try and muddy the waters a bit by revealing something in a different way from the book so that you get the idea but the surprise is still reasonably intact. <br /><br />As for your own characters I don’t know what to advise. There certainly seems to be quite a vibrant publishing scene in New Zealand but whether they favour book based there I don’t know. I would suggest they do but a quick wander round a bookstore will answer that for you. Do what your comfortable with. I can write my Aggie and Shuggies because I’ve lived all my life here. I don’t talk like them at all, in fact most people wouldn’t even think I’m Scottish hearing the way I talk. The Aggie and Shuggies are a bit of fun though and it doesn’t matter if I make wee mistakes or the spellings change from one to another. When I wrote <i>Milligan and Murphy</i> I set it in Ireland and it was impossible to avoid including Irish colloquialisms and slang but the trick – which I hope I managed – was not to overdo it. I wrote like Beckett. <i>Mercier and Camier</i> is set in Ireland, even though he never says as much, but only by the odd phrase or two would you know it. It’s too easy to lean on clichés if you’re not careful. So, think twice.<br /><br>Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-31624644098499047612010-02-22T08:00:10.676+00:002010-02-22T08:00:10.676+00:00I'll have a look out for this book and add it ...I'll have a look out for this book and add it to the pile. Great review, as ever, Jim - actually feel like I've read the book now!<br /><br />I still have a curiosity though and I think this one would be a speedy and enjoyable read.<br /><br />I'm thinking of changing all the locations and dialect in my novels to NZ to try and get them published - what do you think? ;)Rachel Fentonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10046917627054462214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-34377093408917356042010-02-22T00:19:59.801+00:002010-02-22T00:19:59.801+00:00Wow, what a long review. I've never read any o...Wow, what a long review. I've never read any of the books you've mentioned but I love your information into all those places. When I heard 'spinners' for the first time, I thought of those spinning a yarn so I don't know. Thanks for the review.<br /><br />annAnn Elle Altmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02192162600274764681noreply@blogger.com