Tag Archives: At Swim Two Birds

Please do forgive the expletive on the prior lit posting, but it was quite an awesome reading experience. I realize that I’ve missed several things in this book, though I got so much out of it that it would have … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Holy Shit!  What did I just read? This book was the most amazingest I’ve ever, ever read.  I’ll have to read the last three pages again–I swept through them with a fever as I crossed into yet another of O’Brien’s … Continue reading → Continue reading →

One of O’Brien’s techniques throughout the book–or at least, one assigned to at least one of his writers–has been to illustrate the show versus tell instruction. On his smallest finger Orlick screwed the cap of his Waterman fountain-pen, the one … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Mesmerizing, amid all the wounds inflicted by the Pooka on his maker; how can a writer write such agony to another? Interesting too, that when the son of Trellis–an author in his own right–leaves the room, the other characters–Shanahan, Furriskey–insist … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Has everybody who’s read this book gotten this far still wondering what the damn title means? Continue reading →

O’Brien now captures the full extent of fictional character rights to have Trellis’ own "son" write a story to punish Trellis the author.  Ahah–O’Brien has tapped into the fear of every author whose characters make their own way across narrative … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Ah, what would a novel be without an editor?  O’Brien amazes us once again by providing our narrator with a critique on his novel from his friend Brinsley. From a perusal of the manuscript which has just been presented in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Well either I’ve reached a slightly more accomplished level of reading, or I simply don’t have a clue and made a mountain of a molehill. My last posting made a point of the threads of conversation in the inner world … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I am so very glad that I was intrigued, embarrassed, teased, intimidated, and frankly pushed into continuing on with this novel.  It is a true delight for the mind and ear. They also did not hesitate to promise him sides … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Made myself take some time out from trying to justify (or rather, discover the obvious) the spending of $100k against a house the fiduciary claims to want to buy for $264k today to do some reading.  What a delightful point … Continue reading → Continue reading →

In this epitomy of metafiction, we’re bound to get lost if we wander too far away for too long.  O’Brien makes sure that we don’t: Trellis’s dominion over his characters, I explained, is impaired by his addiction to sleep.  There … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Yes, I’m at that point.  Halfway through and it’s gotten to me.  While I’m awed by the skill and intrigued by the methods, I’m just not into the story(ies) enough to deep-read this one right now.  It’s a personal thing; … Continue reading → Continue reading →

What is amazing about this book is the skill with which O’Brien changes voice in this three-ring circus.  Especially with what he throws at us.  Here is a short bit from the first person pov narrator, a university student: Biographical … Continue reading → Continue reading →