Journal Entry 1 by Heaven-Ali from Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom on Saturday, June 11, 2005

Bought off ebay from someone in Yorkshire.

REVIEW FROM AMAZON

For the first time ever I find myself halfway through a book that is then announced as a Booker Shortlisted novel so this heightens my interest,will it make the grade in my own rather prize-critical mind?
This is a 'huge' book and one that you occasionally have to stop reading and just sit and ponder the fact that someone has had the skill and the imagination to write it. Tattooing and all it's deeper significance gets a thought-provoking airing alongside a human and frequently tragic plot, in fact predominantly unhappy plot. Brilliant evocations of first Morecombe and then Coney Island peopled by real, but verging on surreal, characters and plenty of blood and gore but you carry on wading through it because Hall makes you really care about all these people and of course you want to know what happens to them.Obvious really but in the end you realise that as a reader you have become as inquisitiveley voyeuristic as the Coney Island crowds that you inwardly loath for their insatiable appetite for the freakshows. I'm so glad to have read this and how I would love it to win the Booker, it's a giant of a book that deserves some attention. And even if you can't abide elephants that bit will haunt you I promise! --This text refers to the Paperback




Read this while on Holiday in Edinburgh. I loved the intresting quirky characters. I partcularly loved the part of the book set in Coney Island amoung the fairground folk, and other peculiar characters. 

Journal Entry 2 by Heaven-Ali from Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom on Thursday, September 01, 2005

Bookring starting soon.

list of participants so far

Nell-Lu - Scotland -
Spiderchic - England
LindyB28 - England -
arturogrande -England
Imn60 - Australia
Lizanne - US
buffra - US
MrsDanvers - England
Wyldetwo - England

Back to me Heaven-Ali - England


Posted first class 9th Sept 

Journal Entry 3 by Nell-Lu from Edinburgh, Scotland United Kingdom on Monday, September 12, 2005

This book has made its way back to Edinburgh! Thanks Heaven-Ali, it arrived this morning. I'm in the middle of another book, so I'll start this as soon as I've finished that one (probably tomorrow). I'm looking forward to it. 

Journal Entry 4 by Nell-Lu from Edinburgh, Scotland United Kingdom on Saturday, September 17, 2005

I really enjoyed this. The fading glories of Morecome and Coney Island are brought to life and I found I really cared what happened to the central characters. The world of tatooing was also oddly compelling (I even found myself wondering about getting a tatoo at one point...but then I remembered it would hurt!). After high drama, freak shows, revenge, blood and gore I wondered how the novel could possibly finish without fading off into disappointment, but the quiet ending was a success.

Thanks, Heaven-Ali, for sharing. Spiderchic is out of the country at the moment but I'll get a postal address when s/he returns and send this out straight away. 

Journal Entry 5 by Nell-Lu from Edinburgh, Scotland United Kingdom on Wednesday, September 21, 2005

I've got Spiderchic's address, so the book is all packaged up and will be taken to the Post Office this afternoon to continue its journey.

Enjoy, Spiderchic! 

Journal Entry 6 by spiderchic from Droylsden, Greater Manchester United Kingdom on Thursday, September 22, 2005

Received this today. Typically I had a whole pile of books when I got home from holiday. I have 1 and a half books before this one - hope that's okay, I am a quick reader!
Thank you 

Journal Entry 7 by spiderchic from Droylsden, Greater Manchester United Kingdom on Monday, October 03, 2005

Have got about halfway through this book and I am finding it really hard work. I don't know whether I am just not enjoying the book or maybe the frame of mind I'm in at the moment but I find I just don't care about what happens. Am going to throw in the towel and pass this on to LindyB28.
Thank you for sharing! 

Journal Entry 8 by spiderchic from Droylsden, Greater Manchester United Kingdom on Monday, October 03, 2005

Sent to LindyB28 today 

Journal Entry 9 by LindyB28 from Cambridge, Cambridgeshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Thanks to Ali for organising this ring and spiderchic for sending it to me. I read the beginning earlier today and found it quite difficult because I'm extremely squeamish and there's a lot of blood and gore to start with. I'll have to see whether my stomach is strong enough to carry on :-) 

Journal Entry 10 by LindyB28 from Cambridge, Cambridgeshire United Kingdom on Thursday, October 06, 2005

Due to pressures of the new term, I don't think I'm going to persevere with this book. Thanks for organising the ring Ali. I'll PM the next person for his/her address 

Journal Entry 11 by arturogrande from Coalville, Leicestershire United Kingdom on Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Arrived today - thanks very much. I've got another ring ahead of this one, but I'm expecting to get to this by the end of next week. 

Journal Entry 12 by arturogrande from Coalville, Leicestershire United Kingdom on Tuesday, November 08, 2005

This was one of those books that gripped me so much that I was sad to have finished it.

I'm surprised that this one did not win the Booker Prize last year, as to my mind, it is a better book - both in terms of the story and the use of language - than the eventual winner, The Line of Beauty.

I thought Cy Parks was a very enigmatic character, in that until the end of the book when he was old and ready to pass the baton on to the younger generation, he was presented constantly in relation to other people - his mother, Eliot Riley and Grace. These were all people he loved, to a greater or lesser degree, and he lost them all. Tattooing as a metaphor for something deeper worked very well here, as all of these people left permanent marks on him.

The Electric Michelangelo is primarily a love story, but fashioned in such a way that you may not realise that until you have finished the book. Sarah Hall's use of language is breathtaking, mirroring as it does the seedy, slightly overblown worlds of Morecambe and Coney Island.

Yes, there is a lot of blood, guts and unspeakable things from which we would rather avert our eyes - but as previous reviewers have mentioned, we keep looking and staring at the freaks.

There is a pall of sadness hanging over the narrative, lending the whole book an atmosphere of pain and loss. It's a fabulous piece of writing, and I think it will stay with me for a long time.

Thanks to Heaven-Ali for starting this ring. It's now on its way to lmn60 in Australia. 

Journal Entry 13 by lmn60 from Spotswood, Victoria Australia on Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Arrived safely in my letter box today! I have another ring book ahead of this one, but will get to it ASAP! I'll be intrigued to read this one and hope I enjoy it! 

Journal Entry 14 by lmn60 from Spotswood, Victoria Australia on Thursday, December 15, 2005

This book intrigued me and kept my interest... and I'm not really sure why. I initially struggled to get past my lack of emotional engagement with Cy (the 'gore' of the first part didn't bother me too much) and my frustration that the plot line tended to meander rather than move forward. To a large degree, it was the quality of Sarah Hall's writing - exquisite turns of phrase and use of imagery - that kept me persevering with this book. And I'm glad that I did.

When a large 'event' DID happen in the final quarter of the novel, I was shocked to discover that I did actually care about Hall's characters and what happened to them - although the story quickly returned to the meandering mundanities that had so annoyed me to begin with.

This book actually reminded me of "Line of Beauty" (which won the 2004 Booker) in that it is essentially character driven rather than plot driven. And whilst it's not a light or easy read, I believe that Sarah Hall is someone to watch (or read!) in the future....

Thanks for sharing this one Heaven-Ali. I'll post it off to Lizanne today. 

Journal Entry 15 by Lizanne from Madison, New Jersey USA on Thursday, January 26, 2006

This has arrived(two days ago). I will get to start this weekend. 

Journal Entry 16 by buffra from Columbus, Ohio USA on Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Thanks! It arrived safely. 

Journal Entry 17 by buffra from Columbus, Ohio USA on Friday, July 07, 2006

Well, I haven't gotten to read it because life has been a bit nutty lately.

I PM'd geishabird and she asked to be skipped. I'm trying to locate i-spy, but her/his PMs are off.

It will be moving soon! 

Journal Entry 18 by MrsDanvers from Ely, Cambridgeshire United Kingdom on Friday, September 22, 2006

Arrived safely after its journey across "the Pond", all the way from West Virginia (does anyone remember "The Virginian"?)earlier this week. Too much "real-life" to journal sooner.
Thanks to heaven-ali for sharing and buffra for posting on to me.
It has already had a trip to Swindon and back to keep me entertained and take my mind of "the pleasures" of arranging mid-year stocktakes: just because it's books you are counting doesn't make it any less grubby or tiring!
 

Journal Entry 19 by MrsDanvers from Ely, Cambridgeshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Flanners has been lucky enough to get this in a RABCK, so she can be deleted from the list. I've PM'd wyldetwo for her address. 

Journal Entry 20 by MrsDanvers from Ely, Cambridgeshire United Kingdom on Friday, November 03, 2006

I loved this book! Every page is packed with detailed imagery and although there is a very slim "story" the book is filled with the life experiences of Cy Parks. We learn about him through his response to other people, his home in Morecambe, and his journey to New York and Coney Island.

I'm a sucker for this narrative style where pictures painted are all and the world and history make their mark on the protaganist. In this case , of course, our protaganist makes an indelible mark on many of the people he meets.

Strangely, although I absolutely hate tattoos , I was compelled to read more about that other world, beyond the norm, that is described here. 

Journal Entry 21 by MrsDanvers at By post in Ely, Cambridgeshire United Kingdom on Friday, November 03, 2006

Released 5 yrs ago (11/3/2006 UTC) at By post in Ely, Cambridgeshire United Kingdom

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

After much delay - my employers had the nerve to ask me to do some work for them - I got it in the post to wyldetwo today. 

Journal Entry 22 by wyldetwo from Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands United Kingdom on Monday, November 06, 2006

Received in the post today, thanks MrsDanvers! 

Journal Entry 23 by wyldetwo from Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands United Kingdom on Friday, November 24, 2006

I enjoyed this book, but found it a bit too thick on description and a bit too thin in plot to grip me completely.

Having said that, I am full of admiration for the author's writing style, and I did find the insights into the world of tattooing and the two fading resorts fascinating.

I will bring this along to the BC Birmingham meet up on Saturday where I guess it will either end up back with Ali, or with another new reader. 

Journal Entry 24 by Heaven-Ali from Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom on Saturday, November 25, 2006

This has made its way home again, thank you to everyone who took part.