The Accidental
Registered by star-light of Melbourne CBD, Victoria Australia on 9/29/2005
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
11 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by star-light from Melbourne CBD, Victoria Australia on Thursday, September 29, 2005
I'm contributing this book to the Booker 2005 Longlist Challenge where I will be participating in bookrings for the 17 longlisted books. It certainly will be a challenge but I'm looking forward to it immensely.
Posting order:
Fleebo (Sydney)
woosang (Picton, NSW)
goodthinkingmax (Sydney)
xoddam (Sydney)
Alectoness (Wellington, NZ)
Viola7 (Bris)
puppymummy (Melb)
hunnyb (Sydney)
Back to me
Bookring guidelines:
1. Please make a journal entry promptly when you receive the book so we all know it arrived safely.
2. Read the book at your own pace, but if it's taking more than 4 weeks, make an extra journal entry to update us on your progress.
3. When you’ve finished, make a journal entry to let us know what you thought.
4. PM the next person on the list for their postal address.
5. Post the book off to the next person, and make a journal entry (NOT release notes) to say that you’ve sent it on.
Posting order:
Fleebo (Sydney)
woosang (Picton, NSW)
goodthinkingmax (Sydney)
xoddam (Sydney)
Alectoness (Wellington, NZ)
Viola7 (Bris)
puppymummy (Melb)
hunnyb (Sydney)
Back to me
Bookring guidelines:
1. Please make a journal entry promptly when you receive the book so we all know it arrived safely.
2. Read the book at your own pace, but if it's taking more than 4 weeks, make an extra journal entry to update us on your progress.
3. When you’ve finished, make a journal entry to let us know what you thought.
4. PM the next person on the list for their postal address.
5. Post the book off to the next person, and make a journal entry (NOT release notes) to say that you’ve sent it on.
The Smart family - 12 year-old Astrid, 17 year-old Magnus, Michael the philandering English lecturer, and Eve the writer experiencing writers' block - are holiday in Norfolk. One day, Amber, a stranger, walks into their lives.
The Accidental is told from the point of view of each family member in turn as we learn how Amber impacts each of their lives.
There were parts that I like and parts that I disliked about this book, but overall I enjoyed the book. It's extremely well-written, has a good plot, and Smith does a great job with each character's voice. I LOVED the voice of Astrid - she is so bored, sassy and self-dramatising. There is a nice touch of humour and an interesting twist at the end.
I got a bit bogged down in the middle of the book, especially when Michael breaks into poetry. Sometimes the characters' thoughts jumped very quickly from one thing to another. I realise this was deliberate, but it made things hard to follow at times.
Also, I'm not sure how the parts narrated by Amber fit in with the rest of the story. Perhaps someone else can enlighten me.
PM'ed Fleebo for mailing address.
The Accidental is told from the point of view of each family member in turn as we learn how Amber impacts each of their lives.
There were parts that I like and parts that I disliked about this book, but overall I enjoyed the book. It's extremely well-written, has a good plot, and Smith does a great job with each character's voice. I LOVED the voice of Astrid - she is so bored, sassy and self-dramatising. There is a nice touch of humour and an interesting twist at the end.
I got a bit bogged down in the middle of the book, especially when Michael breaks into poetry. Sometimes the characters' thoughts jumped very quickly from one thing to another. I realise this was deliberate, but it made things hard to follow at times.
Also, I'm not sure how the parts narrated by Amber fit in with the rest of the story. Perhaps someone else can enlighten me.
PM'ed Fleebo for mailing address.
Posted to Fleebo
Received yesterday. Thanks very much! And that's a really great cover.
A great book. The style confused me at first - it's written in the third person but each chapter has the unique voice of the character that it's about. The first piece on Astrid (the twelve-year-old) annoyed the hell out of me to start with (maybe I'm just old), to the point where I put the book down for a week or two. Once I got past her, I really got into the book, and was happy to read about her again when the time came. I have to say that I enjoyed Michael's poetry... it was the only time when I actually liked that pompous, dirty stepdad.
As for Amber's cinema metaphor... I think that it was describing the way she managed to be all things to everyone, and more alive to them than they were to themselves. You know how movies are - you know they're all fake, but they can seem more real than the real world (and certainly brighter and more exciting). They pull you in. A good book does that too, but it doesn't fill your eyes and ears like a movie does.
The Booker 2005 winner, "The Sea" by John Banville, is set in a holiday house, too. But I'd pick "The Accidental" over that one any day. Thanks for sharing it!
Waiting for Woosang to get back to me with instructions - she's been pretty swamped with bookrings lately.
As for Amber's cinema metaphor... I think that it was describing the way she managed to be all things to everyone, and more alive to them than they were to themselves. You know how movies are - you know they're all fake, but they can seem more real than the real world (and certainly brighter and more exciting). They pull you in. A good book does that too, but it doesn't fill your eyes and ears like a movie does.
The Booker 2005 winner, "The Sea" by John Banville, is set in a holiday house, too. But I'd pick "The Accidental" over that one any day. Thanks for sharing it!
Waiting for Woosang to get back to me with instructions - she's been pretty swamped with bookrings lately.
Journal Entry 6 by woosang from Campbelltown, New South Wales Australia on Sunday, November 20, 2005
Arrived Safely today. I am reading one ATM so this will be next
This started as a bit of a rollercoaster - the intro was great and unexpected, but the change to the voice of Astrid was a bit annoying. Once I got into the rhythm of the changes I really enjoyed the different styles and points of view and takes on the situations. It looks like I'm in a bit of a minority, but I even liked Michael's self-indulgent poetry. It was so true to form.
On its way to woosang now. Thanks for letting me hijack it!
On its way to woosang now. Thanks for letting me hijack it!
Journal Entry 8 by woosang from Campbelltown, New South Wales Australia on Thursday, December 22, 2005
I never finished this book. I didn't get into the story, and I have so many to enjoy why struggle??
Off to Goodthinkingmax
Off to Goodthinkingmax
Arrived today in another great parcel full of books from woosang - thank you! I have already read about a chapter and so far am fascinated by the writing. I'm on holidays so should finish this soon.
Journal Entry 10 by goodthinkingmax from Sydney CBD, New South Wales Australia on Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Silly me. Just cleaned up the computer and forgot I had to log in to Bookcrossing again. Anonymous finder is me!
Journal Entry 11 by goodthinkingmax from Sydney CBD, New South Wales Australia on Thursday, January 5, 2006
I took quite a while to become immersed in this book. At first I was thinking it was just another book full of dislikeable characters, a pattern to my reading lately. I also found it tricky adjusting to the different character voices in each chapter. I'm not sure at what point it occured but suddenly I found myself loving the book and blown away by the amazing writing and imagination of Ali Smith.
On page 233:
"When Astrid thinks of the village the weirdest details come into her head like the lamppost next to the field on the road from the house in the village and all the high grasses growing around its base. Why would anyone's memory want to remember seeing a lamppost like that?"
I think that last sentence captures the author's imagination. So many sentences and reflections are just completely and absurdly unexpected and that's what I loved.
I would like to read this again sometime and absorb it more fully without the distractions of Christmas and New Year and trying to hurry to move it along!
Thanks for starting the Booker longlist challenge Fleebo. I've received 4 books so far and am really enjoying it.
Off to xoddam as soon as I have the details.
On page 233:
"When Astrid thinks of the village the weirdest details come into her head like the lamppost next to the field on the road from the house in the village and all the high grasses growing around its base. Why would anyone's memory want to remember seeing a lamppost like that?"
I think that last sentence captures the author's imagination. So many sentences and reflections are just completely and absurdly unexpected and that's what I loved.
I would like to read this again sometime and absorb it more fully without the distractions of Christmas and New Year and trying to hurry to move it along!
Thanks for starting the Booker longlist challenge Fleebo. I've received 4 books so far and am really enjoying it.
Off to xoddam as soon as I have the details.
Caught at Tiffany's cafe in the Imperial Arcade, Sydney. (Should have been in the park but it was *rather* wet). Carrying it out through David Jones department store the book set off the alarm in both doorways -- but on close examination I can't find an RFID tag; it must be buried in the spine. Thanks star-light and goodthinkingmax! And Fleebo for the concept, it's been great fun.
Done! I loved it. Unlike other readers I actually liked all the characters, I even thought the portrayal was unfairly unsympathetic at times. The unconscious snobbery of the middle class is the one thing that I found objectionable in the protagonists and hey, they got their desserts. It was all rather fun really.
Very readable, very enjoyable. Thanks all!
Will be in the post to Alectoness in Wellington shortly.
Very readable, very enjoyable. Thanks all!
Will be in the post to Alectoness in Wellington shortly.
This was briefly mislaid (not in a taxi, but I thought it was) and is now in the post at long last to Alectoness. Fly, pretty book, fly fly fly!
Arrived safely in Wellington today, many thanks xoddam. Seems this one's had mixed reviews, so I'm interested to have a go at it. I'm just finishing David Sedaris' "Me Talk Pretty One Day" and then I'll start on this one.
I really liked this one; when I have the time, I’m going to find myself another copy and read it again.
I thought Ali Smith did a fantastic job of creating individual voices for her characters, particularly Astrid and Magnus, the two younger ones. Magnus’ half sentences (such as “I he hadn’t known so much. The he had just not. If they hadn’t. Then they hadn’t. Then she wouldn’t have. Then she might still.”) are perhaps the best expressions of the feeling of guilt that I’ve ever found in a novel.
As xoddam said, both readable and enjoyable, and now it’s off to Viola7.
I thought Ali Smith did a fantastic job of creating individual voices for her characters, particularly Astrid and Magnus, the two younger ones. Magnus’ half sentences (such as “I he hadn’t known so much. The he had just not. If they hadn’t. Then they hadn’t. Then she wouldn’t have. Then she might still.”) are perhaps the best expressions of the feeling of guilt that I’ve ever found in a novel.
As xoddam said, both readable and enjoyable, and now it’s off to Viola7.
Arrived on Wednesday! I will read it soon, but I don't know if I'll like it or not. The writing looks rather 'experimental'. Being on this Booker Longlist bookring has been interesting, but I won't do it again. It's just too much like hard work!
I just couldn't get into this at all which is a pity because everyone else liked it. The stream-of-consciousness writing drives me crazy.
Another Booker book - added to the pile, I'll get to it as soon as I can but there are a couple ahead.
While this wasn't one of the worst on the long-list, I have very mixed feelings about it and I can't really say I liked it. The stream-of-conscious writing was much less annoying than previously, and I almost got into that, but I finished the book with an overwhelming sense of 'Huh'? and I still can't tell you what the point of that book was. I was thinking about giving up halfway through and in retrospect maybe I should have.
I guess I just don't get it, I don't understand half of the events and I don't understand how they fit together or if there was some sort of message coming across, and therefore I don't understand the point of reading this one. I didn't find it enjoyable enough for that to be the point and so I needed a storyline, which wasn't really there.
Which is still making me wonder - how did she know when to stop? The end is not exactly a conclusion....
Will be posting tomorrow to hunnyb.
I guess I just don't get it, I don't understand half of the events and I don't understand how they fit together or if there was some sort of message coming across, and therefore I don't understand the point of reading this one. I didn't find it enjoyable enough for that to be the point and so I needed a storyline, which wasn't really there.
Which is still making me wonder - how did she know when to stop? The end is not exactly a conclusion....
Will be posting tomorrow to hunnyb.
Received today :) Thanks!! I've read "Hotel World" which I found a bit strange but I'm willing to give Smith another try.
Hrm. Not sure what to make of this one. The ending reminded me a bit of the "Griffin and Sabine" series - in foreshadowing history repeating itself? Anyhow the half sentences got to me a bit, particularly when it was between chapters. It worked effectively to get you to keep reading though! Overall the book was great at portraying frustration, fear and the tricky dynamics of family life.
Thanks star-light for sharing this book!
Thanks star-light for sharing this book!
Journal Entry 23 by star-light from Melbourne CBD, Victoria Australia on Thursday, November 30, 2006
Book arrived home yesterday. Thanks to everyone for participating and providing insightful comments.
Journal Entry 24 by star-light at Town Hall, Swanston St in Melbourne CBD, Victoria Australia on Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Released 15 yrs ago (9/2/2008 UTC) at Town Hall, Swanston St in Melbourne CBD, Victoria Australia
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
On a bench outside.
On a bench outside.
