Charlie wrote: I hate to open up the old definitions debate
again, but Motherless Brooklyn is hardly hardboiled. The
central character is a twitching mass of confusion and
desperate need - which is good, but hardly makes for
hardboiled. Personally I thought it was a trifle overlong.
Decent novel though, one of those ones that just had to be
written.
************ That "tough and colloquial" definition can
handily be applied to a straightforward and unsentimental
writing style when there aren't any really rough and tough
characters. Vin Packer can be placed in this category along
with John O'Hara.
But to be honest, I would say that Lionel is indeed pretty
darned tough. He's persistent even in the face of danger,
isn't he? I'd call that tough. I don't think a character
needs to be a macho shitkicker to qualify as
hardboiled.
And never hesitate to bring up the definitions debate. It's
always worth a go.
miker
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