So far I have read The Moving Target, The Drowning Pool, and
The Way Some People Die. Right now I'm reading The Ivory
Grin, which of the books I've read so far has some of the
most beautiful prose of all the novels, although as for
story, I think I like The Drowning Pool best. Can't really
say until I finish Ivory Grin.
MacDonald's writing is so ravishing that I have been
completely drawn into the Southern California ambience, and
California has never had any appeal for me. I'm one of the
few people on the planet who don't hanker after what
California represents -- generally I prefer a British or
European setting, or at least American East Coast. But
MacDonald has me addicted to his southern California.
Earlier Brian referred to his byzantine plots, and I have to
agree they are so convoluted that it would be easy to forget
it all and read again. I am one of those readers who read for
the words primarily, so it's MacDonald's writing that I love.
I don't really care whether I can follow the plot or not. I
don't understand the earlier comment that his writing is like
fingers on a chalkboard, or some similar putdown. For me his
writing is incredibly beautiful.
--- In
rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "Jacques Debierue"
<matrxtech@...> wrote:
>
> I get such pleasure from reading MacDonald's prose
that I could
> > stay in his world forever.
> >
>
> You can. He's infinitely rereadable. Lawrence Block
described the
> experience, which I make mine in toto: once you've
finished a RMcD
> book, it goes completely out of your head. So you
can reread it any
> time you want and it will feel new... except that
after a certain
> point, they are all the same... the same but not the
same, so you
can
> keep on reading. This writer had some special magic,
a laconic, sad
> kind of magic, but we suckers keep reading. He was
very good.
>
> Have you read The Chill or The Zebra-Striped Hearse
yet? Those are
> great favorites of mine, and the latter has one of
the best titles
> I've ever seen in a mystery.
>
> Best,
>
> mrt
>
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