--- In rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "Ron Clinton" <clinton65@...> wrote:
>
> I'd sure echo that sentiment. While I preferred THE AX, I found THE
HOOK a
> very compelling read. It does suffer somewhat by comparison, I
suppose, but
> THE HOOK, taken on its own merits, is a marvelous work, and is sure
to have
> a special empathetic slant for those readers who are writers as well.
>
From nonseries books such as these two, I have the impression that
Westlake had a volcano inside of him, even though he controlled the
eruptions. He knew what was going on in the world... He did what
Wodehouse said he couldn't do: write about an idyllic, imaginary world
(Dortmund, other comical books) AND get deep down there into the
darkest reality. It's quite an achievement. Sometimes I wonder what
Wodehouse would have written had he chosen the realistic vein. With
Westlake, I don't have to wonder.
Best,
mrt
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 27 Jan 2009 EST