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An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England by Brock Clarke

March 16, 2012 by

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Filed Under: Algonquin, challenges, fiction, New Authors Challenge, Publishers/Publicists, Read in 2012, reviews Tagged With: , ,

Comments

  1. Literate Housewife says
    March 22, 2012 at 9:16 pm

    Serena, you have said it well here. I did find some sparks of humor that made me glad to have read it. Still, they were few and far between and I felt I was pushing a boulder up hill to finish it. I’m glad you joined along. I think Cassandra is the only other person who finished. We’re nothing if not “finishers.” LOL!

  2. Anna says
    March 20, 2012 at 7:18 pm

    If you weren’t sure whether or not to continue reading, I certainly won’t even be starting it. Sounds like it could have been executed much better.

  3. Dawn - She Is Too Fond of Books says
    March 19, 2012 at 10:07 pm

    I don’t remember the marketing for this one, either (off to google …). It has been on my wish list (and I almost bought it when Algonquin had their ebook sale last month), but I haven’t yet picked it up.

    Oh, I’m on the fence, Serena. How can I *not* read a book set in New England!?

    • Serena says
      March 20, 2012 at 5:02 am

      Dawn, the setting kept me reading along with the writing, though not the stream of consciousness blather. I really wanted this to be executed better. If you do read it, I look forward to your thoughts.

  4. Audra says
    March 19, 2012 at 10:55 am

    Everything you said. I couldn’t motivate myself to finish, although I’d like to, but I found the book too nebulous (aggravatingly so) to really dig the story or get settled it.

  5. Melanie says
    March 19, 2012 at 7:23 am

    I’ve started the book and been carrying it around with me, unread, for about a month now. I’m taking your post as a sign to not worry about finishing it. As I was reading, it reminded me of Straight Man by Richard Russo, which I also recently read. Only Russo does the first person narration, stream of consiousnees, dark humor much better.

    • Serena says
      March 19, 2012 at 8:20 am

      I haven’t heard of Russo before, but I think for now I’m shying away from stream of consciousness…at least for a little bit.

  6. James Eisenstein says
    March 18, 2012 at 11:36 am

    I’m disappointed to hear that this wasn’t up to par. I’d been wanting to read this book for some time.
    Are the indie awards being announced today?

    • Serena says
      March 18, 2012 at 12:22 pm

      James, The awards are expected to be announced on March 19, tomorrow, but I have not heard definitively if this is the case. I’ve asked the founder and will be sure to announce them when that occurs.

  7. bermudaonion (Kathy) says
    March 16, 2012 at 2:24 pm

    I’ve been interested in this book ever since it’s ill advised marketing scheme years ago. I generally don’t care for stream of consciousness prose, so it might not be the book for me.

    • Serena says
      March 16, 2012 at 3:00 pm

      I have no idea what the marketing scheme was…I don’t remember it. LOL This was tough with all the rambling…some of it relevant and some of it not. But I wonder how much my preconceived ideas about the book colored my enjoyment.

  8. Janel Gradowski says
    March 16, 2012 at 1:35 pm

    I haven’t read this book, but I have known about it for awhile. I have to say, it doesn’t sound like what I expected. Humor is so subjective and what it funny to one person isn’t to another.

    • Serena says
      March 16, 2012 at 2:09 pm

      I agree that humor is subjective…but this is humor that will likely go over many heads unless they are familiar with the writers and the nuances of New England life and academia…if that makes sense.

  9. trish says
    March 16, 2012 at 1:22 pm

    I read this for a book club and only one person liked it. However, the one person who liked it was able to point out the humor and the themes in the story that the rest of us missed. I found the ramblings to be so boring that the only way I could finish the book was by skipping the ramblings (which could go on for pages) and getting to the parts where something actually happens.

    On the other hand, I *did* love that the acronym is AAGTWHINE. That amused me to no end.

    • Serena says
      March 16, 2012 at 1:26 pm

      I saw the “humor” and the themes, but I guess I was too annoyed that the author tried so hard to make it denser than it needed to me. I do like the acronym though. I think that’s entertaining for sure. I’m glad that I finished this, though…It’s been on my shelf for some time.

  10. Ti says
    March 16, 2012 at 11:50 am

    This sounds really different and dare I say it? Fun? Except, it sounds like it wasn’t executed all that well. I hate not knowing if you should continue with a book or not. Sounds like in this case, had it not been for those other bloggers you may have ditched it. Too bad it didn’t work out better for you.

    • Serena says
      March 16, 2012 at 1:08 pm

      I thought it was something that it clearly was not. I really wanted more out of the book than I got. I’m not sure if I would have ditched it or not, but I kept reading…the writing wasn’t horrible, I just really wanted something else from it than I was given.

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