tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471801.post5642854393955357210..comments2023-10-21T07:44:20.549-04:00Comments on The Existence Machine: In Brief: Five novels from the shelvesRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08014014605639738887noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471801.post-2616954601291020282009-06-05T10:18:30.026-04:002009-06-05T10:18:30.026-04:00Hi Andrew. I didn't hate the book. And I shoul...Hi Andrew. I didn't hate the book. And I should say that there were these little moments here and there where I felt something more interesting was happening, but they were brief.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08014014605639738887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471801.post-30047569945781679212009-06-03T22:10:52.432-04:002009-06-03T22:10:52.432-04:00Sorry to hear you didn't like Passing. I guess...Sorry to hear you didn't like Passing. I guess what I meant by the book being subtle was that I felt that, while the plot was melodramatic and, as you say, the idea of passing very straightforward (even to the point of assertion), Larsen does things in each scene which draw them out of the melodrama momentarily, so that they become not just stock characters or hooks for obvious ideas to hang on. Felise, for instance, I thought was a really vibrant character. But I can definitely see why these things--the melodrama and the assertiveness--could put you off the book.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10819056627072965519noreply@blogger.com