Finished Women last night...
- Thread starter zenguru
- Start date
I have 'Locked in the arms....' and I started reading it a while back but I stopped a few chapters in. I thought I should probably get all his novels in me first and be able to go into them free from too much background info. Anyway I'm almost done with 'Woman' now...great so far, but I was wondering since you recommended 'Woman' before the bio, is that because the Sounes book specifically goes into a lot of detail about the history of 'Women'?
The thing is there are a lot more characters in 'Women' than in 'Factotum' or 'Post Office' so it would be interesting to find out who they are. i.e. all the women, writers, musicians etc. I image since he was experiencing a bit of recognition and fame at the time there would be a lot more documentation on the people he was writing about than in his earlier novels.
regarding 'Women'
I love Women - some of Buks funniest and definitely most brutal writing - those headlines are comic gold: "HENRY CHINASKI, MINOR POET..."
I've read Women cover to cover probably five times. Something I find is that it has a completely different effect on me each time depending on my state of mind at the time. (Whether I'm hating on men, in a funk, or feeling great.)
It exemplifies Buks realistic writing style, and I believe has some of the most touching moments of his work - I reference the Thanksgiving incident when describing him to new readers as an example of his sensitivity and acknowledgement that he is a jerk.
I love the women. They leave such an impression, even if they appear only for a short time. My favourites include Lily with the flower mouth; Babette owner of the trinket store; and Iris, poor Iris.
I love Women - some of Buks funniest and definitely most brutal writing - those headlines are comic gold: "HENRY CHINASKI, MINOR POET..."
I've read Women cover to cover probably five times. Something I find is that it has a completely different effect on me each time depending on my state of mind at the time. (Whether I'm hating on men, in a funk, or feeling great.)
It exemplifies Buks realistic writing style, and I believe has some of the most touching moments of his work - I reference the Thanksgiving incident when describing him to new readers as an example of his sensitivity and acknowledgement that he is a jerk.
I love the women. They leave such an impression, even if they appear only for a short time. My favourites include Lily with the flower mouth; Babette owner of the trinket store; and Iris, poor Iris.
Just got 'Locked in the Arms...' through the mail. I think I'm going to re-read all the Chinaski novels first though - starting with 'Ham on Rye' once I've finished the book I'm reading at present. Really looking forward to my 'Buk marathon' actually.
Hello, I'm new to these boards. I recently bought and finished Factotum, Post Office, and just finished Women today... I'm becoming obsessed. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what short-stories collection/novel I should read next? I was attempting to read them in what seemed to be the correct chronological order but they all seem to skip around, so I've given up on that idea. Also, a collection of poems would be good too, although I'd probably only get one of those at this time.
Welcome to the Buk boards!
Since you've read Factotum, Post Office, and Women, I'd guess Ham on Rye is your next mark.
I just finished Most Beautiful Woman in Town, so that's a good one, too.
For poetry? Well, since you already read Women, you might try Love is a Dog From Hell. That's sort of a poetic companion to Women. But you really can't go wrong with any Buk poetry book.
Oh, and since you're new, you might try and introduce yourself in the new blood section. That's the best way to attract the most flies with your honey.
Since you've read Factotum, Post Office, and Women, I'd guess Ham on Rye is your next mark.
I just finished Most Beautiful Woman in Town, so that's a good one, too.
For poetry? Well, since you already read Women, you might try Love is a Dog From Hell. That's sort of a poetic companion to Women. But you really can't go wrong with any Buk poetry book.
Oh, and since you're new, you might try and introduce yourself in the new blood section. That's the best way to attract the most flies with your honey.
Check out the suggestions in the 'So many books...' section.
Makeyourself101: There's also the bookranking link on the top left of this (and all) pages here. Despite the rankings for short stories, South of No North is BY FAR my favorite. If you read All the Assholes in the World and Mine and don't laugh yours off, you need a blood transfusion.