Anyone familiar with Iain Pears? - Democratic Underground

pscot

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Sun Nov-08-09 04:10 PM
Original message

Anyone familiar with Iain Pears?

I just finished Stones Fall. At first I was thoroughly impressed, but in the end I rather disliked most of the characters. The social Darwinism expressed reminded me of Ayn Rand; not a good thing, but I'm uncertain whether those represent the authors view or were literary device. The bizarre plot twists and amazing coincidences made it increasingly difficult to suspend disbelief. Pears writes very well and is prolific. I was looking forward to reading more of him, but now I don't know. I'd like to hear what others think.

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hippywife

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Sun Nov-08-09 06:58 PM
Response to Original message

1. My sister read The Dream of Scipio

Edited on Sun Nov-08-09 06:59 PM by hippywife

and then passed it on to me. We were both kinda - meh. We both finished it but not too excited about it.

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pscot

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Sun Nov-08-09 09:53 PM
Response to Reply #1

6. Meh...

Succinct, yet pregnant with meaning. The critics over at Amazon also gave it mixed reviews .

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hippywife

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Tue Nov-10-09 08:39 PM
Response to Reply #6

13. Well, let me put it this way.

It didn't inspire me to read anymore. If I find an author I enjoy, I will read as many of their books as they library has at some point or another.

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Orrex

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Sun Nov-08-09 07:03 PM
Response to Original message

2. Is he Bartlett's brother?

And what about Bosc?

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pscot

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Sun Nov-08-09 09:49 PM
Response to Reply #2

5. Bartlett comes from another branch entirely

Something to do with quotations. Bosc was not at all literary. More in the culinary line

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Orrex

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Sun Nov-08-09 10:44 PM
Response to Reply #5

9. Nice!

:thumbsup:

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TheCentepedeShoes

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Mon Nov-09-09 07:09 PM
Response to Reply #2

12. Personally, I'm more

partial to the cousin from Anjou
More bite

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Lydia Leftcoast

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Sun Nov-08-09 09:14 PM
Response to Original message

3. If you're interested in history (especially of science and religion)

try An Instance of the Fingerpost.

It's the same story told by four different people in Rashomon style.

All agree on the basic plot: It's the seventeenth century. An Oxford don has died, and his maid is tried and hanged for his murder.

But the four narrators agree on almost nothing else, and each one adds a new dimension to the story. Along the way, you learn a lot about seventeenth century history, politics, religion, science, and social customs.

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pscot

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Sun Nov-08-09 09:45 PM
Response to Reply #3

4. The 17TH century keeps cropping up

from Dumas to Neal Stephensen. I may try that one when the effects of STONES FALL dissipate. Right now that book is affecting me like a bad radish. I'm not quite ready for another. But Pears is a talented writer, and I will get back to him.

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Lydia Leftcoast

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Sun Nov-08-09 10:00 PM
Response to Reply #4

7. I tried some of his other books after An Instance of the Fingerpost

and I just couldn't get into them.

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pscot

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Sun Nov-08-09 10:29 PM
Response to Reply #7

8. Stone's fall was the only Pears my library had

Anything else will have to be paid for. My literary standards go way up when I have have to buy the book. Especially novels, which are generally a one-time read. I miss the days when you could buy a paperback book do0wn at the drugstore for some fraction of a dollar.

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InternalDialogue

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Mon Nov-09-09 02:29 PM
Response to Reply #4

10. Check out this interview with Neal Stephenson

The starting point was the question of why the 17th century intrigued him so much. He has some cool things to say about how it leads to where we are now.

http://tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=100703A

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tigereye

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Mon Nov-16-09 05:01 PM
Response to Reply #3

15. love his books, but that's the only one I couldn't quite get through -

hats off to you, LL, for being able to soldier on. I mean to try again sometime.

I tell people who love Dan Brown (although I am never sure why they do) to read Pears instead.

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BlueIris

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Mon Nov-09-09 04:42 PM
Response to Original message

11. I'm not a fan. I've tried to read "An Instance of the Fingerpost" like five times,

and can't do it. Just a bad writer, IMO.

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tigereye

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Mon Nov-16-09 05:03 PM
Response to Reply #11

16. I don't think he's a bad writer - I think Fingerpost is just very dense

Edited on Mon Nov-16-09 05:05 PM by tigereye

I've had the same experience in trying to get through it... it's still sitting there on my bookshelf upstairs, taunting me! ;D

OTOH, I've read Reginald Hill's Death's Jest Book (long but not turgid, though), several times... another one of my favorite writers.

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Lydia Leftcoast

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Mon Nov-16-09 05:41 PM
Response to Reply #16

17. If you're trying to read An Instance of the Fingerpost, it helps

if you know something about English history. If you do, it's fascinating.

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pitohui

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Wed Nov-11-09 09:15 PM
Response to Original message

14. thanks for this post!!! (i loves me some iain pears!)

Edited on Wed Nov-11-09 09:18 PM by pitohui

love me some iain pears, i loved the dream of scipio and instance of the fingerpost, the art detective novels are ok but they're a bit formulaic

glad to hear of one i hadn't known about

i'll look for stones fall and get back atcha!!!

also, why don't you ask your library about interlibrary loan? i don't think "any more and i gotta pay" is accurate, but maybe i'm just a louisiana rural hick :-) i've never been charged to request a book...look pitiful and see what they say

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