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3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
Good advance reviews and a Facebook friend's recommendation convinced me to read this book (thanks, John!). I generally hesitate to read fiction that deals with music; it generally just doesn't ring true to me for some reason. This book, however, captures what's great about creativity and dips into music culture in a way that feels genuine and knowledgeable about the music itself. The basic premise of the book is discussed elsewhere by more articulate reviews than me, but I love the idea of a character who creates his own musical world unencumbered by having to engage with the outside world's reaction to it. Denise's revealing of Nik's Chronicles opens up a fascinating self-created music world.
I can't say enough good things about this short book. I devoured it in two days. It's definitely worth checking out.
I can't say enough good things about this short book. I devoured it in two days. It's definitely worth checking out.
Well written, interesting concept, but the end was less than stellar.
This novel unfolds in such a moving way. Spiotta captures the deep bond between siblings in a way that is nakedly truthful and while complex, simple at its core.
I read Dana Spiotta's Eat the Document in a high school book club. There's even photos in the yearbook of the 4 of us reading it. Maybe my memory of reading the book is replaced by the photo. That's what Spiotta's narrator, Denise, would say in Stone Arabia. Denise is the true underdog in a story reminiscent to me of Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad. Spiotta's novel being the tragic bootleg version. The title, for me, describes the quintessential violent feeling of memory, almost-memory and the incredible pressure in "making memories". This latter activity is Denises's brother's specialty. Nik is too cool for any school of rock or thought. He misquotes at will (look for the quote attributed to Gloria Steinem) and makes progress without profit. He is the locus for all the imaginative powers of the reader. Denise takes all the punches and Nik gets the glory.
The structure, like Goon Squad, is new and startling. We're talking messed-up chronology (not all the way through, only enough to let us know not to get our hopes up about Denise). There's redaction - even to the point of redacted structure (Denise doesn't want it to be a diary). The novel, even at this level, is driven forward (and backward?) by Denise's unwillingness to be a slave to memory. There's also exerpts from Nik's Chronology, and scripts from Ada's (Denise's daughter's) film. Reading Stone Arabia is a mimesis of Denise's reading of web sites, media and her own perusal of her memories. It's startling when Denise is referred to by name, perhaps because of her imprint on all the facets of the novel.
In honor of Nik and his Chronicles, I'll distill my review into a faux-Chronicle exerpt (see Stone Arabia, pages 42-3):
I'M WITH STONE ARABIA
The Back Page Vital Stats
Stephanie Miller tells us her opinions and observations
Title: Stone Arabia
Author: Dana Spiotta
Length: 233 pages
Published: July 2011
Cover: Red, meant to look like a faux Chronicle. Notice that Dana Spiotta's name is copyrighted. Best joke of the book.
Themes: Loss, memory (see previous theme), aphasia, debtedness, media-dependency, ego-tripping.
Settings: L.A., web-sites, TV, punk/glitter/glam scene, stuck in traffic.
Strengths: Nik's Chronicles, Denise's memories of childhood, Denise's dates with Jay.
Weaknesses: Nik's fake letter (supposedly written by Denise), the visit to Stone Arabia and Ada.
Best Minor Character: Tommy Skate
Best Moments: Jayne Mansfield, James Woods, Wilton's Birthday Cakes, SARS.
Worst: grocery store, pills, WIC.
Overall Grade: B+
You should read it - not just because Thurston Moore (of Sonic Youth) blurbs it. It's a wake-up call to those of us in limbo about cutting the mult-media ties that shouldn't bind memory to mind.
The structure, like Goon Squad, is new and startling. We're talking messed-up chronology (not all the way through, only enough to let us know not to get our hopes up about Denise). There's redaction - even to the point of redacted structure (Denise doesn't want it to be a diary). The novel, even at this level, is driven forward (and backward?) by Denise's unwillingness to be a slave to memory. There's also exerpts from Nik's Chronology, and scripts from Ada's (Denise's daughter's) film. Reading Stone Arabia is a mimesis of Denise's reading of web sites, media and her own perusal of her memories. It's startling when Denise is referred to by name, perhaps because of her imprint on all the facets of the novel.
In honor of Nik and his Chronicles, I'll distill my review into a faux-Chronicle exerpt (see Stone Arabia, pages 42-3):
I'M WITH STONE ARABIA
The Back Page Vital Stats
Stephanie Miller tells us her opinions and observations
Title: Stone Arabia
Author: Dana Spiotta
Length: 233 pages
Published: July 2011
Cover: Red, meant to look like a faux Chronicle. Notice that Dana Spiotta's name is copyrighted. Best joke of the book.
Themes: Loss, memory (see previous theme), aphasia, debtedness, media-dependency, ego-tripping.
Settings: L.A., web-sites, TV, punk/glitter/glam scene, stuck in traffic.
Strengths: Nik's Chronicles, Denise's memories of childhood, Denise's dates with Jay.
Weaknesses: Nik's fake letter (supposedly written by Denise), the visit to Stone Arabia and Ada.
Best Minor Character: Tommy Skate
Best Moments: Jayne Mansfield, James Woods, Wilton's Birthday Cakes, SARS.
Worst: grocery store, pills, WIC.
Overall Grade: B+
You should read it - not just because Thurston Moore (of Sonic Youth) blurbs it. It's a wake-up call to those of us in limbo about cutting the mult-media ties that shouldn't bind memory to mind.
Another Biblioracle recommendation - but this one falls a bit short of the mark.
Certainly engaged me, premise-wise, and I found Nik's Chronicles to be one of the most interesting and original literary creations of recent memory... but there wasn't enough. This whole book feels so slight, so much like a missed opportunity, that I can actually say I was let down by it. It promised so much and the inherent ability seems to be there... but it just never takes flight like you want it to. A shame, really.
More disappointed ramblings at Raging Biblioholism: http://wp.me/pGVzJ-hf
Certainly engaged me, premise-wise, and I found Nik's Chronicles to be one of the most interesting and original literary creations of recent memory... but there wasn't enough. This whole book feels so slight, so much like a missed opportunity, that I can actually say I was let down by it. It promised so much and the inherent ability seems to be there... but it just never takes flight like you want it to. A shame, really.
More disappointed ramblings at Raging Biblioholism: http://wp.me/pGVzJ-hf
I liked this LA focused, music-centric book but was hoping to like it even more. reminds me a bit of [b:The Nobodies Album|7099280|The Nobodies Album|Carolyn Parkhurst|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320489282s/7099280.jpg|7356976] and [b:A Visit from the Goon Squad|7331435|A Visit from the Goon Squad|Jennifer Egan|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1290480318s/7331435.jpg|8975330].
This woman can certainly write, it just got a bit too off the rails at the end (I know, my typical complaint, but really the ending is important to a book)!
This woman can certainly write, it just got a bit too off the rails at the end (I know, my typical complaint, but really the ending is important to a book)!
Good writing, but I guess I just didn't get this book, or at least I wasn't in the right headspace to enjoy it over the the three long weeks it took me to slog through it. Didn't really hold my interest and kind of went nowhere.
Loved every minute. The idea of knowingly creating art without an audience is intriguing. The relationships are real to me. The questions presented hit home. I plan to read more by this author.
Roughly, the story is told by a sister about a brother who is one of those "lost" cult rock artists. In this case, her brother has not only been recording in obscurity, but he has created a personal mythology around his works, with his own archive of fake bands, fake reviews, fake interviews. It is very plausible, for good reason: Spiotta got the idea of the story from the creative (non-)career of her stepfather. It's good stuff. I enjoyed reading it.
Dana Spiotta is a great writer of words, but I'm afraid this has some writerly tricks to create closure where there isn't much.
So, without doing spoilers: A classic writer's trick to create a sense of closure / finish / "ending"by shifting the narrative in some way at the end. Spiotta does it twice. Toward the end she has her narrator revisit a relatively minor incident; and then at the end there's a time-shift. These are supposed to provide some "ahas" for the reader, or at least puzzles -- but I don't think she pulls it off.
I think the thematic continuities between the bulk of the story and the ending(s) are pretty weak, and that in some sense this novel is a bit of a placeholder in a distinguished career.
Having said that:
If you're interested in any of the following: the history of rock and its cult heroes; the 1970s and 80s; California; family relationships; menopause . . . read it.
Dana Spiotta is a great writer of words, but I'm afraid this has some writerly tricks to create closure where there isn't much.
So, without doing spoilers: A classic writer's trick to create a sense of closure / finish / "ending"by shifting the narrative in some way at the end. Spiotta does it twice. Toward the end she has her narrator revisit a relatively minor incident; and then at the end there's a time-shift. These are supposed to provide some "ahas" for the reader, or at least puzzles -- but I don't think she pulls it off.
I think the thematic continuities between the bulk of the story and the ending(s) are pretty weak, and that in some sense this novel is a bit of a placeholder in a distinguished career.
Having said that:
If you're interested in any of the following: the history of rock and its cult heroes; the 1970s and 80s; California; family relationships; menopause . . . read it.