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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
Yes, yes, I know; this is a classic, one of the 1001 books to read before you die, Henry Miller is a genius blah blah blah. But, my God, this was dull!! Either I'm just not intellectual enough to 'get' Miller (though I enjoyed Tropic of Cancer), or the people who pronounced this a classic wanted to be perceived as intellectuals.
Tropic of Capricorn starts off well. Miller comes across as a strangely self-aware narcissist, full of himself but also aware of his own shortcomings. He considers himself well-liked in his circles, though the character as written is, to me, wholly unlikeable. But the stories he tells, and the way he tells them, are good. The tales of his life at Western Union make for interesting, sometimes humorous, sometimes shocking, reading.
But halfway through, we move from the autobiographical tone to abstract, stream-of-consciousness stuff, which I have to say, I found thoroughly dull. It's like he's run out of interesting things to say about his life so thought he'd pad out the book with the contents of his alcohol-fuelled dreams. Some may find that style of writing a good read. But it's not for me.
So, having read both Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, my experience of Henry Miller is now at an end.
Tropic of Capricorn starts off well. Miller comes across as a strangely self-aware narcissist, full of himself but also aware of his own shortcomings. He considers himself well-liked in his circles, though the character as written is, to me, wholly unlikeable. But the stories he tells, and the way he tells them, are good. The tales of his life at Western Union make for interesting, sometimes humorous, sometimes shocking, reading.
But halfway through, we move from the autobiographical tone to abstract, stream-of-consciousness stuff, which I have to say, I found thoroughly dull. It's like he's run out of interesting things to say about his life so thought he'd pad out the book with the contents of his alcohol-fuelled dreams. Some may find that style of writing a good read. But it's not for me.
So, having read both Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, my experience of Henry Miller is now at an end.
Well, it's not supposed to be as good as Tropic of Cancer, is it? I enjoyed it more towards the end, but it was an uphill battle to get there!!!
If this book had a plot, I could forgive the pernicious misogyny, racial stereotypes, and insufferable arrogance. If it didn't have the misogyny, racial stereotypes, and arrogance, I could forgive its lack of plot. But alas, it is what it is, and it isn't worth my time.
One good thing I can say for this book: the writing, the prose itself, is quite good. It drew me along when I wasn't stopped dead by my complaints in the previous paragraph.
One good thing I can say for this book: the writing, the prose itself, is quite good. It drew me along when I wasn't stopped dead by my complaints in the previous paragraph.
Couldn't finish this supposed "classic." Boring, boring, boring. More of a philosophical rant than a novel.