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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
The Brautigan book in which my dream job exists.
One sentence summary: A man who works in a library of unpublished books sets out to Mexico with his girlfriend to get an abortion.
reflective
fast-paced
"He looked as if he had been beaten to death with a wine bottle, but by doing it with the contents of the bottle."
fuckkkkkkkkkkk i love richard brautigan so much.
fuckkkkkkkkkkk i love richard brautigan so much.
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
I don't remember when the last time I sat down and read a 200-page book in one sitting was. Written in 1971, set in 1966, an eminently readable book about a librarian and his girlfriend who travel to Mexico to obtain an abortion, then illegal in California. It's a time capsule full of period details -- Woolworths, telephone booths, dimes, instant coffee, etc. And the fictional library, where anyone can submit a book they've written, has apparently inspired a real library with the same mission.
I picked this book up after listening to a podcast about a library that it had inspired. I could have read an entire book was about the library and its workings, the different caretakers of the library, etc. The second half was a story that has been told before, nothing really original. After finishing the book, I felt the way I did after reading Kerouac; everyone is raving about it but it actually felt kinda sexist... You hear an adult male describe -in detail- a the body of a curvy, busty girl (barely an adult) who is ashamed of her body because of the sexualization by men, but then develops confidence because of sex with a man...
But yeah, the library was AWESOME!
But yeah, the library was AWESOME!
A fantastic gem of an experiment, if you can dig it. Despite the title, this book make me inexplicably happy. And the similes...like a steaming crabpot of otherworldly delights!
I loved the words.
I loved the sentences.
I loved the pages.
But the story doesn't go anywhere. I felt like I was on an acid trip because not everything made sense. And it was joyous.
I loved the sentences.
I loved the pages.
But the story doesn't go anywhere. I felt like I was on an acid trip because not everything made sense. And it was joyous.
this one was a mixed bag for me. i see brautigan's talent as a writer on full display. i loved the descriptions of the books that came into the library, the way he described settings, moods, the environment of the story. perhaps a relic of its time, the premise of vida was nauseating. an otherworldly beautiful woman who literally causes car crashes with her figure enters this hermit librarian's life and he woos her by telling her to "just be herself and accept that she's the hottest woman who's ever lived." the power dynamic is strange but still compelling. i wanted more from her, some tension or conflict, but her passe attitude never heightened the drama about a genuinely controversial topic (especially for 1973!) i would like to read more of his work just based off his writing talent, but this wasn't my favorite.