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bluekaren's review against another edition
4.0
I am completely at a loss as to how to review this book. This is a book about a man dissecting the writings of Nicholas Baker. He reflects on the writings real and inferred meanings. He laments his actions in life as he is discovering. He quips about the meaninglessness and righteousness of reviewing a writer’s book, all the while doing that very thing.
“Everything you write should be a test of whether you should be a writer.”
I have to begin by saying I didn’t even know who Nicholas Baker is, that he was a real person and that his writings are there for anyone to discover. I feel as if this could have been written by a great many people discovering great literature. Without more than the author’s dissection of Baker’s work, I am unable to say whether his writing inspired this plunge into dissection, or if the author chose Baker at random due to popularity. A good preface would be to mention that a reading of Nicholas Baker is a prerequisite. Since I didn’t and I won’t be reading Baker anytime soon. I can only tell you that the writing in this book is very thought provoking, if not a bit off the deep end of musing.
While the writer is discovering Nicholas Baker, he is going through his own life. His relationship and it’s ticks. He travels to France and sprinkles in what an American living in France might discover, or what he has discovered, anyways. There are so many elaborately elaborate descriptions in this book. The descriptions are not of the landscape or visions of the author, no, these descriptions are of the feelings and introspection of a man who really needs to reflect on the meanings of things most people didn’t consider. The author goes to great lengths to analyze his thoughts on the subjects in the stories by Baker and their mimicry to the author who penned them.
I think this book is a bit of an acquired taste though. I won’t be surprised if it is not well received by the masses. Because reviewing is made into an art. The author’s critique of another author’s writing may not be taken well. In my opinion this book is an experience for thoughts and a tribute to great writing. Any author who could make a discussion of books by one author, into a book, and make it this thought provoking has my undivided attention.
“Everything you write should be a test of whether you should be a writer.”
I have to begin by saying I didn’t even know who Nicholas Baker is, that he was a real person and that his writings are there for anyone to discover. I feel as if this could have been written by a great many people discovering great literature. Without more than the author’s dissection of Baker’s work, I am unable to say whether his writing inspired this plunge into dissection, or if the author chose Baker at random due to popularity. A good preface would be to mention that a reading of Nicholas Baker is a prerequisite. Since I didn’t and I won’t be reading Baker anytime soon. I can only tell you that the writing in this book is very thought provoking, if not a bit off the deep end of musing.
While the writer is discovering Nicholas Baker, he is going through his own life. His relationship and it’s ticks. He travels to France and sprinkles in what an American living in France might discover, or what he has discovered, anyways. There are so many elaborately elaborate descriptions in this book. The descriptions are not of the landscape or visions of the author, no, these descriptions are of the feelings and introspection of a man who really needs to reflect on the meanings of things most people didn’t consider. The author goes to great lengths to analyze his thoughts on the subjects in the stories by Baker and their mimicry to the author who penned them.
I think this book is a bit of an acquired taste though. I won’t be surprised if it is not well received by the masses. Because reviewing is made into an art. The author’s critique of another author’s writing may not be taken well. In my opinion this book is an experience for thoughts and a tribute to great writing. Any author who could make a discussion of books by one author, into a book, and make it this thought provoking has my undivided attention.
ursulamonarch's review
1.0
This book was a good reminder to read and read Baker for me. I really enjoyed U and I and it's hard not to compare B & Me to it, of course. Maybe I was just expecting the wrong thing from this book - I thought it would give me more insight into Baker (which, to be fair, it does, just less than I had hoped). Instead it was way more about Hallman, which is pretty similar to U and I - just not what I wanted.
bghillman's review
5.0
If you've read at least The Mezzanine, U and I, and another one of his books and like Nicholson Baker you should read this book. It wasn't perfect but it was obvious that this book was going to be written sometime.
flaneurette's review
1.0
Read this only if you are interested in the authors cringe-worthy oversharing about his sex life or if you find strained overreaching to show tenuous connections between Nicholson Baker and William and/or Henry James fascinating. Yes, I get that Hallman studied the James bros but that doesn't necessarily mean they had undo influence on Baker. This results in what seems like an attempt to shoehorn them in for the sake of showing off his knowledge. There is also much hand-wringing about the state of Literature along with the world going to hell in a hand basket as a result of modernity and technology. While I don't necessarily agree with him, Franzen is much more articulate on this subject. I picked this book up (actually downloaded on my kindle ha!) because U and I by Nicholson Baker is charming and clever- this book not so much.
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