wonderful reviews....first, i will let Christine know...she'll be happy (she is from Vancouver)...and i LOVE that you loved the 2 Johnson--I wondered why you had asked me...i definitely prefer The Laughing Monsters....and like all Johnson's short work, it is brilliant...and i share the same order as you, other than I might put Tree of Smoke slightly higher on your list--prefer it to name of the world and hanged man....but definitely agree about train dreams, angels, largess, stars....an example, for me, that the short novel is the novel of poets (my hope for my own hahahah)....and of course, my hope is to focus on Maso on 2025....as for Carson, I really recommend Autobiography in Red...which after Nox, & Plainwater & wrong normal and her brilliant 'novel'....great job....i just sent you a book to read next hahahahahah.....see you in 2 weeks....bb
Like you I am working on reading all of Denis Johnson after being so amazed by Train Dreams. I have only read five so far and I agree with where you put them on the list (Angels, Hanged Man, Fiskadoro, Jesus’ Son). Stars at Noon will be my next so I am looking forward to that! Slightly disappointing to find we started with the best 😮
That's exactly it, I was so far blown away by Train Dreams & then Angels which were the first two I read, that was when I committed to reading them all. There was definitely a sag in the quality in the middle as I read them, but picked up again with the last few.
Denis Johnson is totally up my street (really liked Train Dreams). Need to read those 2 though. Just started another Christmas gift - Wraiths of the Broken Land by S Craig Zahier (the book which became Bone Tomahawk). Btw, which are your favourite books by William H Gass?
Amazing. Always in search of wiser views in book reviews.
wonderful reviews....first, i will let Christine know...she'll be happy (she is from Vancouver)...and i LOVE that you loved the 2 Johnson--I wondered why you had asked me...i definitely prefer The Laughing Monsters....and like all Johnson's short work, it is brilliant...and i share the same order as you, other than I might put Tree of Smoke slightly higher on your list--prefer it to name of the world and hanged man....but definitely agree about train dreams, angels, largess, stars....an example, for me, that the short novel is the novel of poets (my hope for my own hahahah)....and of course, my hope is to focus on Maso on 2025....as for Carson, I really recommend Autobiography in Red...which after Nox, & Plainwater & wrong normal and her brilliant 'novel'....great job....i just sent you a book to read next hahahahahah.....see you in 2 weeks....bb
I've read "Autobiography Of Red".
Like you I am working on reading all of Denis Johnson after being so amazed by Train Dreams. I have only read five so far and I agree with where you put them on the list (Angels, Hanged Man, Fiskadoro, Jesus’ Son). Stars at Noon will be my next so I am looking forward to that! Slightly disappointing to find we started with the best 😮
That's exactly it, I was so far blown away by Train Dreams & then Angels which were the first two I read, that was when I committed to reading them all. There was definitely a sag in the quality in the middle as I read them, but picked up again with the last few.
Denis Johnson is totally up my street (really liked Train Dreams). Need to read those 2 though. Just started another Christmas gift - Wraiths of the Broken Land by S Craig Zahier (the book which became Bone Tomahawk). Btw, which are your favourite books by William H Gass?
All of them! (re Gass)