With regard to A Little Life - I loved it. There are many scenes which are difficult to get through, but in the end what I remember most is the great love the characters had for one another and that sticks with me more than the graphic scenes
The graphic scenes in A Little Life didnāt bother me. The author said there was great love but there were precious few reasons given as to why there was such great love. For the life of me I couldnāt see why anyone could even tolerate the main character, much less be completely devoted to him. Everything was just so shallow. I kept reading, hoping that something would click and I would care about them, but I never really did.
A Little Life is engrossing for the first half or so, then Jude starts grating on my nerves. Slate audio book club discussion mentioned they kept count of the times Jude said āI am sorryā. No amount of love and devotion can sufficiently reassure him. It gets tiring after awhile.
āBorn To Runā by Bruce Springsteen is a very good autobiography about one of our rock stars. I learned a lot about him, and it was interesting to read about how he grew up and became a musician. He encountered the same type of strict Catholic nuns that I did as a kid. He isnāt afraid to discuss his personal failures and weaknesses. Itās a much better book than several other biographies of musicians.
Just finished reading The Underground Railroad. Quite an extraordinary book. Highly recommended.
Just finished āCrosstalkā. I think I want a sanctuary phone. Fun book.
Just finished Crossing to Safety. So beautiful and haunting. How have I not discovered Stegner before now?
Has anyone read Angle of Repose?
Me! It was my favorite book for many years. Go for it!
Thanks! Only problem is that Crossing was harmful to my sleep. I was up until 3 one night with it, then dreamed about it. A chance worth taking again though, given the payoff. 
Yes, I have loved Angle of Repose also. I try to get my son (35, single) interested in Stegner but he is put off by the lack of anything happening in the books. Fair criticism, but if you already appreciated his lyrical writing in Crossing to Safety Iām sure you will also enjoy this one.
When I recommend Crossing to Safety (one of my top 5 favorite books), I always warn people that āitās a quiet bookā.
Earlier in the thread I posted that I had just read Crossing to Safety, my first Stegner. Unlike most other people, I have some reservations about it, although I still think it is a remarkable book. Specifically, the magic of money. Although, to be fair, the way that having or not having the kind of money that means financial security no matter what affects lives is addressed in the book.
A friend gave me her copy of Angle of Repose, and it is in my TBR pile.
So, @Tiredofsnow , what are the rest of your top 5?
I liked, but did not love Crossing to Safety. I have been meaning to read Angle of Repose for at least 10 years. I guess Iāll get around to it eventually! The midwestern author I did become addicted to was Jon Hassler. (Staggerford, A Green Journey) For some reason his books really spoke to me.
@Consolation, I was hoping no one would askā¦:). I love Crossing to Safety so much, but I hesitated to say itās my very favorite because there are so many I love. Right off the top of my head, Iād more likely add authors whose writing makes me want to read everything they have written: Wallace Stegner, Pat Conroy, Rick Bragg, Walker Percy, Tim Winton. Yeah, all men, so sue me. Heather Lende, Ann Patchett, Anne LaMott, Harper Lee, Eudora Welty. So many moreā¦A Town like Alice, Look Homeward, Angel, Let us Now Praise Famous Men, The Worst Hard Time read with The Grapes of Wrath, Unbroken/Sea Biscuit/The Boys in the Boat. The Brunetti series by Donna Leon. The Dublin Murder Squad books by Tana French. John Verdonās Dave Gurney books.
Another one of Stegnerās that I love is The Spectator Bird. His writing takes my breath away in spots, like Tim Wintonās does.
A Town Like Alice is another one I really liked.
I think Crossing to Safety was discussed on this thread a looooong time ago. I loved it even as a young adult. Angle of Repose is also remarkable.
I think youāre right, @jaylynn ā¦itās such a long thread that Iām sure we keep circling around. I keep thinking I should go back and make a note of all the ābest booksā Iāve missed!
Re: Spectator Bird. I mentioned that my adult son found that nothing happens in Stegner books I have recommended. Well I found this description of Spectator Bird and sent to him because it made me laughāreally sounds like a book where nothing happens.
[QUOTE=""]
Joe Allston is a retired literary agent who is, in his own words, ākilling
time before time gets around to killing me.ā His parents and his only son
are long dead, leaving him with neither ancestors nor descendants, tradition
nor ties. His job, trafficking the talent of others, had not been his
choice. He passes through life as a spectator. But a postcard from a friend
causes him to return to the journals of a trip he had taken years before.
The memories of that trip to his motherās birthplace move through layers of
time and meaning, and reveal that Joe Allston isnāt quite spectator enough.
Sonās reply? āIāll keep that one in mind for when Iām 80 and finally mature enough
to understand it.ā
[/QUOTE]
Sort of off topicāMy H finally read Pride and Prejudice and really liked it! This is a huge victory for me, lol! (S and I love it; D, who usually reads things I also like, has only read the zombies versionā¦)
@Curiousreader, too funny. Iām not quite 80 yetā¦hey, introspection is highly underrated!