dc wrote:
"That's funny, those are exactly the qualities I cherish
about MacDonald. McGee's babbling about tourism, or the rich,
or the raping of Florida--those are the pages I inevitably
dog-ear and return to. I agree about the Rolls Royce, which
seems contrived, but MacDonald is such a tremendously
appealing writer, and so convincing in the way he portrays
eccentricities, that I am easily won over."
I've gotta agree with this. When I read Juri's original post
on his problems with Travis McGee, I thought, Gee, that's
exactly what I like about him. I'm also noticing a US vs.
Euro take on McGee's appeal. Maybe it's just that MacDonald's
rants get us Yankees (from an overseas point of view, not a
north/south one) nodding our heads in agreement.
And it's McGee's character that kept me going back again and
again, even after I felt the books started a slow slide
downhill after the first 10 or so. And I wasn't the only one.
It was the only series my ex-wife and I both regularly read
(she was more of a Ruth Rendell/PD James fan). I had also
hooked both of my college roommates.
As for MacDonald giving in to writing a series for monetary
reasons
(with the implication of sellout), the McGees may have given
him higher visibility, but it was his "blockbuster books,"
like Condominium that really first gave him bestseller status
in the US. If I recall correctly, only then did the McGees
start showing up on the bestselling lists, too.
Finally, as for Etienne's implication about series characters
being a concession to US readers, I don't notice any dearth
of them in other countries: Simenon, Malet, Rankin, PD James,
Christie, etc.
Mark
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