Hi Annick-
And welcome to the group. First off, if Al Guthrie recommends
anything, listen to the man. Oh, and get a copy of his
Edgar-nominated book KISS HER GOODBYE, while you're at it,
and read some of the best Scottish writing ever (way better
than Sir Walter Scott, for example).
As for Megan Abbott, I too am an ardent admirer of her work.
I also agree about THE SONG IS YOU (and a trip to the Rara
Avis archives will bear that out, as I lavished praise on
this particular book when I finished it a couple of months
back).
If you're looking for something "similar", how about
something that informs her work? She and I have discussed the
usual suspects (Chandler, Woolrich, et. al.) that her writing
initially evokes, and come to find out that she's also a fan
of Ross MacDonald's work (as again, am I).
So check him out, especially stuff like THE CHILL, BLACK
MONEY (his personal favorite of his own works), THE WYCHERLY
WOMAN, THE GOOBYE LOOK, THE DROWNING POOL, or THE
ZEBRA-STRIPED HEARSE.
I envy you the journey you're about to take. Although I can
read these books and enjoy them, I can never again read them
for the first time.
All the Best-
Brian Thornton
----- Original Message -----
From: Allan Guthrie
To:
rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2007 2:44 AM
Subject: Re: RARA-AVIS: Greetings from a New
Member!
Hello Annick,
I'm a little confused as to what you're looking
for stylistically, since I see Chandler and Cain as being
poles apart, but I can certainly recommend a 50's period noir
with a different take: Sara Gran's DOPE.
QUEENPIN's set decades earlier than Megan's
previous two. I was lucky enough to get an ARC. Superb
book.
Al
----- Original Message -----
From: nakedcitydame
To:
rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2007 1:32 AM
Subject: RARA-AVIS: Greetings from a New
Member!
Hello everyone,
Very excited to be a part of this group. I have
long been a fan of
FILM Noir, but just recently started actually
READING it. When I tell
you I'm a librarian you may think that
declaration a bit odd. My
equal passions are films and books, I toggle back
and forth between
them. I consider myself a femme fatale at heart,
but a librarian by
day, just to keep myself out of trouble.
I am a fan of the Chandler, Cain school of noir
writing and I really
enjoy when I can find a modern writer that
captures this style. I
think I may have found one in Megan Abbott. I
have read some of the
postings about her on this board and I am glad
you regard her as
highly as I do. I particularly like the "voice"
that she gives her
characters. Her command of the noir language is
dead on. I read Die a
Little first, just finished The Song is You.
Die.. really impressed
me, The Song... just blew me away. Can't wait
unitl Queenpin is
released, I've already pre-ordered it on
Amazon.com!
I would really appreciate some reading
suggestions for authors I
should read next, if I like Megan Abbott's
stories. I prefer stories
that are set in the noir era, late '40s and '50s,
that really capture
that "voice" that is reminiscent of the writing
style from that
period in time. If I had to make a choice, The
Song is You comes
closer to my preferred storyline. Gil Hopkins
reminds me of a Phillip
Marlowe type, disillusioned but not yet ready to
give up, still
searching for the truth.
I look forward to reading this groups opinions
and analyses and hope
I can contribute something that will be worth
reading as well.
Sincerely,
Annick
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