RARA-AVIS: Re: THE ARCHER FILES, Tom Nolan Ed.

From: joyrose517 ( eprn17@gmail.com)
Date: 20 Aug 2007


So far I have read The Moving Target, The Drowning Pool, and The Way Some People Die. Right now I'm reading The Ivory Grin, which of the books I've read so far has some of the most beautiful prose of all the novels, although as for story, I think I like The Drowning Pool best. Can't really say until I finish Ivory Grin.

MacDonald's writing is so ravishing that I have been completely drawn into the Southern California ambience, and California has never had any appeal for me. I'm one of the few people on the planet who don't hanker after what California represents -- generally I prefer a British or European setting, or at least American East Coast. But MacDonald has me addicted to his southern California.

Earlier Brian referred to his byzantine plots, and I have to agree they are so convoluted that it would be easy to forget it all and read again. I am one of those readers who read for the words primarily, so it's MacDonald's writing that I love. I don't really care whether I can follow the plot or not. I don't understand the earlier comment that his writing is like fingers on a chalkboard, or some similar putdown. For me his writing is incredibly beautiful.

--- In rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "Jacques Debierue"
<matrxtech@...> wrote:
>
> I get such pleasure from reading MacDonald's prose that I could
> > stay in his world forever.
> >
>
> You can. He's infinitely rereadable. Lawrence Block described the
> experience, which I make mine in toto: once you've finished a RMcD
> book, it goes completely out of your head. So you can reread it any
> time you want and it will feel new... except that after a certain
> point, they are all the same... the same but not the same, so you
can
> keep on reading. This writer had some special magic, a laconic, sad
> kind of magic, but we suckers keep reading. He was very good.
>
> Have you read The Chill or The Zebra-Striped Hearse yet? Those are
> great favorites of mine, and the latter has one of the best titles
> I've ever seen in a mystery.
>
> Best,
>
> mrt
>



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