Author Archives: susan

LITERATURE: The Old ForestThe Little Cousins

This was good.  A young boy as first person narrator describes his rather spoiled life with his older sister, widowed father, and housekeeper as he and his sister manipulate the adults.  He is aware of his own flaws and in … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: The Old ForestAllegiance

This story in the anthology was not particularly a favorite, although I suspect that the subtlety of characterization is outstanding.  Again, first person pov, the narrator being a young serviceman visiting an old aunt who has been kept out of … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: Black Swan Green – Finale

This is one book that I can describe as having grown on me.  I was not overwhelmed with it after the first couple of chapters and its subtle advance of plot and character snuck up as Jason, over the course … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: Black Swan Green – Changes

First of all, this following episode reminds me a bit of Steve Ersinghaus’ piece, Stoning Field, in the interaction of boys and the underlying theme of war: Here was a bent glade I knew from when us village kids used … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: The Old Forest – A Bit of a Drag

The next story in this collection is A Friend and Protector and while Taylor’s skill still shines in the area of character development and subtlety, this particular story didn’t wow me quite to the state that a couple of the … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: Black Swan Green – Theme

I would almost say that the underlying theme in this novel is struggle and change.  Jason, through the space of a few months (summer and now into the school year) faces some challenge in each of the chapters and we … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: Black Swan Green – Empathy

One thing that Mitchell seems to be quite good at doing is bringing in bits of Jason’s thoughts that the reader can well relate to from past experience: Teachers’re always using that "in your own words."  I hate that.  Authors … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: Black Swan Green – Stages

There is a relationship here between the chapters that Mitchell uses as stages both in the maturing of his character and the setting within which the character is placed to face a challenge.  From a childish worry of being accepted … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: The Old Forest – Bad Dreams

The story is simple: A well-to-do man brings an old black man home to live in a room in the barn loft, where his butler and maid, a young black married couple already occupy two rooms and the only bathroom … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: The Old Forest – Whew!

Just got totally blown away by Taylor’s Bad Dreams.  Leaves me speechless. Continue reading

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LITERATURE: Black Swan Green – Simile

A little gem: (Talking with some people’s like moving up higher screens in a computer game.) (p. 158) I believe Jason’s referring to his growing relationship with Madame Crommelynck, but since he has just described his parents’ current state to … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: Black Swan Green – A Touch of Philosophy

I love this, it’s as representative of the thought process of children, in carrying an idea a step further and further until it becomes another question of sorts, while at the same time, it is a worldly view and comment … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: Black Swan Green – Technique

A couple of real nice exposures of change of attitude and time by Mitchell, keeping the descriptions fairly close yet far enough apart to denote a difference in Jason’s first and second visits to Madame Crommelynck: Inside smelt of liver … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: Promise of Rain – Master of Subtlety

Wow.  Just caught the drift of Taylor’s genius at showing character.  In using the first person pov of the father describing his relationship with his son, there is an unreliability about the narrator not necessarily that he is hiding something … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: Promise of Rain – More on 1st Person Narrator

This just makes you want to slap him hard: After raining all morning, the skies seemed to be clearing.  It was mostly bright while we sat there, with only an occasional dark interval.  During those dark intervals, Hugh ate feverishly; … Continue reading Continue reading

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