Archives: Fiction J-N

Welcome to the Fiction J-N aisle.

Rating	Meaning
****	A must read. If you've already read it, read again!
***	A good read, well worth your time.
**	Not an entirely bad book, but only read it if you're interested in the subject matter.
*	Don't bother, unless you're on an island without anything else.
none	Under no circumstances should you read this book!

The Monkey�s Paw & Other Stories Our Happiness

by W. W. Jacobs by Tom Jenks

© 1994 (Anthology) ISBN # 0 86072 167 1 © 1990 ISBN # 0-553-34854-X

Jacobs is seen as one of the greatest satirical writers of the early 20th century. I cannot figure out why. While some of his stories are amusingly ironic, he concentrates too much on using sailor slang. When �ev'ry �other w�ord looks like that, it�s gets old fast. Long & boring. Some dumbass accidentally kills some redneck and hides the body. He spends the first half of this book dwelling on the fact that he once killed a man before you find out the details. Other shit happens too, but this book just sucked.

Rating: ** Rating: (none)

Little Mountain I Know Many Songs, but I Cannot Sing

by Elias Khoury by Brian Kiteley

© 1950 ISBN # 0-8166-1770-8 (pbk.) © 1996 ISBN # 0-684-80905-2

A short, footnoted novel about growing up in (dare I use the cliché) war-torn Lebanon. Kudos to Khoury for his ramblings and uncompleated narratives. A very short novel that follows an American, Ib, through Cairo. He is followed by, and later meets an Armenian. Gamal-Leon shows Ib another side of Cairo, complete with practical jokes and misinformation. The style is fine and only that. Noting exceptional.

Rating: ** +(1/2) Rating: **

Immortality Slowness

by Milan Kundera by Milan Kundera

© 1990 ISBN # 0-8021-1111-4 © 1995 ISBN # 0-571-17817-0

A simple gesture by Agnes takes us into the lives of 4 main characters. A meeting in heaven between Goethe & Hemingway completes the existential journey. Kundera�s first book written in French. He existentially describes two love stories separated by 200 years. Although it�s not up to the standards he himself has set with Immortality, it�s still well worth reading.

Rating: **** Rating: *** + (1/2)

Crum Squid Soup

by Lee Maynard by Michael Mooney

© 1988 ISBN # 0-671-64842-X no date in my 1st edition ISBN # 0-931704-05-7

Just finished, review pending. A collection of short stories ranging from the absurd to just plain stupid. Mooney develops his characters in an amazingly short time (most stories are around 12 pages), but he overwrites all of the stories, quickly loosing anyones interest.

Rating: (none) Rating: *

Wild Cat Falling Lemprière's Dictionary

by Colin Johnson Mudrooroo by Lawrence Norfolk

© 1965 ISBN # 0 207 17446 6. © 1991 ISBN # 0-517-58184-1

Written in 1965, it was the first novels by an Aboriginal Australian. Judging by his style, Mudrooroo was influenced by1950s American beat novels, but he added a distinctly Aussie flavor. It's about a young Aborigine, his life of crime & successive jail terms. Peppered with flashbacks and myths, this book is fast-paced enough to hold anyone's interest. After witnessing the death of his father, Young Lemprière (against the wishes of said father) attempts to unravel the mystery that many of his forefathers could not. He meets a man, Septimus, who, along with others, convinces him that he must write a dictionary of mythology and ancient history. While completing this task, the family history unfolds around him. I cannot do justice to this magnificent book in only a few sentences. Very dense & almost magically written, this book is well worth the time it takes to read all 400+ pages.

Rating: *** Rating: ****

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The Monkey�s Paw & Other Stories		Our Happiness
by W. W. Jacobs		by Tom Jenks
© 1994 (Anthology)	ISBN # 0 86072 167 1	© 1990	ISBN # 0-553-34854-X
Jacobs is seen as one of the greatest satirical writers of the early 20th century. I cannot figure out why. While some of his stories are amusingly ironic, he concentrates too much on using sailor slang. When �ev'ry �other w�ord looks like that, it�s gets old fast. Long & boring.		Some dumbass accidentally kills some redneck and hides the body. He spends the first half of this book dwelling on the fact that he once killed a man before you find out the details. Other shit happens too, but this book just sucked.
Rating: **		Rating: (none)

Little Mountain		I Know Many Songs, but I Cannot Sing
by Elias Khoury		by Brian Kiteley
© 1950	ISBN # 0-8166-1770-8 (pbk.)	© 1996	ISBN # 0-684-80905-2
A short, footnoted novel about growing up in (dare I use the cliché) war-torn Lebanon. Kudos to Khoury for his ramblings and uncompleated narratives.		A very short novel that follows an American, Ib, through Cairo. He is followed by, and later meets an Armenian. Gamal-Leon shows Ib another side of Cairo, complete with practical jokes and misinformation. The style is fine and only that. Noting exceptional.
Rating: ** +(1/2)		Rating: **

Immortality		Slowness
by Milan Kundera		by Milan Kundera
© 1990	ISBN # 0-8021-1111-4	© 1995	ISBN # 0-571-17817-0
A simple gesture by Agnes takes us into the lives of 4 main characters. A meeting in heaven between Goethe & Hemingway completes the existential journey.		Kundera�s first book written in French. He existentially describes two love stories separated by 200 years. Although it�s not up to the standards he himself has set with Immortality, it�s still well worth reading.
Rating: ****		Rating: *** + (1/2)

Crum		Squid Soup
by Lee Maynard		by Michael Mooney
© 1988	ISBN # 0-671-64842-X	no date in my 1st edition	ISBN # 0-931704-05-7
Just finished, review pending.		A collection of short stories ranging from the absurd to just plain stupid. Mooney develops his characters in an amazingly short time (most stories are around 12 pages), but he overwrites all of the stories, quickly loosing anyones interest.
Rating: (none)		Rating: *

Wild Cat Falling		Lemprière's Dictionary
by Colin Johnson Mudrooroo		by Lawrence Norfolk
© 1965	ISBN # 0 207 17446 6.	© 1991	ISBN # 0-517-58184-1
Written in 1965, it was the first novels by an Aboriginal Australian. Judging by his style, Mudrooroo was influenced by1950s American beat novels, but he added a distinctly Aussie flavor. It's about a young Aborigine, his life of crime & successive jail terms. Peppered with flashbacks and myths, this book is fast-paced enough to hold anyone's interest.		After witnessing the death of his father, Young Lemprière (against the wishes of said father) attempts to unravel the mystery that many of his forefathers could not. He meets a man, Septimus, who, along with others, convinces him that he must write a dictionary of mythology and ancient history. While completing this task, the family history unfolds around him. I cannot do justice to this magnificent book in only a few sentences. Very dense & almost magically written, this book is well worth the time it takes to read all 400+ pages.
Rating: ***		Rating: ****