The World According to Garp, by John Irving … There’s an amalgam of social concerns covered in this hilarious and poignant account of the life and times of the family Garp. There’s no way to do it justice without a review that would take at least five pages (not from this writer) … plots and subplots abound … but to give you an idea of what you’re in store for (should you accept this assignment) … rape, murder, infidelity, transsexuality, homosexuality, religion, feminism, sexism, sports, politics … and so on. The humor is unavoidable, even when dealing with some of the humorless subjects mentioned above, but it is handled so deftly, it’s impossible (or near impossible) to be upset by the content; the presentation is as compelling as the subject matter. I say read it and have some fun. It is every bit as poignant as it is funny … and in the end, you’ll say: That was a really good read. TK Very Highly Recommends this baby.
The Principessa Ann Marie tells me I'll have to watch the movie (she enjoyed it) ... and after last night's 10 Minutes in the life, let's just say I'm paying attention ...
Here are a few other reviews to cheat with, if you will. The 1978 New York Times review:
From Between The Covers:
Dead End Follies:
Get The World According to Garp here:
Netflix Series review …
The Assets … I first learned of this series because of my Netflix stalking of actress Jodie Whittaker (after seeing her in the movie, Venus, with Peter O’Toole and Venessa Redgrave). I wondered what else she might be in I could watch on Netflix and found this series, The Assets. It all has to do with the true story of a former CIA agent’s selling Russian double-agent information to the KGB. It’s an 8 part series with a 9th addition that is a documentary about the Aldrich Ames case. I must’ve been sleepwalking through the early 90’s when Ames was finally arrested, so I was kind of blindsided by the entire story. Fascinating, to say the least, leaving many to doubt the efficacy of the CIA, especially when Ames operated as a double-agent for the KGB for nearly a decade before finally being caught … and even then, only through the persistence and skill of two women (Sandra Grimes and Jeanne Vertefuielle), former colleagues of Ames. The dramatization in the series doesn’t appear to be far off the mark (regarding Ames) of what I’ve since read up on. I always enjoy any movie that requires more attention than the time it takes to watch it – there’s nothing like double checking the facts, etc. The devil is in the details and the details are always fun to research.
As it turns out, Ms. Whittaker sheds her incredibly pronounced English accent for an American one as she plays one of the two key women in Ames’ downfall, Sandra Grimes. I enjoyed this series enough to pursue the actual story, although I haven’t ordered the book about the case (written by the two women, Grimes and Jeanne Vertefuielle) yet … too much on my TBR and reviewed pile …
SNHU MFA …
This past week, Kelly Stone Gamble held a Facebook book launch for her wonderful debut novel, They Call Me Crazy … I read this one in its infancy shortly after Kelly graduated from the MFA program … she was still in the process of writing and rewriting … it was wonderful before she went final and sold it. Get it here:
Another SNHU MFA graduate, and all around great guy, Jason Korolenko, wrote a book about a Brazilian rock band called Sepultura. The book, Relentless: The Book of Sepultura is now being sold in three countries. Get it here:
Yet another SNHU MFA graduate, James Seals, has a short story published in Crack the Spine, called Many Times Before. It’s a story close to my heart (at least where I played my college football and caught the writing bug (Minot, North Dakota) … his story is probably closer to Williston, North Dakota (it’s a fictional city in the story). Roofies and truckers and oil workers, oh my! And vendettas … Read it here:
NCAA/NFL Follies ... we can add One More Moron to the group … Utah Wide Receiver, Kaelin Clay, after pointing to his name on the back of his jersey, watched as an Oregon player picked up the ball Clay fumbled 1 yard short of the goal line (celebrating too early) and returned it 99 yards for a TD, tying the game 7-7. Talk about coincidence … Clay played for the same high school program as another moron, DeSean Jackson, who has performed the same trick more than once himself. Old school guys like myself have a very difficult time watching bullshit like this, which is why I didn’t watch it until it was yet another ESPN “highlight” … so it goes.
Ten minutes in the life … (a.k.a., attempting to escape the dog house) …
The wife says to me, she says (something about Christmas … or was it cough drops?) … ten minutes later (during a commercial), I says to her, I says, “What’s that about Christmas?”
She says to me, she says, “Don’t you dare. I was talking to you for five minutes.”
“But honey …”
“You’re dead to me.”
—Knucks
Last night we lost a doubleheader … to a pair of fish … only one person can make us feel better about feeling blue …
Tom Waits … Fumblin’ with the Blues …
Jersey Girl (because I wasn’t paying attention to my Jersey girl during the hockey game last night) …
Step Right Up …
