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Lord Of Misrule (2010)

by Jaimy Gordon(Favorite Author)

3.28 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0929701836 (ISBN13: 9780929701837)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

McPherson

review 1: I was pretty unsatisfied with this book. I felt that there were many more ideas the author could have explored at Indian Mound Downs, and its unusual cast of characters. The writing was somewhat reminiscent of Faulkner, stream of consciousness, which took a few chapters to get used to, and then Gordon cuts the reader some slack and lessens her usage of colloquialisms throughout the rest of the book. I gave it 3 stars because Gordon does effectively transplant you into the the seedy world of claims racing, and the narrative keeps you entertained.
review 2: As Janet Maslin points out in her lovely review in the New York Times, the fact that this novel won the National Book Award makes Jaimy Gordon herself a kind of dark horse. It thrills me that this novel won, b... moreecause it is the kind of challenging, inventive novel that doesn't sell many copies or get noticed by the big outlets (certainly, the Times had never taken notice of Gordon) because it is so *different.*So, a quick word: this is not a novel for everyone. If I were teaching this novel, I would have to give a pep talk or two about how to persevere through. The rewards are well worth it. The language itself is a textured thing, its own animal. At times Gordon risks losing the reader because of it, but then there are flashes of brilliance in a description or in a sharp line of dialogue that make you sit up and see the world anew. Think Emily Dickinson on a horse track. You feel and smell the dust of the place and come away with a strangely precise sense of characters and of life itself.The thing that will pull you in and keep you going is the outcome of these races (the novel is structured around four) and the stakes involved for the motley crew of owners, groomers, and hands. Read for plot. Stay for language. You will find arresting, gorgeous prose at every turn. less

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