I wandered around the Springfield and Eugene Public Libraries yesterday evaluating the good and bad aspects of each physical space. I had no intention of picking up additional reading, but I randomly stopped in the S's on the third floor (fiction)of the EPL and saw Garth Stein's first novel, Raven Stole the Moon. After the first 50 or so pages last night, I realized how very much he has matured as a writer. The storytelling is immediately recognizable, but his writing is much less refined than it is now. In The Art of Racing in the Rain, Stein says more with fewer words.
Two other things to note... Somewhere around page 30 a character enters a 'Starbucks Coffee.' I'm guessing an editor today would find that second word unnecessary! The next paragraph then provides the very same observations about the myriad decisions needed to order a beverage that were offered up in You've Got Mail, which released, I think, after the book. What's up with that, Nora?
No comments:
Post a Comment