You’ve read the hype, you’ve haunted the website, you’ve wondered what it’s all about. And, we might note, with good reason. Having an excellent book recommended is pretty much the literary equivalent of great sex. Except one lasts longer. We will not address the issue of satisfaction — some things are personal.
The Litblog Co-op has announced its first Read This! pick: Kate Atkinson’s Case Histories. Check out the site (and the sites) over the coming weeks to learn more about this terrific title. We’ll be sharing our thoughts soon; however, we truly enjoyed The Old Hag’s introduction to the conversation:
When it finally rose to the top, after I made a brief foray into the first few pages, it fared no better. Four young daughters… distant father. distracted mother… snooze. If I wanted to spend time with fanciful young girls tripping through the long green, I’d reread The Secret Garden.
But when I saw it mentioned on a trusted web site as an excellent read. I went back to it immediately. And, after the infinitesimally-slower-than-I’d-like first few pages, I launched into what remains, hands down, my favorite read of the year.
It seems impossible to believe that Kate Atkinson’s sentences ever had an awkward stage. Each paragraph, each page, each chapter unfolds with perfect precision, the prose and pacing fully shaped. There’s nothing flowery about the words, but no stripped-down drama either. Atkinson’s a pro – a juicy pro.
