It's weird that your bookclub liked Briony. I mean, she's not remotely likeable...she's a manipulative coward. On the other hand (and this, I thought, was McEwan's briliance) she was brilliantly well-characterized, totally recognizable as someone who lives a great deal of their lives in their mind and imagination.
I could totally understand you hating "Atonement." Unlikeable main character plus totally manipulative meta-type story resolution. As I said, I'm not sure I liked it, exactly. But it's definitely unforgettable; in fact, as soon as I was done with it I turned to page 1 and re-read most of it a second time.
I also don't think it's odd you liked the listed fanfics; just as I found much to intrigue me in "Atonement" there is much to admire in Herself's writing. Frustration with, or dislike of, her work only illustrates a bigger conundrum: from a writer's perspective, is it better to produce polarizing work that a good portion of the potential audience reads, even if they find it "difficult" or flawed? Or is it better to produce benign, unchallenging, pleasant text with which only a sliver of the potential audience engages, while everyone else forgets it within minutes of reading it? And what is more satisfying for the reader? It varies by the moment, I suspect. Although, I know that I certainly engage much more with challenging text, whether that challenge is positive or negative. Sometimes the challenge ends with the old "throw the thing across the room and curse" response, and sometimes with a passionate love affair.
Ah, reading. Good times, good times.
Been meaning to read "The Sparrow" for years. Will have to check it out.
Re: This post struck a chord with me...so pardon while I ramble on.
I could totally understand you hating "Atonement." Unlikeable main character plus totally manipulative meta-type story resolution. As I said, I'm not sure I liked it, exactly. But it's definitely unforgettable; in fact, as soon as I was done with it I turned to page 1 and re-read most of it a second time.
I also don't think it's odd you liked the listed fanfics; just as I found much to intrigue me in "Atonement" there is much to admire in Herself's writing. Frustration with, or dislike of, her work only illustrates a bigger conundrum: from a writer's perspective, is it better to produce polarizing work that a good portion of the potential audience reads, even if they find it "difficult" or flawed? Or is it better to produce benign, unchallenging, pleasant text with which only a sliver of the potential audience engages, while everyone else forgets it within minutes of reading it? And what is more satisfying for the reader? It varies by the moment, I suspect. Although, I know that I certainly engage much more with challenging text, whether that challenge is positive or negative. Sometimes the challenge ends with the old "throw the thing across the room and curse" response, and sometimes with a passionate love affair.
Ah, reading. Good times, good times.
Been meaning to read "The Sparrow" for years. Will have to check it out.