Travels with My Aunt by Graham Greene, is another book I am already part way through, half way through in fact (once again this is not cheating!). I began this book about 3 months ago and found that it just wasn’t holding my interest. I would get through a chapter and have retained nothing about what had happened and who some of the most important characters were, so put it aside.
Not that I wasn’t enjoying it to begin with. It is very nicely written, witty and comical. I was also drawn in by the fact not only that it was written by a well known author, but that it was made into a film starring Maggie Smith (a wonderful actress don’t you think? Another film I would like to see when I have finished this story).
This book is one form the sale, and I think what is putting me off most is that someone has been through the book, marking it up as a study aid. Try as I may to ignore it, I am finding myself drawn to the underlined passages and penciled notes in the margins. Thus my interpretation of the story has been coloured by this learned vandal (although how learned can someone be and have the audacity to mark a book?)
Characters have been fleshed out before I have gotten the chance to know them, important plot points have been given away before I have been able to come to the conclusion myself. This has also robbed me of the satisfaction of arriving at the moment Greene has been taking me to, and going ‘ ah huh! I knew it!’ A truly delicious moment don’t you think?!
Having just picked it up again, I’m either looking at it with fresh eyes, or I left it just as it was starting to get interesting again, time will tell.
275 Days remaining, 20 books to go.
No comments:
Post a Comment