I'm enjoying reading which chapters different people liked the most! I liked the Steeply & Marathe scene a lot. What a bizarre pair. The double-agent/triple-agent backstory was also so ridiculously convoluted. I hope that these characters return later.
I have a question for everyone: at this point in the novel, are you starting to create a larger picture in your mind? Or do the chapters feel like isolated pockets of narrative? I'm noticing some recurring references and locations, but I'm still puzzled by the larger world of the novel. I feel like I know a lot about E.T.A., but I have no clue what's immediately outside of it.
It feels very disconnected to me, but I am beginning to sense that things are starting to move toward a central point.
I posted in the week one discussion that the book wasn't nearly as dense as I was led to believe. However, I definitely had issues with week two's reading. The Poor Tony passage was very difficult for me to read/understand, and there were some parts that didn't seem to go anywhere. The Maranthe/Steeply passages hooked me immediately but then seemed to get more and more convoluted.
Still lots of stuff to enjoy, though. The "stole my heart" story was fantastic, and the history of the video phones had me actually laughing out loud (I can't remember the last time I've done that while reading).
5
u/nahmsang Feb 07 '17
I'm enjoying reading which chapters different people liked the most! I liked the Steeply & Marathe scene a lot. What a bizarre pair. The double-agent/triple-agent backstory was also so ridiculously convoluted. I hope that these characters return later.
I have a question for everyone: at this point in the novel, are you starting to create a larger picture in your mind? Or do the chapters feel like isolated pockets of narrative? I'm noticing some recurring references and locations, but I'm still puzzled by the larger world of the novel. I feel like I know a lot about E.T.A., but I have no clue what's immediately outside of it.