How To Be Both

[HappydaysArehere]

Restarted this book and finished the first part about a sixteenth century artist. Now trying to read the modern story. I am several pages in and feel as if I could tear my hair out. I was reasonably engaged with the first story but beginning to feel life is too short to persist with the second. Am I being short sighted ....? Will I miss something? Haven't read Ali Smith before. Is this typical of her work? Welcome other opinions.

Personally I can't read any of her stuff. Maybe someone who likes her will come along and say its worth persevering, but I say chuck the book and get a new one.

Thanks fizzy. Just wanted to reassure myself that my brain hadn't gone to pap. I sent for all the Booker contenders this year. I always do this as the Book People do a special offer every year. I usually enjoy these and have discovered some great books. I know some years have been a joy. Loved last year's selection but how on earth they arrived at this year's choices is a mystery. I read Goldfinch between the first couple of choices. It was a welcome relief. My only criticsm, for what it is worth, is that some editing would have improved the overall reader's experience. The descriptions of one and all were universally detailed irrespectively of their importance to the story. Perhaps, in parts, it needed to "swing along" at a greater pace. Thanks again.

We have Goldfinch on our shelves but I'm currently in the middle of a YA fiction reading regression so I haven't got to it yet.

What joy! fizzy. Just the antidote for this year's Booker list. Let me get down my beautiful, ancient copy of Little Women and then Good wives. They contain the most wonderful characters who have stayed with me all my reading life. Then Jane Eyre, surely as much a young person's read as that of any adult. The list is endless.......Leave your Goldfinch and wallow in sheer delight.....Just William etc. stil makes me laugh out loud...

Has anyone else read this? I'm starting it tonight. Never read any of her books before.

Southeast I read this last year in my read-along-with-the-booker-shortlist project and would say that it was my second favourite of the contenders. It was my first Ali Smith.

I did read that the books were printed in two batches, with the halves reversed in each batch. I read the modern section first and was a little until I read the older story. I absolutely loved the second story and maybe if I'd read them the other way round, I'd be less warmly disposed to the book. To me it read like two short(ish) stories with a tenuous link.

If it helps to reference my taste, I do like a Booker generally and absolutely hated The Goldfinch. I found it a struggle to read - as I simply didn't care about the characters at all - and only fought my way through as I'd loved both her previous books so much.

Thanks for that, Joyless. I finished it today and pretty much hated it. Found the story dull and the structure confusing. Pushed through as it's quite a short book. I suppose I like books with a more conventional structure.

I loved The Goldfinch, btw. Nothing I'd change about that book (and must read her other two).