Page 4 | The Running Grave - possible spoilers

thevegetablesoup · 2023-10-08T17:46:43+00:00

I've just finished this and really loved it, felt it was a return to form after the ink black heart which I still Enjoyed but not my favourite. Anyway, in this one, strike and Robin are investigating a cult called the United humanitarian church and I did notice a lot of parallels between the church and trans ideology..... For example The church has a difficult relationship with the truth It encourages members to cut themselves off from family members Its emphasis on the spirit over the body- at one point Robin is chastised when she is undercover as a cult member for referring to someone as gay- she is told "bodies don't matter, spirit matters" It was brilliant and thought provoking and JKR is a genius.

Bouffe · 23/11/2023 10:37

WyrdyGrob · 22/11/2023 20:41

A skilled editor could cut the texts to half their length and make them so much better.

i respectful disagree. I think it’s a calculated move on the part of her and her editors.

her USP is as a skilful world builder. Her fanbase in both of her genres relish every moment spent in that world. I definitely don’t want less book. I’m in there for a long time AND a good time (to mis quote a well known phrase)

Well, everyone reads for different things!

I think I acknowledged that her imagination (her ability to create fantasy worlds) is her greatest asset. I'm not going to critique her again, I don't dislike the woman. I'll just say that good writer — Jane Austen, for example — says so much without actually saying it. They show you, they don't tell you what to think.

Can't argue that JKR isn't extraordinary popular with her massive fanbase, obviously, and good for her and anything that gets people reading. But looking at the book with more of an editor's eye I can see an absorbing 500-page novel with a lot of the worst excesses pruned back. The first lesson any aspiring writer is supposed to learn is 'kill your darlings' and I don't think she does that. But why would she when so many people enjoy her work?

Someone else upthread mentioned how conveniently the whole mystery was explained when Strike rolled out his rationale — having not revealed any of his thinking to us. Given that so much of his thought process was exposed throughout the novel, I agree that it all seemed underwhelmingly neat and tidy. It might have been better if everything had fallen into place unexpectedly, pennies dropping, while he was talking to Abigail. We would then have been a part of the process, instead of passive recipients of the denouement. That's the kind of thing a good editor can contribute. Not to ruin an author's vision but to make the book even better.

TheGreatATuin · 23/11/2023 13:07

I also love the length of the books and all the incredible detail. Its great being able to dive head first into another world and know you're going to be immersed in it for a good long while and it's not going to be over too fast.
I don't think its particularly clunky or in need in editing, or at least there weren't any parts in it that I noticed or was pulled out of the story by. It's so deliciously twisty and the build up of clues/herrings is fabulous.
I also like that both Strike and Robin are flawed. Strike can be a bit if a dick sometimes and Robin can be reckless, but that makes them great characters.
I'm a huge reader and JKR is one of my favourite authors, even without any of the GC stuff. She's hugely talented.

TWETMIRF · 02/12/2023 15:18

Just finished reading, had to wait ages to get to the top of the library reservation list. Loved it and would say it was too short if anything. The end was very quick and as always took me by surprise. I can only ever work out who the guilty party is if I come in part way through an episode of Columbo 😂^^

TodayInahurry · 02/12/2023 15:37

I did not enjoy the Ink Black Heart, I found it difficult to read the messaging. I really enjoyed the Running Grave, although I found it rather unsettling. I know there are nasty cults out there and I did recognise some of the abuse JKR has suffered. I hope she is writing another one!

PriOn1 · 02/12/2023 21:32

Bouffe · 23/11/2023 10:37

Well, everyone reads for different things!

I think I acknowledged that her imagination (her ability to create fantasy worlds) is her greatest asset. I'm not going to critique her again, I don't dislike the woman. I'll just say that good writer — Jane Austen, for example — says so much without actually saying it. They show you, they don't tell you what to think.

Can't argue that JKR isn't extraordinary popular with her massive fanbase, obviously, and good for her and anything that gets people reading. But looking at the book with more of an editor's eye I can see an absorbing 500-page novel with a lot of the worst excesses pruned back. The first lesson any aspiring writer is supposed to learn is 'kill your darlings' and I don't think she does that. But why would she when so many people enjoy her work?

Someone else upthread mentioned how conveniently the whole mystery was explained when Strike rolled out his rationale — having not revealed any of his thinking to us. Given that so much of his thought process was exposed throughout the novel, I agree that it all seemed underwhelmingly neat and tidy. It might have been better if everything had fallen into place unexpectedly, pennies dropping, while he was talking to Abigail. We would then have been a part of the process, instead of passive recipients of the denouement. That's the kind of thing a good editor can contribute. Not to ruin an author's vision but to make the book even better.

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It was very obvious reading the later Potter books that they would have benefited from a bit more editing, but I noticed the same when reading Val McDermid. Her earlier books were much tighter and better edited than the later. I found myself wondering whether, once an author reaches a certain level of popularity, that the editors don’t like to critique them so much, or (more cynically) that they just don’t bother as they know it’s going to sell anyway and they want to get it out there.

I enjoyed The Running Grave and devoured it over a few days. I’m not sure if it’s my age (I do have memory problems) but I had problems keeping track of who everyone was. I think I will have to read it again. The chapters about Robin undercover were incredibly tense. I was genuinely worried for her, which shows the extent to which I was drawn in. I was probably rushing a bit too much for that reason as well.