[EN World Book Club] Tigana Discussion [October Selection]

[Dimwhit]

Dang it!

 

[kingpaul]

My only complaint with Kay's writing is that he gets a little graphic with the sex at times. Call me a prude, but I rarely find it necessary.

Oh good, I wasn't the only one who felt that the sex was bit much. Don't get me wrong, sex is good, I was just very surprised to see it portrayed so openly/graphically (and often) in a novel.

 

[Sam]

The sex didn't bother me, though I will admit that the frank discussion of incest between Dianora and Baerd was somewhat startling.


Then I began reading A Game of Thrones. That book makes Tigana look like a PG rated book.

 

[JoeBlank]

Dang, I waited so long to get back to this thread, and now there is almost too much I want to say.

Last things first, sorry about the sex. It did not bother me at all, but it may have come close to crossing the line we had intended for the Book Club. I knew that Kay did not shy away from such things, but he got a little more graphic than I expected.

I agree with those who said they truly enjoyed reading this book. Someone said they simply enjoyed the act of reading, and that says it pretty well for me too. With most books of this length, even if I like the book, I am tired by the end and it is an effort to get through them. But if there had been another Kay book on the table next to me when I finished Tigana I would have picked it up and just kept going.

Duncan Haldane, I agree about Sandre's son. I started realizing what a complex character he was about the same time I realized he was probably going to die. In a sense, it is a testament to great author that Kay is willing to kill off such an interesting character, knowing that he still has a dozen more to entertain us. With many authors, you can tell that a character is not going to die early on, just because they are interesting. And you can tell who the filler characters are. Not so with Kay.

Sailing to Sarantium is the only other Kay book I have read, and I found an interesting parrallel. Both books have prologues that set the stage for the novels, becoming a historical background. I was pleased that the prologue in Tigana was much shorter, and that learned much earlier how the characters and events related to the main plot. Does Kay do this in other books?

 

[JoeBlank]

So, I was listening to sports talk radio, and they were discussing the fact that they seem to get a lot more feedback from callers when the local teams are not doing well. When they are winning, everyone is happy, and does not see as much reason to call in.

Sometimes it is just more fun to point out what is wrong, rather than talking about what is right.

Same thing going on here?

 

[Sam]

Sometimes it is just more fun to point out what is wrong, rather than talking about what is right.

Same thing going on here?

I was wondering a bit about the low reponse here myself. Maybe Tigana is one of those books that you need to internalize a bit before really getting it.

I wonder how many people read it for the EN World Book Club? Maybe we're just not getting a high level of participation. Or, a bunch of people may not have finished it yet and don't want to read any spoilers.

Hmmm. JoeBlank, is it possible to edit the first post and add a poll to see if people have read Tigana for the book club?

 

[Dimwhit]

I wanted to contribute more to the discussion, but I didn't read it again for the bookclub. I'm going off my memory from a number of years ago, so it's sketchy.

But it's a book I always recommend.

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

Or, a bunch of people may not have finished it yet and don't want to read any spoilers.

BINGO.

I am enjoying Tigana quite a bit, but I was hit with a lot of things this month (bought a house, packed, moved, still unpacking, my office at work move to a different floor, extra reading for work), and had to put it down for almost 3 weeks, and only picked it up again a few days ago. I have about 200 pages to go. When I finish, I'll post my thoughts. I skimmed through the posts today just to see what the general reaction was, while at the same time trying to avoid spoilers.

 

[JoeBlank]

Hmmm. JoeBlank, is it possible to edit the first post and add a poll to see if people have read Tigana for the book club?

Sounds like if we keep bumping we will pick up the folks are are not quiet finished yet. It would be interesting to see how many participants we have. I'll think some on the poll idea.

Also wanted to post a link to a review: http://home.golden.net/~csp/cd/reviews/tigana.htm

From what I have read, this guys reviews are excellent. They don't give away too much of the story, but they give you enough of an idea to determine for yourself whether you would like the book.

 

[Dacileva]

I was wondering a bit about the low reponse here myself. Maybe Tigana is one of those books that you need to internalize a bit before really getting it.

I wonder how many people read it for the EN World Book Club? Maybe we're just not getting a high level of participation. Or, a bunch of people may not have finished it yet and don't want to read any spoilers.

Hmmm. JoeBlank, is it possible to edit the first post and add a poll to see if people have read Tigana for the book club?

I read it, for this Book Club. I really liked it, but haven't had the time to put together my full response to the questions posed by JoeBlank and yourself. I've also recommended it to my fiancee, who is highly likely to read it within the next few months.