Outside of a Dog:

Kate

Kate wrote on September 12, 2005 at 11:06 PM:

(And I see I should’ve checked Chad’s booklog entry before posting, because he quoted part of the same thing I did and I could have saved myself some typing. Oh well; if anyone wants an entirely new quote, ask and I will look for something else.)

(Also, to reiterate what I said in comments there: not the start of a trilogy.)

JSS

JSS wrote on September 14, 2005 at 12:13 PM:

I’ve read a LOT of reviews of this book. I read the novel early this summer, and found it smooth and enjoyable. Most of the early reviews, in the papers, were either quite kind or simply enthralled with this novel. Later reviews, especially from the blogs, seemed to be harshly reactionary. I found your review, particularly the second paragraph, to be the most illuminating and balanced of all the reviews I’ve spotted. A pleasure to read. Thanks for your insight.

Kate

Kate wrote on September 14, 2005 at 7:15 PM:

JSS: Gosh, thanks. (I shall pause to blush now.) It probably doesn’t hurt that I read and wrote quite a while after the hype had settled out and could approach it with fewer outside expectations. Glad you enjoyed the book and found the review helpful.

David Tate

David Tate wrote on March 11, 2008 at 12:48 AM:

Kate,

You wrote:
"I also have the unabridged audiobook, which has been receiving good reviews, with the caveat that the lengthy footnotes make it unsuited to be the first way one experiences the story."

I am pleased, in this case, to be able to disagree. I am currently listening to the audiobook as my first exposure to the story, and I don't find the footnotes to be any problem whatever. The reader is superb, the pacing is pleasant, and I'm enjoying it immensely.

I'll try to comment again when I've finished. I am just now at the point where Jonathan Strange discovers that [spoiler] has been [spoiler] in his name. Since I'm listening from my MP3 player in my car, I have no idea how far through the book that is.

David