Althouse: "The last time I had dinner with David, about six weeks before he died, he was so weak..."

July 6, 2013

Richard Dolan said...: The very idea of a novel in rhyming couplets is intriguing, the sort of idea that you want to succeed just because you can't say why it should or see how it could. It's a technique I last encountered in reading to my kids when they were quite young -- Cat in the Hat, that sort of thing.

The author's story is, alas, more interesting than the snippets of the book he reads in the linked audio. In Mindy's toast, he captures the Long Island Jewish sound perfectly, but so have many others. It's a small achievement. I'm afraid that may also describe the larger effort. Hope I'm wrong, though, and at some point I'll pick it up and find out.; 7/6/13, 6:40 PM
George M. Spencer said...: There's a delightful novel written in rhyming couplets titled "Suzy Zeus Gets Organized" by Maggie Robbins.; 7/6/13, 7:14 PM
Ann Althouse said...: @Richard Dolan. Rakoff has 3 books of comic essays, which are about specific topics but often involve him as a character.

They're full of great material and especially good in the audiobook version, where he really brings out the comedy, often on topics that are really funny, like his suffering from cancer.; 7/6/13, 9:25 PM
traditionalguy said...: Yes, Rakoff reading Rakoff is wonderful.; 7/7/13, 8:53 AM
kentuckyliz said...: AA I think you left out "not" in your last comment?; 7/7/13, 9:02 AM