Comments on: Disappointment and the Nancy Pearl Rule

By: Dale Prince

Dale Prince — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:06:05 +0000

No comment on the Nancy Pearl rule, but Carlin has been delivering disjointed bitterness since 1981′s “A Place for My Stuff.” But it happens to all comedians, it seems: they stop being comedians and become essayists, only not very good ones.

By: Ruth Ellen

Ruth Ellen — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:23:33 +0000

Good to know about Doomsday Book. I’ve loved everything I’ve read of Willis, but got only a couple of pages into Doomsday Book. I’ll go back and try my 51 Pearl pages. I really WANT to like it.

By: Eli James

Eli James — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 09:06:11 +0000

I have never heard of the Nancy Pearl rule before this, so imagine how I chuckled when I read your paragraph about it.

Most times I finish whatever book I start, save for The Water Babies, which is just damned horrible.

By: Daniel Cornwall

Daniel Cornwall — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 00:40:55 +0000

I too, was disappointed by the Bourne Ultimatum. Although the bit where Jason has the line of “If you were in your office, we’d be having this conversation in person” is immortal for me. But overall, too many pointless chases.

By: walt

walt — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 22:23:38 +0000

While I’ve never read Ludlum, I don’t doubt that the books have more substance than the movies. It’s hard to stretch a car chase out for 25 or 50 pages of a book, but not that hard to make a lengthy car-chase (or lengthier foot-chase) sequence in a movie.

By: Jon Gorman

Jon Gorman — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 22:04:54 +0000

I remember reading some of the Bourne books years ago. The last few books of the series didn’t hold my interest as much (I think maybe there were four and the last two are kinda blah). I remember liking the first one, which is actually pretty different from the movie, aside from the action scenes.

I don’t know if you’d like it either though. There’s some parts that seemed stretched but there was some imagery I liked (the old soldiers who became terrorists) and also something that likely served as the inspiration for some other characters that I’ve liked in films and literature. Certainly the concept of the scarred Vietnam vet trying to adjust to other roles and the manipulation of financial interests involving US and French parties was something I haven’t seen in a lot of literature or films. Partially it is just an academic interest, being born after that particular conflict. Not taking it as literal history of course, but rather an interesting example of the fiction it spawned.

Anyhow, I’m babbling again. Off to catch the bus.