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Cargando... Dirt Roadpor James Kelman
Cargando...
Inscríbete en LibraryThing para averiguar si este libro te gustará. Actualmente no hay Conversaciones sobre este libro. Brilliant. James Kelman puts you right inside the head of a 16-year old boy as he comes to terms with the tragic loss of his sister and mother, resents the stifling protectiveness of his grieving father and begins to discover the world for himself. For me, it started quite slowly, but after a while I realised I couldn't put it down as the main characters revealed themselves. Murdo himself, Queen Monzee-ay, Tom, Aunt Maureen, Uncle John and others - they all came vividly to life in this skilfully written, moving story. Men aren't supposed to cry? I did! Thanks to Canongate. Never read any James Kelman before winning this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. I definitely have some catch-up reading to do. I listened to the BBC abridged audio of 10, 15-minute segments. I really enjoyed this story, which was enhanced by the excellent reading by Finn Den Hertog. I'm not sure how I would like reading the complete novel, though -- I might find it slow and dragging. And I don't know why it's called "Dirt Road". sin reseñas | añadir una reseña
After his mothers recent death, sixteen-year-old Murdo and his father travel from their home in rural Scotland to Alabama to be with his émigré uncle and American aunt. Stopping at a small town on their way from the airport, Murdo happens upon a family playing zydeco music and joins them, leaving with a gift of two CDs of Southern American songs. On this first visit to the States, Murdo notices racial tension, religious fundamentalism, the threat of severe weather, guns, and aggressive behavior, all unfamiliar to him. Yet his connection to the place strengthens by way of its musical culture. Murdo may be young but he is already a musician. While at their relatives home, the grieving father and son experience kindness and kinship but share few words of comfort with each other, Murdo losing himself in music and his reticent and protective dad in books. The aunt, "the very very best," Murdo calls her, provides whatever solace he receives, until his father comes around in a scene of great emotional release. No se han encontrado descripciones de biblioteca. |
Debates activosNingunoCubiertas populares
Google Books — Cargando... GénerosSistema Decimal Melvil (DDC)823.914Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1945-1999Clasificación de la Biblioteca del CongresoValoraciónPromedio:
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Murdo is forever trying to make sense of things: not just the family tragedies, but also this country's racism, religiosity and close-to-the-surface violence. He takes things in as they come, without judgement. He knows that he doesn't always get it. There's a wonderful loose sentence structure, with fragments and repetitions, throughout the book that conveys his bemusement about the things he encounters.
He's also trying to figure out what he might do with his life. He's passionate about music, and a brilliant player on guitar and accordion. He meets a family of Zydeco musicians who invite him to join them on stage at a festival. His father is adamantly oblivious to this stroke of fortune. And thus begins Murdo's quest. No spoiler, but the boy achieves, if not a happy ending, a happy chance at a life he's sure he wants. (Even Shuggie Bain, whose family is much poorer and far more dysfunctional, and whose story is horrifying, gets a promising ending, after all.) ( )