State of Wonder - part 2

Is it true for most people that the second half of a book feels better than the first? The opening salvo may hook me (The Tiger's Wife was a cracker), but it’s often the second half that has the pace and depth I look for in a reading experience. It keeps me up later. For me, this often happens simply because I find the rhythm of the book, I get to know the characters and understand where their journey is taking them and why it matters. It’s a bit like surrendering my expectations of a novel and accepting what it is I’m actually being offered.

State of Wonder

It has occurred to me just how much reading one book by an author can shape how you read another book by the same author. Years ago – I don’t know how many – I read Bel Canto, which I thought was a fantastic book.  I remember the beauty of the language. I remember being held in the still heavy air inside the room with a famous opera singer and all the other people attending an important Japanese businessman’s birthday. I also remember the contrasting gush of relief when finally we managed to get out into the gardens.