I
went into the story pretty blindly (as is my preference), having only
read the Amazon editorial and a few readers' reviews. I knew it was
science fiction and British comedy, and that's it.
Sci-fi
is among my least favorite genres. I probably only like poppy self
help and academic theory less. But I don't like not knowing literature
that my friends know.
Finally I asked one of my colleagues, Jeff C., who enjoys literature in general and sci-fi particularly, "Is there some deeper meaning I'm just not seeing?" He said he'd started the book but never finished it. He just wasn't overly captivated by it. "But the movie was great," he said. (I, not surprisingly, didn't know there even was a movie.) Suddenly, three more people jumped in, all of whom had seen the movie, two of whom loved it, and one who said it stank, but the book was great. So...maybe I should watch the movie??
Anyway, Jeff said it's a satire on life. It says, basically, "Don't take everything so gol-blasted seriously."
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| Douglas Adams |
I never read the book but started to watch the movie on DVD. It was too abstract for my puny brain to comprehend. I happily turned it off feeling zero remorse since I borrowed it from the library.
ReplyDeleteThat being said - along with your review, I think I can die with peace of mind if I never read it. Thanks for confirming my suspicion.
You're welcome, and I'm glad to have had the opportunity to contribute to your emotional equilibrium.
ReplyDeleteLoved the movie!! There was a book?
ReplyDeleteGevinah, see the Amazon link in the right margin for the book. The link points to a special 25th anniversary collector's edition with lots of photographs and extra commentary (which I didn't read). From what I understand, the book is a lot more detailed than the movie (as is usually the case).
ReplyDeleteUnlike you I got it over and done with when I was 20 and embarrassingly enough I even pretended to like it. These sort of silly books usually come with more "profound" lit like herman Hesse Narcissus and Goldmund, and a bunch of Carlos Castaneda books. Hesse is not bad, even interesting and thought provoking, but Castaneda,oh, no, I must have been trying to impress someone if I read that!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your blog!
Michal, I just saw your comment in my "waiting for moderation" box! SORRY!! I'm not familiar with the books you mention. I'll have to Amazon them. (-: Thanks for your good insight & wishes, and thanks for following!
ReplyDeleteDouglas Adams writes in a way where you have to piece the stories together. I read Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. If reading Douglas Adams, take notes! Seen the movie and LOVED it! It was hilarious and a lot less complicated than the radio show was. Yes, there is a radio show too.
ReplyDeleteNina, read the very thick book in my late 20's and just didn't get it at all. Like you I kept looking for the pieces to fit together and a deeper meaning. To this day it all seemed like a big waste of time. Now 20 years older I could probably give it another go and find something different in it this time around, taking it less seriously.
ReplyDeleteNatalie, if you reread it, let me know how you like it this time. I'd love to hear your evaluation, especially since your first go-round was similar to mine.
ReplyDelete