Friday, January 23, 2015

David Zhivago and Yuri Copperfield




photo by Anna Reavis


"I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see." John Burroughs

 
I’m sure some of my blogging friends think I’ve fallen prey to the dragons at the edge of the world, but I promise I have been reading.  I just haven’t been finishing anything.  For some ungodly reason back in December, I thought it would be a good idea to read David Copperfield to myself concurrently with reading Doctor Zhivago aloud with Ken...because the plethora of characters in either of these novels individually wasn’t challenging enough, I guess. 

Shortly into this literary equivalent of scaling two sheer granite facades at the same time, one with one half of my body and the other with the other half, I realized I would have to study character maps and make profuse notes on each novel to maintain some semblance of clarity.  (This was soon after I imagined David Copperfield heading toward Yuriatin to help Lara hide after she shot Mr. Murdstone.)    So, as if the reading of these two door stops wasn’t enough of a time suck, now there were the notes to make.  Then I got the flu.  Then Ken went into atrial fibrillation for a week and ended up in the hospital.  Let me just say that sickness and hospital stays do not, in fact, lend themselves to reading.  I spent a lot of time staring out the window like someone in need of a lobotomy.  Or a strait-jacket. 
And now we are both on the mend so it's time to head back to London to see how Pasha is getting along with Mr Spendlow.  One day I will finish these books and actually write about them.  In the meantime, I’ll just complete novels vicariously by reading book blogs at work.  (That is NOT true, Mark.  I do not read book blogs at work.  I only work prodigiously on insurance matters at work.  Except at lunch.  At lunch I download porn.) 

12 comments:

Bryan G. Robinson said...

Well, first and foremost, I hope that you and your husband get to feeling better physically...and soon.

Second, I can't image scaling both of those "sheer granite facades at the same time," let alone one of them. I have a hard enough time keeping track of one story.

Barbara said...

What a great post! Love the language. How what fools these readers be!

Amy said...

Thanks! We are both back to normal, well as normal as we've ever been.

Kristen said...

I'm glad you're both on the mend and hope that this means you're feeling up to tackling your rather ambitious reading project again soon. :-)

Amy said...

Not only back to reading those two but added The Sun Also Rises this weekend. I've been trying to read along with my daughter for her AP English reading, and she started the Hemingway last week. I'm so scattered!!

thecuecard said...

Ha ha ha. Very nice funny post with the exception of your sickness & Ken's hospital stay of course. Getting through both books at the same time reminds me of those climbers at Yosemite. I cant help you b/c I have read neither, though I've watched the movie of Dr. Z many times. Lara, Lara, Lara. I've always wanted to read David Copperfield, so I will be interested in your review and perhaps I will get inspired to read it someday. cheers.

Amy said...

Thanks, Susan. So far I love David Copperfield. We are finding Dr Z quite a slog, though. I don't think we should have tried it aloud.

Care said...

Go watch the movies?!

Amy said...

One of the reasons we chose Dr Z is that it is one of Ken's favorite movies. Apparently, the movie is a much compressed telling of only parts of the novel. I love both of these novels. It's just hard for me not to complete anything. I think January is the first month in YEARS I haven't actually finished a book.

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

That's hilarious. I've definitely confused characters in books I'm reading at the same time before. Copperfield is one of my favorite books!

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...
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Amy said...

I finally finished it last night! I feel like I should have a party!

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