"I feel like I can't talk any louder" -Kaleigh, Junior Year
"Can you hear her on the other side of the room?" -Ms. Serensky,
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And The Winner Is...
“It might not be going too far to say that he was…a genius,” then again, it definitely wouldn’t be going too far to say he was an egomaniac, and Vernon Halliday would have no qualms about saying he was “insane” (McEwan 143)(McEwan 161). What a guy, there’s clearly a lot going on there, and if you feel a compulsive need to analyze everything, then I must suggest that you “run nerds, RUN!” before we get into some of Clive Linley’s finer moments (Ms. Serensky). Delusional and selfish, Clive has only one love in his life, his symphony, it is to be his crowning glory, the defining moment of his career, except “Half the BSO [Boston Symphony Orchestra] refuse to play it” (McEwan 190). I could almost feel bad for the guy, if only he were capable of feeling bad for someone else. But his actions in the Lake District destroyed all hope of that, so I’ve adopted a mixed bag of indignation at his moral littleness and delighted amusement at his absurdities. Together with his old friend/mortal enemy Clive embarks on a journey to fill the “void…that only revenge could fill” (McEwan 173). The question is, how exactly can a book with two despicable main characters, bent on the destruction of the other, which culminates in a ruthless double murder be my favorite? Am I a terrible person? No, I am not, Ian McEwan is just a good writer, he crafts two characters with so little moral fiber and so much blind, self-deluding egotism that no matter what they do, you have to laugh. And so, without further ado, I would like to present the prestigious Kaleigh O. Best Book of AP English 12 Award to… Amsterdam!
“It might not be going too far to say that he was…a genius,” then again, it definitely wouldn’t be going too far to say he was an egomaniac, and Vernon Halliday would have no qualms about saying he was “insane” (McEwan 143)(McEwan 161). What a guy, there’s clearly a lot going on there, and if you feel a compulsive need to analyze everything, then I must suggest that you “run nerds, RUN!” before we get into some of Clive Linley’s finer moments (Ms. Serensky). Delusional and selfish, Clive has only one love in his life, his symphony, it is to be his crowning glory, the defining moment of his career, except “Half the BSO [Boston Symphony Orchestra] refuse to play it” (McEwan 190). I could almost feel bad for the guy, if only he were capable of feeling bad for someone else. But his actions in the Lake District destroyed all hope of that, so I’ve adopted a mixed bag of indignation at his moral littleness and delighted amusement at his absurdities. Together with his old friend/mortal enemy Clive embarks on a journey to fill the “void…that only revenge could fill” (McEwan 173). The question is, how exactly can a book with two despicable main characters, bent on the destruction of the other, which culminates in a ruthless double murder be my favorite? Am I a terrible person? No, I am not, Ian McEwan is just a good writer, he crafts two characters with so little moral fiber and so much blind, self-deluding egotism that no matter what they do, you have to laugh. And so, without further ado, I would like to present the prestigious Kaleigh O. Best Book of AP English 12 Award to… Amsterdam!
Whoa, first off Kaleigh, I would just like the say that your pageview count is ridiculous! Secondly, I really liked this post, it perfectly summed up my feelings about Amsterdam. Although I did not choose this book as one to study, I did enjoy it greatly while we read it. Ian McEwan is one of my favorite authors, and I like that he crafts characters that are realistic, unlikable, and entirely relatable.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mariel, but don't be too impressed by my pageviews, there is something weird going on with my stats. Just to give you a taste of the craziness, I apparently had 116 pageviews one day in April, there are only 17 people following my blog. Also, my stats page thinks I have had pageviews originating from Slovenia, Croatia, Russia, India, and Iran. Most of those are pretty baffling to me, but not the India one, that was obviously Ashima.
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