I just finished reading James Kaplan's Two
Guys from Verona. It feels vital and elegiac in a way that's reminiscent
of American Beauty.
And like that film, the novel ends in a series of sloppy absurdities that
jars in contrast with the excellence of what has preceded it. But let's
say ... what, about two hundred fifty really great pages followed by about
ninety not-as-great ones? That's still a pretty good read. Lots of great
quotes.
Like this one: "If they ever made a movie of our high-school years,
the soundtrack would be unsellable."
Next up, probably: A
Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. Don't know much about it,
except that the reviews have been extremely favorable. My sister sent it
to me.