Will it last?
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
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Louis L'Amour
14 min read
The article extensively discusses L'Amour as one of the best-selling authors of all time with over 300 million books sold, his unique relationship with Western genre fans, and his paperback distribution success. A deep dive into his life and career would provide valuable context.
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Booker Prize
15 min read
The article discusses Flesh winning the Booker Prize and the phenomenon of 'buzzy literary novels.' Understanding the history and significance of this prestigious literary award would enrich the reader's understanding of literary prestige versus bestseller success.
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Paperback
15 min read
The article discusses how L'Amour's success was tied to paperback-original distribution through general stores, railway stations, and newsstands. The history of paperback publishing and its democratization of reading is central to understanding bestseller dynamics.
I belong to a real book club that really exists in real life. It is composed of my actual friends. We meet maybe four to six times per year, and it’s always a great time. Usually our books are picked by Dustin, who keeps a list of interesting books. But for our latest selection I lobbied hard for Flesh, because I knew both Celine Nguyen and Henry Oliver liked it.1
And I enjoyed the book. It rewarded the few hours I spent reading it. I did not think, “God what a waste of time.” That was a nice feeling. I hardly ever pick up a newly-released novel just for fun. Earlier this year, I read Ocean Vuong’s book because I thought it would be fun to write about. I also reviewed Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie’s Dream Count, which I did not like, although I think she’s a very good writer.2 Vincenzo Latronico’s Perfection was the last contemporary book I read that I truly enjoyed, and that was six months ago.
Anyway now that Flesh has won the Booker Prize, I felt like I should write about it. This novel is not horrendous. When I started reading this book—the first chapter is about some kid in Budapest being seduced by an older woman—I was like what is this? What am I reading? This is so flat! I do not want to read 400 pages of this.
One day she suggests that they sit on the sofa.
He has never been in her living room. He doesn’t really take it in, except that there’s a balcony at one end, like there is in his mother’s apartment, with a balustrade made of panels of green safety glass.
They sit on the sofa.
But then a lot of exciting stuff happens. Actual events! It’s so shocking when I am reading a contemporary literary book, and then things happen. Like, major life events. And then different things happen. And it’s all related in this very flat tone, but the protagonist himself is not emotionless. He has desires. He just doesn’t really verbalize those desires or conceptualize them in various ways. It’s a very interesting performance on Szalay’s part. I appreciated the artistry and enjoyed reading the book. The Booker Prize was well-deserved!
The Buzzy Literary Novel
When I was trying to describe to my friends why they should pick Flesh for
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