Thursday Next: A First Among Sequels
I changed one of my "What's in a Name" reading challenge books to this when it finally became available at the good ol' public library. I have been a fan of Jasper Fforde and the Thursday Next series since my friend Annie bought me the first two books several years ago. I enjoy the books because they're about books...about bringing to life that mystical realm between the written word and the 'real' world. While they are science-fiction to a point, the Thursday Next series is really a group of books for people who love books, are fascinated by the writing process, and have a big imagination.
While Thursday Next was not my favorite of the series, it was definitely an interesting and entertaining read. I loved that much of the book took place inside the Book World as Thursday had to to contend with the different written versions of herself. I found the Thursday1-4 and Thursday5 characters fascinating because I could identify with it. There is the real person, and then the parts of our personality that come out in different situations. And, with Thursday, she realized that she didn't always like what she saw, so she tried to fix it. The result was a softer Thursday, but one that wasn't really her, either.
The hardest part of the book for me was the last couple chapters. I won't give it away, but I had to read it a couple times to get it to make sense.
I would give this particular Thursday journey 3.5 out of four stars. Not the best, but still true to the series.
Sounds absolutely intriguing, even though I don't have a clue what these different Thursdays are. I guess that's what reading is for.
ReplyDeleteReminds of G.K. Chesterton's 1908 "The Man Who Was Thursday." I loved it.