Instagram story viewer> @letters_on_trees> Posts

letters_on_trees

@letters_on_trees

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Im tired, boss.

Good God what a book. It is frustrating, wholly meandering, and above all a staggering work of art. This is a book about one thing and it is a book about everything. I will reread this book for the rest of my life. I have tried to read Moby Dick probably five times over the years and I always stopped because I felt it became pedantic; I kept with it this time and realized that this is the point. There is music in every sentence Melville puts to paper, whether they be about God, Man, or about a rope. I have nothing to say about this work that hasn't been said a thousand times. This is the best worst book you'll ever read and you ought to give it a go or five.

"Book! You lie there; the fact is, you books must know your places. You’ll do to give us the bare words and facts, but we come in to supply the thoughts." by @letters_on_trees

5

1

9 days ago

Some recommendations from my favorite genre. Some of the best prose stylists and most compassionate writers have come out of the South and I think that something can be gleaned from all of these stories that can help any and everybody.

#southerngothic #cormacmccarthy #literature #books by @letters_on_trees

34

0

2 months ago

A zany read so far. Simultaneously hilarious, and incredibly sad.

"So it goes." by @letters_on_trees

7

5

2 months ago

Interesting mix I thrifted today from @mckayswinstonsalem , they're quite literally the only reason I'm even literate at this point.

#books #literature #bookstagram by @letters_on_trees

12

0

2 months ago

"It takes two people to make you, and one people to die. That's how the world is going to end."

My first Faulkner

Some great prose. Stylistically it was very unique, Faulkner's voice is so securely his own, and it's clear why he has been such an influence on a lot of my favorite writers. I was so enamored with the way the book was structured, it was unlike anything I've ever read. The use of stream of conciousness was very effective in getting the reader to sympathize with each character, even when they're put in a bad light from other character perspectives. It was so fun piecing together the narrative, I had to reread Addie and Whitfield's chapters to grasp what the hell just happened. Even as what I feel like is a pretty slow reader, I blew through this novel in no time. I just couldn't put it down. All in all, I was pleased with a very renowned classic and will probably read Light in August at some point for my next venture into Faulkner's works. by @letters_on_trees

8

1

2 months ago

Another Stoner Review

I came to this book with somewhat tempered expectations after seeing it talked about so much over the past few years. I am glad to say that my expectations were exceeded. There are a lot of phrases that come to mind when I think of how to describe the writing in this book. The main one I keep coming back to is elegantly restrained. John Williams has the ability to write some of the most beautiful yet grounded prose I've ever read. He is able to so clearly portray Stoner's trains of thought in a simple, yet transcendental way that I feel we can all relate to in some regards. My personal hallmark for enjoyment of an author is when they're able to put into words something that I have held true if only internally for lack of not knowing how to get it out. I think that is exactly why this book is enjoyed by so many people. With Stoner, Williams portrays a ubiquitous sense of disappointment at life in general, which I feel is a mood that comes to all of us in certain seasons of life. Yet by the end of the story, there is a question put forth that makes me wonder why to feel disappointed by life at all. "What did you expect?" As I get older I have learned to be less expectant of the great highs of life I once thought would come. I think the highs that I was looking for were there all along in the form of relationships with friends, however fleeting. In the small victories of day to day life. In learning how to take the defeats that do come with grace and forbearance. I am incredibly excited to read the rest of John Williams' works and to post more of my reviews.

"Now they were in the earth to which they had given their lives; and slowly, year by year, the earth would take them. Slowly the damp and rot would infest the pine boxes which held their bodies, and slowly it would touch their flesh and finally it would consume the last vestiges of their substances. And they would become a meaningless part of that stubborn earth to which they had long ago given themselves." by @letters_on_trees

7

0

3 months ago