57000

It is not a book of common prayer! It is a fascinating mystery that contains a number of difficult-to-grasp characters. I enjoyed it a lot and will not give any spoilers. ( )

The story here reminded me a lot of a collection of stories by Deborah Eisenberg, though I found Didion's treatment of similar material a lot less tedious. The material didn't interest me a lot and neither did the characters, but the thing is just so well written that it was hard to put it down in spite of its lack, for me, of surface appeal. The Bogart character felt pulled right out of Gaddis and, though he was a vile character, his funny portrayal probably helped keep me in the book. ( )

This was my first novel by Joan Didion. I remember when I was in college her novels were frequently required reading in current literature classes, but I never had to read anything by her. I had a desire to, just never got around to it. I enjoyed my first experience most thoroughly and was quite impressed. She has a unique voice and a strong command of the language. This particular novel reminded me of [b:A Flag For Sunrise|241951|A Flag for Sunrise|Robert Stone|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1408312819l/241951._SY75_.jpg|818563] by [a:Robert Stone|41938|Robert Stone|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1510071443p2/41938.jpg]. I will say that you never felt you had a firm handle on some of the characters, but for me that was part of the attraction. You were always looking to the next description or the next dialogue to solidify the picture. ( )

The best of Didion's California novels, semi-autobiographical ( )