tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7080965436653289398.post6183049196139509971..comments2024-03-25T20:57:40.930-04:00Comments on Gulfside Musing: City on Fire by Garth Risk HallbergJoAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691864361197071517noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7080965436653289398.post-56516335509379271132016-02-25T23:21:28.889-05:002016-02-25T23:21:28.889-05:00Whatever in the world made them think this guy was...Whatever in the world made them think this guy was work $2 million up front?? Big names, proven names don't see that kind of advance. And with the less than stellar reviews and size of the book, I can't see them recouping that. Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05554217416500328610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7080965436653289398.post-29033989087314481582016-02-20T08:27:11.162-05:002016-02-20T08:27:11.162-05:00Susan - It's been a couple of weeks now and I&...Susan - It's been a couple of weeks now and I'm still thinking about this book and its characters. I'm glad I read it and think Hallberg could have selected any character and written an entire novel. Even after 950 pages, I still want to know more about them.JoAnnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13691864361197071517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7080965436653289398.post-81633583600829950822016-02-20T08:22:48.429-05:002016-02-20T08:22:48.429-05:00Athira - I usually don't mind open-ended books...Athira - I usually don't mind open-ended books either, but if I'm going to read 900 plus pages, I want an ending!JoAnnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13691864361197071517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7080965436653289398.post-74685246019749031902016-02-20T08:21:43.021-05:002016-02-20T08:21:43.021-05:00Iliana - This would have been an amazing book if t...Iliana - This would have been an amazing book if the author ended it properly...JoAnnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13691864361197071517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7080965436653289398.post-73231148808022403252016-02-15T20:52:53.008-05:002016-02-15T20:52:53.008-05:00Well it sounds like you liked the beginning a lot,...Well it sounds like you liked the beginning a lot, but the ending or the last 300 pages were pretty painful (or sounded like it). I think you deserve blogger of the year award for conquering the colossal book & audio. 37 hours, ouch! I don't care for chunksters too much, sadlythecuecardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08870323589682197091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7080965436653289398.post-2589965390458326932016-02-15T17:33:32.661-05:002016-02-15T17:33:32.661-05:00I generally enjoy open-ended books, even if I will...I generally enjoy open-ended books, even if I will complain about them a little. But I absolutely need an ending for 500+ page books. Even if they have tiny little bows. It is exhausting to decide my own ending after reading that many pages.Athirahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03366654538383603004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7080965436653289398.post-12452054633370820902016-02-13T18:04:38.448-05:002016-02-13T18:04:38.448-05:00Oh wow, that is one chunkster of a book! I have a ...Oh wow, that is one chunkster of a book! I have a hard time reading really long books especially if they seem to fizzle towards the end. Certainly it sounds interesting but I don't know if I could make it through :)Ilianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07026669671843769219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7080965436653289398.post-10253919569286047062016-02-13T07:52:18.532-05:002016-02-13T07:52:18.532-05:00Diane - Our reactions were a little different sinc...Diane - Our reactions were a little different since I was still loving City on Fire around page 200. I'm glad you gave up though. If you weren't feeling it by page 250, you certainly wouldn't be at page 900 ;-)JoAnnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13691864361197071517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7080965436653289398.post-30897428208206019782016-02-12T20:44:09.206-05:002016-02-12T20:44:09.206-05:00I made it to about page 200-250 as I recall. Glad ...I made it to about page 200-250 as I recall. Glad I didn't go any further.(Diane) Bibliophile By the Seahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10519875632878992728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7080965436653289398.post-6993702674730641852016-02-12T20:12:37.159-05:002016-02-12T20:12:37.159-05:00Kathy - Now that you mention it, this must be the ...Kathy - Now that you mention it, this must be the longest audiobook I've experienced... even though it was part reading and part listening. If the lack of an ending didn't bother me so much, I would be saying that I loved it, too. Rebecca Lowman did such a great job with the narration and having other narrators for the various interludes was brilliant.JoAnnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13691864361197071517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7080965436653289398.post-15953026677149442632016-02-12T20:08:42.828-05:002016-02-12T20:08:42.828-05:00Shannon - And that makes it even more of a disappo...Shannon - And that makes it even more of a disappointment... this could have been such a great novel. Why didn't someone insist he finish it???JoAnnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13691864361197071517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7080965436653289398.post-21227170282440025442016-02-12T20:07:27.114-05:002016-02-12T20:07:27.114-05:00Brian Joseph - It really was, and Hallberg is such...Brian Joseph - It really was, and Hallberg is such a talented writer! I just wish some editor had handed the whole thing back to him and told him to finish the book :(JoAnnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13691864361197071517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7080965436653289398.post-66903047274635964882016-02-12T20:05:47.525-05:002016-02-12T20:05:47.525-05:00Beth F - Exactly! If he'd wrapped this up (ev...Beth F - Exactly! If he'd wrapped this up (even just a little), I would be shoving it into the hands of all my friends. This could have been a classic... sigh.JoAnnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13691864361197071517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7080965436653289398.post-68574930747299361152016-02-12T20:02:37.417-05:002016-02-12T20:02:37.417-05:00Lisa - I kept thinking about this book in relation...Lisa - I kept thinking about this book in relation to Trollope. He either gave us some sort of resolution or pushed us on to the next book in the series... so much more satisfying.JoAnnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13691864361197071517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7080965436653289398.post-75905657305977594322016-02-12T20:00:22.660-05:002016-02-12T20:00:22.660-05:00Kathy - And this is definitely one that could have...Kathy - And this is definitely one that could have been a lot shorter...JoAnnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13691864361197071517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7080965436653289398.post-88134832136119165582016-02-12T19:59:47.835-05:002016-02-12T19:59:47.835-05:00Patty - That was kind of fun for me. Where did her...Patty - That was kind of fun for me. Where did her ever learn those words???JoAnnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13691864361197071517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7080965436653289398.post-58484877784742554002016-02-12T19:58:55.922-05:002016-02-12T19:58:55.922-05:00Nicola - This is such a well-written novel and it ...Nicola - This is such a well-written novel and it saddens me that I cannot recommend it because of the lack of an ending. It's been over a week and I'm still thinking about the characters. Hallberg could take any one of them and write another entire novel. This man has such talent and, if you are okay with the lack of resolution, it is quite a reading experience.JoAnnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13691864361197071517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7080965436653289398.post-78202146234286682672016-02-12T19:53:11.407-05:002016-02-12T19:53:11.407-05:00Kay - You know, I'm pretty close to pulling ou...Kay - You know, I'm pretty close to pulling out some of those old novels... especially after your recent post about Rosamunde Pilcher!JoAnnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13691864361197071517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7080965436653289398.post-76389509853421465082016-02-12T19:51:20.187-05:002016-02-12T19:51:20.187-05:00Katherine - There is an excellent novel in there s...Katherine - There is an excellent novel in there somewhere. A good editing might have allowed us to read it :(JoAnnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13691864361197071517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7080965436653289398.post-43727199073658945222016-02-12T19:50:16.586-05:002016-02-12T19:50:16.586-05:00Sarah - I wonder if those sales numbers cost anyon...Sarah - I wonder if those sales numbers cost anyone a job... what a disappointment after such a large investment. There is no doubt that Hallberg can write. I'm still thinking about this characters... wish he would have provided some sort of resolution :(JoAnnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13691864361197071517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7080965436653289398.post-72353731989365093072016-02-12T19:45:37.013-05:002016-02-12T19:45:37.013-05:00Jill - Go ahead and skip it, but be ready to add h...Jill - Go ahead and skip it, but be ready to add his next book to your list. Such a talented writer!JoAnnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13691864361197071517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7080965436653289398.post-17885952074808502012016-02-12T19:44:58.862-05:002016-02-12T19:44:58.862-05:00Vicki - It was such a disappointment! I was really...Vicki - It was such a disappointment! I was really enjoying this one, but the lack of a proper ending really ruined it :(JoAnnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13691864361197071517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7080965436653289398.post-25154012284393408082016-02-12T08:38:01.710-05:002016-02-12T08:38:01.710-05:00I can't imagine 37 hours+ in audio!! I think ...I can't imagine 37 hours+ in audio!! I think the longest audio I've listened to was just over 18 hours. Wow! I've seen a lot of division about this book but am happy someone loved it, especially after the HUGE advance the author received for it.Kathy Reads Fictionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14482848801628873006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7080965436653289398.post-15642899087872942212016-02-12T08:15:56.940-05:002016-02-12T08:15:56.940-05:00I was SO excited about this book before it came ou...I was SO excited about this book before it came out - I love chunksters and the time period is so appealing to me. Then I started seeing reviews similar to yours (so many of them mention the ending!) and decided to push it back. Such a bummer for a book that could have been great if edited!Shannon @ River City Readinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02024137897685829669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7080965436653289398.post-12560832897363619022016-02-12T07:29:30.128-05:002016-02-12T07:29:30.128-05:00This book, or at least the first part, sounds so v...This book, or at least the first part, sounds so very appealing. That era in New York City, including the Punk Scene, especially so. <br /><br />It is too bad that the book fizzled out. That sounds so disappointing. Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.com