A Person of Letters Ron Thompson 9780994796103 Books
Download As PDF : A Person of Letters Ron Thompson 9780994796103 Books
There is something odd about him. He's a genius with numbers, and he's fascinated by words, but he just doesn't get people. With all their coded talk and body language they are a lifelong mystery, a black box without a key. That's why he gravitated years ago to the backrooms of finance; he was comfortable there, calculating risk and designing derivatives. Credit default swaps and mortgage-backed securities were far less complicated than other human beings. Now it's 2008, and global markets are melting down, but the guy who just may be responsible for the crisis is no longer thinking up derivatives. He's written a book, an historical epic—the long-awaited Great Canadian Novel, if only he could get it published. He's struck out at every turn, and the uncertainty is eating him up. He is beset by doubt, unsure about his talent and the choices he has made. What's more, he’s got a horrendous case of writer’s block. He can't seem to get going on his next great epic. "You're a writer," his friend counsels. "Write your way out of it." And so he does, beginning with his own story, reflecting on his choices and where they have led, his obsessions, his writing quest; and Genny, the great love of his life. His is a rollercoaster journey that wends from the western prairie through the halls of Oxford, to London, the Kalahari, and Wall Street on 911; and finally to Toronto's Little Poland where he's gone off-grid and possibly off the rails. How does a man with no name become a person of letters? Is he naïve, crazy, or just over-medicated? A Person of Letters is a rollicking riff on creativity and idealism, a deliciously icy snowball aimed at writing and publishing in the digital age.
A Person of Letters Ron Thompson 9780994796103 Books
I loved this book. True satire, but subtle (usually) and with a well crafted storyline that manages to twist together strands of mental health, corporate greed, love and passion, and even a few great historical forces to produce a yarn full of interest and a bit of pathos. What better choice as the vehicle for this story but a struggling writer telling his story of love and rejection? It is a story for our times. A book reader's book.Product details
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Tags : A Person of Letters [Ron Thompson] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. There is something odd about him. He's a genius with numbers, and he's fascinated by words, but he just doesn't get people. With all their coded talk and body language they are a lifelong mystery,Ron Thompson,A Person of Letters,Martin Scribler Media,0994796102,Fiction - General,Fiction Satire,Satire
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A Person of Letters Ron Thompson 9780994796103 Books Reviews
What does it take to get published in this digital world? I love this Toronto writer's spin on his protagonist's dream of writing the Great Canadian novel, getting it published, and the crippling writers block that sidelines him along the way. His best friend (a professor of literature and published author) suggests that he write what he knows....
Set in the High Park area of Toronto, it's intensely local, and you'll recognize many references and landmarks, yet the inner struggle to be who you are is universal and appeals to anyone. The story teller is a man who loves words, books, his wife, his precocious child, and his favourite Polish pub with the unpronounceable name on Roncesvalles. This is definitely a book lover's book, or for anyone who has ever wanted to write. It had me at the first chapter where it begins with a quote by Kingsley Amis, "If you can't annoy somebody, there's little point in writing". Every chapter is preceded by two quotes about writers and writing that set the tone for the narrative that follows, and every one is a jewel.
A tragic world event is the catalyst for the narrator's (or, just insert your own name here if you've ever dreamt his dream) decision to quit a lucrative financial career, change the path of his life, and do what he most wants to do....write. An overly long, expansive, historical, and quite frankly, boring, novel "Blown to Hell" is the result. He, of course, thinks it's fantastic, but he just can't seem to find a publisher. What follows is a very clever and witty, sometimes humiliating, and endlessly disappointing quest for publication. Even the end of his book is not the end of the story, and it's an insane, ironic, and very digital and pop culture aftermath indeed.
I found myself laughing out loud at his very sharp insights, self deprecation, and some incredibly quirky and nuanced characters that make up his world (you will recognize some hilarious stereotypes). It's also a very introspective book with passages of serious prose so moving that I read them over and over. One in particular describes his emotions when he visits the graves of Canadian soldiers in Normandy, and which I coincidentally read on Remembrance Day. It's like Thompson had to get it all out in this one book, but I really hope there's more coming.
And did I mention how funny it was?
Thompson's writing is sharp, his wit is acerbic, and the plot is fresh and riveting. An excellent read. One of those rare books that you go back to for the pure pleasure of re-reading good literature.
A wonderful read. This story is so genuine, flipping from truly funny to deeply sad and often ironic; I found myself reading it constantly and being taken up in the characters completely. Thompson writes gently but with an unerring eye for human foibles.
I loved this book. True satire, but subtle (usually) and with a well crafted storyline that manages to twist together strands of mental health, corporate greed, love and passion, and even a few great historical forces to produce a yarn full of interest and a bit of pathos. What better choice as the vehicle for this story but a struggling writer telling his story of love and rejection? It is a story for our times. A book reader's book.
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