Words & Deeds
So Cuomo is now anti-lockdown. Better late than never. One hopes he was not for it previously simply to damage President Trump, but one never knows when it comes to politicians. Just when you think they can’t go any lower, they do.
Here’s a sign that division will not go away with Trump, from a headline at Yahoo Sports: “Kentucky backs players’ right to kneel after local cops burn gear in protest.” Yay, cops!
In the past week a pro golfer was heard on a hot mike calling himself a faggot for missing a short putt, and a race car driver called other drivers retards. The self righteous quickly came out of the woodwork. Unfortunately, both caved and apologized effusively.
Headline from foxnews.com: “Shirtless, horned Capitol rioter refuses to eat because jail won’t serve organic food.” Can’t make this stuff up.
Candace Bushnell moved to NY in the late ‘70’s and struggled as a writer until she began a column for The New York Observer, based on her dating experiences. Sex and the City, the wildly popular TV series, which I’ve never seen, followed in ’94, then a print anthology of the articles in ’96. Her literary career was set. Her Wiki profile lists eight more titles. A copy of her second, 4 Blondes, came my way recently. I was disappointed. It is broken into portraits of the subjects. The first three are almost entirely downbeat, despite the fact that the women are beautiful and privileged. I believe it would have worked better if the grimness weren’t relentless. When one of the characters showed signs of rallying, I was filled with hope. Unfortunately, she quickly reverted to a negativism that seemed very close to mental illness. Although there have been countless examples of the fortunate having it tough in real life, empathy can go only so far. I’m glad I’ve never known any women like the first three. Then again, how could I? They dwell in a sphere I will never know. I assume the fourth is based on Bushnell herself. Although she lives in a way I never have or will, she is not as cynical as the others and her story ends on an upbeat note. Unfortunately, her marriage ended after ten years. Now 62, she is childless. She had this to say in an interview with The Sunday Times Magazine: “When I got divorced and I was in my 50s, I started to see the impact of not having children and of truly being alone. I do see that people with children have an anchor in a way that people who have no kids don’t.” I respect and relate to that. Anyway, back to the novel. The prose is lively, although there seem to be errors editors missed, in one instance at least a couple of sentences if not an entire paragraph are absent. Maybe it was my own carelessness. The 245 pages of the large paperback version read like a bit less despite the tediousness, as there is plenty of dialogue. 85 users at Amazon have rated 4 Blondes, forging to a consensus of 2.9 on a scale of five. Knowing how much a writer puts into a work, I’m always reluctant to bash, but I feel a rating of 1.5 is justified. As always, it seems ludicrous for someone near the bottom of the literary totem pole, like me, to criticize someone near the top. I don’t believe I’m being spiteful or influenced by sour grapes. I admire what Bushnell has accomplished. She has millions of fans. Still… While reading I wondered if she had an ax to grind with whomever might be represented by the other three women, assuming they aren’t entirely fictional. I’d guess the appeal of the book is restricted to avid fans or those who enjoy seeing the beautiful and/or privileged excoriated.
I’m not offended by this T-shirt — I love it!
My thanks to the woman who bought three books in Russian, and to the one who purchased two cook books; and to Alice, who selected Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard; and to the woman who took home The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger. It was a gorgeous day. I didn’t have to retreat to my car to warm up until shade enveloped the area the last half hour of the session.
My Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Vic-Fortezza/e/B002M4NLJE
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