If you miss Clinton Hammond. . .

Joe Brody

Joe Brody

Well-known member
. . . you may want to read this book (ALL SHALL BE WELL; AND ALL SHALL BE WELL; AND ALL MANNER OF THINGS SHALL BE WELL, by Tod Wodicka -- yeah, that's a real title.).

From today's review by Ken Kalfus in the New York Times Book Review:

Any of us may be susceptible to an occasional feeling of alienation from our times. Cursed with an awareness of the centuries past and the eons ahead, we know how arbitrary a prison the moment we inhabit really is. Couldn?t we imagine ourselves as entirely different people, shaped by the exigencies of another era? Couldn?t the thought obsess us?

The thought certainly obsesses Burt Hecker, the narrator of Tod Wodicka?s first novel, ?All Shall Be Well; and All Shall Be Well; and All Manner of Things Shall Be Well,? a title whose length and repetitiveness don?t bode well for its contents. Burt, a medieval re-enactor whose fanatic refusal to live in the historical present has brought pain to the people around him, goes through life in a dirty tunic and a mead-induced stupor. He refuses to learn to drive, calling automobiles, somewhat witlessly, ?time machines.? Now well into his 60s, he avoids all that is ?OOP? ? that is, ?Out of Period.? His principal comfort is his amateur society, the Confraternity of Times Lost Regained, which sponsors medieval fairs, jousts and banquets.

Although Wodicka offers a cursory summary of Burt?s childhood in a religious orphanage, asking why Burt believes he was born in the wrong time is as unproductive as inquiring why a transgendered individual believes he was born in the wrong sex. Burt, who when in period calls himself Eckbert Attquiet, says, ?I simply felt as if I were a remnant from something long since passed, and only ever half there in a modern world that I did my very best to ignore.?
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There was just something about the phrase "mead-induced stupor" that caught my fancy. The book sounds awful -- but for some reason the Times also has another (online) review by Janet Maslin.

. . .this sounds like a book that should've been written by George Saunders.
 
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ReggieSnake

ReggieSnake

New member
Whatever happened to Clinton Hammond anyway?

Yeah, the book does sound awful. Very odd. These people need a hobby...like being an Indiana Jones fan!:whip:
 
S

sarah navarro

New member
No Ticket said:
He has .... always ... been watching... Sarah.

allllwaaaays!!
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AHHHHHH!! AHHHHH!!! AHHHHHHH!!!
im afraid i wont be able to sleep tonight.Clinton if your out there i just want you to know your scary.
 
Indyologist

Indyologist

Well-known member
I wouldn't talk about this anymore if I were you, guys. Talking about banned members can get you into trouble here. I'm sure Finn or some other moddy is on their way with their trusty key to lock this up. Just watch your step. I don't want to see any of you in hot water. M'kay?
 
Attila the Professor

Attila the Professor

Moderator
Staff member
Indyologist said:
I wouldn't talk about this anymore if I were you, guys. Talking about banned members can get you into trouble here. I'm sure Finn or some other moddy is on their way with their trusty key to lock this up. Just watch your step. I don't want to see any of you in hot water. M'kay?
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The thread's been here for some time now, and everyone's been well-behaved. It's nice of you to help, but we can handle the moderating.

A warning, though, to everyone else - as I said, everyone's pretty much behaved here, but there's something about letting sleeping dogs lie that seems relevant here, as something to consider in the future.
 
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