Towards the conclusion of Annie Dillard's novel, The Maytrees, a character contemplates writing a book-length poem with the title "There Will Be a Sea Battle Tomorrow", referencing Aristotle's problem about the truth of statements regarding the future.

The whole book is filled with such musings. Dillard places her novel's characters, who are practical and engaged in activities like carpentry, fishing, housecare, and childrearing, in the face of hard turns of fate and the chaos of old age. She then wonders what is left inside them.

She writes in precise, deliberate prose, often preferring technical and archaic words. At times, her writing hits beautiful notes like Marilynne Robinson, as seen when Maytree wanders the dunes or people navigate by star-reckoning. However, there are also sentences that seem overly crafted, like "Awareness was a braided river. It slid down time in drops or torrents."

Throughout the book, I thought of a comment from Kingsley Amis' The Green Man. While the story never seemed to stand still pointlessly, I did think the book might not be for me. Dillard seems eager to subject her characters to hardships and misapprehensions to make them think about the preciousness of everything and the meaninglessness of life compared to the stars.

The opening chapters are sweet, but the characters still seem like old people in youthful attire. The cumulative effect of the links in the story implies that beauty is precious and we face the world with our frailties.

However, this stringency saps the Maytrees of independence and they never fully came alive for me. It's interesting to note that Dillard edited this book from over 1,000 pages to 216 pages. Editing demands ruthlessness, and this book shows that the author is indifferent to her characters, presenting them as a carefully constructed arrangement of beauties, like a constellation. But do the stars in a constellation care what we call them?

I have a deep affection for Annie Dillard. Her works usually possess a certain charm that attracts me. However, this particular novel failed to meet my expectations.

The sentences in this novel were extremely short and choppy, lacking the smooth flow and rhythm that I usually anticipate. Moreover, there seemed to be an overabundance of attempts at poeticism, which often felt forced and artificial.

Regrettably, these flaws had a negative impact on the overall message, meaning, and emotional delivery of the novel. The intended depth and nuance were perhaps lost in the disjointed structure and excessive use of poetic devices. It left me with a sense of dissatisfaction, as if the true potential of the story had not been fully realized.

Despite my love for Annie Dillard, this novel serves as a reminder that even the most talented authors can have off days. I still look forward to her future works, hoping that she will once again captivate me with her unique writing style and profound insights.

I could not find any fault with Dillard's writing style. Her words were carefully chosen and crafted, and the sentences flowed smoothly. However, despite the quality of her writing, this book simply failed to capture my attention.

Maybe I should have persevered and read further, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I found myself constantly losing interest and having to force myself to pick up the book again.

It's a shame really, because I had high hopes for this book. But sometimes, no matter how good the writing is, the story just doesn't resonate with you. And that's exactly what happened to me with this book. So, I have decided to abandon it and move on to something else that might be more engaging.

This has been on my to-read list for about three years.

I'm so glad I finally got around to reading it.

The timeline of the narrative was beautifully constructed.

The major plot point in the middle of the story really took me by surprise.

Usually, I would have been distressed by it enough to not keep reading.

But I continued because Dillard's characters are so lovely.

Lou and Maytree's relationship and how it grew throughout the decades was a great testament and reflection on "love" as the characters themselves pondered and discussed it.

The philosophical and literary references were unpretentious and sincere.

I think it would be a great book to read together as a couple as well.

It offers a deep exploration of love, relationships, and the passage of time.

The characters are relatable and their experiences are engaging.

Overall, it's a wonderful read that I would highly recommend.