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I like Louis de Bernieres' writing quite a bit. He manages to do some very difficult things and make them look easy, too- always the mark of someone expert at what they do. Somehow he can combine humor with very sad or violent situations.
And- there is certainly no lack of these types of situations in his work. The amount of cruelty from man to man in Louis' books is appalling. There is so much graphic torture, violent death, rape, etc....that it's terrible.
And still, somehow I like his work. I just usually give myself a lot of time before picking up another novel of his. (I've read three so far.)
I will add only two more bits here, just because I want to and not because they give you great insight into L d B's work.
The first occurred when I was reading his description of a torrid sexual encounter between two characters. It had been building up and when it exploded...I suddenly realized how Louis was playing with his literary toys. He colored their characters in like painting the faces of puppets, then pulled their strings and made them dance to his tunes. I'm certain he enjoys making his creations live.
Secondly, the title is great but really has almost no relevance to the story. Then again, what title could cover this one? I'm not sure, any more than I have any idea why overgrown cats overrun the plot. Some mysteries will just have to stay the way they are.
And- there is certainly no lack of these types of situations in his work. The amount of cruelty from man to man in Louis' books is appalling. There is so much graphic torture, violent death, rape, etc....that it's terrible.
And still, somehow I like his work. I just usually give myself a lot of time before picking up another novel of his. (I've read three so far.)
I will add only two more bits here, just because I want to and not because they give you great insight into L d B's work.
The first occurred when I was reading his description of a torrid sexual encounter between two characters. It had been building up and when it exploded...I suddenly realized how Louis was playing with his literary toys. He colored their characters in like painting the faces of puppets, then pulled their strings and made them dance to his tunes. I'm certain he enjoys making his creations live.
Secondly, the title is great but really has almost no relevance to the story. Then again, what title could cover this one? I'm not sure, any more than I have any idea why overgrown cats overrun the plot. Some mysteries will just have to stay the way they are.
