Lord of Misrule Audiobook

" Luckily, a Christmas break lunch visit with Salvatore Scibona reminded me that I had purchased Lord of Misrule the day after it won the National Book Award. On a strong recommendation from Salvatore, I started the book on December 27 and read it as much as I could over the remainder of the Christmas break week - stealing time from family visits and getting out of bed to read after everyone else was asleep. Although I didn't think that a book about horse racing would appeal to me at all, the beauty of Jaimy Gordon's prose made the subject matter secondary. Her vernacular was a quirky as the names of her minor characters - Deucey Gifford, Medicine Ed, Kiddstuff, Suitcase Smithers, Two-Tie, and Joe Dale Bigge. I had to read slowly to isolate plot details from West Virginia dialect of stall conversations and metaphoric descriptions. I would describe it as something like the Cannery Row of horse racing. A lovely Christmas present to myself was carving out the time to read this beautiful book. "

" National Book Award winner? Didn't ring my chimes. I did get a peek into the world of small racetracks with hard-luck characters. But the ever-changing narrators, most presented in dialect that is a chore to follow? Not so much. A couple of characters made a grab for my sympathy- the old black groom, the owner desperate to recapture even a tiny piece of an old relationship, and of course the protagonist Maggie who can care for horses but not for herself. It's a dark, gritty story. "

" Couldn't finish it....just didn't get into it at all. "

" This falls into the stream of American fiction that explores con-men, grifters, and the down-and-out, all looking for a way to make their fortune as quickly and painlessly as possible. At a second-string race track, however, the occasional wins are spaced between long periods of hard work, run-ins with mob bosses and loan sharks, and lots of losses. And everything hinges on the thin ankles and dodgy temperments of aging thoroughbred horses who've seen better days. This book deserved the National Book Award; highly recommended. "

" Life on a down and out racetrack in West Virginia is evocatively portrayed. "

" Well written, needed to be read carefully as it thrusts the reader into a world that is unfamiliar to many (horse racing). A good story. "

" A tough book to get into because the narrative of each of the perspective characters is done in a different way and it took me quite a while to work out what was going on. Not without a bleak, doomy sort of grace but one for fans of experimental form rather than a straight story. "

" National Book Award winner this year. I don't know why actually. Provides an interesting view behind the scenes of horse racing. I found it compelling but confusing. Still worth reading. "

" It isn't very often that I can't finish a book, but I gave up after about 180 pages. Ugh. "

" One of the most quirky, delightful books I have ever read. Could not put it down. "

" Could've used a few quotation marks. "

" This one took me a while to get used to the writing. Once I was able to get into the rythme of the writing style, dialog without quotation marks, I was able to fall into the storey. The characters were well constructed and I really enjoy a tightly written storey. "

" Glad I have kept focused until page 100 so richly detailed with characters I had a hard time keeping them straight. The words are like prose, richly poetic and dripping off the page. She has a knack for gritty, and doesn't hold back- creating an unforgettable moment for the reader! "

" I was somewhat disappointed in this National Book Award Winner. At first it seemed as though it would be a darker, more literary "Water for Elephants," but the characters did not seem to develop as I expected they might and I found the ending to be quite flat. "

" This read like a creative writing class assignment on dialects to me.... but I might be projecting. Anyway, I love the local connection, but it's a total loaner that I don't need back. Who wants it next? "

" That is some kind of writin'. "

" First chapter sucked me in but then the story became more convoluted than complex. Found it hard to follow the dialect. Maybe that's just me. "

" Read this because because it won the National Book Award but found it hard to follow because of the language and horse rafcing lingo. Maybe if I knew more about the sport. "

" This read like a creative writing class assignment on dialects to me.... but I might be projecting. Anyway, I love the local connection, but it's a total loaner that I don't need back. Who wants it next? "

" Faded a bit in the stretch but still a fine read. Kind of a mix of Cormac McCarthy and Damon Runyan. And I'm probably not the first to say that. Still it's own beast though. "

" This book was to my taste. I know that it has won some awards. Because I didn't like it doesn't mean that others would not enjoy it. "

" It has probably been 30 years since I just couldn't finish a book. I struggled for 100 pages before giving up. There just wasn't enough payoff for wading through the disjointed storyline and track jargon. "

" I'm naming my next dog "Lord of Misrule." An enjoyable read but I needed to be pulled in a little deeper to really enjoy it. "

" Did not enjoy this book. The way she writes I found very hard to follow till close to the end and even then... well was just not impressed with the story line. Characters were interesting but you jumped around so much it just never gave you a nice flow to the story. "