[ilds] BITTER LEMONS

[William Apt]

Dear Bill & everyone else who saw this email:

It was written by me and posted about 3 years ago! Somehow, though, it just now appeared! 

I'm not sure how this happened. But it is nevertheless how I felt about Bitter Lemons. Regretably, the book just did not resonate with me.

In any event, I hope to attend the ILDS conference this summer in London and to finally get to meet you all. You're a wonderful group.

All the best, Billy


Sent from my iPhone

On Oct 15, 2011, at 2:53 PM, "Godshalk, William (godshawl)" <godshawl at ucmail.uc.edu> wrote:

> I have a friend, Michael Atkinson, who reads -- he says -- 40 pages of of any book that has been recommended to him. If any 40 pages, he does not like the book, he moves on to the next book. 
> 
> My father was a dipper. He would read a few pages or paragraphs, maybe even read the end of the book. I rarely saw him give up on a book, but he challenged every  book to keep his interest.
> 
> 
> So, William, I recommend either method to you. As Maugham says, life is short, and there are so many books to read
> 
> Bill
> 
> .
> W. L. Godshalk *
> Department of English    *           *
> University of Cincinnati*   * Stellar Disorder  *
> OH 45221-0069 *  *
> ________________________________________
> From: ilds-bounces at lists.uvic.ca [ilds-bounces at lists.uvic.ca] On Behalf Of William Apt [williamapt at austin.rr.com]
> Sent: Friday, October 14, 2011 2:01 PM
> To: ilds at lists.uvic.ca
> Subject: [ilds] BITTER LEMONS
> 
> Dear all:
> 
> I loved PROSPERO'S CELL and REFLECTIONS ON A MARINE VENUS for Durrell's abstract, poetic portrayal of his experiences.  Both books are demanding, not user-friendly, and require a great deal of concentration and reflection.  Both books captivated me from the outset.
> 
> 40 pages into it, I find BITTER LEMONS to be unsatisfying.  Except for the introductory scene in Venice, it is a straight forward narrative about quaint personalities Durrell encounters:  interesting to a point only, and lacking the lyricism I loved in the former two books.
> 
> Am I not giving BITTER LEMONS enough of a chance?
> 
> WILLIAM APT
> Austin, Texas
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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