“When I first read James in college, I gave him the benefit of the doubt... perhaps I just wasn't an experienced, mature enough reader to appreciate him. Now, fifteen years later, I find my reaction to his writing much the same as my initial impression.
James is extraordinarily talented, to be sure, but he writes in some of the densest, thickest prose imaginable. And while I don’t mind a challenging read, there are limits… James’ writing style demands an exceptional amount of intellectual investment for proportionally minimal payoff. He will take the briefest dialog, dissect it, then zoom out and give the reader a view of it from above, from below, from before, from behind -- for page, after page, after page, after page. No other author has ever left me so thoroughly and simultaneously irritated and awed.
I can appreciate his skill with the English language, his artistry with a turn of phrase, but that is truly about the limit of my admiration. He is a technician, a craftsman and a word-smith of exacting standards, but I have never found myself emotionally invested in the words he has set down on a page. For me, they are instead beautiful still-life paintings -- breathtaking dioramas, but never living, breathing words that move the soul.”
Childlife wrote this review Wednesday, June 18 2008.
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