Sunday Salon: One Book Abandoned for Another
I have abandoned this:
for this:
While I didn’t mind Dan Brown’s games in The Da Vinci Code, I find myself very annoyed with them in The Lost Symbol. It’s tiresome the way he continues to scorn Christianity, in my opinion, by making it seem a pagan ritual; quotes like these go a long way with me:
Langdon nodded and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Don’t tell anyone, but on the pagan day of the sun god Ra, I kneel at the foot of an ancient instrument of torture and consume ritualistic symbols of blood and flesh.”
The class looked horrified.
Langdon shrugged. “And if any of you care to join me, come to the Harvard chapel on Sunday, kneel beneath the crucifix, and take Holy Communion.”
The classroom remained silent.
Langdon winked. “Open your minds, my friends. We all fear what we do not understand.” (p. 32)
All the winking, all the innuendo, all the cultish rituals regarding what we take for granted are a bit much the second time around. I’ll probably finish it, sometime, but I’m not in any hurry to do so this week.
However, Jhumpa Lahiri does what she does, and that is write beautifully, the third time around with grace. Unaccustomed Earth is a breathtaking work which examines our lives, our families, our thoughts in such a way that surely it must be universal. I have come to love the Indian culture, particularly through the children I teach, but I don’t feel any division between that culture and my own when I read her work. I just feel as though we are one, with similar heartaches and similar hopes.
I’m loving Unaccustomed Earth.
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV)
I read The Da Vinci Code because everyone raved over it and it was just okay for me. I’m not sure if I’ll bother with The Lost Symbol.
I have both Interpreter of Maladies and Unaccustomed Earth on my TBR pile and look forward to reading them. Lahiri’s writing is exquisite; I have read stories from each volume (in an anthology and The New Yorker, I think), “Hell-Heaven” and “This Blessed House”, both of which I really enjoyed.
I love Lahiri’s writing! The Namesake was wonderful and I have all her other books after enjoying The Namesake so much! It’s like reading a breathe of fresh air. I do have The Lost Symbol, which I bought mostly because I loved the art hunting in Angels & Demons. Some people feel that Angels & Demons was a better read and not so controversial. Hope after a big deep breathe you can go back and finish The Lost Symbol and enjoy it… I hate not finishing a book no matter how bad it is!
I read DaVinci just because I hated to be left out of pop culture history in the making. (I did the same thing with Twilight.) These experiences in keeping up with the reading masses rarely turn out well though, and at this point I’m sort of over the whole thing. I would have to have The Lost Symbol forced upon me for free, I think, before I would even consider it.
I feel in total love with Lahiri when I read Interpreter of Maladies, and I have Unaccustomed Earth on my shelf. I can’t wait to read it!
I love Lahiri’s writing. I need to get back to reading Interpreter of Maladies. I’ve been spreading out my short story reading in between other reads to try something different. I usually just treat them like novels and read them all the way through. I hear Unaccustomed Earth is really good.
I loved “Unaccustomed Earth,” the first book of Jhumpa Lahiri’s I’ve read. Glad you’re enjoying it too. I’ve never read any Dan Brown, but I don’t think he’s for me.
Love your blog, BTW!
I loved, loved loved this short story collection. Can only imagine that the prose appears all the more glorious after Brown’s trite word choices. Have not read his new book. Understand his power for some as a storyteller but cannot understand how anyone could defend his writing. But happy reading today with that fabulous book!
I am glad you are enjoying the other book better. I am not a big fan of Brown, so I won’t be reading it…
I absolutely loved Unaccustomed Earth. I’ve read a few negative reviews of the Lost Symbol. Not sure I want to bother!
Excellent decision.
Oh, I loved Unaccustomed Earth and agree with debnance – excellent decision!
I read the da vinci code..
Wise choice, Bellezza!
I love the way Jhumpa Lahiri tells her stories. I am yet to read The Unaccustomed Earth. But I know one thing for sure. No more Dan Brown Books for me
I’ve been wanting to read Unaccustomed Earth for a while now as I have a fondness for short stories and heard that Lahiri is one of the best.
I’ll be reading Dan Brown at some point, but not just yet. And not in hardback. I wasn’t impressed with The Da Vinci Code as I had read it all before via The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail and Umberto Eco’s Foucault’s Pendulum.
I felt the same way when I read Angels & Demons. The Da Vinci Code was fun enough–for all the art history, in my case. However, Angels & Demons was too much with the recycled storyline and all. I haven’t even attempted The Lost Symbol. Lahiri is always a winner in my book. Haven’t tried Unaccustomed Earth just yet, but I certainly will!
I have been meaning to comment on your wonderful blog for a while since Novel Insights pointed you out. Your posts are brilliant. I love the honesty in them. Enough of that singing of praises…
I liked The Da Vinci Code, didnt love it but did very much like it. I got lost in the adventure and thats what its there for. The Lost Symbol simply hasnt appealed to me yet, but havent written it off.
I have read no Jhumpa Lahiri but your post and other peoples comments have got me very intrigued.
Ah, the freedom to read what we truly want to read! Enjoy!
So glad to hear you are enjoying the Jhumpa Lahiri book. I haven’t read Dan Brown. I’ve avoided him but I have heard that The Da Vinci Code is an exciting read. Hopefully the excitement makes up for his viewpoint for those of us who see things differently.
Sounds like a wise change. Stumbling through poor writing tends to make want to hang myself. Enjoy the new book. It is on my To Be Read shelf.
I’ve got Unaccustomed Earth on my stacks. I really need to read it and am so glad to hear that it’s capturing you. Do you know my author buddy Simon Van Booy and Jhumpa Lahiri both won the same short story award — Lahiri for Unaccustomed Earth and Simon for Love Begins in Winter. You should definitely read Simon’s book (hint, hint: Guess who is in the acknowledgments?).
As to Dan Brown . . . I think once was enough. I read Angels and Demons because I wasn’t willing to fork out the big bucks for popular fiction but found a copy of A & D for a quarter. It was a little too brutal for me, although I loved the setting. That excerpt is horrid.
“Once was enough” when it comes to Dan Brown For Sure!!! It’s all the same thing all over again. I’m so glad you’re in the acknowledgments for Love Begins In Winter. i’ll be sure to get that! Weren’t you in the acknowledgmentsn for Colleen Gleason’s Vampire Chronicles, too?
I know you made a very wise choice!
Yes, ma’am. I’ve been in the acknowledgements in quite a few books, now. Colleen stuck me into several, as did a psychologist friend. Then there’s my buddy John’s book, friend Cindi’s, Simon’s book and Rod’s annotations. It’s always cool to be acknowledged for being a friend or helping in some way.
I think the writing alone would have made me put down that Dan Brown immediately! While I didn’t love Unaccustomed Earth (I found the construction of the stories and their characters far too repetitive), it is certainly a step up from The Lost Symbol. I definitely back your choice!
I read the DaVinci Code just because I sort of felt like I had to! It was entertaining I guess but nothing special. I think you made the right choice. I want to read the Lahiri book too!
I am one of those ‘book snobs’ who more often than not chooses not to get caught up in the books that the ‘masses’ are hyping. Not always. Sometimes something sounds so good I cannot resist, but I never had that attraction to Dan Brown. I doubt I would have in the first place, but its treatment of things I believe never even made it a temptation. Too many wonderful books I haven’t read out there to waste time with these.
I love Jhumpa Lahiri’s writing too, though I have yet to read this book. And Dan Brown isn’t among my favorite authors either; I had some trouble getting through Lost Symbol.
Lahiri is wonderful. I really enjoyed Unaccustomed Earth. Probably a good decision!
Lahiri is a wonderfully descriptive author. You feel as if you are participating in the book. I love to read her books.
Grand decision. Like many others here, I loved the Unaccustomed Earth also.
Great move… there’s really no comparison between Brown and Lahiri. Unaccustomed Earth is one of my favorite books of all time, for me anyway. I’ve read all her books, and can’t wait for more. And for Brown, just DaVinci Code is enough. You have a wonderful blog and I’ve enjoyed the topics you’ve chosen to write about… we share some common interests I can see. Will definitely visit more!