Tag Archives: Andrew Sean Greer

Less is Lost by Andrew Sean Greer

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with , , , , , , , ,

Less is Lost by Andrew Sean Greer is the follow-up to the Pulitzer Prize-winning Less. A sequel is always risky, right (particularly when the ending of the first book was perfection)? Thankfully, Greer gets it right and all of the things I loved about Arthur Less the first time, were there again (especially Arthur’s wonderfully bad German).

In Less, Arthur (a mediocre novelist) traveled around the world to avoid his ex’s wedding. When we meet Arthur in Less is Lost, he is a moderately accomplished novelist in a steady relationship with his partner, Freddy. However, it’s not quite happily-ever-after, and circumstances force Arthur to accept a series of literary gigs that send him  zigzagging across America. Continue reading →

Things That Are Making Me Happy This Week

Posted by Kate W in Stuff and Nonsense and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

01. The weather wasn’t looking promising before the Hoodoo Gurus concert but it turned out to be a fine evening and when they played Good Times, I felt grateful to be able to go to such events again. Continue reading →

Andrew Sean Greer at the Wheeler Centre

Posted by Kate W in Stuff and Nonsense and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , ,

We got off to a fabulous start when host Benjamin Law noted Andrew Sean Greer’s striking leather pants and asked, “Who are you wearing tonight?” Andrew obliged – the pants were bespoke, made for him in Paris, and his striped blazer was purchased in Milan on a post-Pulitzer spending spree. For those who had not read Andrew’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Less, this exchange may have seemed farcical, however, those familiar with the character of Arthur Less immediately knew they were in for an entertaining evening (bespoke clothing occupies Arthur’s time in Paris). Continue reading →

Bookish (and not so bookish) Thoughts

Posted by Kate W in Shelves and Libraries, Stuff and Nonsense and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

01. Yay! Favel Parrett has a new book coming in September – There Was Still Love.

02. And there was a hint from Heather Rose about her new book… Continue reading →

Six Degrees of Separation – from The French Lieutenant’s Woman to White Houses

Posted by Kate W in Stuff and Nonsense and tagged with , , , , ,

It’s time for #6degrees. Start at the same place as other wonderful readers, add six books, and see where you end up!

This month we begin with The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles. I haven’t read this book but I remember my mum reading it (in the seventies) and being engrossed. Continue reading →

Less by Andrew Sean Greer

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with , , , , , , , ,

My thought as I was halfway through reading Andrew Sean Greer’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Less, was why the Melbourne Writers Festival team (i.e. Marieke and her off-sider, Gene) were so invested in the book (they were mad for it).

And then I discovered that there was so much more to Less.

It’s the story of Arthur Less, a mediocre novelist who is about to turn fifty (‘Arthur Less is the first homosexual ever to grow old’). When Less receives an invitation to ex-boyfriend Freddy’s wedding, he plans a round-the-world trip to avoid the nuptials. A string of speaking and teaching engagements takes him from New York and Mexico City, to Rome, Berlin, Paris, Morocco, India and Japan.

While snow glistens on Charlottenburg Palace, Freddy is standing beside Dennis in the California sun, for surely it is one of those white-linen-suit weddings, with a bower of white roses and pelicans flying by and somebody’s understanding college ex-girlfriend playing Joni Mitchell on guitar. Continue reading →