March 29, 2009

  • The mysterious edge of the heroic world

    Konigsburg has gotten a little dreamy in her later writing, but I still wish I could listen to her voice, installments at a time, as I age. This one picks up a bit more on history, art, and family history. It picks up edges of characters, and how they relate to each other. It's a pleasure to be drawn in, and to be won over by clever, though flawed, child protagonists. The story takes on a certain timeless quality, and it's a relief not to be inundated with the technological references of the moment, as it could become so much filler. In not filling in all the blanks, she leaves the reader to imagine and to generate additional substance to carry the story.