tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961352325595827919.post5161064096400319954..comments2023-10-31T09:55:24.612-05:00Comments on The Night Editor: The Underworld USA TrilogyJake Hinksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959106997436699346noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961352325595827919.post-91610451304645348882009-11-22T19:54:55.825-06:002009-11-22T19:54:55.825-06:00Excellent call. You put your finger on it. When Wa...Excellent call. You put your finger on it. When Ward bought it, it seemed perfect (in a tragic way). His story to me was the most compelling thing about the first two books. By contrast,Wayne's death seemed arbitrary. When Scotty's section started I thought, "I don't care about this dude. Bring back Tedrow."Jake Hinksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12959106997436699346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961352325595827919.post-25105084698646276312009-11-22T17:57:30.551-06:002009-11-22T17:57:30.551-06:00You know, Jake, what I found most satisfying about...You know, Jake, what I found most satisfying about the book were the multiple POV's. Seven characters is a lot for Ellroy to juggle (He's been using the same three character POV template since the Big Nowhere.)also I thought his handling of the Marsh/Karen diaries was fascinating and highly readable. <br /><br />What I found frustrating were most of the DR parts, which felt too much like a retread of the Vietnam/Cuba parts in the Cold six K. Also, it pissed me off to no end when he iced Wayne. I felt Wayne was the heart and soul of the trilogy. I literally did chuck the book (not across the room, but a few feet away from me on the couch.) and refused to read it for a couple of days after he hacked Wayne to pieces.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06827652636843928373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961352325595827919.post-58768269944853314622009-11-22T09:56:05.335-06:002009-11-22T09:56:05.335-06:00Paul: he will always run. Btw, haven't watched...Paul: he will always run. Btw, haven't watched the new Prisoner, just on principle. <br /><br />Keith: I agree it's a fine book in many ways. Why did you find it to be the most satisfying? And what parts had you wanting to incinerate it?Jake Hinksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12959106997436699346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961352325595827919.post-56324742702562519332009-11-22T09:33:28.904-06:002009-11-22T09:33:28.904-06:00Rover was probably the most frustrating and satisf...Rover was probably the most frustrating and satisfying of the trilogy. It was a ball buster and probably the most intricately plotted novel of his career. There were times in it when I couldn't put it down, and other times when I wanted to chuck it across the room and then set it on fire.<br />Quick note about Crutchfield.<br />Much like Joan, Crutch is a real person and appeared alongside Ellroy at his recent appearance at the mysterious bookstore in L.A.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06827652636843928373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961352325595827919.post-90392720694246589532009-11-22T04:24:09.586-06:002009-11-22T04:24:09.586-06:00great post. Elroy will run and run. He's like ...great post. Elroy will run and run. He's like the writing version of The Prisoner (proper version).Paul D Brazillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12881642426845398389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961352325595827919.post-80422965880560082682009-11-21T20:16:12.666-06:002009-11-21T20:16:12.666-06:00Yeah, I do like how Crutch is a stand-in for the y...Yeah, I do like how Crutch is a stand-in for the young dipshit Ellroy. And I definitely like the book overall, but I flat-out loved the first two. Great writers almost always set the bar so high that not even they can clear it. Still, that ain't a bad problem to have...Jake Hinksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12959106997436699346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961352325595827919.post-59312083022609584262009-11-21T19:30:24.272-06:002009-11-21T19:30:24.272-06:00Y'know, I had heard murmurings of this Joan pe...Y'know, I had heard murmurings of this Joan person, but hadn't put it together with the Red Goddess from the book. But given the obvious Crutchfield/Ellroy parallels, I guess I shoulda figured something was up. I do agree that this one wasn't as historically grounded, and that kinda takes away from it a bit, but I still kinda like it better than American Tabloid. Ain't nothing gonna top Cold Six Thousand, though, for my money.Jimmy Callawayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13725548493403210066noreply@blogger.com