Maxim

@soapfave06 - Thank you for sharing your latest impressions. They truly highlight (for me) how this period pales in comparison to what I experienced in early 1992. Now as I think about it... starting with the October 1991 episodes gave me an advantage, as I had nothing to compare them to... making everything intriguing, regardless of my perspective. However, after watching more and more material... I can now see, with the help of your insights as well... just how rocky this period was. I recall how random Cord's death seemed... it felt as if they were developing his relationship with Blair... going for a future affair, and then... flatline. It's truly wonderful to know that this topic and all of you are here, alongside the show. It has nearly become an integral part of my viewing experience... coming here to express my thoughts and feelings with you all. Reading your insights and comments. As soon as I relieve that itch for literature... I shall return... just like Dorian Lord in the ski lodge. ❤️

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Do you mean "The Unknown"? It does sound very promising. :) I checked his goodreads just now. I still haven't read any of his stuff, even though I planned to. With the kindle Oasis now I won't even have to wait or go to the library. Maybe after I finish Book 4 of Karl Ove's My Struggle (I'm already 50 pages in)... I'll try it. I like following more dense/serious books with light thrillers.

The unfortunate reality (or fortunate) is that she indeed seems quite superficial until the final 100-150 pages before her life ends. It feels as if Tolstoy redeems the entire Anna narrative with that concluding inner monologue and unraveling before the train. In her final moments, I finally glimpse her true self. This was the second time her character brought me to tears, the first being her attempt to see her son and give him birthday presents. I consider the last chapters leading up to Anna's death to be among the finest writing I have ever experienced. Prior to that, the book certainly has its highs and lows... and that's acceptable, it is never BAD or dull, but there are a few elements that feel... outdated or not to my liking. However, Anna's final moments... it’s as if Tolstoy transformed into Virginia Woolf. No, even more bolder and modern. It felt like the book started speaking in another voice, a voice that hasn't aged a day. Everything finally clicked together. I had entirely forgotten how it felt to read that section... perhaps I didn't fully appreciate it back then in my teens. It was like a slap in the face. Anna was going through her Joker moment, in disturbing paranoia (some of it maybe even drug induced), yet finally perceiving certain truths for the first time in her existence. The clarity within the darkness was simply... heartbreaking. And that concluding line that wrapped up the chapter and her life... was just... SUBLIME literature. "And the candle by the light of which she had been reading that book filled with anxieties, deceptions, grief and evil, flared up brighter than ever, lit up for her all that had once been in darkness, sputtered, grew dim, and went out for ever." P.S. I completely agree that the book has a soap opera quality - the brief yet numerous chapters... the overall melodrama of the affair/intrigue set against the deeper philosophical themes and Levin's viewpoint.

Can't get better than this.

Thank you @Errol ! I won't survive without my ladies of the View.

10/10 I just finished reading Book 3 of Karl Ove's "My Struggle" series called Boyhood Island. This book was all about his childhood. Honestly, it doesn't compare to Part 2, which is titled "A Man In Love". That book (Part 2) is probably going to stay in my top 5 forever. I loved it so much that I wanted to read it again right after I finished it. Now, Book 3 - Boyhood Island... was really hard to read because it's partly about domestic abuse coming from a violent, narcissistic father. It was tough to get through the parts where young Karl Ove was suffering. Since I too experienced domestic abuse at the hand of my mother at the same age he was in the book, it was super triggering, and I found myself tearing up multiple times while reading it today. So, even though it's not as amazing as Book 2, I realize I shouldn't compare them since they are so different. I'm still giving it a 10 out of 10 because it serves it's purpose - it helps you see and feel life through a child's perspective. And it's a great addition to his life story narrative so far. Book 1 dealt with his teenage years and then skipped to him... dealing with the loss of his abusive father. Book 2 was all about his relationship with his very toxic wife - it was a psychological horror slash love story in my opinion. Then Book 3 was just the early years - from a little kid to early teen. This series has truly changed my life. I'm addicted. I plan to start Book 4 later tonight or maybe tomorrow morning. I don't read anything about these books in advance, because I don't want to spoil them for myself... but I already can sense that Book 4 will deal with his 20s probably. I'm expecting a hell of a ride. P.S. It was also wonderful to read a fiction book from him - The School Of Night - I devoured that book in 3 days, while it was nearly 650 pages. Again - the best FICTION I've read in the last 10 years. While his autobiographical My Struggle Book 2... is probably the best auto-fiction I've read... maybe EVER. We'll see how this series evolved in books four, five and six - I have more than 2000 pages to go. Maybe I'll be sick of it in the end... or maybe I'll fall even more in love. We'll see.

This.

God, be good to this queen. ❤️

The School of Night - 10/10! ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE. THE best novel I've read in the last decade.

Such strength!

She's on her tour y'all.

You guys are just too sweet! 🥰 All I can say is... I'm flattered that anyone misses them/me. I shall return to Llanview very soon. Having some time off from the show really made me miss it. I blame Malone inspiring me to read Anna Karenina, which I just had to finish before continuing. @soapfave06 - I caaaan't wait to read more of your reviews as well. Can't wait till you hit February 1992. OMG... Is this what I think it is! Viki Buchanan, you naughty girl! Thanks for posting @DRW50.

Iceland?

Someone needs to say asap to the Pennywise clown piece of sh-t - .... Bye bitch, we don't want to see your nasty face anymore. Stop inviting it anywhere. Make it into Putin 2 and isolate it. Don't give it attention. Bye nasty bitch.

Just finished Anna Karenina. Ah! What a journey this has been. The last 150 pages I planned to read for three days, but ended up finishing it in one go. I just couldn't stop. The last 50 pages before Anna did the unthinkable... were so hardcore... It was like I was going crazy with her. Now I'm on to Karl Ove's newest book - The School Of Night. I still have to read books 3 to 6 of his autobiographical series, but I decided I was in the mood for fiction right now. It's already on my kindle and I just have to jump in bed and turn on the dark mode of the device. "London. 1985. A city rife with possibility and desire. One young man who wants it all. Kristian Hadeland, newly arrived in the city, seethes with ambition and contempt. His family in Norway never understood him; his fellow photography students bore him. But he knows he and his art are destined for more. Then he meets Hans, an eccentric Dutch artist. With Hans, the future Kristian yearns for is tangible. All art is possible. Any line can be crossed. But success comes at a price. And when Kristian does the unthinkable, will he be prepared to pay it?"