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Apr 2019
3:48pm, 7 Apr 2019
4,237 posts
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quimby
Finished F451 and have posted on the discussion thread.
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Apr 2019
5:00pm, 7 Apr 2019
39,148 posts
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McGoohan
The interesting thing about that Simon Armitage is that it sort of 'crosses over' with The Salt Path, in that the husband keeps getting mistaken for SA* who was walking the SWCP at the time.
*Except I don't believe a word of it.
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Apr 2019
5:01pm, 7 Apr 2019
35,739 posts
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Diogenes
I believe some of it
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Apr 2019
5:09pm, 7 Apr 2019
39,149 posts
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McGoohan
I mean the SA bits. Yes, perhaps true in part, but I think an editor has seriously pumped it up.
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Apr 2019
8:40am, 8 Apr 2019
35,755 posts
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Diogenes
The man beside me on the train this morning was just starting The Illustrated Man. I was avoiding listening to F451 as I didn't want to be in a bad mood. If he'd been further into the book I would have been tempted to ask him what he thought of it*
*I wouldn't, I'm far too British to talk to strangers on the train.
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Apr 2019
8:44am, 8 Apr 2019
27,127 posts
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LindsD
I've seen the film of that but not read the book.
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Apr 2019
8:52am, 8 Apr 2019
39,155 posts
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McGoohan
IIRC The Illustrated Man was a clever way of repackaging short stories into a novel, what I believe is called 'a fix up' in the trade.
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Apr 2019
8:55am, 8 Apr 2019
22,088 posts
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Wriggling Snake
I like Armitage, he wrong a very good novel, the name escapes me, way back, about growing up in the 70s. He was also very good on Marc and Lard's radio show late at night md 90s.
His Troubadour book was basically a massive lie, as he had everything set up before he left where he was staying/who he would meet, what he would eat the works. He is basically describing a walking holiday...I thought it was very poor. Very poor indeed and I usually love travel books like that. The Pennine way, and the Peak district deserves a decent write up, I should do it myself.
The IM is even more dated in terms of sci-fi prediction that Fahrenheit, but again it is more a fantasy book, trying to guess at how people will deal with the future, odd bits are good, in the main not so, missed the mark 80% of the time.
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Apr 2019
9:14am, 8 Apr 2019
39,156 posts
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McGoohan
The novel was Little Green Men, I think. It's on my TBR pile.
SA didn't pretend he hadn't set it up beforehand did he? He was walking between pre-booked venues for poetry readings. He pretty much states that at the outset.
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Apr 2019
9:26am, 8 Apr 2019
35,759 posts
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Diogenes
I think one of the things I'm not enjoying about Armitage's SWCP journey is that it is very much a working walk with an itinerary, where he is hosted, anticipated, and accompanied all the way by an ever-changing cast of accolytes.
This is in direct contrast to my favourite (and probably the best) book on the subject 500 Mile Walkies by Mark Wallington who makes the statement right from the start that he enjoyed the serendipitous quality of walking unbriefed (I don't have the book to hand to cite the exact quote).
There is a lot in Wallington's book that clearly relies on authorial and comedic license, certain exaggeration and repetition, but it is not deceitful. Ironically, Armitage would benefit a bit more from poetic license in place of mundane details.
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