Heather ([info]lippypop) wrote in [info]__fantasynovel,
2005-12-31 07:28:00
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"Dragonfly" by Frederic S. Durbin

Has anyone else read "Dragonfly" by Frederic Durbin? I bought it a couple of days ago and haven't even started chapter 4, yet. I loved the concept and premise, but his writing style is seriously turning me off. It's jammed full of quirky descriptions to the point where I just want to reach into the pages, grab him, and scream "JUST SAY 'IT WAS A DARK NIGHT' ALREADY."

I get that he's trying to go for a strange and mystical mood with phrases like "when the chuckle-dark harvest moon shaped pumpkins in its own image," and "the leaves of the elm hissed their dark melody." But to me, it seems like he's trying too hard.

(Plus, what the hell is "chuckle-dark" supposed to mean?)

Besides, his narrator is supposed to be a ten-year-old girl. I can say without modesty that I was probably the most literary-minded 10-year-old that I've ever met, but I still wouldn't have come up with something like "when the trees all felt the blood rush to their leaves after the exertion of August and the idleness of September;" (a phrase that makes me irrationally mad for several reasons).

I can tell that this is one of those books that either works for a person or doesn't, so I would love to hear other people's opinions! Maybe someone can put it into perspective for me a little, eh?

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  • 10 comments

[info]dahn

December 31 2005, 17:56:33 UTC 6 years ago

... chuckle-dark?

Chuckle-dark.

What's next? "Banana-sounding"? "Electric-heavy"? Where do we draw the line, people!

[info]shanra

December 31 2005, 18:22:31 UTC 6 years ago

Isn't it quite obvious that we don't draw lines whatsoever? ;) All for the sake of the greater literary good! For we must have descriptions that confuse. We must.

Seriously, though, that pretty much sums my thoughts up. What is that supposed to mean, indeed? Is that the opposite of maniacal-laughter-light? Not that I have any idea what that means...

[info]lippypop

January 1 2006, 00:42:10 UTC 6 years ago

Right at the very edge of a rocky cliff, after a 2-minute segment of drawing lines in the sand progressively closer and daring the author to step over them.

All of life's difficulties should be solved according to the Gospel of Looney Tunes.

[info]gelsey

December 31 2005, 18:34:47 UTC 6 years ago

I suppose chuckle-dark means heavy and deep. Chuckles are usually associated with men, with deeper voices, darker, richer voices in the lower registers. *shrug* at least, that's my take on it.

I do agree that that doesn't sound like anything a 10-year old would say unless they're an uber-genius.

[info]lippypop

January 1 2006, 00:52:59 UTC 6 years ago

I came up with a couple of theories as to the meaning . . . and then I gave up 'cuz it was only the second sentence of the book and I was thinking too hard. |:[

I didn't think of the heavy and deep one. That's a good one, too.

[info]gelsey

January 1 2006, 02:40:01 UTC 6 years ago

What did you come up with? Lol, curious minds want to know :)

[info]rynmorianqueen

December 31 2005, 21:37:00 UTC 6 years ago

Reminds me a bit of an overly-wordy Francesca Lia Block, but then I don't care much for her style either.

[info]lippypop

January 1 2006, 00:54:18 UTC 6 years ago

Ooo. I've never read any of her books. I shall consider myself forewarned, then. I'd probably still read a Block book, but if I do I'll be getting them from the library, first.

[info]skiwildcat06

January 12 2006, 04:04:35 UTC 6 years ago

sounds like they meant something like... evil chuckle-dark.. I dont know

but whatever it means, its overkill.

thanx 4 the warning

[info]edenvelocityzro

January 24 2006, 19:34:52 UTC 6 years ago

Oh boy, that sounds awful. It gives me new hope for my own career. He probably tried to be literary and just ended up being confusing.
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