Is this book just too brilliant or simply whimsical? I just cannot make up my mind until suddenly I find I’m getting bored with it. I’m just not sure where it is going. Can anyone tell me? According to my reader I’ve read 51% of the book (there’s no page numbering on e-readers I’m afraid).
Effie in the process of relating her story of attending university and commenting on her peers, tutors and professors as she attends lecturers, tutorials or sits around with fellow students in rooms or cars more often than not expressing her views in a kind of semi-funny philosophical way, such as:
‘Personally, I don’t think it right to make up things about real people – although I suppose there’s an argument for saying that once you’re dead you’re not real any more. But then we have to define what we mean by real and none of us wants to go down that tortuous path because we all know where it leads (madness or a first class honours, or both.’
This is in reflection on whether someone is writing biography or fiction.
And so it goes on, I just don’t know where to! Can somebody help me or shall I simply google up a review and find out? I’m resisting. Could the point simply be that all this is emotionally weird: remembering your university days in the 1970s or around that time?
I so love Kate Atkinson‘s other books!
51stories 
I’ve yet to read any of Atkinson but I do have Case Histories on my shelf at home so I will…soon!
By: Kathleen on November 5, 2011
at 6:25 pm
I haven’t a clue, but by now you’ve likely googled a review and are set on the path to finishing the book…?
I can’t imagine writing about my university days in the ’70s. Hmmmm….
Of course, now I have to go look up Kate Atikinson. You are responsible, you know for a certain number of books on my TBR stack, not the least of which is CLOUD ATLAS!
By: oh on November 6, 2011
at 1:07 am
Kathleen: Case Histories is good, I liked it so much better – I’m afraid I gave up on Emotionally Weird.
Oh: Read Cloud Atlas – that’s brilliant!
By: Corri on November 7, 2011
at 8:02 pm