Moment in the Sun weighs in at 955 pages. That alone will turn many readers off. I think John Sayles made a strategic mistake when he decided that Moment in the Sun would have an ensemble of characters. Sadly, the center does not hold. Moment in the Sun involves its characters in the war for the Philippines (1898-1902). With the dozens of characters, I had a few favorites. I was moved by Hod, the reluctant boxer and soldier; Dr. Lunceford, a proud African-American physician who loses everything to racism; and Royal, an African-American solider with some of the worst luck in the world. Sayles is intent on showing the follies of Imperialism and sometimes that gets in the way of the story, too. There’s also the most graphic scene of a child-birth that I’ve ever read. But the sum doesn’t add up to all the parts. GRADE: B
935 pages? Yikes! I’ll pass.
MOMENT IN THE SUN was a quick read, Jeff. Yes, it’s almost a thousand pages long, but there were surprisingly few dull patches.
I’d rather read three or four shorter books.
I prefer shorter books, too, Bill.
I’m with Bill.
Anthony Trollope can write long books, Patti, and they never seem too long. It’s a talent few modern writers have mastered.
I’ve read two books of his short stories which are worth checking out.
John Sayles also has a film career, Jeff. MOMENT IN THE SUN may turn into a movie or mini-series someday.
The page count is intimidating, but if the book were a AA+ I’d go for it. Not this one, though.
Glad to be back, Rick!
Oh, and welcome back!
He’s back! You were missed, George.
I like Sayles’s films, especially RETURN OF THE SECAUCUS 7.
Yes, it’s nice to be back, Jeff. If I had tried to blog last week, you’d have been reading the ravings of a drug-addled mind.
I have no problem with high-page-count books (Trollope is one of my favorites, as is Thomas Hardy–neither of them known for brevity)–a big, meaty epic is one of my favorite types of reading; but the subject matter of this book doesn’t appeal to me at all, so I think I’ll give it a pass.
I saw you had commented over on Patti’s blog, so assume you are back amongst us–hope you are feeling better and all is right with the knee…and the digestion!
Yes, I’m almost back to what passes for Normal around here, Deb. I still have low hemoglobin and I tire easily, but I’m definitely on the mend.
George, I imagine your drug-addled ravings would be pretty entertaining. Easy to picture you and your lawyer speeding through the desert, fighting off giant bats…
Lortab side effects include hallucinations, Drongo. If I had continued to take those Lortabs, I might have been struggling with those giant bats!
Yuck. Glad you’re off that, George…my father is Very sensitive to opioids, yet hospitals love to ignore the repeated notes not to give them to him, which will send him off in a hallucinatory spin that he Definitely doesn’t enjoy.
Hope you had a chance to enjoy Sayles’s excellent tv series of some years back, SHANNON’S DEAL.
Yes, Todd, I encountered some hospital staff whose answer to everything was: “Just push the pain button.” The side-effects of narcotic pain-killers, the “blockages” and shut-down of vital systems, are worse than then the pain. Actually, I was able to manage my pain pretty well once I got off the narcotics.