Who's Line is it Anyway?

“This is the saddest story I have ever heard.”

This line is from the novel A Good Soldier: A Tale of Passion, which was published in the year 1915 by the author Ford Madox Ford, who lived from 1873 to 1939. This author is also known for other works, including the Parades End Triology and The Fifth Queen.

This novel is basically about a soldier that describes different parts of his life in no particular order. He talks about his wife and their friends, and a lot of what he says is very ironic. For example, he says things like, “That man is a man you know you can trust with your wife.” This is ironic, because the character he says this about is actually very dishonest.

Personally, I would maybe like to read this book because it just seems a little cooky and oddly written, which is something I think I would like. I like that many of the things he says are ironic, and also the fact that it is written in a way to keep the reader confused and always wondering what is going on. 

“…you must go on, I can’t go on, I’ll go on.” 

 

This line is from the novel Unnamable, which was published in the year 1953 by the author Samuel Beckett, who lived from 1906 to 1989. This author is also known for other works, including Murphy and How it is. 

Unnamable is a book that has no plot and no storyline. It is even unclear if there are real characters, or if they were imagined. The ‘characters’ are believed to be a facet of the author. This book is the third in a trilogy, and it ends with the famous line listed above. 

I do not think I would like to read this book, because I need a book that picks up and has action and has something you can actually follow. I have read books that have no plot before, and they are hard for me to read simply because nothing ever picks up, so there is really no reason to read it in the first place.