[LMB] LQ #21: Enjoyment of Bujold (Tues. April 15th)

[Becca]

> 1) What aspect of Bujold's writing do you enjoy the most?

it's such an amalgam of everything everyone else has posted
about! I tend to read books for characterization and
relationships as much as or more than plot - a suspenseful book
with cardboard characters may keep me enthralled for the length
of the book, but I'm unlikely to go back and re-read or read
many other books by that author. As others have mentioned, even
minor characters seem like real people. And all of Lois'
characters tend to be *intelligent* - even Ivan-you-idiot isn't
Too Stupid To Live, just rather intellectually lazy.

And the relationships are also rich and multi-dimensional, with
the weaknesses of their strengths, and the strengths of their
weaknesses (if that makes sense). 

and the language usage! I revel in it. were the characters less
well-developed and the plots less compelling, I would still
re-read them (though not as often) just for the glory of the
craftsmanship.

But for the most part, the plots are also rich and layered. I
always find new things with every re-read, which keeps the books
fresh for me. 

> 
> > 2) When do you read Bujold's work?

certain books, like ACC or Memory are "comfort" reads for me.
But I also read them as antidotes to a surfit of lesser works.
I've just gone on a Lee Child freak, and *need* my Bujold to
resore my faith in good writing, rich characters, and an
optimistic view of humanity.

-becca

"In a text based environment,
 there's nothing *but* semantics"

-Furp


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