OUTSIDE THE DOG MUSEUM

Rating:
Summary: The Genius, his mistresses, and Big Top
Review: Harry, a famous architect recently recovered from a bout of insanity, has been asked by the Sultan of Saru to build a Dog Museum. The rest of the book is centered around Harry's responses to this request-- refusing, agreeing, making plans, changing plans, understanding and failing to understand. There's lots of Carroll's famous magic realism sprinkled along the way, and at least a little bit of emotional exploration carried out via Harry's relationships with his two very different mistresses.

Unfortunately, this book is cursed with too much glibness-- the achilles heel that sometimes makes Carroll feel dangerously like a more esoteric Tom Robbins. Still, a clever, well-written, and generally entertaining book.

Rating:
Summary: Lots of action, unrealistic characters
Review: Lot of wild, zany colorful action. However, the characters (including the narrator) are flat and act with no emotional consistency. Despite the many "profound" realizations, insights, magical occurences, etc., none of the characters really change or develop.

Rating:
Summary: Reminds me that True is True
Review: There are books I read again and again. Some of them are old friends who give me a place to come home to, some of them disturb me in ways I need to be disturbed.

Outside the Dog Museum always encourages me in ways I most want to be encouraged. I love this book. More than any other.

Rating:
Summary: Reminds me that True is True
Review: There are books I read again and again. Some of them are old friends who give me a place to come home to, some of them disturb me in ways I need to be disturbed.

Outside the Dog Museum always encourages me in ways I most want to be encouraged. I love this book. More than any other.