I have read many of Kingsolver 's books as well as Sally Rooney's and like them both. Yes, maybe one does write more about exterior issues and the wider world, but surely both the exterior and the interior are equally valid and have something to say
They are both great writers. I don't take any stock in Kingsolver's remark and wouldn't trust that Kingsolver has any interest in putting down Rooney's work. I litterally could not put down Intermezzo. 5 stars without doubt. Her other 3 books were 4 stars for me. What Rooney has achieved in Intermezzo in the weaving of inner and outer dialogue is absolutely spectacular. And, for me at least, feels so real; she has captured what it is like to be a human trying to connect with another human; it's really much more than what a video camera would pick up taping a conversation. And note, I listened to the audio book. In 16 hrs of listening I remember only getting confused once about what was really being said versus what was an interior voice. The reader did an amazing job, but if the writing hadn't been so good, it would have been impossible to pull off. Sometimes the interior voice is imagining what someone else might be thinking or saying. And even then it wasn't confusing. It was believable, relatable and I would think "Yah, of course they are thinking that." Rooney's writing feels to me like she's revealing part of the "operating system" of human beings in high resolution while other writers have only managed pixelated snapshots. I think Intermezzo is a significant achievement. It doesn't mean she is the "best" writer out there, whatever that means But she's seriously contributing. She's in a groove, being true to what grabs her artistically. She has achieved the rare feat of a 4th book far surpassing the quality of other three. Looking forward to the 5th.
Both are talented authors that I respect. I’ve read many of Kingsolver’s books and only one Rooney. Respectfully I’m not interested in reading more Rooney but will be reading more Kingsolver. All the best to both.
I enjoy both authors, but Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead is absolutely stunning. They way she inhabits that young boy is incredible. I also think the sheer size of the book, the dialogue, the cast of characters and issues addressed put it ahead of anything Rooney has ever done.
There's room for all writers and room for readers to choose. Kingsolver is entitled to her opinion. Although the article as you present it did not seem kind, I assume that Kingsolver could present more careful criticism, and that it might've been how the interview was parsed by others. I have not read it. That said, I like some Kingsolver novels more than others and I truly enjoy Powers' work. Rooney's novels are not sufficiently interesting to keep me awake. In an effort to be fair to her and to try to understand her popularity (which I don't), I forged ahead through naps over weeks and finished 2. Well rested. Moving on.
I believe Joice Carol Oats does that too (Rooney's writing style), because her books can be complicated to comprehend by people from other countries (ex. Latin America.) I also believe Jane Austen did this and her books aged well. 🤷🏻♀️
Haha I love good ol’ Babs 😂❤ She’s a reading legend in her own right and I am sure it was all in good jest. I think you are right, you never know the context with comments like this in interviews. I can definitely see commonalities like you said between them but equally they are very different authors. Very interesting indeed👀😉
Loved the way you address the comment without feeding into it - I have really liked Rooney and have not read any of Kingsolver - think I will stick with Rooney😉 Being a woman, I don’t like catty!!!
I will be reading Kingsolver- won’t cut myself off from discovering her - certainly have heard good things - hoping her remark was “tongue in cheek “ but I will go into reading her with slightly lower regard.
@@virginiaanderson8875, if you refrein from reading Kingsolver due to this remark (which might not have even have been quoted completely correctly), you are missing out. Demon Copperhead was such a good book.
Intermezzo was my first Rooney, and I liked it a lot. I will definitely try more of her work. I've never been tempted to read Kingsolver and probably won't now.
I've read The Lacuna and Demon Copperhead. I can recall a lot about those stories. I only know I've read Normal People because I've marked it as such on Goodreads. Make what you like of that. 😅
I like how Rooney lets characters' actions (including what they say) develop the characters in a less direct way. It seems quite real to me. Have got Demon on the shelf, and look forward to it. When people are dedicated to an art, they will have strong opinions about it, and sometimes share them. Hated The Overstory, but the way. It felt so contrived and worked out in someone's head, and that turned me off. To each her own!
I remember a similar debate years ago. Tom Wolfe defended writing “big” books about how we live today versus “personal” novels that are more internal. A literary firestorm took place with some feminist writers defending “personal” stories and accusing Wolfe of sexism. Sigh. There is room for all stories. I enjoy both, as long as the writing is good.
To me, the only things they have in common is that they are both successful female writers of real talent. But otherwise it’s an apples and oranges kind of reading experience with them for me. Surely there is room for both and all other kinds of writing! I’m a longtime Kingsolver fan and am probably a bit too old to love Rooney although I do like her a fair bit.
I think they sometimes touch on similar themes but only insofar as they are writing about the human experience so it's kind of inevitable, but yes definitely room for both!
I’ve loved all of Kingsolver’s books that I’ve read so far. I’ve only read one Rooney and I found it slow and boring with not a single likeable character and yet it kept me reading until the end so clearly she was doing something right!
I read Kingsolver The poisonwood bible. I liked it very much. The mixture of humour and profound feelings, the changing of the narrators... it's quite a chunky book though but I found its reading rewarding. I haven't not read the latest one, David Copperhead, I read David Copperfield twice and it's one of my favourite Dickens ', especially because of some of the characters, I wouldn't like to be disappointed 😅. I have just started Normal People by Rooney, in fact I felt obliged to read it because everyone is telling me how good she is... will let you know 😊
You won’t be disappointed if you loved David Copperfield - it’s one of my fave Dickens’s novels and I’ve read and reread it I got a huge kick out of Demon Copperhead and the parallels 💙🐈⬛
Isn't this similar to the idea of the miniaturist and the expansionist? Some novelists plough a particular field over and over again, others roam over many meadows and fields. Some novelists, minimalist of prose, restrained, very focused on inner life, and another, focused on the outer world and broad of canvas and scope. I like both, but I feel like this is a perennial debate.
I've yet to read any Rooney, but I have read a number of Kingsolver's works. I love introspective works as much as I love the "maximalist" works. There has to be room for both! Well handled discussion on your part.
Hi, the interesting thing to me was that she didn't answer the question. I must say I haven't noticed any change in length of books with the arrival of the internet and it has also enabled the creation of booktubers from all around the world who can share their passion for books. That has to be good right? I think online shopping may have had a bigger impact both good and bad. Good if you live in an area that accessing books you want to read is difficult but bad in that it has reduced (at least where I live.) the number of retailers and the range of stock they carry.,so making it harder to come across one of those special books (possibly in a genre or on a topic you would not normally be interested in), but buy on a whime and find it opens up a new bit of the world to you. What doyu think? Robyn
I read Rooney's two first novels. I give her credit for her narrative skills but both novels fell flat for me. Maybe it's i'm old but i found the fact that she never explains the causes of the traumas of her characters a cheap trick. To be honest, i'm not the biggest fan of Demon Copperhead neither, but i like it way more than any of the Rooney's novels
I love them both, both incredible and unique in their own way and we don't always fancy reading the same kind of thing all of the time. Some days I want to sit in and evaesdrop on these 'conversations in rooms' and Sally Rooney has such a talent for that. Demon Copperhead was one of the best books I've ever read and so I think Kingsolver is doing something vastly different there in comparison and I'll always admire and respect her for that stunning book alone. I'm not a fan of Richard Powers because I feel he tries too much and hard to the point of it all becoming a little bit fantastical and I'm personally not into that, even though I can respect his work and understand others love for him. Plenty of room at the table for them all to be here and I'm grateful they all are.
I try not to know too much about a novel before reading it. If I don’t know what the subject matter is, who the characters are I can't be prejudiced about them. That way I read lots of books I would probably not have read otherwise. Like you, I love all three authors. Each of them writes very intelligent, beautiful and very enjoyable books. Each in their own style. I wouldn't want it any other way. And I wouldn't read too much in Kingsolver's remark. She's entitled to like what she likes and to dislike etcetera etcetera. She probably doesn't mind all that much. Nice "conversation" topic though...
Well, it has been a long time since last reading an interview with an author but certainly writers are readers and have relevant opinions about the work of their peers, right?
I say as a fan of both: It’s quite surprising to see that comment from BK. I partly hope it’s taken out of context because it feels catty as presented. They don’t really seem like they are in direct competition with each other for one. There’s room for all kinds of novels out there, interior and exterior examinations. As far as inclusivity, I *hate* inclusivity for its own sake. I think BK does a good job of putting herself into a character’s shoes but not all authors have the skill (or desire let’s be honest) to so. If SR did poor representation she’s get just as much flak if not more. So she’s kind of damned if she does damned if she doesn’t.
You fell for the click bait in the article! But I agree that both approaches to fiction (and others) are equally valid and I like both. The Kingsolvers I have read are in the long line of fiction that Dickens worked at - strong exciting stories with memorable characters, but many of them are actually only there to serve the plot (the nurse in Demon for example). Richard Powers does the same in the Overstory - each character has a role to play in expounding the issues (there was an artist, a scientist, a lawyer, a programmer etc in the Overstory and that was each characters principal role. Some great stories ensue but the characters aren’t very real, and things can go pear-shaped if such characters have to start lecturing the reader on various topics that the author wants you to know (which is what spoiled the Poisonwood Bible for me). Rooney is writing a completely different type of fiction and I can’t think of a Victorian equivalent. The characters are flawed and their lives are messy, and there is no plot - but that’s great! And does anyone seriously criticise Virginia Woolf for only having a narrow range of social classes in her characters?
@@ianp9086 Virginia Woolf wanted to " do away" with the notion of characters...just look at The Waves. When I was younger I totally agreed with that notion, nowadays, I tend to side with Ian Mac Evan "nobody wants an empty chair,"
I have to admit that I was never able to detect any art in the way that Rooney writes and not because I think that long conversations could not be a form of literature in themselves , it's just that I think her writing lacks style.
I'm not a fan of either author. Both their writing styles just don't work for me. They're surprisingly detached, although a lot of people say the opposite. I think we need to stop being snooty about literature. Only time will tell which novels will stand the test of time. So authors digging at each other like that is kind of petty. Also I hated the overstory. The author likes promoting conspiracy theories despite basing so much of his stories on science--and as a scientist I can't stand that. Also the way Powers represents women or neurodivergent people is ... to be kind...questionable.
I was hoping it was a friendly jab at a fellow writer, but maybe not. From what I've read it sounds like Kingsolver's issue might be political, feeling that Rooney's characters are all trite talk and no action. Reminds me of the Truffaut / Godard disputes. Why not both? Perhaps the publishing pie (or at least the authorial share) is shrinking and Kingsolver's slice along with it.
I have yet to read any Rooney, but Demon Copperhead is amazing!
I have read many of Kingsolver 's books as well as Sally Rooney's and like them both. Yes, maybe one does write more about exterior issues and the wider world, but surely both the exterior and the interior are equally valid and have something to say
Exactly!
They are both great writers. I don't take any stock in Kingsolver's remark and wouldn't trust that Kingsolver has any interest in putting down Rooney's work. I litterally could not put down Intermezzo. 5 stars without doubt. Her other 3 books were 4 stars for me. What Rooney has achieved in Intermezzo in the weaving of inner and outer dialogue is absolutely spectacular. And, for me at least, feels so real; she has captured what it is like to be a human trying to connect with another human; it's really much more than what a video camera would pick up taping a conversation. And note, I listened to the audio book. In 16 hrs of listening I remember only getting confused once about what was really being said versus what was an interior voice. The reader did an amazing job, but if the writing hadn't been so good, it would have been impossible to pull off. Sometimes the interior voice is imagining what someone else might be thinking or saying. And even then it wasn't confusing. It was believable, relatable and I would think "Yah, of course they are thinking that." Rooney's writing feels to me like she's revealing part of the "operating system" of human beings in high resolution while other writers have only managed pixelated snapshots. I think Intermezzo is a significant achievement. It doesn't mean she is the "best" writer out there, whatever that means But she's seriously contributing. She's in a groove, being true to what grabs her artistically. She has achieved the rare feat of a 4th book far surpassing the quality of other three. Looking forward to the 5th.
Both are talented authors that I respect. I’ve read many of Kingsolver’s books and only one Rooney. Respectfully I’m not interested in reading more Rooney but will be reading more Kingsolver. All the best to both.
"there's a book about trees, and people loved it!" is such a funny quote to me hahaha
I enjoy both authors, but Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead is absolutely stunning. They way she inhabits that young boy is incredible. I also think the sheer size of the book, the dialogue, the cast of characters and issues addressed put it ahead of anything Rooney has ever done.
Been enjoying Kingsolver for 25 years, Rooney for a few years. Surprised at the remark, but you handled it the discussion of it very well
There's room for all writers and room for readers to choose. Kingsolver is entitled to her opinion. Although the article as you present it did not seem kind, I assume that Kingsolver could present more careful criticism, and that it might've been how the interview was parsed by others. I have not read it. That said, I like some Kingsolver novels more than others and I truly enjoy Powers' work. Rooney's novels are not sufficiently interesting to keep me awake. In an effort to be fair to her and to try to understand her popularity (which I don't), I forged ahead through naps over weeks and finished 2. Well rested. Moving on.
I believe Joice Carol Oats does that too (Rooney's writing style), because her books can be complicated to comprehend by people from other countries (ex. Latin America.)
I also believe Jane Austen did this and her books aged well.
🤷🏻♀️
Haha I love good ol’ Babs 😂❤ She’s a reading legend in her own right and I am sure it was all in good jest. I think you are right, you never know the context with comments like this in interviews. I can definitely see commonalities like you said between them but equally they are very different authors. Very interesting indeed👀😉
Not read anything by either. Best wishes with whatever you read, I hope you get some great stories.
Interesting debate. I'm fine with Rooney. There's something to be said for writing deeply and eloquently about what you know
Loved the way you address the comment without feeding into it - I have really liked Rooney and have not read any of Kingsolver - think I will stick with Rooney😉 Being a woman, I don’t like catty!!!
I will be reading Kingsolver- won’t cut myself off from discovering her - certainly have heard good things - hoping her remark was “tongue in cheek “ but I will go into reading her with slightly lower regard.
@@virginiaanderson8875, if you refrein from reading Kingsolver due to this remark (which might not have even have been quoted completely correctly), you are missing out. Demon Copperhead was such a good book.
Intermezzo was my first Rooney, and I liked it a lot. I will definitely try more of her work. I've never been tempted to read Kingsolver and probably won't now.
I've read The Lacuna and Demon Copperhead. I can recall a lot about those stories. I only know I've read Normal People because I've marked it as such on Goodreads. Make what you like of that. 😅
😂
I like how Rooney lets characters' actions (including what they say) develop the characters in a less direct way. It seems quite real to me. Have got Demon on the shelf, and look forward to it. When people are dedicated to an art, they will have strong opinions about it, and sometimes share them. Hated The Overstory, but the way. It felt so contrived and worked out in someone's head, and that turned me off. To each her own!
I remember a similar debate years ago. Tom Wolfe defended writing “big” books about how we live today versus “personal” novels that are more internal. A literary firestorm took place with some feminist writers defending “personal” stories and accusing Wolfe of sexism. Sigh. There is room for all stories. I enjoy both, as long as the writing is good.
To me, the only things they have in common is that they are both successful female writers of real talent. But otherwise it’s an apples and oranges kind of reading experience with them for me. Surely there is room for both and all other kinds of writing! I’m a longtime Kingsolver fan and am probably a bit too old to love Rooney although I do like her a fair bit.
I think they sometimes touch on similar themes but only insofar as they are writing about the human experience so it's kind of inevitable, but yes definitely room for both!
You handled that exactly right. They're both estimable. But where would any of us be without a little light raillery?
I’ve loved all of Kingsolver’s books that I’ve read so far. I’ve only read one Rooney and I found it slow and boring with not a single likeable character and yet it kept me reading until the end so clearly she was doing something right!
I read Kingsolver The poisonwood bible. I liked it very much. The mixture of humour and profound feelings, the changing of the narrators... it's quite a chunky book though but I found its reading rewarding. I haven't not read the latest one, David Copperhead, I read David Copperfield twice and it's one of my favourite Dickens ', especially because of some of the characters, I wouldn't like to be disappointed 😅. I have just started Normal People by Rooney, in fact I felt obliged to read it because everyone is telling me how good she is... will let you know 😊
You won’t be disappointed if you loved David Copperfield - it’s one of my fave Dickens’s novels and I’ve read and reread it I got a huge kick out of Demon Copperhead and the parallels 💙🐈⬛
@@NYLeafy.V thank you so much!
There is room for both. I don't like Rooney but I have yet to read Kingsolver. I'll be back.😊
Isn't this similar to the idea of the miniaturist and the expansionist? Some novelists plough a particular field over and over again, others roam over many meadows and fields. Some novelists, minimalist of prose, restrained, very focused on inner life, and another, focused on the outer world and broad of canvas and scope. I like both, but I feel like this is a perennial debate.
I've yet to read any Rooney, but I have read a number of Kingsolver's works. I love introspective works as much as I love the "maximalist" works. There has to be room for both! Well handled discussion on your part.
@@EileenSchmitt-r8d I love introspective works , I dread being too old to enjoy Rooney fully 😅 I am 66...a French lady😂
I'm 66 and had no trouble in relating to the characters in Intermezzo.
@@shaigluskin1225 well then, I will probably get into the novel quite easily...if I don’t, I will be the only one to blame.
This must be a 66 year old thing, because I am too!😄
Hi, the interesting thing to me was that she didn't answer the question.
I must say I haven't noticed any change in length of books with the arrival of the internet and it has also enabled the creation of booktubers from all around the world who can share their passion for books. That has to be good right?
I think online shopping may have had a bigger impact both good and bad. Good if you live in an area that accessing books you want to read is difficult but bad in that it has reduced (at least where I live.) the number of retailers and the range of stock they carry.,so making it harder to come across one of those special books (possibly in a genre or on a topic you would not normally be interested in), but buy on a whime and find it opens up a new bit of the world to you.
What doyu think? Robyn
I read Rooney's two first novels. I give her credit for her narrative skills but both novels fell flat for me. Maybe it's i'm old but i found the fact that she never explains the causes of the traumas of her characters a cheap trick.
To be honest, i'm not the biggest fan of Demon Copperhead neither, but i like it way more than any of the Rooney's novels
I’ve read two Rooney books and I honestly don’t understand the hype.
I love them both, both incredible and unique in their own way and we don't always fancy reading the same kind of thing all of the time. Some days I want to sit in and evaesdrop on these 'conversations in rooms' and Sally Rooney has such a talent for that. Demon Copperhead was one of the best books I've ever read and so I think Kingsolver is doing something vastly different there in comparison and I'll always admire and respect her for that stunning book alone. I'm not a fan of Richard Powers because I feel he tries too much and hard to the point of it all becoming a little bit fantastical and I'm personally not into that, even though I can respect his work and understand others love for him. Plenty of room at the table for them all to be here and I'm grateful they all are.
Haha, nope Powers is not for you and that’s totally fair. And I agree Demon Copperhead is one of the greatest novels I’ve ever read too!
I try not to know too much about a novel before reading it. If I don’t know what the subject matter is, who the characters are I can't be prejudiced about them. That way I read lots of books I would probably not have read otherwise. Like you, I love all three authors. Each of them writes very intelligent, beautiful and very enjoyable books. Each in their own style. I wouldn't want it any other way.
And I wouldn't read too much in Kingsolver's remark. She's entitled to like what she likes and to dislike etcetera etcetera. She probably doesn't mind all that much. Nice "conversation" topic though...
Well, it has been a long time since last reading an interview with an author but certainly writers are readers and have relevant opinions about the work of their peers, right?
That newspaper article seemed way over the top.
I say as a fan of both: It’s quite surprising to see that comment from BK. I partly hope it’s taken out of context because it feels catty as presented. They don’t really seem like they are in direct competition with each other for one. There’s room for all kinds of novels out there, interior and exterior examinations.
As far as inclusivity, I *hate* inclusivity for its own sake. I think BK does a good job of putting herself into a character’s shoes but not all authors have the skill (or desire let’s be honest) to so. If SR did poor representation she’s get just as much flak if not more. So she’s kind of damned if she does damned if she doesn’t.
You fell for the click bait in the article! But I agree that both approaches to fiction (and others) are equally valid and I like both. The Kingsolvers I have read are in the long line of fiction that Dickens worked at - strong exciting stories with memorable characters, but many of them are actually only there to serve the plot (the nurse in Demon for example). Richard Powers does the same in the Overstory - each character has a role to play in expounding the issues (there was an artist, a scientist, a lawyer, a programmer etc in the Overstory and that was each characters principal role. Some great stories ensue but the characters aren’t very real, and things can go pear-shaped if such characters have to start lecturing the reader on various topics that the author wants you to know (which is what spoiled the Poisonwood Bible for me).
Rooney is writing a completely different type of fiction and I can’t think of a Victorian equivalent. The characters are flawed and their lives are messy, and there is no plot - but that’s great! And does anyone seriously criticise Virginia Woolf for only having a narrow range of social classes in her characters?
@@ianp9086 Virginia Woolf wanted to " do away" with the notion of characters...just look at The Waves. When I was younger I totally agreed with that notion, nowadays, I tend to side with Ian Mac Evan "nobody wants an empty chair,"
@@brigittebeche4117 you’re right but I was thinking more of Mrs Dalloway
I have to admit that I was never able to detect any art in the way that Rooney writes and not because I think that long conversations could not be a form of literature in themselves , it's just that I think her writing lacks style.
I'm not a fan of either author. Both their writing styles just don't work for me. They're surprisingly detached, although a lot of people say the opposite. I think we need to stop being snooty about literature. Only time will tell which novels will stand the test of time. So authors digging at each other like that is kind of petty.
Also I hated the overstory. The author likes promoting conspiracy theories despite basing so much of his stories on science--and as a scientist I can't stand that. Also the way Powers represents women or neurodivergent people is ... to be kind...questionable.
It's kind of like less successful singers dissing Taylor Swift. Whatever.
I was hoping it was a friendly jab at a fellow writer, but maybe not. From what I've read it sounds like Kingsolver's issue might be political, feeling that Rooney's characters are all trite talk and no action. Reminds me of the Truffaut / Godard disputes. Why not both? Perhaps the publishing pie (or at least the authorial share) is shrinking and Kingsolver's slice along with it.