Can we say "pretentious," boys and girls?

[ellid]

I just found a sample of Lorrie Moore's latest novel, A Gate at the Stairs, on Amazon.com. It's supposedly from the point of view of a college student looking for work.

Please, o all-wise flist, go read the first few pages. Then tell me if I'm completely crazy to find this critically lauded book a precious, pretentious, oh-so-literary creation that bears as much resemblance to the inner monologue of a college student looking for work as it does to the collected works of Marie Corelli?

Thank you.

Comments

Re: The Token LIterary Fiction Reader Sez...

[ellid.livejournal.com]

Oh, tons. History is a favorite, but I have books on religion (my MA is in religion and it's still a big interest), art, sociology, true crime, and so on. Until recently I read more non-fiction than fiction, although the balance has shifted somewhat since I got my e-reader.

Re: The Token LIterary Fiction Reader Sez...

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to hear it :) It's fun for me to run into another person who reads heavily of non-fiction, there seem to be few of us in the casual reading world.

Are you on Goodreads or the like?