Novella: "Two Hearts" by Peter S. Beagle

[timepiececlock]

There are good books, there are great books, and there are the rights books.

The kind of book, or short story, or poem or song, where when it finishes you smooth out dog-ears, fold the cover back to its original position, and sit on your bench/chair/bed with a wide, dopey smile on your face.

There's many books that I love. There's even more books that I like. But there's so very few books that I read and say, "That was it." No complaints between the good parts, no lingering nits over this or that, no rationalizing the fact that the okay parts don't matter because the parts that were good were so good. Sometimes a book doesn't make me want to pick it a part, make a list of pros or cons, or analyze it into pieces.

The Last Unicorn and its coda Two Hearts (an ending so right and perfect that I could shoot JKR in the boot with a nailgun and tell her to stay put while I show her what an epilogue is for) left me with such a happy sense of completion and wonderfulness that the absolute last thing I want to do is give it a proper review.

I have to say, the only other book that left me completely satisfied without any critical reaction was The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. I'm sure any number of critics and readers are happy to dig into that one, but after listening to it unabridged at least six times in the author's British accent and laughing every single time, the first time when I was about 8 or 9, I really could never say anything about it except Je t'aime toujours, and shrug.

My mood icon is "content". Yes, I am content. Peter S. Beagle's story leaves me contented. Satisfied, inspired, and good. That's what books should do, even the sad ones.

Next: finish The Master & Margarita, then move to The Picture of Dorian Gray and learn to properly misquote Oscar Wilde

Comments

next on the book list: The Little Prince (*this icon's source!*)

[rasielle.livejournal.com]

It infuriates me that I borrowed the book from the library instead of buying it. It's the sort of book that I feel is essential to life and childhood and readership, and I'm so glad I got the chance to read it albeit several years beyond the ideal moment. But I want a copy to grow old with!

Now that you've read it, I can stop restraining all my squee-dom! In one of my comments, I had to refer to it as a "great, wise book" with "lots of landscape detail", etc. etc. to rec it as seriously as possible. I feared that there would be no other way to do it justice short of losing all my self-control and sobbing that it was just fantastic. ;_;

A sequel. I didn't even consider the possibility of a sequel.

And and and RASHAKA, I FINISHED HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY. More in a separate comment.

[rasielle.livejournal.com]

you know, I'll never stop feeling guilty for using that icon to refer to The Last Unicorn. It's not entirely accurate (I wouldn't say she had ever been "tamed") but if Lir isn't responsible for changing the unicorn forever - then nothing is.

I read that book in original French in high school

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I understand.

I think Schmendrick and Lir together did a bang-up job of changing her into something no other Unicorn was before. Oh, can't wait until you read Two Hearts! Go find it somewhere and read it. You might have to find it in the back of a recent edition of tLU, or online.

Re: I read that book in original French in high school

[rasielle.livejournal.com]

Yes, Schmendrick should've shown her the growth humans can undergo, that she might have once thought them uncapable of. Er, us! *has to stop thinking like an alien!*

I love that icon. You must've drawn/Paint'd those images yourself so it looks like it was a pain in the ass to make -- but where is that text from?? O_O

Re: I read that book in original French in high school

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I doodled them in adobe photoshop, yep. It was the most arduous and annoying icon I ever made. You're looking at the entire lyrics for "The Origin of Love" from the musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch. I like the cover by Rufus Wainwright. i'll post it for you.

Re: next on the book list: The Little Prince (*this icon's source!*)

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Two Hearsts is a short story more than a sequel, but it sets up a character whose story is being written now. Right now. Apparently writing the short story reinvigorated the author and he's now determined to write a real sequel, which may not have anything to do with the cahracters of tLU, but will be in that world.

YAY YOU FINISHED IT!

Re: next on the book list: The Little Prince (*this icon's source!*)

[rasielle.livejournal.com]

MY EYES, THEY HAVE OPENED. To countless inside jokes, oh my god! I mean, I even understand the origins of the Babelfish translator at Altavista now!! Man, that was a great chapter.

I have no words other than -- there's a whole feast of continuations listed on the back flap!!! I must have them all!

Also, I now understand your FMA icon of 42! I mean, I always thought it was funny but now it's even funnier because I have this rather bizarre image of a pair of mice haggling in front of the Gate and then getting sucked into World War II, and then. Becoming Pinky and the Brain. Only Pinky suffered brain damage along the way.

I bet Hitchhiker was responsible for Pinky and the Brain as well. I wouldn't be surprised. *narrows eyes suspiciously*

Rashaka, I thought I was going to die of laughter when they introduced Marvin. I was going lighthearted and everything.

[rasielle.livejournal.com]

Lightheaded, too!

Re: next on the book list: The Little Prince (*this icon's source!*)

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Yes! That FMA icon was also a bitch to make, but it was so perfect a crossover I couldn't resist. You will continue to see 42 references all over now. It's fairly common for programming people and other geeks to stick it into random places in computer programs, video games, and similar stuff. Wikipedia has a good listing of pop culture references. BUT DON'T CHECK IT YET! First of all because you'll be SPOILED. And because the second book tells you the Question, in a roundabout way. And you don't want to be spoiled for the second book, which is quite funny too.

Marvin is hilarious. No one understands his pain.

MY EYES, THEY HAVE OPENED. To countless inside jokes, oh my god!

You will see it everywhere now. You will see license plates that say "DONT PANC" and you'll understand why Wikipedia--- before it got obsessed with references and lost its apocryphal charm--- was once considered the closest thing we had to a Guide.

I mean, I even understand the origins of the Babelfish translator at Altavista now!! Man, that was a great chapter.

Yep, the babelfish name is now explained. When I first saw that I laughed, then I snickered because I know EXACTLY why they named it that, yet most people probably thought it just had to do with something obscure about Babylon, and ignored the fish part of the name entirely.

two lists of 100 best novels, one by critics side by side to a list by average public readers:
http://www.randomhouse.com/modernlibrary/100bestnovels.html

H2G2 is number 51 on the public's list! If you click on "Radcliffe Rival List" near the top right, their list by critics has it at #72.

Re: next on the book list: The Little Prince (*this icon's source!*)

[rasielle.livejournal.com]

Ahhh, the Question! I must know it! Haha, it'd be great if it actually was the one about the number of roads to take...

Don't talk to Marvin about life, Rashaka!

It's funny; I started seeing Hitchhiker references EVERYWHERE. Your FMA icon, Babelfish, my cousin writing 42 all over my math homework, and that very day, right after I finished the book, I visited College Confidential for some info about on-campus visits and saw people recommending towels at one another. And ballpoint pens! It was like seeing a whole new world, I tell you...

I'd wondered about the fish part of Babelfish but just chalked it up to people being silly. As it turns out, I was right :P - but being silly and insightful as opposed to just strange.

Don't tell me Hitchhiker was responsible for Wikipedia as well! O_O

I had to lend that book (also from the library) to someone else already; they couldn't seeing me falling over from laughter and not knowing why. D: I miss it!

[rasielle.livejournal.com]

I just remembered -- this is something I once read at thebookyoucrew, about Beagle and his financial situation. It's written by a Mr. Connor Conlan, allegedly his business manager; I'm concluding that if a friend of his is personally seeking help, Beagle's situation must be awful indeed.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

My copy of the book mentioned something of his financial difficulties. It's pretty sad.

::check book:: Same guy. Connor Cochran has wrote an intro to Two Hearts and the book has an interview between him and Beagle in the very back where they discuss tLU and other stories. This guy is legit.

[rasielle.livejournal.com]

That clinches it; I'm going to buy a copy and one of the animated movie as well and try to get my friends into it. Unfortunately, this is all we can really do for Beagle. I just hope his army of The Last Unicorn fans can pull through if and when that sequel-to-the-spinoff comes out. Beagle is far too talented to starve. >