Comments on: The Dreamer–More Middle Muddle

By: Leslie

Leslie — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 01:59:33 +0000

I like notes, afternotes, research notes, whatever you want to call them, for historical fiction, and always have. They’re not absolutely necessary to my enjoyment, but when I want to find out more – and if it’s good historical fiction, I do want to find out more – it’s nice to know what sources the author used. And then when I go and find those sources (and, if I get really hooked – thank you, Rosemary Sutcliff, for my fixation on Claverhouse – other sources than those the author used) I love the connections that I can make. “Oh, *that’s* where that came from!” Constance Lindsay Skinner’s BECKY LANDERS: FRONTIER WARRIOR sent me in search of Dagniaux De Quindre. I wish she had provided a few more sources, because I couldn’t find much, though I did end up e-mailing a descendent of his who was delighted to learn of a book featuring his ancestor.

By: Sharon Creech

Sharon Creech — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 16:03:08 +0000

I am only able to zip in and out of these discussions, so I may have missed important bits. But just wanted to say:
–Plot does not have to be linear. A collage of scenes is a perfectly legitimate way to tell a story.
–I squirm when fiction is evaluated by its ‘accuracy’, by its ‘research’, by anything which says it must perfectly mirror the ‘real’ world. To my mind, each work of fiction need only adhere to its own rules, its own geography, its own vision.
–I don’t appreciate ‘notes’ or ‘afterwards’ or ‘research’ in works of fiction. Let the story stand on its own. I understand why teachers or librarians might appreciate those notes, but the trend toward them dismays me. To me they say, ‘Use this book in a classroom.’ If you’re writing a textbook, fine. If you’re writing a novel, write a novel.

By: Blakeney

Blakeney — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 19:02:11 +0000

I think back to Number the Stars which contained in the “afterword” the fascinating information about how they made a mix of blood and cocaine to attract the dogs and dull their sense of smell when the Nazis conducted searches of the boats. That backmatter begins with the question asking about what is true and what isn’t in the book. I find that kind of inclusion helpful and interesting (it does begin on the page facing the end of the story however). An example from this year that bothered me was the end of Bamboo People. There is a very appropriate, to me, not about the history of Burma and the conflicts there. The next section of notes (there are three separate sections in the backmatter – I am sorry I do not have a copy in front of me) finishes with statements about hoping the reader has connected with or empathized with Chiko and Tu Reh and if you care and want to do something or are a teacher and want a lesson plan, you can go to a related website. While the story itself had a point of view on war and actions against ethnic minorities, this note just screams didactic at me. It also makes me feel that I am being told how I should respond to the story, which is a bit condescending. This is only one example, and I was very absorbed in this book and thought it had distinguished features.

I appreciate everyone’s comments on this issue. Thanks.

By: Miriam

Miriam — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 17:03:04 +0000

In terms of backmatter, I think this is one of those instances where book design comes into play. The book ending on the left-hand page and the backmatter starting immediately on the right-hand page I find very distracting; I’m in the momentum of reading, and just when I want to take a breath, stop the momentum, and absorb, there’s more text–often with a radically different feel–to draw my eye. It messes with the experience of saying, “okay, I’m done.” But if there’s a blank page, or a page of illustration, or something like that to physically separate the book from the backmatter, I find it much less distracting; I can stop my momentum, take my moment to breathe–and *then* turn the page and read on, with my brain in a different mode. I don’t know if that’s just me, though.

(I don’t have The Dreamer in front of me, so I’m not sure how exactly it’s paged in that book.)

By: Wendy

Wendy — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 04:25:02 +0000

I think lengthy author’s notes and backmatter often take away from the effectiveness of the novel. Having that information in another context, like a website or an author’s autobiography, supplies distance; the book still stands alone. It’s not so different from looking up further background material in nonfiction books on the subject, or the Internet. I mention in my blog post linked above why I thought The Rock and the River was specifically lessened by its author’s note. And I reference the Witch of Blackbird Pond note, too. The key there for me is that it doesn’t try to teach or explain anything. There’s no need.

Jonathan, what you mention about the difference in text size and font (and, I’d add, style and mood) between the main text of The Dreamer and its author’s note bothered me. I mentioned it in my original comment about the book, somewhere earlier in the fall. The change made me feel the note was written for parents and teachers, not the young audience, which I find irritating, but most people did not seem to agree with me.

By: Nina Lindsay

Nina Lindsay — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 17:27:24 +0000

Yikes. My mistake. I see now how it works. There is a title given at the bottom of each poem, and that refers to the source.

I’ll fix this in my post. What a crude mistake. But I’m glad to see it. It matters, Jonathan, because since she takes the step of showing what his real poetry is like, i.e., revelaing the “fact” behind the “fiction,” it’s important to acknowledge that these “real’ peoms *still* aren’t the real poems, they’re translations. Translations of Neruda (of anyone!) can vary widely. And since she places such an emphasis throughout the story on the important of words themselves, and the sounds of words, I think it’s important for readers to know how to find the REAL real words.

I’d still have preferred to have seen “translated by” at the bottom of each poem to make this obvious, but this’ll do.

By: Jonathan Hunt

Jonathan Hunt — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 15:40:39 +0000

Monica, it *is* okay. I just don’t like it. If I thought it was grounded in anything other than a simple preference, then I would be arguing this point, rather than merely expressing my opinion.

By: Monica Edinger

Monica Edinger — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 15:26:28 +0000

Hmm…I don’t get why it is not okay to have an author note IN THE BOOK, but okay for the information to be SOMEWHERE ELSE. Why is it okay for the stuff to be on an website, but not in the book? I just took a look at THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND and was surprised to see a very tiny author note in the back explaining what was real and what was not. It was clearly and quietly in the back for those who wanted it. I didn’t remember it being there because I never read it. Like many kids I was satisfied after reading the story and needed nothing more. I was in the magic of the story and it wasn’t broken by that author note — because I didn’t read it. But others have written here and elsewhere that even as kids they loved author notes for many different reasons.

By: Daphne

Daphne — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 14:59:39 +0000

Sources for Neruda’s poetry and odes, including translator credits, are in the back notes.

By: Jonathan Hunt

Jonathan Hunt — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 04:01:46 +0000

I think I liked this one better than Nina, but I’m not necessarily convinced that it’s a Medal caliber book either. Could make a nice honor book, though. I need to reread it, but I may not be able to get my hands on a copy very soon. We’ll see.

In addition to THE DREAMER, there are several high profile fictionalizations this year. First, HEART OF A SAMURAI is based on the story of a Japanese teenager from the 1800s. Some of you may remember the story from Rhoda Blumberg’s book, SHIPWRECKED, or Emily Arnold Mccully’s, MANJIRO. Second, ZORA AND ME is loosely based on the childhood of Zora Neale Hurston. Third, WICKED GIRLS is a verse novel of the Salem Witch Trials. And fourth, BORROWED NAMES is another verse novel/poetry collection about three famous mothers–Laura Ingalls Wilder, Madame C.J. Walker, and Marie Curie–and their daughters. These latter two are probably too old for the comfort level of many committee members, but they offer a small pool of books with which to compare and contrast the fictionalization in THE DREAMER.

Scattered thoughts about notes . . . I strongly dislike notes and acknowledgements in fiction. I don’t think most children actually read them. And I think it’s like reading a great fantasy novel, coming to the end, and reading, “It was all a dream.” There can be something demystifying about notes. Don’t mind reading more on an author’s website, however . . . They are definitely fair game for the committee, but I think they do not play a significant role in the evaluation. In spite of my own personal preference, I can’t think of a book that I would take out of contention over an author’s note or acknowledgement . . . Unlike Nina, I read the jacket copy and all of the end matter first . . . One thing that’s interesting about THE DREAMER is that the main text is written with huge font and generous line spacing, and then the afterword shifts gears: small font, cramped spacing . . . Nina, I’m not sure why the lack of a translator makes it bad. Would you care to explain? Can anyone verify that there is no translator credited in the finished copy of the book? Is it possible that Ryan translated it herself? Possible, but improbable?