What element of Berlin's writing style did you enjoy the most? Does her writing recall any other authors to mind?
Created: 11/04/19
Replies: 10
Join Date: 10/15/10
Posts: 3442
Join Date: 05/14/11
Posts: 119
Join Date: 07/11/14
Posts: 80
I particularly liked her vivid descriptions of the natural world of her stories. I felt she was working from experience, in "plein air" (not sure of my French) like the impressionist. She knew these places intimately.
Join Date: 08/10/17
Posts: 215
Join Date: 03/14/19
Posts: 208
I see other comments comparing Berlin's style to Hemingway's. I could agree with that, but that was not my first thought. Berlin does write vividly of nature. In "Itinerary," she writes, "It was sunset as we circled Albuquerque. The Sandias and the miles of rocky desert were a deep coral pink." She also writes descriptively in other scenes. In "A Foggy Day," these lines captivated my imagination: "The ferry was barely visible in the fog, an elegant heavy Victorian lady, skirting tugs and obtusely slow garbage barges. The ferry creaked slowly, carefully, into the landing." Who else would think of comparing the ferry to "an elegant heavy Victorian lady"? The words certainly convey an image.
Join Date: 11/30/19
Posts: 25
Her simple descriptions paint vivid pictures--we are on that ferry, in that apartment, on that beach. (It wasn't just a guy who brought sand for the talapia floor, but "one-eyed Luis".) Her dialog--whether spoken or internal-- is funny, frightening, and bittersweet, drawing me into the life of her characters. I am moved by the turn of events in stories, when someone's humanity or vulnerability becomes apparent.
Join Date: 10/16/10
Posts: 1160
Join Date: 02/06/17
Posts: 466
I enjoyed very much Berlin's ability to evoke such strong feelings and connections with her writing. I felt like she was telling me a story. Her writing placed me in the setting of her stories-I was at the Oceano, drinking a margarita, and watching the shenanigans of the regulars and movie stars. Her sentences were raw and gritty. I didn't have to read them twice or three times to understand what she trying to convey. (But I did anyway because I loved how she put the words together.)
Join Date: 05/29/15
Posts: 460
Join Date: 02/08/16
Posts: 537
Join Date: 05/26/18
Posts: 91
I love the way Berlin conveys a vivid image with just a word or two. She shows the sunset, the people on the bus or the character with just a few well-chosen words. Her dialogue is economical, precise and direct. Like others, I thought of Hemingway’s style. The element that I enjoyed the most was her ability to see the extraordinary in very ordinary events and places.
Reply
Please login to post a response.