Am I middle aged? That's debatable. But, I'm not a divorced man and I haven't worked in retail since I was a teenager. But, I have worked in an unforgiving, harsh corporate environment where it didn't matter how hard I worked or how much good I did--there just wasn't any respect for me as a person or my abilities.
So when Larry Crowne is fired for a ridiculous reason at the beginning of the movie from a corporate position he's passionate about, I was hooked.
I loved how this movie showed Larry Crowne prevail over a bad situation and essentially restart his life.
Of course, this movie made me think about writing, and the need for not only characters, but situations a reader can identify with. Thoughts?
You're not middle aged, but you do raise a good point about a reader's ability to relate to characters. I just finished a review of a novel. I couldn't relate to any of the characters or their respective predicaments, but I liked the book. I may be an atypical reader, but the qualities I look for in a book are good writing and interesting situations. If I can relate to the characters, so much the better, but the integrity of the writing is what matters most to me. Humbert Humbert, for example, is not a character I can relate to, but few would dispute that "Lolita" is one of the best books ever written. It's an interesting question.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree. Good writing and interesting situations is all I really need to hunker down with a story. I guess that's why I enjoy so many different genres in reading and books.
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