Tuesday, February 9, 2010

The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett

Sabine, the main character in Patchett's novel, muses about cities compared to her hometown, Los Angeles: "Los Angeles, she felt, was maligned because it was misunderstood. It was the beautiful girl you resented, the one who was born with straight teeth and good skin. The one with the natural social graces and family money who surprised you by dancing the Argentine tango at a wedding. While Iowa snuggled through the bitter knife of winter and New York folded in crime and the South remained backwards and divided, Los Angeles pushed her slender feet into the sand along the Pacific and took in the sun."

Wow!

1 comment:

  1. Wow! is right. She really makes those places come alive. I love the verbs she chose to describe the different cities: Iowa snuggled, New York folded, and LA pushed her slender feet into the sand... Hey, that would make a great writing exercise, wouldn't it? To try writing passages of description that sing like that one!

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