Books: And What Are You Reading?

Just now I've snagged an ebook from the 4-county library's offerings, The Book Thief.. I have wanted to see the movie but I've always wanted to read the book first in this case... and every time I looked before, there was a wait list. So my weekend is off to a good start with that discovery.
 
lizkat said:
Just now I've snagged an ebook from the 4-county library's offerings, The Book Thief.. I have wanted to see the movie but I've always wanted to read the book first in this case... and every time I looked before, there was a wait list. So my weekend is off to a good start with that discovery.
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I look forward to reading your thoughts and observations when you have read it.
 
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Gutwrench said:
Factual inaccuracies; reconstructed from (questionable) memory and the dialogue invented.
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Many historical books have dialog inserted as a matter of routine, as long as it supports the historical facts.
 
Huntn said:
Many historical books have dialog inserted as a matter of routine, as long as it supports the historical facts.
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The book is more of a memoir rather than an offering of the facts of a matter.

Call me old fashioned but a direct quote has meaning to me just as words do.

Perhaps you might like it. It’s not for me.
 
Huntn said:
Many historical books have dialog inserted as a matter of routine, as long as it supports the historical facts.
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Intelligent historical fiction, yes, - and the best of these (such as Hilary Mantel's outstanding Thomas Cromwell trilogy) do not put words in the mouths of characters unless there is either independent supporting corroboration, or evidence, or intelligent conjecture, that the character in question said, or thought, these things, but as for actual history books, no, not unless sources for the quoted dialogue can be cited, or verified, or, it is made clear that the author is imaginatively reconstructing a scene, in which case, it is intelligent supposition, at best.
 
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Scepticalscribe said:
Intelligent historical fiction, yes, - and the best of these (such as Hilary Mantel's outstanding Thomas Cromwell trilogy) do not put words in the mouths of characters unless there is either independent supporting evidence, or intelligent conjecture, that the character in question said, or thought, these things, but as for actual history books, no, not unless sources for the quoted dialogue can be verified, or, it is made clear that the author is imaginatively reconstructing a scene, in which case, it is intelligent supposition, at best.
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To be fair the author did disclose the book is based completely on the person’s memory of the events some seventy years later including the dialogue. With all due respect to Mr Sisson I don’t trust his account rendering it uninteresting and unreliable for my taste.
 
Huntn said:
It would have to be the latter as far as fictional dialog can support the facts. :) To @Gutwrench is this book a documentary or a biography?
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Gutwrench said:
The book is more of a memoir rather than an offering of the facts of a matter.
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Amazon.com: I Marched with Patton: A Firsthand Account of World War II Alongside One of the U.S. Army's Greatest Generals: 9780063019478: Sisson, Frank, Wise, Robert L.: Books

Amazon.com: I Marched with Patton: A Firsthand Account of World War II Alongside One of the U.S. Army's Greatest Generals: 9780063019478: Sisson, Frank, Wise, Robert L.: Books
www.amazon.com
 

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