tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post8606030222900074711..comments2024-03-19T05:28:00.356-04:00Comments on SleuthSayers: Putting a Face to the NameLeigh Lundinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07921276795499571578noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-18159343632242680162013-06-11T17:26:18.403-04:002013-06-11T17:26:18.403-04:00Like RT, I’ve read The Friends of Eddie Coyle, but...Like RT, I’ve read <i>The Friends of Eddie Coyle</i>, but it was a long while back. <br /><br />I found your insight concerning dialogue vs. a reader’s ability to discriminate individual characters, and the idea of an over-reliance on dialogue (at the expense of description) interfering with a reader’s ability to connect with the work, quite interesting. I’ve never considered these aspects in depth before.<br /><br />Gonna pick up a copy of <i>The Friends of Eddie Coyle</i>, and re-read it with your comments in mind. (Blast it, Terry! Now I have to go buy the book again! LOL)<br /><br />--DixDixon Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11220791609338404147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-54545723689483659922013-06-11T15:22:13.438-04:002013-06-11T15:22:13.438-04:00Thanks for the thoughtful comments, folks!Thanks for the thoughtful comments, folks!Terence Fahertyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05928381496296429254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-70271394044421778472013-06-11T13:08:20.419-04:002013-06-11T13:08:20.419-04:00Terry, it's been about three decades since I r...Terry, it's been about three decades since I read THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE. Now I'll have to put it on my reading list again.R.T. Lawtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15523486296396710227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-19874061146985121652013-06-11T10:16:42.836-04:002013-06-11T10:16:42.836-04:00Higgins was a trial lawyer, and a lot of his dialo...Higgins was a trial lawyer, and a lot of his dialogue is obviously influenced by actual transcripts. The opening chapter of THE DIGGER'S GAME is a single monologue, for instance, that might be lifted from a genuine interview in an attorney's office (although I'm not saying it was). I never had a problem differentiating the characters because I always their individual voices very distinctive. On the other hand, I grew up in the Boston area, and there's a difference in the way people talk in North Cambridge, say (my turf), and Savin Hill, down in Dorchester (Dennis Lehane's stomping ground). That said, though, Higgins was never very convincing in his action scenes. The best one is the shoot-out at the end of THE PATRIOT GAME, but all too often they just lie there in an indigested lump. His strength was talking the talk.David Edgerley Gateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05302818835018859164noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-20909659477327022752013-06-11T09:43:28.465-04:002013-06-11T09:43:28.465-04:00I've neither read the book nor seen the movie,...I've neither read the book nor seen the movie, but I'm due a couple hours' break and will Netflix it.<br /><br />My first editor had to tell me to go back and describe the people. I'd depended primarily on dialogue(which I love to write) and thought it would be nice to let the readers picture my characters as they pleased. I still don't know the natural color of Callie's hair, so I just let her dye it different colors in each book. <br /> <br />Lots to think about in your words, and I'll settle in with the movie this afternoon.Fran Rizerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08655783035179620991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-73255066544112577292013-06-11T09:34:00.418-04:002013-06-11T09:34:00.418-04:00Good blog, Terry. I'm a fan of the "Frie...Good blog, Terry. I'm a fan of the "Friends of Eddie Coyle" as well. Loved the style, but had the same problem with it you did. Still, it remains a very effective book--I just re-read it a year ago. Stands the test of time. Loved the movie, too.David Deanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13005457506363262838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-63344603522001168102013-06-11T09:23:17.975-04:002013-06-11T09:23:17.975-04:00Well done, Terry--I like your take on both novels ...Well done, Terry--I like your take on both novels and movies. This discussion reminded me of <i>The Digger's Game</i>, another Higgins novel that was almost entirely dialogue. His name comes up often in my writing classes when we talk about authors who use effective dialogue. So does Elmore Leonard's.<br /><br />It's great to hear about books I should read or re-read and movies I should watch or re-watch.John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-59556245951621517392013-06-11T09:04:32.109-04:002013-06-11T09:04:32.109-04:00Great post - I love the phrase "grand opera s...Great post - I love the phrase "grand opera style violence". Maybe that started with Scarface? I don't know, I just know that it isn't very real. Most violence is not dramatic, on purpose, because the people who are perpetrating it are trying to get away with it. (I'm not talking about the guys who go around with semi-automatics on campuses, etc. - they are performing, center-stage, in a grand opera of their own imagination.) Just enough violence to threaten, hurt, perhaps kill someone, but without anyone else noticing. Many years ago I was sitting in a car, in the parking lot of an urban 7/11, waiting for a friend to come out with the snacks. Next to me was a car in the shadows, and as I sat there, on that hot night, I could hear them talking to someone in the car, and explaining - very matter of factly - what they were going to do to him... I slunk down in the seat so that they wouldn't notice me. Then they took off. It was probably one of the more scary moments of my life - very quiet, very undramatic. Very effective.Eve Fisherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03015761600962360110noreply@blogger.com