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Originally Posted by aws
James Ellroy is a great writer and I've read most if not all of his books.I don't think he's written anything for a while and I remember some interview he gave when he said he was taking a break from writing.
If anyone hasn't read any of his stuff - try American Tabloid but stick with it for the first 50 pages while you get used to his unique style.After that you'll be hooked.
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I was told to start with
American Tabloid by a mate, but really struggled to get into it. I then switched to
LA Confidential because I'd seen the film, and that gave me the breathing space to get my head around his terse, clipped, jargon-heavy style. I've since read everything and he's one of my favourite authors. Have you read
The Cold Six Thousand, which is the sequel to
American Tabloid? Needless to say, it's fucking ace.
On other books that are initially a struggle,
Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh is amazing. However, unless you can hear the characters' voices in your head as you read, it's very hard to get into. The sequel,
Porno, is even better, in my view.
Captain, I last read Hemmingway for my degree;
The Old Man and The Sea being the one I remember the best. I like his very macho prose with short sentences that have their echoes in Ellroy's writing.
Finally, I have to give a very strong recommendation to the
His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. Austensibly it's written for children, but you'd never know it except for the fact that the main characters are kids. However, it's the most original and imaginative story I've ever read, and his prose is phenomenal. Also it's full of literary allusions and ends up becoming an exploration of the evil of religion, ending with a finale that basically urges aetheism. Fucking mind-blowing - and a genuine page-turner.