Carried Away

I'm sorry to say that I'm not making any progress on Peter Carey's fine novel The True History of the Kelly Gang. I know it's fine because I've got to page 24 and enjoyed everything so far, but first I got side-tracked by Ackroyd's Shakespeare book and now I've been swept away by John Carey's biography of William Golding. Or rather, I've been swept as far as one might be when one is firmly anchored down by the Toad work, which has assumed monstrous proportions of late. Anyway, I'm already up to the chapter on Darkness Visible so moving into the late period of Golding's work. Must say, I'm keen to see what Carey makes of The Paper Men which I've always regarded as the worst novel ever written by any writer I consider really fine.

Actually it's just struck me that poor Ned Kelly and Carey (Peter) have never stood much of a chance against four writers (Shakespeare, Ackroyd, Carey (John) and Golding) who never fail to reduce me to fanboy status.