Ben Marcus is the author of Notable American Women and The Flame Alphabet. His prose is exceedingly experimental, but as I say in my reviews, Marcus has a tenderness that shines through the avant-garde style. The Age of Wire and String lacks that human touch, and therefore feels merely intellectual and clever.
My feelings about The Age of Wire and String are remarkably similar to my feelings about Whites, which I read right before it. Despite the vast differences between them, both are first books by authors whose subsequent books I enjoyed, and in both cases the primary enjoyment I derived from them was the ways in which they anticipated the later novels. Much of the imagery in The Age of Wire and String anticipates Notable American Women, which is the better book.
My feelings about The Age of Wire and String are remarkably similar to my feelings about Whites, which I read right before it. Despite the vast differences between them, both are first books by authors whose subsequent books I enjoyed, and in both cases the primary enjoyment I derived from them was the ways in which they anticipated the later novels. Much of the imagery in The Age of Wire and String anticipates Notable American Women, which is the better book.
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