tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post520358604043900019..comments2024-03-28T22:42:54.810-07:00Comments on Bitter Tea and Mystery: The Golden Spiders: Rex StoutTracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-73506074661231390322014-05-03T12:45:45.186-07:002014-05-03T12:45:45.186-07:00Rex Stout's wife had a career, so I am sure he...Rex Stout's wife had a career, so I am sure he was not a sexist. I just see such comments as a part of Wolfe's character and a sign of the times to a certain extent. I have dealt with many men in my working life who did not deal well with women in the workplace. Less now of course than in my earlier working years.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-4077471835288316902014-05-03T12:42:47.903-07:002014-05-03T12:42:47.903-07:00Ryan, as you can tell, I am a big fan of Rex Stout...Ryan, as you can tell, I am a big fan of Rex Stout, so I cannot be objective. It is even hard to advise on a good one to start with, readers have such different reactions. But I hope you try them someday and enjoy them.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-26113389237842446282014-05-02T19:39:12.404-07:002014-05-02T19:39:12.404-07:00Just a little tidbit about Nero Wolfe's attitu...Just a little tidbit about Nero Wolfe's attitude towards women, which Yvette at Yvette Can Draw posted, as she is rereading The Rubber Band.<br /><br />Wolfe is quite funny when expressing his sexism: He [Wolfe] sighed. "You understand, Miss Fox, this is something unprecedented. It has been many years since any woman has slept under this roof. Not that I disapprove of them, except when they attempt to function as domestic animals. When they stick to the vocations for which they are best adapted, such as chicanery, sophistry, self-adornment, cajolery, mystification and incubation, they are sometimes splendid creatures."<br /><br />So it's out there. It's so absurd it's funny. But if any woman is offended by this language, best skip it. Some of my friends don't like it, but I take it as parody. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-61721060551511809472014-05-02T18:00:04.782-07:002014-05-02T18:00:04.782-07:00I have this book, along with a few others of his, ...I have this book, along with a few others of his, but I have yet to read any of them. Not sure why I've been putting it off.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17786139533776263328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-73517021932755562262014-04-30T18:02:00.141-07:002014-04-30T18:02:00.141-07:00I agree about the subject matter being less than s...I agree about the subject matter being less than savory but still I found the writing/story compelling. Glad you enjoyed it! whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18030571187291039318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-62752095200316615282014-04-30T09:29:58.822-07:002014-04-30T09:29:58.822-07:00Yes, I love the TV series. I agree about the cast....Yes, I love the TV series. I agree about the cast. I did miss one of the episodes, because our DVD was damaged. Need to get that one from Netflix.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-76638863172522428612014-04-30T09:27:38.836-07:002014-04-30T09:27:38.836-07:00Thanks, Peggy. I am safely back from the trip now ...Thanks, Peggy. I am safely back from the trip now (I don't like to fly). You should definitely give the Nero Wolfe series a try again.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-21834215688559217012014-04-30T09:25:51.997-07:002014-04-30T09:25:51.997-07:00Curt, I wish I could remember which book I read fi...Curt, I wish I could remember which book I read first. That is the problem with starting a series in your teens. I think I was in my thirties before I went back and read all of the Rex Stout books in order, and caught up on a few I had missed.<br /><br />Yes, Timothy Hutton can be very appealing in any role and he was the perfect person to play Archie.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-80309647864523208562014-04-30T04:10:32.053-07:002014-04-30T04:10:32.053-07:00If you like the books, try the TV series. It real...If you like the books, try the TV series. It really is fun. And it's got great lighting, art deco furnishings, lots of fast music and drum rolls. And if anyone needs a lift, see this series.<br />And the cast is just perfect.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-39682325574027894972014-04-29T22:01:40.216-07:002014-04-29T22:01:40.216-07:00Yes, I would agree. I think by the time I saw the...Yes, I would agree. I think by the time I saw the series I had read all the novellas and half the novels.The Passing Tramphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09830680639601570152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-38776463611597456572014-04-28T18:01:12.405-07:002014-04-28T18:01:12.405-07:00The TV series with Timothy Hutton and Maury Chayki...The TV series with Timothy Hutton and Maury Chaykin is hilarious. For Wolfe/Goodwin fans, it hits the spot. But people have to get the scenario, the idiosyncracies, the characters.<br /><br />A friend who never read one of the books in the series didn't get it at all, and stopped watching it. It didn't resonate at all.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-51644226839342239062014-04-28T11:54:52.752-07:002014-04-28T11:54:52.752-07:00I think I read a Rex Stout or two when I was in hi...I think I read a Rex Stout or two when I was in high school. I should re-visit him now. Have a great trip, Tracy!Peggy Annhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00426356514707257708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-34918383543014847912014-04-27T21:38:52.015-07:002014-04-27T21:38:52.015-07:00This was the first Stout as I read--didn't lik...This was the first Stout as I read--didn't like too much for some reason. Liked the film version with Timothy Hutton though (maybe it was Timothy Hutton ;) ).The Passing Tramphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09830680639601570152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-66564538398256316732014-04-26T05:02:38.342-07:002014-04-26T05:02:38.342-07:00Katrina, I would not want a steady diet of Rex St...Katrina, I would not want a steady diet of Rex Stout books, but I still can read them over and over.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-17116473811618199422014-04-26T04:57:17.814-07:002014-04-26T04:57:17.814-07:00Keishon, I just finished reading the Harstad book ...Keishon, I just finished reading the Harstad book and I did enjoy it very much. Although the subject matter wasn't appealing at all. I will go back and read your review again soon. My time for this kind of thing is limited while in Alabama. TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-55143133339740385822014-04-25T21:30:04.073-07:002014-04-25T21:30:04.073-07:00Well, in Too Many Cooks, the offensive words were ...Well, in Too Many Cooks, the offensive words were used against African-American workers but also in general. Archie has his own awful wording, too, different, but bad nevertheless, cringe-worthy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-68201287914621564812014-04-25T15:12:26.720-07:002014-04-25T15:12:26.720-07:00I've only read a few Nero Wolfe books, they...I've only read a few Nero Wolfe books, they're not that easy to find in Scotland, but I have enjoyed the ones which I have read. I suppose that the language used in the book was par for the course for the 1950s. Often offensive words are used to make a particular character more loathsome I think.Katrinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18138715309807238198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-51080877802712618512014-04-24T17:03:00.841-07:002014-04-24T17:03:00.841-07:00It's not Wolfe who is espousing racist sentime...It's not Wolfe who is espousing racist sentiments. It's other characters, and Archie Goodwin uses his own insensitive terms. Wolfe is more diplomatic, but we don't know what he is thinking.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-78340551319054820402014-04-24T09:49:01.822-07:002014-04-24T09:49:01.822-07:00Definitely. :)Definitely. :)Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-20457108999202594612014-04-24T02:33:02.848-07:002014-04-24T02:33:02.848-07:00That is interesting, Kathy. I didn't have that...That is interesting, Kathy. I didn't have that reaction to Wolfe's speech in Too Many Cooks. That book is one I had been planning to reread soon anyway. I will try to do that.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-48550588419316112352014-04-24T02:26:26.316-07:002014-04-24T02:26:26.316-07:00Yvette, that is an interesting choice for your fav...Yvette, that is an interesting choice for your favorite. I had to refresh my memory. I don't remember much about that one, so a good candidate for rereadingTracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-83427835417094282322014-04-24T02:15:52.207-07:002014-04-24T02:15:52.207-07:00Over My Dead Body is a good one, if you like Stout...Over My Dead Body is a good one, if you like Stout's books. It will be interesting to see what you think of it.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-72346086244197371622014-04-24T00:45:18.248-07:002014-04-24T00:45:18.248-07:00Managed to obtain OVER MY DEAD BODY from a book-sw...Managed to obtain OVER MY DEAD BODY from a book-swap site over here. I'll see how I go when I get to it.col2910https://www.blogger.com/profile/06422138069939709043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-58576578861826520922014-04-23T14:34:28.617-07:002014-04-23T14:34:28.617-07:00In Too Many Cooks, several characters use racist l...In Too Many Cooks, several characters use racist language. Archie Goodwin is a bit less crude, but he still refers to African-American characters in a very insensitive way. Nero Wolfe is politer, but don't know what he thinks.<br /><br />Much of this language cleared up later on. However, reading this book made me cringe several times and get annoyed at Rex Stout. It limits the readership of these books, by the way even though there are fans.<br /><br />In general, I like the books, Wolfe, Goodwin, but I won't read another one with this language. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-2390996975193401522014-04-23T10:48:12.833-07:002014-04-23T10:48:12.833-07:00I love Rex Stout and Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin...I love Rex Stout and Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin too, Tracy. A perfect trifecta. I've reviewed a bunch of them and will probably continue to do so. They are the perfect comfort reading, You are SO right. In fact, I'm re-reading (for the umpteenth time) PLEASE PASS THE GUILT - it's my lunchtime reading. :)<br /><br />My favorite Wolfe: MIGHT AS WELL BE DEAD. At least, that's my fave today.Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.com