Stone Arabia is a novel by Dana Spiotta, © Scribner 2011.
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bravelittlebooks 
I agree with Chelsea, I think the blog is really developing well! Although good luck topping the question: what is art? 😀 I desperately want Meg Besser to have thoughts on this with you. Having put about 5 minutes of thought into it, I guess I’m inclined to agree with where I think you end up, which is that the artist her/himself constitutes the audience on the most basic level, if audience is what you need to classify something as art. Plus, I think with something like music it’s more generally apparent than less identifiable forms of art….maybe?
Catching up on your posts…these last two are my faves, I think. You’re getting very good at addressing style, content, and the bigger questions the books pose within just three minutes 🙂
That is great news! I am honored to have such a dedicated follower who can comment on my progress! 🙂
When I have enough videos, I’m hoping it will feel like this blog starts to tell a story about contemporary literature more generally as well, rather than just individual books. You’ll have to keep me posted. 😉
Katie, I read this book because we know Dana – or used to, as she was our nephew’s significant other for some time, and we missed her when they went their separate ways. She’s wicked smart. I was fascinated by the way your reading led you to think about the nature of art; I, being a shrink, saw it through the lens of Nick building a fantasy world. Do read Eat the Document, which is fascinating, and let us know your thoughts!
Ah, what a strange connection! That’s so interesting. She seems very adept at capturing a very particular moment in time!
Vocab lesson:
Kaija Bergen reminded me of the word for this: chronotopic. Dana Spiotta seems very adept at capturing a particular chronotopic milieu.
So instead of a tree falling in the forest it’s an artist without an audience.
After a fashion, yes. But I guess when the tree falls in the forest it isn’t trying to communicate, (theoretically)…and art, perhaps, is. 🙂
Katie, you certainly aroused my interest in this book. I like the animated way you express yourself! I’ve just finished a terrific novel,”Cutting for Stone”. I’m looking forward to more of your reviews.
Yeah, this book was a very quick read. I’m curious about her earlier novel, Eat the Document, as well. It was nominated for a national book award.
Thanks for watching!