In the comments to the last post seems that everyone wanted to talk about Sidney Sheldon's passing on. (Hey, should readers dictate the contents of a blog? ... Oh, all right then.)Sheldon died on Tuesday from complications from pneumonia. His best known novels included Rage of Angels, The Other Side of Midnight, and If Tomorrow Comes. Several of his novels became TV miniseries.
Sheldon called writing novels:
... the most fun I've ever had ...and said in a 1982 interview:
I try to write my books so the reader can't put them down. ... I try to construct them so when the reader gets to the end of a chapter, he or she has to read just one more chapter. It's the technique of the old Saturday afternoon serial: Leave the guy hanging on the edge of the cliff at the end of the chapter.He said of his strong female characters:
I like to write about women who are talented and capable, but most important, retain their femininity. ... Women have tremendous power - their femininity, because men can't do without it.(Right!)
And I hadn't realised that Sheldon didn't start writing novels until he was 50!
(Still time for me then.)
I was too much of a booksnob in those days to read Sheldon's novels, (though I'm sure I must have watched the miniseries). And I probably missed out because of that.
10 comments:
You know girl, it's amazing, given my affinity for popular fiction, why Sheldon never registered on my reading radar. All the more surprising given the fact that I have a sister who loved his books and was surrounded by cousins who practically gorged on his novels. I guess I found his books too soap opera-ish which is why I usually enjoyed their TV adaptations. Watching soaps was fine on a lazy afternoon, not plodding through a 400 page written version of it.Remembered seeing The Other Side Of Midnight, the unexpurgated version on video with enough nudity to satiate a horny teenager, enjoyed The Master Of The Game for its family power plays and sat through The Rage Of Angels simply because I couldn't take my eyes off Jacklyn Smith! God Rest His Soul. Now to call my sister and give her the bad news....
I read quite a few Sheldon books, and to be honest enjoyed them tremendously... they were very suspenceful. That was before being introduced to literature when I was 20, where the lack of depth of his books was exposed. On the whole, I think he wrote really good popular fictions, which were wonderful for movie adaptations (a good lesson on that entertaining the reader). Many people will miss him though.
Writing novels at 50, wow, that I didn't know... so, it's never really too late to start writing on a novel.
Master of the Game (the book) was fantastic. It really has the "ring of truth", not to mention a good plot, pacing and characters.
Then it all went downhill with Windmills of the Gods, when he reverted to writing moviescripts and passing them off as novels!
I don't know.. I've not read any others, but yes, it did seem that way. Browsed through the rest and didn't find them interesting. I can still remember the MotG plot and characters though.
Have not read his novels, but he created and produced the cool but politically-incorrect television sitcom 'I Dream of Jeannie'. I'm sure a lot of people have watched the show.
i liked david byke's comment when we briefly met going different ways on escalators in the new wind of bangsar village
"just read about sidney sheldon on your blog. ah well, it makes more space for the rest of us"
Oi LOL :) why DO you keep calling him "David Byke" ? :P
Sharon,
It seems the escalators move very very slowly in the new wind [sic].
sorry - david byck (aka david byke - the well known typing error. peace out.
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