There are no direct Joni mentions here (and probably many people have used a carousel as a metaphor) but the Circle Game was playing in my head as I read this paragraph from the new book by Elizabeth George, "A Traitor to Memory":
"Life wasn't a continuum of events, although it wore the guise of exactly that. Instead, it was actually a carousel. In infancy, one mounted a galloping pony and started out on a journey during which one assumed that circumstances would change as the expedition continued. But the truth of life was that it was an endless repetition of what one had already experienced...round and round and up and down on that pony. And unless one dealt with whatever challenges one was *meant* to deal with along the route, those challenges appeared again and again in one form or another till the end of one's days. If he hadn't subscribed to that notion before, J.W. Pritchley was a believer now." Is this a worthy entry, Bob? Just because *I* hear Joni as the soundtrack after the hint of a few words doesn't mean it has anything to do with Joni, but I figured I'd check with you anyway. And if it's close but no cigar, I won't pout, promise. (Maybe you need a Joni Influence on Fiction section :-) To redeem myself I'll find my copy of Cortazar's "Manual for Manuel" and send you the Joni bit from that, which you were looking for last time I checked the Joni in Fiction section. It's in a box somewhere... As an aside to anyone looking for a good book to read, I've read most of Elizabeth George's books and this is another excellent one. As usual for her, it's an English murder mystery that's really a vehicle for psychological character studies, with bits of wisdom and precise observations throughout it. And, speaking of good books, I recently finished "The Cornish Trilogy" by Robertson Davies that several people enthusiastically recommended a while ago. I started the first book last fall and couldn't get into it, and then picked it up a few months ago, started again and ended up zipping through all three. What great reading! Thoroughly enjoyable. No Joni allusions, but lots of imagination and humor and interesting characters. Any suggestions about what Davies to read next? Debra Shea
