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  • The Elegant Variation is "Fowler’s (1926, 1965) term for the inept writer’s overstrained efforts at freshness or vividness of expression. Prose guilty of elegant variation calls attention to itself and doesn’t permit its ideas to seem naturally clear. It typically seeks fancy new words for familiar things, and it scrambles for synonyms in order to avoid at all costs repeating a word, even though repetition might be the natural, normal thing to do: The audience had a certain bovine placidity, instead of The audience was as placid as cows. Elegant variation is often the rock, and a stereotype, a cliché, or a tired metaphor the hard place between which inexperienced or foolish writers come to grief. The familiar middle ground in treating these homely topics is almost always the safest. In untrained or unrestrained hands, a thesaurus can be dangerous."
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May 04, 2007

FRIDAY GIVEAWAY: THE SECRET RIVER

Sr Kate Grenville's The Secret River won the 2006 Commonwealth Prize and was a finalist for the 2006 Man Booker Prize.  Here's what The Observer had to say about her follow-up to her Orange Prize winning novel The Idea of Perfection:

The Secret River is a sad book, beautifully written and, at times, almost unbearable with the weight of loss, competing distresses and the impossibility of making amends.

We are very pleased to offer a copy today, courtesy the fine folks at Canongate.  Remember our new format - we will take all email entries with the subject line "CRY ME A RIVER" until 3 p.m. PST, at which time we'll apply the Random Number Generator to select a winner.  As always, please include your full mailing address, and prior winners are ineligible.  Cheers.

UPDATE:  Congratulations to the aptly named Felicity Rose of San Francisco, CA - this week's winner!

Posted by TEV at 04:00 AM in Giveaways |

Comments

Please send me a copy of this book the secret River. I love this author.


Since I haven taken ill this is all I do now sit and read. Thanks for the offer.

Posted by: Marion Petchinsky | June 22, 2007 at 12:40 PM

love love love reading and just had carpel tunnel surgery... so more free reading time!! would love a new author!!

Posted by: teresa shiery | February 03, 2008 at 05:20 PM

I am very interested in reading this author,and am intrigued by the book's description. Thanks for the offer!

Posted by: Sonya Hunt | February 08, 2008 at 07:43 AM

I would love a book by this author!! Winter here gets long and I need another book to curl up with on the couch.

Posted by: Michelle Engle | February 10, 2008 at 01:17 PM

This Book sounds so wonderful, I'd love to read it. At work, would love to break up the monotony of the day with another great book!

Posted by: Erin Murphy | April 10, 2008 at 10:48 AM

Pls send me a copy of the book, I've been trying to get it @ the library but no luck. Thank You, Betti Lemmer

Posted by: Betti Lemmer | July 11, 2008 at 01:25 PM

make my day

Posted by: chris cook | October 02, 2008 at 10:45 AM

Would love to read this book. Reading is my favorite thing to do

Posted by: Sharon Catuzza | October 30, 2008 at 07:06 AM

Would love to read this book. Reading is my favorite thing to do

Posted by: Sharon Catuzza | October 30, 2008 at 07:07 AM

I would like to read this book.
Thanks
Carol Bruce

Posted by: Carol Bruce | October 31, 2008 at 06:10 AM

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