Moving my pre-20th century reading to an author I knew very little about, never mind having ever read any of, I picked up Henry James' What Maisie Knew from the bookshelf in our lounge. As a title, I think it's intriguing and effective, making me want to know more and effectively summing up the concept, that of a child who grows up almost as the plaything of the adults she is surrounded by.
Understandably, this is not a happy book. The title character is surrounded by petty, neglectful, jealous, weak, superficial adults, most of whom, by the end of the novel, are largely unlikeable and devoid of any sympathy. Through her careless divorced parents, to their new, more likeable but perhaps more frivolous lovers, who ultimately assume more responsibility for Maisie's welfare, the poor girl is treated like a toy, that is ultimately passed around when one or the other of them gets bored with her.
The fact that it is told from Maisie's perspective is very clever, as her observations and ideas are the straightforward ones of a child, saying things that are to the point and ultimately innocent. This loss of innocence, as she begins to understand how adults think and behave is one of the most depressing, but beautifully realised themes of the novel, culminating in her choice of where to place her allegiance at the end. It was well-constructed and well-written, though I did sometimes struggle with it in places, which is probably a failing on my part and why I've never been particularly taken with older literature (read: I'm probably just a bit thick). I did enjoy it and it was good, though I'm not convinced I'm desperate to go back and pick up another book by James straight away.
Book number: 24
Title: What Maisie Knew
Author: Henry James
Category: Pre-20th century literature
Saturday, 2 April 2011
Bloody hellfire
Having enjoyed the previous two of his book that I've read, not to mention my current ongoing love affair with the States, Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy was something I had been meaning to get round to for a while. Finding a copy for £2 in a remainder bookstore kind of sealed the pact (probably in blood).
As I'd hoped for, the writing was superb. The evocation of the land of untamed America, of the rawness and vast expanse of Texas, Mexico, California and all places in between was phonomenal. It felt alive, positively humming with power. The use of simple colours and carefully chosen adjectives to achieve this effect was extremely impressive in the fact that it took a while to sink in, an effortlessness of language.
McCarthy's trademark tersity of prose was also highly effective here, in this ultra-brutal world. This didn't alway make it easy to follow and I can understand why some people might not like it. It certainly wasn't alwasy easy to connect with the characters, most of whom were less shades of grey than shades of black. The violence was in places shocking, yet I believe that its casual deployment was not for shock value but simply to say "this is how it was", which is almost certainly true. If war is hell, then here is a prime example. Certain images remain with me because they were powerfully, but not emotionally presented.
The lack of morals on the part of almost anyone, truly a dog-eat-dog battle simply for survival also meant that the power to surprise, the fact that nobody was sacred, kept you on the edge of your seat. It also resulted in the feel of the book as a moral tale, exposing the dark, bloated underbelly of humankind and just what people are capable of in a lawless land. The almost Biblical tone and the characters of the Judge and the Expriest only served to further heighten this. A very powerful depiction of America, exposing some of the truth that has probably been erased from history, it wasn't always a pleasant ride, but one that had you gripping on to your horse, praying you would not be gunned down. One to revisit, but not the sort of thing you probably could or would want to read too often.
Book number: 23
Title: Blood Meridian or the Evening Redness in the West
Author: Cormac McCarthy
Category: Chris' choice
As I'd hoped for, the writing was superb. The evocation of the land of untamed America, of the rawness and vast expanse of Texas, Mexico, California and all places in between was phonomenal. It felt alive, positively humming with power. The use of simple colours and carefully chosen adjectives to achieve this effect was extremely impressive in the fact that it took a while to sink in, an effortlessness of language.
McCarthy's trademark tersity of prose was also highly effective here, in this ultra-brutal world. This didn't alway make it easy to follow and I can understand why some people might not like it. It certainly wasn't alwasy easy to connect with the characters, most of whom were less shades of grey than shades of black. The violence was in places shocking, yet I believe that its casual deployment was not for shock value but simply to say "this is how it was", which is almost certainly true. If war is hell, then here is a prime example. Certain images remain with me because they were powerfully, but not emotionally presented.
The lack of morals on the part of almost anyone, truly a dog-eat-dog battle simply for survival also meant that the power to surprise, the fact that nobody was sacred, kept you on the edge of your seat. It also resulted in the feel of the book as a moral tale, exposing the dark, bloated underbelly of humankind and just what people are capable of in a lawless land. The almost Biblical tone and the characters of the Judge and the Expriest only served to further heighten this. A very powerful depiction of America, exposing some of the truth that has probably been erased from history, it wasn't always a pleasant ride, but one that had you gripping on to your horse, praying you would not be gunned down. One to revisit, but not the sort of thing you probably could or would want to read too often.
Book number: 23
Title: Blood Meridian or the Evening Redness in the West
Author: Cormac McCarthy
Category: Chris' choice
A tale of two cities
Ok, so I'm well overdue a post or three. Partly because I've been exceptionally busy, partly because I've been tired and partly because I've been lazy. Also, and most worryingly, because I've struggled for motivation to read recently, both in terms of wanting to and being able to concentrate on the occasions when I have. But enough of that, it's simply part of the challenge to be overcome.
The City and the City by China Miéville has been something I'd had my eye on for a while so when a good opportunity arose, I grabbed it with two hands (or more likely one, the other of which was on my wallet, which at that stage i still had, though that's another story entirely...) Intrigued by the idea of the book, two cities occupying the same physical space, yet completely divided by the population so that those parts of the city in the other half could not be entered or even acknowledged (the idea of unseeing) by the occupants of one of the two cities. The concept in itself made me think of Berlin during the Cold War or contentious areas of the Middle East, but this was almost like it had gone past that stage. Although not always easy to imagine how it worked, at the same time it was easy to see how everybody does it to a lesser level, this is just turning a blind eye taken to its extreme.
At its heart, the book was a noir crime thriller and the feel of the book, of the place was very nicely realised. The characters did not stamp their personalities all over the novel, yet they were fleshed out enough and believable enough, blank canvasses with some details, allowing the reader to further establish them, but not stereotypes or parodies. I had a very clear picture of the world and it is definitely something that would make a very cool film if done in the right way. I also liked the fact that it was clearly set in our world, but equally outside of it.
It did, however, take a while to get into, with a slow start, not helped by some writing that didn't quite gel. The dialogue, however, was generally very good, further adding to the conception of this as a film, if a little confused in places mostly due to the punctutation. When it got going though, I was definitely drawn into it, wanting to find out more about the cities and the mystery of the third one and Breach. The actual crime left me slightly disappointed, as it was a bit anticlimactic compared to the grand ideas and thoughts being put forward, but the ending was nicely handled, so it didn't feel like a let down in the way that the wrong move at the end soemtimes can. Overall I liked it and wanted to know more about the cities and their history, I did nejoy the story, despite some of its faults, for even if it was simply the vehicle for an idea, the idea itself was good enough to make writing a whole book about it worthwhile.
Book number: 22
Title: The City and the City
Author: China Miéville
Category: Crime
The City and the City by China Miéville has been something I'd had my eye on for a while so when a good opportunity arose, I grabbed it with two hands (or more likely one, the other of which was on my wallet, which at that stage i still had, though that's another story entirely...) Intrigued by the idea of the book, two cities occupying the same physical space, yet completely divided by the population so that those parts of the city in the other half could not be entered or even acknowledged (the idea of unseeing) by the occupants of one of the two cities. The concept in itself made me think of Berlin during the Cold War or contentious areas of the Middle East, but this was almost like it had gone past that stage. Although not always easy to imagine how it worked, at the same time it was easy to see how everybody does it to a lesser level, this is just turning a blind eye taken to its extreme.
At its heart, the book was a noir crime thriller and the feel of the book, of the place was very nicely realised. The characters did not stamp their personalities all over the novel, yet they were fleshed out enough and believable enough, blank canvasses with some details, allowing the reader to further establish them, but not stereotypes or parodies. I had a very clear picture of the world and it is definitely something that would make a very cool film if done in the right way. I also liked the fact that it was clearly set in our world, but equally outside of it.
It did, however, take a while to get into, with a slow start, not helped by some writing that didn't quite gel. The dialogue, however, was generally very good, further adding to the conception of this as a film, if a little confused in places mostly due to the punctutation. When it got going though, I was definitely drawn into it, wanting to find out more about the cities and the mystery of the third one and Breach. The actual crime left me slightly disappointed, as it was a bit anticlimactic compared to the grand ideas and thoughts being put forward, but the ending was nicely handled, so it didn't feel like a let down in the way that the wrong move at the end soemtimes can. Overall I liked it and wanted to know more about the cities and their history, I did nejoy the story, despite some of its faults, for even if it was simply the vehicle for an idea, the idea itself was good enough to make writing a whole book about it worthwhile.
Book number: 22
Title: The City and the City
Author: China Miéville
Category: Crime
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