Not so many weeks ago I created an activity at work focused on The Great Gatsby as part of America during the 1920s – the Roaring Twenties, the Jazz Age, or whatever similar moniker you choose to apply to this decade of wealth, excess and new personal freedoms (if you were rich). It had been many years since I'd read F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece, which I hailed as an example of the Great American Novel and it was something I'd been meaning to re-read for a while now. Which in itself is a good start; while I read a lot, there's not so many books that I come back to. Often those I do are comfort reads – I'm not harbouring any great desire to plough through Ulysses again.
So when Gatsby was chosen for book club, I was pretty happy. It's also the second of Fitzgerald's books we've read, a first for any author for us. And while it's a short book, I burned through it in a couple of hours. Mostly because it's fantastic. The writing is exquisite, just effortlessly elegant. Simple to read, it just carries you along without you noticing it's there because you just become so absorbed in it. Which to my mind is a great thing. Sometimes with great writing you savour it for the language and turns of phrase, the poetry or the dialogue. This has all of that, yet at the same time often the books where you just get sucked in because its so flawless you don't notice quite how good it is are the best, and I think this is one of them. While there is an awful lot to admire in the language, and many memorable and great descriptions and lines, it just sweeps you away with the fact that Fitzgerald makes it all seem so easy.
And the plot too, I'd forgotten (or perhaps not fully appreciated) how explosive things are and how much happens. The characters are vivid, each one largely a mass of energy, wealth and flaws. All of whom, pretty much, are unhappy, and . So is it a moral tale, then? Money doesn't equal happiness. Well, yes, that's certainly true, especially in such a decade of excess – and the descriptions of Gatsby's parties are worth the entrance fee alone. But it's more than that, it's the capacity for love of the characters, the true emotions, the fickleness of others. It's the lying, the posturing and the bravado. And the carelessness and destructiveness with which a lot of it is carried out.
It opens with a memorable line, perfectly setting things up, before hurtling through the wreckage of lives across the book. Add to that its tragic ending – and truly it's unbearably sad, living out one of humanity's secret fears, to die in vain, to be forgotten and, far worse, for nobody to care – and you have a pretty flawless work. I'll be returning again I feel, there's a lot to take in, to savour and appreciate, and to learn from. And also it's just a bit bloody good. A Great American Novel? Definitely. The Supreme American Novel? Just maybe.
Book number: 40
Title: The Great Gatsby
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Category: Book club/recommendations
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
Monday, 23 May 2011
It's the arts
Scanning through the list of Pulitzer Prize winning novels to look for choice morsels is an interesting experience. Mostly because while I've heard of some of the books and more of the authors, there's plenty on there I've not heard of and the vast majority of them I have no real clue what they're about. And pulling them out of the library when they're being held in storage rather than on the shelves is even more of a lottery because I can't even read the blurb at that point. or know if I'm about to get lumbered with an 800 page doorstop.
What I got this time was Humboldt's Gift by Saul Bellow. I'd heard of both book and author, but knew essentially nothing about either. I'd guess that, being as it's about a writer and his relationships, not east with the recently deceased Humboldt of the title, there's an element of biography in here somewhere. Furthermore, it's a book about, well, everything. Love and life, art and literature, history and politics, poetry and philosophy, money and business – all the important pairings. Indeed, there are so many references that it reads like the twentieth century viewed through a kaleidoscope of creativity.
And read well it does too, following the narrator's current plights (of which there are several), and ultimately ending the voyage with his friend's gift. The main gift though, to my mind, is that of friendship. It is a testament to enduring relationships and the effects that people can have on each other over prolonged periods of time, through the rough and the smooth. In terms of what happens, well, there's not so much. Action-packed it ain't, but then I wasn't expecting it to be. Instead, it's rich and reflective and, y'know what, that's just fine with me.
Book number: 39
Title: Humboldt's Gift
Author: Saul Bellow
Category: Pulitzer Prize Winners
What I got this time was Humboldt's Gift by Saul Bellow. I'd heard of both book and author, but knew essentially nothing about either. I'd guess that, being as it's about a writer and his relationships, not east with the recently deceased Humboldt of the title, there's an element of biography in here somewhere. Furthermore, it's a book about, well, everything. Love and life, art and literature, history and politics, poetry and philosophy, money and business – all the important pairings. Indeed, there are so many references that it reads like the twentieth century viewed through a kaleidoscope of creativity.
And read well it does too, following the narrator's current plights (of which there are several), and ultimately ending the voyage with his friend's gift. The main gift though, to my mind, is that of friendship. It is a testament to enduring relationships and the effects that people can have on each other over prolonged periods of time, through the rough and the smooth. In terms of what happens, well, there's not so much. Action-packed it ain't, but then I wasn't expecting it to be. Instead, it's rich and reflective and, y'know what, that's just fine with me.
Book number: 39
Title: Humboldt's Gift
Author: Saul Bellow
Category: Pulitzer Prize Winners
Sunday, 22 May 2011
That was the year that was
It may have been quite a while ago now, but perhaps it was finally time to have a look at the previous year. One hundred percent topical it may not have been, but as a summation of the year it covers all the major stories, stirring memories and, of course, so much of it is still pertinent. I am referring to the The Private Eye Annual 2010. A Christmas present it may have been, but a stocking filler it most certainly is not.
Packed full of stories, parodies, cartoons, letters, captions, all packing a punch, it sets the benchmark on satire and the fact that it's still going strong after however many years (started in 1961 according to Wikipedia – must be true then) tells you all you need to know. The ongoing jokes, the style, the fantastic columns, the fact that nothing and noone is sacred, provided they've done something deserving of being satirised. It all works very nicely indeed and would, I suppose, be regularly cited as a pillar of British life. It sums up the ability to send up ourselves and not take everything too seriously – the classic British sense of humour.
From the volcano, new technology, the disaster that was the World Cup, and the small matter of the general election and the coalition government, it comments on everything and puts an entertaining spin on it. Along with his position on Have I Got News For You, Ian Hislop's position as Editor of the magazine surely makes him one of the cleverest, sharpest, funniest men in the country, yet he still probably doesn't get the recognition he deserves. He plays a valuable role (even if it does mean he's the most sued man in English legal history) in the country and our perception of ourselves. Long may Private Eye continue to puncture egos, show up ridiculous and bad behaviour and deftly skewer those in need of it. It's not going anywhere soon, or I'm a gnome.
Book number: 38
Title: The Private Eye Annual 2011
Author: Ian Hislop (ed.)
Category: Chris' choice
Packed full of stories, parodies, cartoons, letters, captions, all packing a punch, it sets the benchmark on satire and the fact that it's still going strong after however many years (started in 1961 according to Wikipedia – must be true then) tells you all you need to know. The ongoing jokes, the style, the fantastic columns, the fact that nothing and noone is sacred, provided they've done something deserving of being satirised. It all works very nicely indeed and would, I suppose, be regularly cited as a pillar of British life. It sums up the ability to send up ourselves and not take everything too seriously – the classic British sense of humour.
From the volcano, new technology, the disaster that was the World Cup, and the small matter of the general election and the coalition government, it comments on everything and puts an entertaining spin on it. Along with his position on Have I Got News For You, Ian Hislop's position as Editor of the magazine surely makes him one of the cleverest, sharpest, funniest men in the country, yet he still probably doesn't get the recognition he deserves. He plays a valuable role (even if it does mean he's the most sued man in English legal history) in the country and our perception of ourselves. Long may Private Eye continue to puncture egos, show up ridiculous and bad behaviour and deftly skewer those in need of it. It's not going anywhere soon, or I'm a gnome.
Book number: 38
Title: The Private Eye Annual 2011
Author: Ian Hislop (ed.)
Category: Chris' choice
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
Butterflies in bloom
I'm going to throw this out there: John Wyndham is one of the best science fiction (or speculative fiction, if you will) authors there's been. Everything of his I've read I've really liked and The Chrysalids is no exception. It might follow a similar style to his other works, but if it ain't broke... First person narrative, dry sense of humour, fear and adventure, endlessly creative imagination, and at the heart of it stories about people and feelings. Hard to fault, really.
Unlike the other books of his I've read, which are mostly set in a world pretty similar to ours (nuclear holocausts optional), this one is a futuristic but more primitive society. Clearly some kind of catastrophe has happened and people have returned to both farming and fundamentalism. Throw in some genetic mutations, not only as a potential real-life issue, but also addressing themes of salvation, tolerance and acceptance and you have a novel to make you think as well as enjoy. Joining David on his journey through childhood in early adulthood, adapting to his society and the differences that set him apart from the majority, we see society and social interactions reflected back at us.
The collections of outsiders and different groups and perspectives can say, in their own way, as much as any other tract on multiculturalism and tolerance. The tragedy that befalls the victims of deformities, the way they are harshly dealt with or forced to live outside of each small closed society, only serves to enhance the point. As usual with Wyndham, the characters are human enough, whatever the situation or differences that make them more than human (in this case a form of telepathy), and that's where his real gift lies. No matter how fantastic, suspension of disbelief is easy, because there is always Coleridge's semblance of truth at their heart.
Book number: 37
Title: The Chrysalids
Author: John Wyndham
Category: Chris' choice
Unlike the other books of his I've read, which are mostly set in a world pretty similar to ours (nuclear holocausts optional), this one is a futuristic but more primitive society. Clearly some kind of catastrophe has happened and people have returned to both farming and fundamentalism. Throw in some genetic mutations, not only as a potential real-life issue, but also addressing themes of salvation, tolerance and acceptance and you have a novel to make you think as well as enjoy. Joining David on his journey through childhood in early adulthood, adapting to his society and the differences that set him apart from the majority, we see society and social interactions reflected back at us.
The collections of outsiders and different groups and perspectives can say, in their own way, as much as any other tract on multiculturalism and tolerance. The tragedy that befalls the victims of deformities, the way they are harshly dealt with or forced to live outside of each small closed society, only serves to enhance the point. As usual with Wyndham, the characters are human enough, whatever the situation or differences that make them more than human (in this case a form of telepathy), and that's where his real gift lies. No matter how fantastic, suspension of disbelief is easy, because there is always Coleridge's semblance of truth at their heart.
Book number: 37
Title: The Chrysalids
Author: John Wyndham
Category: Chris' choice
Colours and colours and colours and colours...
If Graham Chapman and Bungle from Rainbow chanelled the spirit of George Orwell into a dystopian novel, it might end up something like Jasper Fforde's Shades of Grey. Different to that which I have previously read of his books, this was not a stand-alone novel as I first thought, but the first of a new series that has only just begun. And on the basis of this one, I'm not complaining.
A very interesting concept, a world where people see in shades of colours and everyone knows their rank in the hierarchy depending on their colour precentage and the ranks between them. Filled with Fforde's trademark humour, punnery, plays on words and similar, it took the concept, tied it to the Dulux dog, and ran with it all the way. Perhaps not as laugh out loud funny as his Nursery Crimes series (well, currently two), it was still a very entertaining and interesting read.
Eddie Russett may make for an unlikely hero, but like all the best everymen, you can relate to him. Not sure I can relate to a love interest who threatens to punch his lights out every other line, but Jane is certainly entertaining. My favourite character, however, is the Apocryphal man, who everybody can see, but due to the Rules which control life extremely tightly, everyone must pretend he's not there and ignore him. Unless you have loganberry jam, in which case he's your very own genie. You get the idea. Although I had a fair idea where the book was going to go, it was a fun ride and I'm looking forward to getting on the train next time it rolls into Oxford Blue.
Number: 36
Title: Shades of Grey
Author: Jasper Fforde
Category: Books with colours in the title
A very interesting concept, a world where people see in shades of colours and everyone knows their rank in the hierarchy depending on their colour precentage and the ranks between them. Filled with Fforde's trademark humour, punnery, plays on words and similar, it took the concept, tied it to the Dulux dog, and ran with it all the way. Perhaps not as laugh out loud funny as his Nursery Crimes series (well, currently two), it was still a very entertaining and interesting read.
Eddie Russett may make for an unlikely hero, but like all the best everymen, you can relate to him. Not sure I can relate to a love interest who threatens to punch his lights out every other line, but Jane is certainly entertaining. My favourite character, however, is the Apocryphal man, who everybody can see, but due to the Rules which control life extremely tightly, everyone must pretend he's not there and ignore him. Unless you have loganberry jam, in which case he's your very own genie. You get the idea. Although I had a fair idea where the book was going to go, it was a fun ride and I'm looking forward to getting on the train next time it rolls into Oxford Blue.
Number: 36
Title: Shades of Grey
Author: Jasper Fforde
Category: Books with colours in the title
Monday, 16 May 2011
The house that Jack built
Politics. That's what the book was about. On the inside, on the campaign trail, with some good, some bad and some ugly, but mostly shades of grey. A bit like the Thick of It then, but with not quite so much ingenious swearing. Who's using who, who's the player and who's being played? And does it matter if they know it and are ok with it? Can you be a pimp and a prostitute too? The world has fallen apart in the dust and ruin of the Depression and who's going to sort it out?
All the King's Men – that's who. I wasn't sure what to expect from Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize winner. And what I got was politics. Which I'm ok with. Focusing on the life of Jack Burden, political aide and advisor to Governor Willie Stark in the South of the U.S. The other characters – and they're a close-knit bunch make up the supporting cast to Stark's hardworking cynic with a popular touch and Burden's philosophical perspective. Equally loved and loathed by the cast and the population at large, Stark casts a large shadow over all of their lives.
It takes a Tarantinoeqsue approach with a beginning, middle and end, but not necessarily in that order, working through Jack's life and how it intertwined with Stark's. A healthy streak of moralism runs throughout, not in a judgemental sense, but simply saying that all actions have consequences. And there are lots of consequences, for there are few completely innocent parties, and ultimately the action all comes to a devastating and surprising climax.
The narrative is strong, as is the narrator's voice, coming at things from the perspective of an observer as befits a journalist and historian, which is what Jack is. But the book's real strength, for me at least, is the author's language. Rich, vivid descriptions, layering adjectives on thick, sometimes half a dozen at a time, helped to bring this world vividly to life. It might have been a slow starter, getting into the language and the heart of the book, but it was a richly rewarding one and worth persevering with. Should it have won the prize? I can certainly see why it did and can have no complaints, it's got that scope and power that I feel is often looked upon favourably and it does what it does well.
Book number: 35
Title: All the King's Men
Author: Robert Penn Warren
Category: Pulitzer Prize winners
All the King's Men – that's who. I wasn't sure what to expect from Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize winner. And what I got was politics. Which I'm ok with. Focusing on the life of Jack Burden, political aide and advisor to Governor Willie Stark in the South of the U.S. The other characters – and they're a close-knit bunch make up the supporting cast to Stark's hardworking cynic with a popular touch and Burden's philosophical perspective. Equally loved and loathed by the cast and the population at large, Stark casts a large shadow over all of their lives.
It takes a Tarantinoeqsue approach with a beginning, middle and end, but not necessarily in that order, working through Jack's life and how it intertwined with Stark's. A healthy streak of moralism runs throughout, not in a judgemental sense, but simply saying that all actions have consequences. And there are lots of consequences, for there are few completely innocent parties, and ultimately the action all comes to a devastating and surprising climax.
The narrative is strong, as is the narrator's voice, coming at things from the perspective of an observer as befits a journalist and historian, which is what Jack is. But the book's real strength, for me at least, is the author's language. Rich, vivid descriptions, layering adjectives on thick, sometimes half a dozen at a time, helped to bring this world vividly to life. It might have been a slow starter, getting into the language and the heart of the book, but it was a richly rewarding one and worth persevering with. Should it have won the prize? I can certainly see why it did and can have no complaints, it's got that scope and power that I feel is often looked upon favourably and it does what it does well.
Book number: 35
Title: All the King's Men
Author: Robert Penn Warren
Category: Pulitzer Prize winners
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
Sister act
As a slice of beautiful, senstive, powerful, depressing as hell suburban American realism, The Easter Parade is probably about the best thing I've read since Joseph Heller's Something Happened. Or maybe even another work of the author, Richard Yates, Revolutionary Road. I must confess that I can't really remember the latter, but I seem to recall it was excellent. And Heller's work left a profound impression on me, even if it's some years since I've read it. So we're talking top drawer stuff here.
The story of two sisters, Emily and Sarah, from their moved around (literally and figuratively) childhood through their golden years and onto the long, slow voyage into the jaws of the gaping abyss that neither of them ever expected. It is by turns touching and cruel, tender and bleak. Their paths diverge, Sarah the golden girl with the marriage and kids in the country; Emily the graduate with the career and the casual relationships. Yet, it will probably come as no to surprise to the reader (of this humble blog that is, though probably the book too) that there is trouble in paradise.
The road to hell, it seems, is paved with inadequacy, impotency, fear and unfulfilment. With a side of alcohol and a string of poor decisions. The characters are wonderfully drawn, with a sympathy and insight that is rare for any author. I've never particularly subscribed to the idea that men can't write women and vice versa (I even went so far as to prove it once in my own weird way, though that's another story). Some can't, admittedly, but as far as I'm concerned if I can suspend disbelief enough to imagine myself in many rather more removed situations, it's not really hard to get your head round the concept. Either way, Yates has a rare skill and an understanding of emotions and insecurities, what it is to be human, and that is a fine gift.
If this book were a poem, it would probably be Rondeau Redouble by Wendy Cope (who also happens to be my number one):
"There are so many kinds of awful men
One can't avoid them all. She often said
She'd never make the same mistake again:
She always made a new mistake instead."
And if it were an item of food it would be a large slab of finest dark chocolate: rich, sweet, bitter and if you eatoo much at once it leaves with a an awful sick feeling in your stomach that makes you question why you did it and whether that's all there is in life. Sublime and sorrowful, beautiful and bleak. I'll drink to that.
Book number: 34
Title: The Easter Parade
Author: Richard Yates
Category: Chris' choice
The story of two sisters, Emily and Sarah, from their moved around (literally and figuratively) childhood through their golden years and onto the long, slow voyage into the jaws of the gaping abyss that neither of them ever expected. It is by turns touching and cruel, tender and bleak. Their paths diverge, Sarah the golden girl with the marriage and kids in the country; Emily the graduate with the career and the casual relationships. Yet, it will probably come as no to surprise to the reader (of this humble blog that is, though probably the book too) that there is trouble in paradise.
The road to hell, it seems, is paved with inadequacy, impotency, fear and unfulfilment. With a side of alcohol and a string of poor decisions. The characters are wonderfully drawn, with a sympathy and insight that is rare for any author. I've never particularly subscribed to the idea that men can't write women and vice versa (I even went so far as to prove it once in my own weird way, though that's another story). Some can't, admittedly, but as far as I'm concerned if I can suspend disbelief enough to imagine myself in many rather more removed situations, it's not really hard to get your head round the concept. Either way, Yates has a rare skill and an understanding of emotions and insecurities, what it is to be human, and that is a fine gift.
If this book were a poem, it would probably be Rondeau Redouble by Wendy Cope (who also happens to be my number one):
"There are so many kinds of awful men
One can't avoid them all. She often said
She'd never make the same mistake again:
She always made a new mistake instead."
And if it were an item of food it would be a large slab of finest dark chocolate: rich, sweet, bitter and if you eatoo much at once it leaves with a an awful sick feeling in your stomach that makes you question why you did it and whether that's all there is in life. Sublime and sorrowful, beautiful and bleak. I'll drink to that.
Book number: 34
Title: The Easter Parade
Author: Richard Yates
Category: Chris' choice
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
Yo ho ho
First novels can be tricky things. They can be representative of an author's oeuvre, a great work and something they never quite obtain again or simply a step in the right direction on the path towards forging a career as a writer. Where exactly Cup of Gold appears on this spectrum is a good question. For sure John Steinbeck's debut is very much not like the works he is best known for, your Mices and your Mens, your Grapes, your Wrath and your Eden to boot. There's none of the beating heart of America here, nor its calloused hands or its very soul. What we have instead could probably be best described as historical fiction.
It's a tale of the notorious bucaneer Henry Morgan (he of the rum and Coke) and his sack of Panama, the Cup of Gold of the title. So is it any good? Well, Steinbeck's writing is fine and shows a lot of potential here. His succinctness, his grasp of language, his understanding of human emotions are all here, just turned to a different use. And it's worth bearing in mind that I don't think Steinbeck is just a great writer, I think he's a superlative writer.
So having buckled on my swash, it's not quite a straight-up pirate romp. There's plenty of the necessary ingredients – the lure of gold, the cruelty of the sea, and, naturally, a fair maiden at the heart of it. But at the same time, it's more than that. It's a history of Morgan and it really is his story, from start to end. He's a well-fleshed out character, learning of power, how to obtain it and what it is to hold it. And it is this sense of the mind, more so in his case than of the heart, which gives the book it's real quality. It's not his best book, but it suggests strongly that he wasn't capable of writing one that wasn't at least pretty darn good.
Book number: 33
Title: Cup of Gold
Author: John Steinbeck
Category: Books with colours in the title
It's a tale of the notorious bucaneer Henry Morgan (he of the rum and Coke) and his sack of Panama, the Cup of Gold of the title. So is it any good? Well, Steinbeck's writing is fine and shows a lot of potential here. His succinctness, his grasp of language, his understanding of human emotions are all here, just turned to a different use. And it's worth bearing in mind that I don't think Steinbeck is just a great writer, I think he's a superlative writer.
So having buckled on my swash, it's not quite a straight-up pirate romp. There's plenty of the necessary ingredients – the lure of gold, the cruelty of the sea, and, naturally, a fair maiden at the heart of it. But at the same time, it's more than that. It's a history of Morgan and it really is his story, from start to end. He's a well-fleshed out character, learning of power, how to obtain it and what it is to hold it. And it is this sense of the mind, more so in his case than of the heart, which gives the book it's real quality. It's not his best book, but it suggests strongly that he wasn't capable of writing one that wasn't at least pretty darn good.
Book number: 33
Title: Cup of Gold
Author: John Steinbeck
Category: Books with colours in the title
The pains of being Belgian
Finally, on my journey through crime (and it has been a category which has taken in a wide range of different things for me, more than I thought at the beginning), I arrive at the Grand Old Dame of them all: Agatha Christie. And if you're going to do Agatha Christie, you may as well do Murder on the Orient Express, right? Such was my thinking anyway, when it was neatly displayed on the library shelf, pleading with me to pick it up.
So Poirot, then. My first encounter with one of the few Belgians of note. Created by and English lady, but never mind. And I actually like Belgium, the bits I've seen and the people I've met, though I fear I may be wandering off the point somewhat. The style, very much from the so-called Golden Age of detective fiction, was direct, to the point and gripping. Much like Sherlock Holmes (who I love), the general pacing of information being revealed and Poirot's powers of deduction and detection was very well done. it was carefully plotted and compelling – I whizzed through it quicker than you could vanish a scarlet dressing gown.
The structure initially seemed a little odd, being set up in terms of the action in the first part, the evidence in the second part and the deduction in the third, yet it all flowed nicely and didn't seem formulaic in the way I feared it might. And as strictly unbelievable as it is in a real sense, Christie does a very good job of making it seem plausible and normal. Which is exactly what she was supposed to be doing. I liked the little moral question at the end too, fitting for a work that is clearly a great of the genre for good reason. Quick, easy to read and thoroughly absorbing, I'll be coming back for more.
Book number: 32
Title: Murder on the Orient Express
Author: Agatha Christie
Category: Crime
So Poirot, then. My first encounter with one of the few Belgians of note. Created by and English lady, but never mind. And I actually like Belgium, the bits I've seen and the people I've met, though I fear I may be wandering off the point somewhat. The style, very much from the so-called Golden Age of detective fiction, was direct, to the point and gripping. Much like Sherlock Holmes (who I love), the general pacing of information being revealed and Poirot's powers of deduction and detection was very well done. it was carefully plotted and compelling – I whizzed through it quicker than you could vanish a scarlet dressing gown.
The structure initially seemed a little odd, being set up in terms of the action in the first part, the evidence in the second part and the deduction in the third, yet it all flowed nicely and didn't seem formulaic in the way I feared it might. And as strictly unbelievable as it is in a real sense, Christie does a very good job of making it seem plausible and normal. Which is exactly what she was supposed to be doing. I liked the little moral question at the end too, fitting for a work that is clearly a great of the genre for good reason. Quick, easy to read and thoroughly absorbing, I'll be coming back for more.
Book number: 32
Title: Murder on the Orient Express
Author: Agatha Christie
Category: Crime
At home on the Lane
Monica Ali's Brick Lane is one of those books that has been vaguely on my mental 'to-read' list for a long time. One of thos books that you know vaguely about but not very much because it has at some point been in the public consciousness. Maybe even one of those books that everyone knows about but nobody has ever read. Anyway, it just so happened to be April's book club choice, so like it or not, it went on to the reading list (yeah, ok so I could have just not read it, but I did want to read it and I like to be read new things anyway – which was a good amount of the point of this challenge).
As it happens, I did like it. For the most part, anyway. It was a book with a lot of questions and not a whole lot of answers, certainly no easy ones. That was something that I really liked about it. The differences between cultures, the idea of one being superior, the challenges faced by people in either – none of that is answered easily or definitively. It, for want of a better way of putting it, simply is. The same goes for the handling of issues of race and religious fundamentalism, it highlights them and shows them to be complex, with few easy options, but it portrays them from a fair and balanced perspective.
The two central characters and their inner struggles are also interesting. The way Nazneen deals with things and grows, struggling to reconcile different parts of herself with what she has been taught and what she is now experiencing is very interesting. The same goes for her husband, Chanu. He may be a bit of an idiot, but he's a loveable idiot. And through everything they go through, a genuine sense of love and affaction builds up between them, perhaps only really evident by the end.
I wasn't sure about the letters from Nazneen's sister in Bangladesh. They took some time to get used to and as a device they were good for showing what was not said as much as what was and of passing the time, but I still felt they jarred a bit at times. And actually the least satisfying and to my mind believable bit of the book was Nazneen's affair, her moment of taking control of her life for the first time. It just didn't seem very real to me. I guess sometimes people end up in weird situations or with weird people, but in this case it didn't really work for me. Overall I did enjoy it and it adds a lot to debates on multiculturalism as well as being a decent enough story, but I'm not sure it's worthy of a lot of the attention it received, which was probably a case of "New young ethnic female author writes about stuff post 9/11." So I'm a cynic. Sue me.
Book number: 31
Title: Brick Lane
Author: Monica Ali
Category: Book club/recommendations
As it happens, I did like it. For the most part, anyway. It was a book with a lot of questions and not a whole lot of answers, certainly no easy ones. That was something that I really liked about it. The differences between cultures, the idea of one being superior, the challenges faced by people in either – none of that is answered easily or definitively. It, for want of a better way of putting it, simply is. The same goes for the handling of issues of race and religious fundamentalism, it highlights them and shows them to be complex, with few easy options, but it portrays them from a fair and balanced perspective.
The two central characters and their inner struggles are also interesting. The way Nazneen deals with things and grows, struggling to reconcile different parts of herself with what she has been taught and what she is now experiencing is very interesting. The same goes for her husband, Chanu. He may be a bit of an idiot, but he's a loveable idiot. And through everything they go through, a genuine sense of love and affaction builds up between them, perhaps only really evident by the end.
I wasn't sure about the letters from Nazneen's sister in Bangladesh. They took some time to get used to and as a device they were good for showing what was not said as much as what was and of passing the time, but I still felt they jarred a bit at times. And actually the least satisfying and to my mind believable bit of the book was Nazneen's affair, her moment of taking control of her life for the first time. It just didn't seem very real to me. I guess sometimes people end up in weird situations or with weird people, but in this case it didn't really work for me. Overall I did enjoy it and it adds a lot to debates on multiculturalism as well as being a decent enough story, but I'm not sure it's worthy of a lot of the attention it received, which was probably a case of "New young ethnic female author writes about stuff post 9/11." So I'm a cynic. Sue me.
Book number: 31
Title: Brick Lane
Author: Monica Ali
Category: Book club/recommendations
Sunday, 1 May 2011
Alas-karte
Again, a strange quirk of fate in this game has dealt me a hand consisting of two consecutive books set in Alaska. Which, aside from anything else, has given me the oppotunity to make two god-awful attempts at plays on words. One of them in Yiddish. Ahem. Anyway, my second visit to Seward's Folly (see, working on U.S. History has taught me something – I now know there's more to Alaska than Sarah Palin) was rather different.
This one redraws the map and imagines a Jewish homeland set up after World War II in Alaska rather than Israel. What I've read of Michael Chabon's work I've really enjoyed and The Yiddish Policemen's Union is no different. Revolving around chess, murder and a large number of Jews trapped inside their very own snow bubble, this is an intriguing concept and an entertaining story to boot. The prose is simpler and sharper than Chabon's usual, which definitely helps the pace and makes it read like the thriller it clearly is. The plot is unravelled slowly, bringing together many strands and the author's ability to tie them up, tangle them and unravel them again is a fine touch.
Although protagonist Meyer Landsman could be mistaken for a clichéd copper, he's no caricature and in spite of his obvious flaws, he's strangely likeable. I think maybe this is because he makes mistakes, he does stupid things and he is just a man. He's no flawed genius, just an everyman trying to get on with his job, if not his life. Throw in his ex-wife (now his boss), his partner (also related) and some bloodline history and it truly becomes a family affair.
It has pretty much everything that could be asked for from such a book, it's engrossing, engaging and well-executed. To those authors left behind trailing in its wake: Jew up.
Book number: 30
Title: The Yiddish Policemen's Union
Author: Michael Chabon
Category: Crime
This one redraws the map and imagines a Jewish homeland set up after World War II in Alaska rather than Israel. What I've read of Michael Chabon's work I've really enjoyed and The Yiddish Policemen's Union is no different. Revolving around chess, murder and a large number of Jews trapped inside their very own snow bubble, this is an intriguing concept and an entertaining story to boot. The prose is simpler and sharper than Chabon's usual, which definitely helps the pace and makes it read like the thriller it clearly is. The plot is unravelled slowly, bringing together many strands and the author's ability to tie them up, tangle them and unravel them again is a fine touch.
Although protagonist Meyer Landsman could be mistaken for a clichéd copper, he's no caricature and in spite of his obvious flaws, he's strangely likeable. I think maybe this is because he makes mistakes, he does stupid things and he is just a man. He's no flawed genius, just an everyman trying to get on with his job, if not his life. Throw in his ex-wife (now his boss), his partner (also related) and some bloodline history and it truly becomes a family affair.
It has pretty much everything that could be asked for from such a book, it's engrossing, engaging and well-executed. To those authors left behind trailing in its wake: Jew up.
Book number: 30
Title: The Yiddish Policemen's Union
Author: Michael Chabon
Category: Crime
Alas, ka(ribou)
Another journey, another book. I've been travelling around a bit recently, which has given me ample opportunity to stick my nose in a book and not pull it out again for a few hours. And I am in no way upset about this. Next on my list was Caribou Island by David Vann. Not so much an impulse purchase as a carefully considered one as I needed something to fill out a Waterstone's 3 for 2 a couple of months ago. The black and gold cover, the blurb and the reference to Cormac McCarthy had me sold, all I needed now was the right time to read it.
A family affair in the rural wilderness of Alaska, it deals primarily with two couples, a married pair and their daughter and her partner, and their relationships, into which the odd incendiary device is thrown during the course of the book. Love and lust, disappointment and disintegration, are woven in the threads of the relationships to produce a tapestry of life that ends with the metaphorical bang.
The honesty and truth of the relationships and the people involved are what makes it such an engrossing read. The characters are well-fleshed out and real – selfish, independent Gary, whose life has not turned out how he thought it would; long-suffering, downhearted Irene who married him and submits to another one of his failing enterprises. I've never been married, let alone for thirty years, but I hope to god they don't all end up like these two. Then there's Rhoda, easily the most sympathetic character, she's the most well-balanced, though normal quite doesn't do her justice as it implies as a lack of personality that isn't true. Then there's wealthy, successful Jim, her fiancee who wants to have his cake and eat it. He does too, in the form of one of the supporting cast, Monique, who is straight out of someone's wet dream. Throw into the mix Mark the waster who shows no sign of wanting to get out of the place and the naive, jealous Carl and the players are all ready to take the stage.
Well written, well rounded, and well defined, this is an excellent picture of relationships of all kinds and the joy, misery and everything in between that they consist of.
Book number: 29
Title: Caribou Island
Author: David Vann
Category: Books by authors I've never heard of
A family affair in the rural wilderness of Alaska, it deals primarily with two couples, a married pair and their daughter and her partner, and their relationships, into which the odd incendiary device is thrown during the course of the book. Love and lust, disappointment and disintegration, are woven in the threads of the relationships to produce a tapestry of life that ends with the metaphorical bang.
The honesty and truth of the relationships and the people involved are what makes it such an engrossing read. The characters are well-fleshed out and real – selfish, independent Gary, whose life has not turned out how he thought it would; long-suffering, downhearted Irene who married him and submits to another one of his failing enterprises. I've never been married, let alone for thirty years, but I hope to god they don't all end up like these two. Then there's Rhoda, easily the most sympathetic character, she's the most well-balanced, though normal quite doesn't do her justice as it implies as a lack of personality that isn't true. Then there's wealthy, successful Jim, her fiancee who wants to have his cake and eat it. He does too, in the form of one of the supporting cast, Monique, who is straight out of someone's wet dream. Throw into the mix Mark the waster who shows no sign of wanting to get out of the place and the naive, jealous Carl and the players are all ready to take the stage.
Well written, well rounded, and well defined, this is an excellent picture of relationships of all kinds and the joy, misery and everything in between that they consist of.
Book number: 29
Title: Caribou Island
Author: David Vann
Category: Books by authors I've never heard of
Mounting troubles
So far on this reading odyssey I have (quite without planning I assure you) now read two books on the subject of mountaineering. It's not something I ever had a real interest in before and I certainly have no intention of taking up this mad pursuit now. Even if I did once harbour ambitions of navigating Everest (I really didn't), having read Touching the Void, that foolish idea has been well and truly squashed. Joe Simpson's true story account of his mountaineerign accident in the 1980s, surviving impossible falls, sub-zero temperatures and a crazily broken leg is enough to put me off my breakfast, never mind wanting to scale insurmountable peaks.
Yet the story is gripping, starting from the scene setting to the climb between him and his partner Simon up a previously unclimbed peak in the Peruvian Andes. This then leads on the near fatal accident, the struggle the two of them try to make down, before Simon is forced to cut the rope in order to save himself, believing Joe to be beyond help and nothing other than dead. It is testament to the almost unbelievable nature of Joe's fall 'n' crawl back to base camp that despite knowing what happens from the start (no twists in this thriller), there is a high level of tension throughout. The battle for survival, the sheer force of will by which he survives is credit to what people are capable of in insanely desperate circumstances.
The writing is fine, if not spectacular, and the story is certainly worth the telling. A little knowledge of mountaineering terms and equipment may have made the reading easier as sometimes I was struggling to visualise what was meant, but largely a layman like myself was able to engage with it. And after all, the climbing bit isn't really the point, it's simply the vehicle for this miraculous tale of struggle, endurance and survival, which can't do anything other than leave the reader filled with hope and that the seemingly impossible just might not be.
Book number: 28
Title: Touching the Void
Author: Joe Simpson
Category: Non-fiction
Yet the story is gripping, starting from the scene setting to the climb between him and his partner Simon up a previously unclimbed peak in the Peruvian Andes. This then leads on the near fatal accident, the struggle the two of them try to make down, before Simon is forced to cut the rope in order to save himself, believing Joe to be beyond help and nothing other than dead. It is testament to the almost unbelievable nature of Joe's fall 'n' crawl back to base camp that despite knowing what happens from the start (no twists in this thriller), there is a high level of tension throughout. The battle for survival, the sheer force of will by which he survives is credit to what people are capable of in insanely desperate circumstances.
The writing is fine, if not spectacular, and the story is certainly worth the telling. A little knowledge of mountaineering terms and equipment may have made the reading easier as sometimes I was struggling to visualise what was meant, but largely a layman like myself was able to engage with it. And after all, the climbing bit isn't really the point, it's simply the vehicle for this miraculous tale of struggle, endurance and survival, which can't do anything other than leave the reader filled with hope and that the seemingly impossible just might not be.
Book number: 28
Title: Touching the Void
Author: Joe Simpson
Category: Non-fiction
Youth and young manhood
The face of a shocked teenager stares out at me. Eyes wide, saying "What am I supposed to have done this time?" No text, just that image, not even in colour. That's the cover of Bruce Robinson's The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman. A coming of age story of teenage (and childhood) misadventure in the 1950s, it takes in all the usual suspects – families and their histories, girls, life and death – and some more interesting ones – enemas, Morse code and defecating. I suppose to be expected from the man who, as it turns out, wrote the screenplay for Withnail and I.
A comic romp of misdeeds and trouble, I'm sure there are elements of autobiography within the story. I was most reminded of Irvine Welsh and the book compares favourably – our young protagonist could certainly have been a character in Glue, for example. The story has a heart, too, which lifts it above simply being a gross-out comedy or series of unlikely events. The connection between Thomas and his grandfather, who is dying of cancer, is touching in the way that sometimes the young and the old get on where those generations in between don't. Their communication method through Morse code, their individual secrecy and shared secrets, is a nice touch.
So all in all an entertaining read and a good one too. But I can't stop feeling that there was something missing about it that stopped it being a great one. Maybe it's the distance between the story and my own life, maybe I couldn't quite engage with the characters emotionally, I don't know, but while I did enjoy it, I'm still left thinking that it could have been something more.
Book number: 27
Title: The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman
Author: Bruce Robinson
Category: Books by authors I've never heard of
A comic romp of misdeeds and trouble, I'm sure there are elements of autobiography within the story. I was most reminded of Irvine Welsh and the book compares favourably – our young protagonist could certainly have been a character in Glue, for example. The story has a heart, too, which lifts it above simply being a gross-out comedy or series of unlikely events. The connection between Thomas and his grandfather, who is dying of cancer, is touching in the way that sometimes the young and the old get on where those generations in between don't. Their communication method through Morse code, their individual secrecy and shared secrets, is a nice touch.
So all in all an entertaining read and a good one too. But I can't stop feeling that there was something missing about it that stopped it being a great one. Maybe it's the distance between the story and my own life, maybe I couldn't quite engage with the characters emotionally, I don't know, but while I did enjoy it, I'm still left thinking that it could have been something more.
Book number: 27
Title: The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman
Author: Bruce Robinson
Category: Books by authors I've never heard of
Downfall
The downfall of individuals. Battles between inner demons and outer religions. Man versus God. Pride, lust, envy. Just a range of the themes running throughout The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene. Heavy stuff perhaps, yet the book is artfully written and almost surprisingly engaging. I've read a couple of Greene's books and if I wasn't a complete convert before, I certainly am now.
The tale of Scobie, a police inspector in an African colony, sees the central character hold up a mirror to his soul and engage his moral compass. As the novel progresses, we see a good man fall foul of various temptations and struggle to reconcile the decisions he made with his religion. A complex and believable character, Scobie's donward journey, towards the book's tragic ending is told with great skill by a very talented writer who has a strong grasp of the human condition.
The supporting cast does it's bit too – the slippery Yusef, the long-suffering Louise, the immature and dislikeable Wilson and a few others flesh out the bones of the book and what could also be described as the bones of our protagonist. Between them they help to define Scobie, showing different sides to his character and exposing his many flaws. As he falls deeper into sin, he struggles to reconcile his life with the Catholic truth, ultimately leading to the biggest one of all. In the hands of a less skilled author this could be trite or melodramatic, but it is handled with great skill and care, making the ending bleak but meaningful, rather than merely hollow.
Book number: 26
Title: The Heart of the Matter
Author: Graham Greene
Category: Books that have been sat on my bookshelf for too long
The tale of Scobie, a police inspector in an African colony, sees the central character hold up a mirror to his soul and engage his moral compass. As the novel progresses, we see a good man fall foul of various temptations and struggle to reconcile the decisions he made with his religion. A complex and believable character, Scobie's donward journey, towards the book's tragic ending is told with great skill by a very talented writer who has a strong grasp of the human condition.
The supporting cast does it's bit too – the slippery Yusef, the long-suffering Louise, the immature and dislikeable Wilson and a few others flesh out the bones of the book and what could also be described as the bones of our protagonist. Between them they help to define Scobie, showing different sides to his character and exposing his many flaws. As he falls deeper into sin, he struggles to reconcile his life with the Catholic truth, ultimately leading to the biggest one of all. In the hands of a less skilled author this could be trite or melodramatic, but it is handled with great skill and care, making the ending bleak but meaningful, rather than merely hollow.
Book number: 26
Title: The Heart of the Matter
Author: Graham Greene
Category: Books that have been sat on my bookshelf for too long
Oh dear
So it's been a month since my last entry. I'd already been struggling with reading for a bit – finding the time to an extent, but more the motivation and focus. Then some other stuff happened and I couldn't read at all for a while. Fortunately, as I expected, I then went through a phase of not being able to put books down and burnt through several very quickly. Which brings me here, with half a dozen reviews to write – assuming I can remember the books, that is...
Given to me by my housemate to have a read of, after she picked it up somewhere for ten English pence, Dear Me is the autobiography of Peter Ustinov. I must confess that all I knew about the man before picking up his book is that he was Chancellor of Durham University when I first arrived, before his death during my first year of undergrad in 2004 (dates me a bit) and the later succession of Bill Bryson to the post.
As it turns out, the man led a rather interesting life. Actor, playwright, writer, director, he was certainly a man of many talents. As well as interesting and always refreshingly honest, the stories he tells are done so with a sense of dry humour and a knack for spinning them. It's not just a list of famous names to drop, though he's brushed shoulders with the great and the good from many walks of life, but the stories chosen are engaging and entertaining. He also delves into his family history, explaining the seemingly unlikely circumstances surrounding how he came to be, both at all and a citizen of Great Britain. Through this, to his schooldays and his later career and successes, the attention is always kept a safe distance from prying too much into current personal matters of relationships in respect of the people's privacy. Instead, he looks back on older relationships with hindsight and a touch of wisdom that rings true.
Throughout the book there are frequent interchanges with himself (the 'dear me' of the title) to convey information and opinions. These are an interesting technique and provide a device for telling stories, reflecting on events and keeping a structure throughout. In today's era of vacous, dull and uninsightful celebrity memoirs, it's good to read a real autobiography, actually written by the subject, that has something to say for itself.
Book number: 25
Title: Dear Me
Author: Peter Ustinov
Category: Non-fiction
Given to me by my housemate to have a read of, after she picked it up somewhere for ten English pence, Dear Me is the autobiography of Peter Ustinov. I must confess that all I knew about the man before picking up his book is that he was Chancellor of Durham University when I first arrived, before his death during my first year of undergrad in 2004 (dates me a bit) and the later succession of Bill Bryson to the post.
As it turns out, the man led a rather interesting life. Actor, playwright, writer, director, he was certainly a man of many talents. As well as interesting and always refreshingly honest, the stories he tells are done so with a sense of dry humour and a knack for spinning them. It's not just a list of famous names to drop, though he's brushed shoulders with the great and the good from many walks of life, but the stories chosen are engaging and entertaining. He also delves into his family history, explaining the seemingly unlikely circumstances surrounding how he came to be, both at all and a citizen of Great Britain. Through this, to his schooldays and his later career and successes, the attention is always kept a safe distance from prying too much into current personal matters of relationships in respect of the people's privacy. Instead, he looks back on older relationships with hindsight and a touch of wisdom that rings true.
Throughout the book there are frequent interchanges with himself (the 'dear me' of the title) to convey information and opinions. These are an interesting technique and provide a device for telling stories, reflecting on events and keeping a structure throughout. In today's era of vacous, dull and uninsightful celebrity memoirs, it's good to read a real autobiography, actually written by the subject, that has something to say for itself.
Book number: 25
Title: Dear Me
Author: Peter Ustinov
Category: Non-fiction
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