Category Archives: Serious

April 20, 2010 · 1:32 am

The Legacy – Kristen Tranter

I read a review of this novel in The Australian and simply had to have it. Here is the description from Harper Collins …

What has happened to Ingrid?

Beautiful Ingrid inherits a fortune and leaves Australia, and her friends, and Ralph who loves her, to marry Gil Grey and set up home amid the New York art world. There she becomes the stepmother to Gil?s teenage artist daughter Fleur, a former child prodigy, and studies ancient curse scrolls at Columbia University.

But at 9am on September 11, 2001, she has an appointment downtown. And is never seen again.

Or is she?

Searching for clues about Ingrid?s life a year later, her friend Julia uncovers only further layers of mystery and deception.

Both an unputdownable mystery and a compelling meditation on the nature of art, truth, friendship and love, THE LEGACY announces the arrival of a major new talent.

This novel is a modern re-telling of James’s The Portrait of a Lady plus a bit of an extension. It’s been a long time since I’ve read The Portrait of a Lady but I remember after a couple of false starts that I loved it. This novel is in three parts and the first part closely resembles James’s novel (although obviously with a modern setting), part two and part three move into new territory. I really enjoyed reading this novel – I didn’t want it to end. The things that have really stuck in my mind was first how well she described an Australian university experience (it reminded me of my time at Uni), secondly the effect of the collapse of the World Trade Center on New Yorkers and thirdly the sense of place Ms Tranter created. The writing is spectacular (and unobtrusive). I didn’t once think it needed more editing (very unusual) and the characters are fabulous, completely believable. Here’s a reading guide, and a review and another review.

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February 9, 2010 · 10:03 pm

Saint Maybe – Anne Tyler

saintmaybe

I picked this book us from the library (in large print! – I quite like large print I wonder if that means I need reading glasses?).

I liked Anne Tyler. I like how her novels focus on more domestic themes – everyday life with all of its complexities.

Here is the book description …

In 1965, the happy Bedloe family is living an ideal, apple-pie existence in Baltimore. Then, in the blink of an eye, a single, tragic event occurs that will transform their lives forever — particularly that of seventeen-year-old Ian Bedloe, the youngest son, who blames himself for the sudden “accidental” death of his older brother.Depressed and depleted, Ian is almost crushed under the weight of an unbearable, secret guilt. Then one crisp January evening, he catches sight of a window with glowing yellow neon, the Church of the Second Chance. He enters and soon discovers that forgiveness must be earned, through a bit of sacrifice and a lot of love.

The characters in this novel are wonderfully portrayed – they all seem to be real (and completely ordinary). This novel is about guilt and atonement, but also about family and where individuals fit into a family and what is required to be part of a family. Ian sacrifices greatly to atone for his brother’s death (which he thinks he caused). He raises his brother’s children (with some help from his parents) which involves giving up college and the life he might have imagined for himself.

‘Right,’ Ian told her. ‘I had both my parents helping, and still it wasn’t easy. A lot of it was just plain boring. Just providing a warm body, just being there; anyone could have done it. And then other parts were terrifying. Kids get into so much! They start to matter so much. Some days I felt like a fireman or a lifeguard or something – all that tedium, broken up by little spurts of high drama.’

I think that’s a fantastic quote about parenting. Sometimes it is boring – admiring the thirtieth picture of a dinosaur for that day, reading yet another Princess story and yet it does matter.

Having said that, I was a bit disappointed with the ending. I wanted something better for Ian – not just more of the same – still living at home (albeit with his wife), looking after another baby and his aging father.

Here’s a study guide …

http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-saint-maybe/

and it was made into a TV movie

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0168156/

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February 2, 2010 · 4:39 am

Surfacing – Margaret Atwood

surfacing

Atwood is one of my favourite authors. I was amazed I found one of her novels that I hadn’t read. This is one of her earlier works – her second novel first published in 1972.

Plot summary from Wikipedia …

The book tells the story of a woman who returns to her hometown in Canada to find her missing father. Accompanied by her lover and another married couple, the unnamed protagonist meets her past in her childhood house, recalling events and feelings, while trying to find clues for her father’s mysterious disappearance. Little by little, the past overtakes her and drives her into the realm of wildness and madness.

This novel has a wonderful sense of place – I can picture the lake and the cabin. The characters are beautifully portrait, but they are people of a definite era (I can imagine the men with hairy chests and medallions). The sexual revolution has started – both women took the pill and then stopped – women are beginning to be emancipated, but not quite.

The descent into madness is fabulous to read and it all seems quite logical.

I think this is a fabulous novel, but Atwood goes onto greater things with Cat’s Eye, Handmaid’s Tale, Alias Grace and Oryx and Crake. If you’re an Atwood fan, then it’s worth reading to see where she came from, but otherwise I probably wouldn’t bother.

Here are some other (and better) reviews …

http://silverseason.wordpress.com/2009/12/17/margaret-atwood-surfacing/

http://amandasrandombookthoughts.blogspot.com/2009/10/surfacing-margaret-atwood.html

http://joshlanghoff.blogspot.com/2009/09/best-thing-i-read-recently-surfacing-by.html

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February 1, 2010 · 2:27 am

The Bell – Iris Murdoch

thebell

I got this book from the library – I’m not sure why I chose it. I think I felt that she was a novelist that one should read.

A lay community of thoroughly mixed-up people is encamped outside Imber Abbey, home of an order of sequestered nuns. A new bell is being installed when suddenly the old bell, a legendary symbol of religion and magic, is rediscovered. And then things begin to change. Meanwhile the wise old Abbess watches and prays and exercises discreet authority. And everyone, or almost everyone, hopes to be saved, whatever that may mean. Originally published in 1958, this funny, sad, and moving novel is about religion, sex, and the fight between good and evil.

This novel isbeautifully written, but I think it has dated. I don’t think a gay man in the twenty-first century would spend so much time soul-searching about his sexuality. The characterisations are fabulous – I didn’t like any of them, but I thought they were convincing.

The narrative switches between characters and we get insights into thoughts of the characters – Michael and Dora. It is clear that was is appearing on the surface is not what is going on in the depths – a bit like the old bell being hidden in the lake. Things do come to the surface (including the bell) and the characters need to face their true selves and then move forward.

One quote that stands out for me is from Michael’s sermon

One must perform the lower act which one can manage and sustain; not the higher act which one bungles.

This book could definitely be read more than once with more and more connections becoming apparent, however, I don’t think I will read it again.

More reviews …

http://blacksheepbooks.blogspot.com/2009/11/bell-by-iris-murdoch.html

http://mindywithrow.com/?p=360

A reading guide …

http://us.penguingroup.com/static/rguides/us/bell.html

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January 25, 2010 · 4:46 am

The Lacuna – Barbara Kingsolver

thelacuna

I received this novel as a Christmas gift. I’m a keen Kingsolver fan so I did suggest it as a present idea.

From the publisher …

In her most accomplished novel, Barbara Kingsolver takes us on an epic journey from the Mexico City of artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo to the America of Pearl Harbor, FDR, and J. Edgar Hoover. The Lacuna is a poignant story of a man pulled between two nations as they invent their modern identities.

Born in the United States, reared in a series of provisional households in Mexico—from a coastal island jungle to 1930s Mexico City—Harrison Shepherd finds precarious shelter but no sense of home on his thrilling odyssey. Life is whatever he learns from housekeepers who put him to work in the kitchen, errands he runs in the streets, and one fateful day, by mixing plaster for famed Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. He discovers a passion for Aztec history and meets the exotic, imperious artist Frida Kahlo, who will become his lifelong friend. When he goes to work for Lev Trotsky, an exiled political leader fighting for his life, Shepherd inadvertently casts his lot with art and revolution, newspaper headlines and howling gossip, and a risk of terrible violence.

Meanwhile, to the north, the United States will soon be caught up in the internationalist goodwill of World War II. There in the land of his birth, Shepherd believes he might remake himself in America’s hopeful image and claim a voice of his own. He finds support from an unlikely kindred soul, his stenographer, Mrs. Brown, who will be far more valuable to her employer than he could ever know. Through darkening years, political winds continue to toss him between north and south in a plot that turns many times on the unspeakable breach—the lacuna—between truth and public presumption.

With deeply compelling characters, a vivid sense of place, and a clear grasp of how history and public opinion can shape a life, Barbara Kingsolver has created an unforgettable portrait of the artist—and of art itself. The Lacuna is a rich and daring work of literature, establishing its author as one of the most provocative and important of her time.

I found this novel slow going at first and I stopped reading it a couple of times and moved onto something else. However, by the end I was captured. This novel contains an abundance of information about Mexico, Communism and America during the ‘reds under the beds’ debacle. This book is beautifully written and contains an enormous amount of research. I found the characters compelling, in particular Violet Brown. Not being at all familiar with American history (or Mexican) I enjoyed the social history aspects of this novel.

Here are some other reviews …

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/books/review/Schillinger-t.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/the-lacuna-by-barbara-kingsolver-1811038.html

http://mylifeasseenthroughbooks.blogspot.com/2010/01/redux-12-lacuna-by-barbara-kingsolver.html

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December 31, 2009 · 5:20 am

Oranges are not the only Fruit – Jeanette Winterson

orangesarenottheonlyfruit

 While reading this novel I got the feeling that I’ve read it before, but I couldn’t remember what happened so I kept going.

This is the story of Jeanette, adopted and brought up by her mother as one of God’s elect. Zealous and passionate, she seems destined for life as a missionary, but then she falls for one of her converts. At sixteen, Jeanette decides to leave the church, her home and her family, for the young woman she loves. Innovative, punchy and tender, “Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit” is a few days ride into the bizarre outposts of religious excess and human obsession.

This is a beautifully written story – I do like first person narratives – the characters are fabulous. What an amazing first novel. In amongst the narrative are fairy tale vignettes about the search for the holy grail and a girl Winnet escaping from a wizard trying to find the magic city. These stories within a story highlight Jeanette’s mental state.

This is a quick read and well worth the effort. I’ll definitely be looking for more of her works.

http://andthenireadsomemore.blogspot.com/2009/11/jeanette-winterson-oranges-are-not-only.html

http://serendipityteacher.blogspot.com/2009/08/oranges-are-not-only-fruit-by-jeanette.html

There are even SparkNotes

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/oranges/

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December 12, 2009 · 12:04 am

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie – Muriel Spark

theprimejeanbrodie

I bought this book years ago while on holiday in Sydney. I was quite keen to read it again when it was suggested at book club. Plus it’s the perfect read in the lead up to the busy Christmas season (short).

Here is the stuff from the back …

At the staid Marcia Blaine School for Girls, in Edinburgh, Scotland, teacher extraordinaire Miss Jean Brodie is unmistakably, and outspokenly, in her prime. She is passionate in the application of her unorthodox teaching methods, in her attraction to the married art master, Teddy Lloyd, in her affair with the bachelor music master, Gordon Lowther, and—most important—in her dedication to “her girls,” the students she selects to be her crème de la crème. Fanatically devoted, each member of the Brodie set—Eunice, Jenny, Mary, Monica, Rose, and Sandy—is “famous for something,” and Miss Brodie strives to bring out the best in each one. Determined to instill in them independence, passion, and ambition, Miss Brodie advises her girls, “Safety does not come first. Goodness, Truth, and Beauty come first. Follow me.”

And they do. But one of them will betray her.

I enjoyed reading this – I liked the descriptive asides about the girls … ‘Rose Stanley was famous for sex’ and ‘Eunice Gardiner […] famous for her spritely gymnastics and glorious swimming’.

It did make me think of all of the women who would have been left spinsters after World War 1 – what would they have done with themselves? They would still have been limited to ‘feminine professions’ like teaching and nursing.

I liked the writing style it was economical and yet managed to say a lot. I thought Miss Brodie was a bit sad – she had no real friends (adults that is) and she seemed to try to control the girls.

Here are some other reviews …

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/firsttuesday/s2686642.htm

http://www.bibliographing.com/2009/10/12/emthe-prime-jean-brodieem-muriel-spark/

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November 26, 2009 · 4:38 am

My Antonia – Willa Cather

200px-my_antonia

 I bought this book from my local second hand book store. Cather was one of those authors I felt I should read, but hadn’t yet got around to it.

An enduring literary masterpiece first published in 1918, this hauntingly eloquent classic is an inspiring reminder of the rich past we have inherited. Willa Cather’s lustrous prose, infused with a passion for the land, summons forth the hard scrabble days of the immigrant pioneer women on the Nebraska plains, while etching a deeply moving portrait of an entire community. As Jim Burden, revisits his childhood friendship with the free-spirited Antonia Shimerda, we come to understand the sheer fortitude of homesteaders on the prairie, the steadfast bonds cultivated there, and the abiding memories that such vast expanses inspire. Holding the pastoral society’s heart, of course, is the bewitching Antonia, whose unfailing industry and infectious enthusiasm for life exemplify the triumphant vitality of an era.

I haven’t read much American Literature – Canadian yes – but not American. I’m also quite ignorant of American history, so from that point of view this book was very enlightening. I enjoyed reading about life on the prairie – all of the details about cooking, gardening, keeping warm in winter etc. However, I did struggle to read this book and I don’t think I’ll be reading anything else by Cather.

Here are some other reviews …

http://www.shhhimreading.com/2009/06/review-my-antonia-by-willa-cather.html

http://readingthebest100novels.blogspot.com/2009/11/my-antonia.html

http://iditis.blogspot.com/2009/09/my-antonia-willa-cathers-sensitive.html

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November 15, 2009 · 2:59 am

A Wreath of Roses – Elizabeth Taylor

awreathofroses

I found this book in a second hand book store while on holiday. I do like Elizabeth Taylor novels – such understated, character driven stories.

“Spending the holiday with friends, as she has for many years, Camilla finds that their private absorptions – Frances with he painting and Liz with her baby – seem to exclude her from the gossipy intimacies of previous summers. Anxious that she will remain encased in her solitary life as a school secretary, Camilla steps into an unlikely liaison with Richard Elton, a handsome, assured – and dangerous – liar. Replete with the subtle wit that is her hallmark, and a tender and perfectly evoked portrait of friendship between women, A Wreath of Roses is nonetheless Elizabeth Taylor’s darkest novel: an astute exploration of the fear of loneliness and its emotional armour.”

This novel is dark. For me it was about the choices women make in their lives and where those choices have taken them.  Frances, an elderly solitary woman, is finally able to concentrate on her painting after a lifetime of working as a governess. From the outside her life might look lonely and confined, but she feels she has truly lived and her art provides her with all of her emotional needs. And there is Liz recently married and newly a mother. She complains about her husband and is very anxious about her son. It doesn’t seem a particularly successful marriage, however, when Arthur enters the scene it all seems better and I’m sure with time everything will be fine. And then there is Camilla. She is definitely lonely and thinks she has missed all her opportunity to meet a man. She meets the mysterious Richard Elton and begins a somewhat clandestine affair. She seems drawn to him despite understanding that he really is not her ‘type’. He is a bit sinister and we the reader have insights into his character that Camilla does not. Will she make a terrible mistake?

I really enjoyed this novel – I loved how Richard seemed menacing even though everything he did was ordinary. I also enjoyed Frances inner thoughts about her art…

Then, one day, when she was a young woman, she suddenly and as if by chance, related her talent to her genius. She cast away the dressing up clothes and willed herself into what she painted. She threw away her personality and it changed. The nervous effort was extreme, for the difference was the distance between charades at parties and Sarah Bernhardt as Phedre.

I think this book is beautiful, well written and thought provoking.

I can only find one other review …

http://smithereens.wordpress.com/2008/07/22/elizabeth-taylor-a-wreath-of-roses-1949%E2%80%A6-and-a-trip-to-the-library/

 

 

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November 4, 2009 · 4:40 am

Her Fearful Symmetry – Audrey Niffenegger

herfearfulsymmetry

I’m not sure why I picked this one – I have read The Time Traveller’s Wife but I wouldn’t have thought enough to buy her next book. Perhaps I got caught up in the hype?

Anyway I have read it. This is the information from the publisher …

Audrey Niffenegger’s spectacularly compelling second novel opens with a letter that alters the fate of every character. Julia and Valentina Poole are semi-normal American twenty-year-olds with seemingly little interest in college or finding jobs. Their attachment to one another is intense. One morning the mailman delivers a thick envelope to their house in the suburbs of Chicago. From a London solicitor, the enclosed letter informs Valentina and Julia that their English aunt Elspeth Noblin, whom they never knew, has died of cancer and left them her London apartment. There are two conditions to this inheritance: that they live in it for a year before they sell it and that their parents not enter it. Julia and Valentina are twins. So were the estranged Elspeth and Edie, their mother.

The girls move to Elspeth’s flat, which borders the vast and ornate Highgate Cemetery, where Christina Rossetti, George Eliot, Radclyffe Hall, Stella Gibbons and Karl Marx are buried. Julia and Valentina come to know the living residents of their building. There is Martin, a brilliant and charming crossword-puzzle setter suffering from crippling obsessive compulsive disorder; Marijke, Martin’s devoted but trapped wife; and Robert, Elspeth’s elusive lover, a scholar of the cemetery. As the girls become embroiled in the fraying lives of their aunt’s neighbors, they also discover that much is still alive in Highgate, including — perhaps — their aunt.

Author of one of the most beloved first novels in recent years, Niffenegger returns with an unnerving, unforgettable and enchanting ghost story, a novel about love and identity, secrets and sisterhood and the tenacity of life — even after death.

Once again Ms Niffenegger has been very creative. I thought her characters were realistic and compelling. Having said that I found this book creepy and depressing and I would hesitate to recommend it to anyone.

Here are some other reviews …

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/65339359

http://sumthinblue.com/her-fearful-symmetry/

http://imbookingit.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/her-fearful-symmetry-2/

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