bookswelike

bwl 89 - Summer 2018

Fiction

James Baldwin - Giovanni's Room

"The saddest book I have ever read" said one member of my Reading Group - nor was she wrong. We meet David, approaching middle age, American - and engaged. In Paris to escape his family he meets Giovanni. Their affair, so promising at its beginning soon disintegrates into claustrophobia and bitterness leading to a final betrayal. Powerful, beautifully written, this will either leave you feeling sleazy, almost dirty - or will completely engage your emotions. A must read. (Ferelith Hordon)

Jennifer Egan - Manhattan Beach

Set largely in the waterfront areas of New York during WWII, and in particular the Brooklyn Naval yards, we follow the fortunes of Anna Kerrigan and her family, their struggles and some extraordinary triumphs. Characters convincingly drawn, and background material exquisitely researched, from gangland and dockside protection rackets, to touching and tender depictions of family and workplace relationships forged and disrupted in this challenging place and time. Unputdownable! Great holiday read. (Margaret Teh)

Candy Gourlay - Bone Talk

There may have been a bit of a revival in historical novels for young readers recently, but the subjects and periods tend to be conventional. In Bone Talk Gourlay takes us to her home country, the Philippines, 1899. We meet Samkad looking forward to becoming a man. The arrival of an American followed by soldiers changes everything. As he says "I had not known it possible for there to be people with hair a colour other than black.." An eyeopener for Samkad - and the reader. (Ferelith Hordon)

Jane Harper - The Dry

Drought, Australia's outback, a community in shock: policeman Falk returns for the funeral of his childhood friend who has slaughtered his wife and son, then turned the gun on himself. Or has he? In setting out to discover what led to the deaths, Falk is haunted by the secret he shared 20 years ago when he fled from the town. What distinguishes this page-turning thriller is Harper's evocation of the hot, dry, pulsating landscape, the perfect seedbed for smouldering resentments, grudges and suspicions. (Jenny Baker)

Robert Harris - Munich

One of the advantages of age is I can remember the reaction to Chamberlain's waving of that piece of white paper when he returned from Munich and heralded "peace in our time". We all know what followed. Harris imagines what actually took place in both camps and manages to bring home how different it might have been with invented characters speaking for brave Germans who just might have changed history's course. A riveting read, written by a master of the genre. (James Baker)

Kent Haruf - Our Souls at Night

A strange little book, which has since been made into a Netflix film. A very easy read with short chapters and simple language. However, there is no punctuation to indicate dialogue which takes a bit of getting used to. Basically it's a touching love story about two elderly and lonely neighbours (both widowed) in small town America, and raises many questions about friendship and family loyalties. Perfect as a holiday read - (but avoid saying the title out loud quickly to anyone of a sensitive disposition!). (Mary Standing)

Kazuo Ishiguro - An Artist of the Floating World

The year is 1948 and post-war Japan is in the process of rebuilding itself. The renowned Japanese painter, Masiyi Ono has just retired and is looking forward to a peaceful retirement filled with gardening, family time, and meeting up with old associates. However, with time to contemplate his earlier life and career, Masiyi's own doubts begin to cast dark shadows over his past. Exquisitely written. (Sharron Calkins)

D H Lawrence - Women in Love

If only Lawrence had been able to use a word-processor. I can visualise him scribbling at his desk, dipping pen in ink, throwing closely written pages on the floor. Then reading them and the effort it would be to prune, edit, cut and paste before making a fair copy for his publisher. We've got used to honed language so perhaps that's why I found this so impossible to read. Yet this is his masterpiece which makes me a philistine. (Jenny Baker)

Julie Mayhew - The Electrical Venus

It is the Age of Enlightenment. The excitement of scientific discoveries is everywhere. But not for Mim and Alex trying to make a living as Curiosities in a Travelling Show. At least until Mim becomes The Electrical Venus. This is a lively, unexpected treat whirling the reader to a rich, vivid past in the company of two teenagers facing life. I loved it - but do not be fooled by the cover. No magical realism here - just realism. (Ferelith Hordon)

Haruki Murakami - Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman

This translated collection of 26 short stories is an adventure in reading. Think of this book as a box of Japanese candy just waiting to be sampled. You suspect that they will be unlike a box of English candy, and you are pretty sure that many of the 'flavours' will be unfamiliar to you. Should you try them? Yes, definitely!!!! (Sharron Calkins)

Mary O'Hara - My Friend Flicka

I'm indulging myself by reviewing a book given to me by my great-Aunt which - with the others in the trilogy - I have read and re-read throughout the years - too many to reveal. The adult emotions were difficult for a 7 year old but then and now, I find It is the most wonderful portrayal of a Mid-West farming family in the thirties. The youngest son, struggling to understand the world, is given a foal for his birthday and from this stems a mixture of joy and sorrow. A definite must for anyone who relishes stories filled with every kind of emotion. (Aletha Anne Bloor)

Robert Seethaler - A Whole Life

The Life is mountain dweller Andreas Egger's, from painful childhood to his death, in 150 pages. I can't express the delicacy with which Seethaler manages to recount the passing of the years, from tragedy to contentment, the barest understated essentials dotted with sudden shining images. A small gem to live inside, and 'whole' in every sense. Jim Crace defines it 'Heart-rending and heart-warming.....for all its gentleness a very powerful novel.' Can't put it better myself! (Annabel Bedini)

Kamila Shamsie - Home Fire

The novel's main themes are identity, conflicting localities, love and politics. Classical stories seem to be influencing contemporary writers at the moment and Shamsie references Sophocles' Antigone in a sister's desire to bury her brother after he is declared a traitor at whatever cost to herself. Shamsie takes on the difficult subject of radicalisation and handles it with much understanding and care. It is a thought provoking novel that is also very readable. (Christine Miller)

Georges Simenon - Maigret and the Man on the Boulevard

Classic Maigret as the detective slowly homes in on what was going on in the life of a murder victim. Maigret's shrewd appreciation of the dark lives of people clinging on to modest status, or living on the raffish fringes of society, comes to the fore. All this and a vivid impression of mid-century everyday street life in Paris. All done with great economy. (Tony Pratt)

Edward St. Aubyn - The Complete Patrick Melrose Novels

A monumental volume of 5 books that take us into the life of Patrick Melrose. Edward St Aubyn's writing is startlingly brilliant, crisp and deeply human. The first book in the series Never Mind is unlike the four others as it centres on the indulgent life of Patrick's aristocratic father and wealthy American mother and their friends. It is in their South of France family villa where we meet Patrick as a young boy. As he scrambles around this idyllic landscape we slowly discover that the unsettling feeling that creeps through the pages is in fact his father darkly looming over his innocence. This semi-autobiographical novel is of abuse and neglect.
We take a leap in the second novel Bad News as Patrick is now a young man who numbs his childhood pain with alcohol and a cornucopia of drugs. I was enthralled by all of the books in the series though felt this second one was his finest. St Aubyn's description of the drug fuelled scenes are, at times, hilarious, and at others deeply sad. The three books to follow, Some Hope, Mother's Milk and At Last take us through Patrick's journey of addiction, philandering and ultimately on a path to recovery. Beneath the snobbery and cutting remarks is a wounded child trying to make sense of it all. I was so entranced by the character Patrick Melrose that I kept putting off reading the final pages. I didn't want to let this character go!
While it is a profoundly disturbing subject, St Aubyn delivers dark humour at its finest. Patrick is quick-witted and achingly funny. The books have been made into a television series with Benedict Cumberbatch playing Patrick Melrose. I expect Cumberbatch will do a sterling job though I would encourage anyone to read the books before watching it on the box. It is just too good.
Editor's Note: The Sky TV series is now out on DVD - and yes Cumberbatch is perfect casting. (Claire Bane)

Gerard Woodward - The Paper Lovers

Arnold (academic) and Polly (paper-maker) seem happily married until he suddenly falls for her friend Vera. The obsession takes hold, causing awkward school-run moments and some anguish, but there's a twist when a vulnerable student appears at Polly's shop. Arnold tries to keep everyone happy but only makes things worse as poetry, paper-making and moral questions force him into a corner. We then get Polly's perspective. Interesting and clever; I'm glad I read it. (Victoria Grey-Edwards)

Non-Fiction

Craig Brown - Ma'am Darling: 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret

This is a very funny account part real part fiction of Princess Margaret. The lady was difficult and led a racy life She burnt the royal candle at both ends. Very conscious of her status. In many ways a sad book. (David Graham)

James Comey - A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership

Don't expect to learn much more about Trump's dismissal of Comey as FBI Director than has already appeared in the press: indeed the events surrounding his firing comprise less than 5% of the book, the remainder being a résumé of his public service and an explanation behind some of his earlier controversial decisions e.g. the Clinton emails. He comes across as principled, truthful and honest - more than can be said for his antagonist. (Jeremy Miller)

Ronald Fraser - In Hiding: The Life of Manuel Cortes

When Franco's Fascists seized power, Cortes an active reformer and Republican mayor of a poor village in Andalucia became a marked man. For 30 years, until 1969's amnesty, he hid within his home from neighbours, friends and those who sought him. Not just the history of his ordeal but that of Spain, of abuses of power and the people's poverty prior to mass tourism. Oral history at it's best told to the author by a man of the people, his wife and daughter. (Lynda Johnson)

Kate Hickman - Daughters of Britannia: The Lives and Times of Diplomatic Wives

In some ways a fascinating, interesting book, a story of diplomatic life about the wives, daughters, sisters, children and sometimes the other way round when the Wife is the Diplomat. All seen through their own eyes. It is an incredible story of the many hardships these families endured reaching the far corners of the globe. Highly amusing at times and sometimes very sad. A picture of eccentricity mixed with pomp and glamour in far-off places. (Shirley Williams)

Susan Hill - The Magic Apple Tree: A Country Year

A year in the life of Susan Hill and her family when they lived on the edge of the rural fens. The depiction of the countryside and seasons are beautifully and lovingly described, along with the characters and activities of the village community which follow a timeless pattern. However nearly forty years after publication the idyll seems a little too perfect and you wonder if this life in fact still exists. (Sue Pratt)

Maya Jasanoff - The Dawn Watch: Joseph Conrad in a Global World

This compelling blend of history, biography and travelogue is woven around Conrad's life and mingled with his four greatest works, The Secret Agent, Lord Jim, Heart of Darkness and Nostromo. This guide to the underside of empire is a worthy successor to Jasanoff"s brilliant Liberty's Exiles (bwl 63). Critics have hailed this as a masterpiece from one of our greatest young historians who always takes a refreshingly new approach to her disparate subjects. (Jeremy Miller)

Kapka Kassabova - Border: A Journey to the Edge of Europe

A Bulgarian writer, who left her home country as a teenager, returns to the sparsely inhabited border region, taking in parts of Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece. For all the beauty and remoteness of the terrain, its hills, forests and valleys are haunted by a past which has seen lives blighted by the cold war, religious and ethnic conflict and nationalist tensions. The borders themselves are the manifestation of these tensions. A beautifully written experience of one of Europe's unknown and far frontiers. (Tony Pratt)

David Kynaston and Stephen Fay - Arlott, Swanton and the Soul of English Cricket

For cricket lovers of a certain age! The contrast between the liberal, poetic, working class radio voice and the pompous, establishment TV figure gives way to a more complex story. The two men, never close, were united by a deep love of cricket, a recognition of the need for change and their opposition to racial oppression - Arlott by nature, Swanton when it mattered. Their story is also that of post-war English cricket. (Tony Pratt)

Fiona MacCarthy - William Morris: A Life for Our Time

It would be hard to read a better account of this remarkable man. It is 700 pages long and I raced through it. He dissipated his energies in later life in the political sphere. His achievements in poetry and design was huge. A great man! (David Graham)

Greg McKeown - Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

If you want a 'productive life' instead of just a 'busy life', this is the book for you. Instead of randomly pursuing a myriad of activities, you must consciously decide on the 'essentials' in your life, and focus your time and energy there. As the author plainly points out, "If YOU don't prioritise your life, SOMEONE ELSE will. This is a very helpful book if you want to live your life doing the things that really matter to you. (Sharron Calkins)

Heather Morris - The Tattooist of Aushwitz

Lale Sokolov survived the Polish death camps by being assigned the task of tattooist. Feeling guilty because of his slightly better living conditions, he smuggled food and help to fellow prisoners and saved the life of the girl he later married. Morris details life in the camps, showing how hunger, violence and dehumanisation ground down the inmates and also explains very matter of factly how the Nazi regime's cruelty corrupted individuals: i.e the guards. Particularly timely with the rise of Islamophobia and intolerance globally. (Helen Allan)

Denis O'Connnor - Toby Jug

The sequel to "Paw Tracks in the Moonlight", sharing the further adventures of one man and his cat. Anyone who has ever owned and loved a cat will identify with the warm bond between these two friends sharing daily life. (Sharron Calkins)

Mary Soames - Winston Churchill: His Life as a Painter

He didn't begin to paint until he was 40 and from then on it became his passion. One can understand how it provided a relief from the stress and strain of his political life. The 60 paintings reproduced are beautifully presented by his daughter with many an anecdote. Whether one likes his style or not, the book shows the wonderful affection his daughter had for him, in spite of him being a somewhat difficult man! (Shirley Williams)

J D Vance - Hillbilly Elegy: a Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis

Vance's Apalachian family upped sticks for the Rust Belt in seach of a better life. This memoir is an account of what they took with them and whether it survived. What emerges is a frightening view of poor white America, drugs, violence, aimless confusion, despair. . . . it becomes all too clear why these regions voted for Trump. Vance made it up the social ladder (thanks largely to a gun-toting granny) but most don't. Eye-opening and fascinating. (Annabel Bedini)

Richard Wiseman - 59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot

Wiseman offers quick, scientifically proven advice to help you achieve more positive outcomes in your life. The tips are amusing, surprising, and efficient. Good advice was never so entertaining. (Sharron Calkins)

Feedback

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Thanks so much Jenny for reminding me about Penelope Fitzgerald. I've read most of her novels and absolutely loved The Beginning of Spring (bwl 88). Re the Julian Barnes novel also reviewed (The Only Story), I've just finished it and was rather disappointed. Barnes is another of my favourite writers, and I thought a lot of this one was expertly written and the story interesting, but the frequent commentary and musings I found tedious. At the end it just becomes what I suspect is Barnes' own ramblings and I thought it was indulgent, in this case at the expense of the reader's interest. A lot of skimming took place! (Victoria Grey-Edwards)

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I agree with the positive review of Francis Spufford's Golden Hill (bwl 83) but I'd add that I found the descriptions of 18th century New York fascinating. Population only 7000, hearty loyalty to the British monarchy, paper promissory notes instead of unavailable cash, intense political in-fighting, Spufford has done some brilliant research and woven it cleverly into this extremely engaging tale (though I have to say I did guess the denouement!). (Annabel Bedini)

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NEWS:
Still no sign of A Suitable Girl which was due in June . . . . . . . . It's disappeared from forthcoming books on Amazon. So is Vikram Seth lying low with writer's block?
You probably have read that The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje has been given the Golden Man Booker prize. It was published in 1992 and amazingly it has never been reviewed on bookswelike. Perhaps because we didn't begin until 2000. (Jenny and James)

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