Third Reading
For good or ill, I am the kind of reader who so immerses in a book that it affects my mood for days, and sometimes I even dream about it. Thus, when I finished Cormac McCarthy's Suttree, I felt discouraged and depressed. So I decided to re-read a novel by my favorite living writer that would improve my mood. This is a beautiful book, both its content and the manner in which it is written. It tells of an undaunted spirit in the face of hardship and persecution. I highly recommend it, especially for times when your own spirit needs a boost.
Roseanne McNulty, as she nears 100 years, decides to write her life story in a secret journal. She is a resident of a mental institution which is about to close. Dr. Grene, one of the psychiatrists, is tasked with determining who can be placed back in society and who must be rehoused elsewhere. The narrative alternates between her journal and his case notes. As he delves into her past and the reason she was initially admitted, secrets are uncovered which have been long buried, affecting his life as well as hers.
Along with the core story, Barry pictures the troubles in Ireland's tumultuous history and the great influence of the Catholic Church, which was not always for the good of the people.
The language in which the book is written is as mesmerizing as the suspenseful story. Barry writes with an Irish lilt -- rhythmic and poetic prose that is a joy to read. I would cite only one misstep in the entire novel: the ending seems a bit contrived. Otherwise, The Secret Scripture is perfect. I would recommend all his novels, especially A Long, Long Way.
The Secret Scripture was short-listed for England's Booker Prize.
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Friday, October 5, 2018
SUTTREE by CORMAC McCARTHY (1979)
I'm glad I am not Cormac McCarthy. Never mind that he is a supremely talented writer. I couldn't live with the kind of thoughts he evidently has running through his mind.
Suttree is one of the most unpleasant books I have ever read. It is filled with vivid imagery, all of it picturing a grimy, putrid world. Cornelius Suttree, the protagonist, is a drunk from a rich family who has left his own wife and child, for reasons unrevealed, to live a life of debauchery among thieves, whores, and other derelicts of society. The plot consists of several incidents involving his fellow drunks and other acquaintances, most of whom come to a bad end. Readers who expect or desire some sense of redemption for Suttree (or any of the characters) will be disappointed. I can't perceive at all what the point of the novel might be, except to showcase McCarthy's extraordinary talent.
The narrative alternates between straightforward, detailed actions and conversations and sections of surrealistic, stream-of-consciousness prose, wherein McCarthy unleashes his inner Faulkner. These make for a strange and uneasy combination. Mind you, the surrealistic bits are impressively written and very evocative, even if they don't always make logical sense.
Anyone deciding to read this should also be aware that McCarthy is prone to using an esoteric vocabulary filled with $20 words where a $1 word would serve quite well. This habit comes to seem pretentious. I often felt that he was trying too hard to be deep and different.
This is, of course, not among McCarthy's best known works. Those would be All the Pretty Horses and Blood Meridian and The Road, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize. None of his novels are pleasant to read, with only The Road ending on a somewhat hopeful note. But he does have a way with words, even though the reality they picture is indeed grim.
Suttree is one of the most unpleasant books I have ever read. It is filled with vivid imagery, all of it picturing a grimy, putrid world. Cornelius Suttree, the protagonist, is a drunk from a rich family who has left his own wife and child, for reasons unrevealed, to live a life of debauchery among thieves, whores, and other derelicts of society. The plot consists of several incidents involving his fellow drunks and other acquaintances, most of whom come to a bad end. Readers who expect or desire some sense of redemption for Suttree (or any of the characters) will be disappointed. I can't perceive at all what the point of the novel might be, except to showcase McCarthy's extraordinary talent.
The narrative alternates between straightforward, detailed actions and conversations and sections of surrealistic, stream-of-consciousness prose, wherein McCarthy unleashes his inner Faulkner. These make for a strange and uneasy combination. Mind you, the surrealistic bits are impressively written and very evocative, even if they don't always make logical sense.
Anyone deciding to read this should also be aware that McCarthy is prone to using an esoteric vocabulary filled with $20 words where a $1 word would serve quite well. This habit comes to seem pretentious. I often felt that he was trying too hard to be deep and different.
This is, of course, not among McCarthy's best known works. Those would be All the Pretty Horses and Blood Meridian and The Road, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize. None of his novels are pleasant to read, with only The Road ending on a somewhat hopeful note. But he does have a way with words, even though the reality they picture is indeed grim.
Saturday, September 29, 2018
DUNE MESSIAH (1969) CHILDREN OF DUNE (1976) GOD EMPEROR OF DUNE by FRANK HERBERT (1981)
Third reading
I have read Dune, the first in this six-volume series, perhaps five times. These three are the second, third, and fourth books, and much inferior to the first, in my opinion. In Dune, Herbert created an entire universe, complete with the customs, the religion, the unique sound of the language, the people, and, importantly to this saga, the ecology of the planet. In these subsequent books, Herbert concentrates on the events, which are centered on political intrigue. He also provides a large dose of philosophical musings about power and how it can be manipulated. Much of this discussion reads like gobbledigook, frankly.
Dune (reviewed in June, 2011) ended as Paul Atriedes and the native Fremen defeated the Harkonnen troops who had subjugated the planet. As Dune Messiah begins, Paul has been deified and Fremen in his name have engaged in a jihad which has conquered most of the known universe. Gifted with the ability to see into the future, Paul knows of only one path that will lead to lasting peace but has not the courage to take it. Various factions join forces to hatch an elaborate plot against him. When he is blinded and his beloved concubine Chani dies in childbirth, he takes an alternate path which he hopes will lead to peace.
Children of Dune centers itself around the twin children of Paul and Chani, who are also prescient, Leto in particular. He sees what he calls the Golden Path to a peaceful future, the path that his father feared to take. Among plots and counterplots, Leto prevails by covering his body with sand trout, the precursors of the giant Worms of Dune, knowing that he will evolve and lose his humanity.
These two books serve as the inverse of the first book. While Dune ended on a grand note of triumph for Paul, these picture a tragic result of his actions. The plots are convoluted and dark.
The fourth volume of the series, God Emperor of Dune, takes place 3,000 years later. Leto is changing into what may become one of the Worms of Dune. Despite the fact that his reign as Emperor of the universe has brought eons of peace, plots abound against him. One plot involves the creation of the perfect woman to snare him into love, although physical expression of love is no longer possible for him. Much of this book is taken up by philosophical meanderings. Not much really happens until the end, which is quick and melodramatic. This is the weakest of the four novels.
I have the last two volumes of the series, but I will not read them now, perhaps never again. I believe Frank Herbert's legacy would have been enhanced if he had stopped after his first effort. I would recommend these only to hard-core Dune fans
I have read Dune, the first in this six-volume series, perhaps five times. These three are the second, third, and fourth books, and much inferior to the first, in my opinion. In Dune, Herbert created an entire universe, complete with the customs, the religion, the unique sound of the language, the people, and, importantly to this saga, the ecology of the planet. In these subsequent books, Herbert concentrates on the events, which are centered on political intrigue. He also provides a large dose of philosophical musings about power and how it can be manipulated. Much of this discussion reads like gobbledigook, frankly.
Dune (reviewed in June, 2011) ended as Paul Atriedes and the native Fremen defeated the Harkonnen troops who had subjugated the planet. As Dune Messiah begins, Paul has been deified and Fremen in his name have engaged in a jihad which has conquered most of the known universe. Gifted with the ability to see into the future, Paul knows of only one path that will lead to lasting peace but has not the courage to take it. Various factions join forces to hatch an elaborate plot against him. When he is blinded and his beloved concubine Chani dies in childbirth, he takes an alternate path which he hopes will lead to peace.
Children of Dune centers itself around the twin children of Paul and Chani, who are also prescient, Leto in particular. He sees what he calls the Golden Path to a peaceful future, the path that his father feared to take. Among plots and counterplots, Leto prevails by covering his body with sand trout, the precursors of the giant Worms of Dune, knowing that he will evolve and lose his humanity.
These two books serve as the inverse of the first book. While Dune ended on a grand note of triumph for Paul, these picture a tragic result of his actions. The plots are convoluted and dark.
The fourth volume of the series, God Emperor of Dune, takes place 3,000 years later. Leto is changing into what may become one of the Worms of Dune. Despite the fact that his reign as Emperor of the universe has brought eons of peace, plots abound against him. One plot involves the creation of the perfect woman to snare him into love, although physical expression of love is no longer possible for him. Much of this book is taken up by philosophical meanderings. Not much really happens until the end, which is quick and melodramatic. This is the weakest of the four novels.
I have the last two volumes of the series, but I will not read them now, perhaps never again. I believe Frank Herbert's legacy would have been enhanced if he had stopped after his first effort. I would recommend these only to hard-core Dune fans
Friday, September 21, 2018
THE GREAT FIRE by SHIRLEY HAZZARD (2003)
Second reading
I hardly know what to make of this rather melancholy novel about the aftermath of World War II. The central character, Andrew Leith, an acclaimed war hero, is engaged in a project to map the world-transforming changes in China. One of his wartime companions, Peter Exley, is busy in Japan prosecuting war crimes. Both are searching to discover a way to return to normal humanity. Both feel a paralyzing loneliness. This set-up led me to expect a more explicit examination of the effects of combat on the participants, yet, as it turns out, the background and the resulting personality of each of these men seem to be the cause of their sense of isolation.
Andrew Leith seeks for deliverance with an improbable love affair, while Peter Exley flounders in his search. This is the story of their quest.
I was put off by Shirley Hazzard's writing style, which seems extremely choppy to me, and by her tone, which is gloomy, even while depicting a budding love. Her habit of switching of point of view from one paragraph to the next without any indicator or division was often confusing and disconcerting, at least to me. Peter Exley's story is only sketched, so that I wonder why he is even included. I really did not enjoy reading The Great Fire, even though it is highly regarded. It received the National Book Award in 2003.
I hardly know what to make of this rather melancholy novel about the aftermath of World War II. The central character, Andrew Leith, an acclaimed war hero, is engaged in a project to map the world-transforming changes in China. One of his wartime companions, Peter Exley, is busy in Japan prosecuting war crimes. Both are searching to discover a way to return to normal humanity. Both feel a paralyzing loneliness. This set-up led me to expect a more explicit examination of the effects of combat on the participants, yet, as it turns out, the background and the resulting personality of each of these men seem to be the cause of their sense of isolation.
Andrew Leith seeks for deliverance with an improbable love affair, while Peter Exley flounders in his search. This is the story of their quest.
I was put off by Shirley Hazzard's writing style, which seems extremely choppy to me, and by her tone, which is gloomy, even while depicting a budding love. Her habit of switching of point of view from one paragraph to the next without any indicator or division was often confusing and disconcerting, at least to me. Peter Exley's story is only sketched, so that I wonder why he is even included. I really did not enjoy reading The Great Fire, even though it is highly regarded. It received the National Book Award in 2003.
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
A LESSON BEFORE DYING by ERNEST J. GAINES (1993)
In 1940's Louisiana, Jefferson is a young black man who is sentenced to die for taking part in a robbery and shootout, never mind that he is innocent. During the summation to the jury at the trial, his court-appointed attorney portrays him as less than a man, too weak-minded to have planned the crime, saying, "...this skull here holds no plans....I would just as soon put a hog in the electric chair as this."
With this dramatic beginning, Gaines tells the story of the efforts of Grant Wiggins, the local teacher at the school for black children, to teach Jefferson how to die like a man. It's not a task he wants, but his aunt and Jefferson's godmother persuade (browbeat, actually) him to try. This is his story as much as it is Jefferson's. He has problems of his own, feeling the futility of his efforts to improve the life of his people or even to exist as a man in a South which continues to consider people of color as less than human. In the end, he learns as much from Jefferson as Jefferson learns from him.
This is a very moving novel, as pertinent now as when it was written. The attitudes portrayed in the 1940's setting are perhaps more camouflaged now, but they still exist, as evidenced by numerous current events. I recommend this novel. It won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction in 1993.
With this dramatic beginning, Gaines tells the story of the efforts of Grant Wiggins, the local teacher at the school for black children, to teach Jefferson how to die like a man. It's not a task he wants, but his aunt and Jefferson's godmother persuade (browbeat, actually) him to try. This is his story as much as it is Jefferson's. He has problems of his own, feeling the futility of his efforts to improve the life of his people or even to exist as a man in a South which continues to consider people of color as less than human. In the end, he learns as much from Jefferson as Jefferson learns from him.
This is a very moving novel, as pertinent now as when it was written. The attitudes portrayed in the 1940's setting are perhaps more camouflaged now, but they still exist, as evidenced by numerous current events. I recommend this novel. It won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction in 1993.
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
SHORT REVIEWS OF 6 CLASSIC NOVELS
This is a further installment of some of the books I read while without the internet. I often enjoy reading in bunches -- a bunch of science fiction and fantasy, a bunch of classics, a bunch of prize winners, etc. These are the classics I read.
SONS AND LOVERS by D.H. LAWRENCE (1913) Second reading
D.H. Lawrence is familiar to most people as the author of the once-banned Lady Chatterley's Lover, which is famous (or infamous) for its sexual frankness. The title of this novel would seem to point to like content, but that is not the case. This is more about a mother's obsessive love for her sons and the effect this has on their own emotional life. It's a very good book, although I do not care for the writing style.
OLIVER TWIST by CHARLES DICKENS (1838) Third reading
Most everyone is already familiar with the basics of this tale of a gang of thieves who try to lead an innocent boy into a life of crime. This is actually one of my least favorite Dickens novels. It is more than usual dependent upon coincidences and improbable happenings, but the characters are certainly memorable. Who does not know who Fagin is?
STUDS LONIGAN TRILOGY by JAMES T. FARRELL (1932, 34, 35) Second reading
This would be considered a second-tier classic, I think. It's the story of the life of an Irish-American boy in Depression-era Chicago, from his tough-talking but good-hearted youth until his untimely death from alcoholism. It is very depressing. Much of the novel is composed of long trivial conversations in which the participants try to show how tough they are, so it is not much fun to read from that aspect. I would not recommend this, even though the Modern Library list of America's Top 100 novels includes this as No. 29.
DAVID COPPERFIELD by CHARLES DICKENS (1850) Third reading
This is one of my favorite Dickens novels. It is widely considered to be partially autobiographical. It's a coming-of-age story, with the title character making many wrong turns in judgment and in his love life. It is a thoroughly satisfying read.
A FAREWELL TO ARMS by ERNEST HEMINGWAY (1929) Second reading
I don't like Hemingway. I read this again to see if I might not like it better, as I have advanced in age and experience. I still don't like it. Hemingway's prose is often described as lean and muscular. I think it sounds more like my first-grade reader -- "See Dick run. Dick runs fast. Run, Dick, run." This novel also contains some of the most insipid pillow-talk I have ever read.
NOSTROMO by JOSEPH CONRAD (1904) Second reading, Reviewed in June, 2011
This is one of the best novels I have ever read. On the surface, it is the story of the events in an unnamed South American country leading to the stealing of a whole boatload of silver bars, but it has many additional layers, which make it one of those books which can be read time after time, with new insights at each reading. It is perfectly put together, and the language is wonderful. I consider it the best of Conrad, which is saying a lot, considering the excellence of The Heart of Darkness and Lord Jim.
SONS AND LOVERS by D.H. LAWRENCE (1913) Second reading
D.H. Lawrence is familiar to most people as the author of the once-banned Lady Chatterley's Lover, which is famous (or infamous) for its sexual frankness. The title of this novel would seem to point to like content, but that is not the case. This is more about a mother's obsessive love for her sons and the effect this has on their own emotional life. It's a very good book, although I do not care for the writing style.
OLIVER TWIST by CHARLES DICKENS (1838) Third reading
Most everyone is already familiar with the basics of this tale of a gang of thieves who try to lead an innocent boy into a life of crime. This is actually one of my least favorite Dickens novels. It is more than usual dependent upon coincidences and improbable happenings, but the characters are certainly memorable. Who does not know who Fagin is?
STUDS LONIGAN TRILOGY by JAMES T. FARRELL (1932, 34, 35) Second reading
This would be considered a second-tier classic, I think. It's the story of the life of an Irish-American boy in Depression-era Chicago, from his tough-talking but good-hearted youth until his untimely death from alcoholism. It is very depressing. Much of the novel is composed of long trivial conversations in which the participants try to show how tough they are, so it is not much fun to read from that aspect. I would not recommend this, even though the Modern Library list of America's Top 100 novels includes this as No. 29.
DAVID COPPERFIELD by CHARLES DICKENS (1850) Third reading
This is one of my favorite Dickens novels. It is widely considered to be partially autobiographical. It's a coming-of-age story, with the title character making many wrong turns in judgment and in his love life. It is a thoroughly satisfying read.
A FAREWELL TO ARMS by ERNEST HEMINGWAY (1929) Second reading
I don't like Hemingway. I read this again to see if I might not like it better, as I have advanced in age and experience. I still don't like it. Hemingway's prose is often described as lean and muscular. I think it sounds more like my first-grade reader -- "See Dick run. Dick runs fast. Run, Dick, run." This novel also contains some of the most insipid pillow-talk I have ever read.
NOSTROMO by JOSEPH CONRAD (1904) Second reading, Reviewed in June, 2011
This is one of the best novels I have ever read. On the surface, it is the story of the events in an unnamed South American country leading to the stealing of a whole boatload of silver bars, but it has many additional layers, which make it one of those books which can be read time after time, with new insights at each reading. It is perfectly put together, and the language is wonderful. I consider it the best of Conrad, which is saying a lot, considering the excellence of The Heart of Darkness and Lord Jim.
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
THE SECRET RIVER by KATE GRENVILLE (2005)
This outstanding novel is much more than just a graphic and detailed account of one family's experience as early settlers in Australia. It is also an allegory of the conflict, anywhere and always, when "civilized" groups of people come against a more primitive culture. The Secret River could have just as well taken place when pioneers arrived in early America or when Europeans discovered the islands of the Pacific, or, indeed, when Homo Sapiens met Neanderthals. The outcome appears to be inevitable.
In 1806 London, William Thornhill attempts to steal a load of wood and is sentenced to hanging. He is reprieved at the last minute and instead sentenced to be transported to Australia, his wife and children being allowed to go with him. What at first appears to him as a sentence as tragic as death instead offers him an opportunity to become what he never could have been in England -- a land owner. His small farm, tamed by back-breaking work, prospers, until he is confronted with those who had always considered the land their own, though they neither plowed nor planted, instead living on what the land freely offered. He considers himself a good man, but he realizes that in order for his family to prosper, he must use force to claim the land for himself.
This novel is unusual in that it is sympathetic to both sides of the conflict between settlers and indigenous people. The situation in Australia was different from other instances of similar conflict because these settlers did not choose to be there, and just had to do the best they could to survive. That adds a special poignancy to their story.
The writing here is most impressive, unobtrusively poetic. The descriptions of 19th century London rival Dickens' descriptions of the same era. Grenville's descriptions of this part of Australia (the fertile, river-fed area) are breath-taking. This might appear to be a success story, in some lights, but it is also very sad, because the winners also lost something irrecoverable of themselves.
I recommend this novel most highly. It was a finalist for the 2006 Booker Prize.
In 1806 London, William Thornhill attempts to steal a load of wood and is sentenced to hanging. He is reprieved at the last minute and instead sentenced to be transported to Australia, his wife and children being allowed to go with him. What at first appears to him as a sentence as tragic as death instead offers him an opportunity to become what he never could have been in England -- a land owner. His small farm, tamed by back-breaking work, prospers, until he is confronted with those who had always considered the land their own, though they neither plowed nor planted, instead living on what the land freely offered. He considers himself a good man, but he realizes that in order for his family to prosper, he must use force to claim the land for himself.
This novel is unusual in that it is sympathetic to both sides of the conflict between settlers and indigenous people. The situation in Australia was different from other instances of similar conflict because these settlers did not choose to be there, and just had to do the best they could to survive. That adds a special poignancy to their story.
The writing here is most impressive, unobtrusively poetic. The descriptions of 19th century London rival Dickens' descriptions of the same era. Grenville's descriptions of this part of Australia (the fertile, river-fed area) are breath-taking. This might appear to be a success story, in some lights, but it is also very sad, because the winners also lost something irrecoverable of themselves.
I recommend this novel most highly. It was a finalist for the 2006 Booker Prize.
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