More short reviews of books read for the second or third time.
THE TIGER'S WIFE by TEA OBREHT (2011)
Second reading
Set in an unnamed war-torn Balkan country, combining the story of a young doctor's relationship to her grandfather with the tales he told her about the deathless man and a deaf-mute girl's relationship with a tiger which had escaped from a zoo. Including both magical realism taken from folk tales and a realistic portrait of a country haunted by war, Obreht manages to create a haunting novel which is well worth reading. It won Britain's Orange Prize and was a finalist for the National Book Award.
THE LAST HARRAH by EDWIN O'CONNER (1956)
Second reading
An interesting novel in a historical sense; it's the story of a mayoral campaign in a large Eastern city by the last of the old-style "machine" politicians, one who garners votes by awarding favors, before the era of television ushered in the cult of personality. It is also interesting from the aspect of the current political climate, when the favors awarded are to major campaign donors. Though a student of politics would undoubtedly find this a rewarding read, it feels very dated as to style and is actually somewhat boring as to plot. I give it a C+.
HOWARDS END by E.M. FORSTER (1910)
Third reading
First, Howards End is the name of a house, not referring to a man named Howard. This is a very English novel, concerning three social classes -- rich capitalists, middle class cultured intellectuals, and the struggling uneducated poor. Forster highlights their prejudices and follies through a surprisingly dramatic story, which was risque' for its time, as it includes violent death and an out-of-wedlock child. Extremely well done, except that I felt the heroine was too tolerant and forgiving to seem real.
MISTER PIP by LLOYD JONES (2006)
Second reading
I love this novel about the power of literature to help a reader survive through strife and anguish. It revolves around the experience of a young girl during a time of war. With their whole world in disarray, the children are helped to retain some sense of normality by their teacher, who reads Great Expectations by Charles Dickens to them. The character Pip becomes the young girl's shelter from her otherwise harsh reality. The story is harsh, often brutal, and lovely at the same time. This was short-listed for England's Booker Prize.
THIRTEEN MOONS by CHARLES FRAZIER (2007)
Second reading
This is a novel by the author of Cold Mountain. an excellent book which won awards. Unhappily, this is much less impressive. It is a historic novel about a white man who fought in the Civil War, became a member of the Cherokee tribe, and was involved in an unsuccessful fight to keep the tribal lands. It's also a love story of sorts. All in all, Thirteen Moons was a disappointment.
THE FOURTEEN SISTERS OF EMELIO MONTEZ O'BRIEN by OSCAR HUELOS (1995)
Second reading
Huelos won the Pulitzer Prize in 1990 with his novel The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, about Cuban immigrant brothers and their adventures in music and in love. That was an excellent book. This one -- not so much. Actually, it is too much to be effective. It covers fifteen siblings, children of an Irish father and a Cuban mother, from the era of the Great Depression through the present (1990s). Huelos has no real focus, and some of the stories seem highly unlikely. I consider this a C effort.
GAP CREEK by ROBERT MORGAN (1999)
Second reading
I did not care for this book, although it was generally well regarded at the time of its publication. (It was one of Ohrah's Book Club picks). It tells the story of a strong young woman in the early 20th century who withstands the deaths of her father and brother, the immaturity of her young husband, and all sorts of disasters. And she endures. It is meant to be inspirational, I suppose. I find it to be hackneyed and forgettable.
THE BOSTONIANS by HENRY JAMES(1886)
Second reading
In contrast to many of James's later novels, this is actually very readable. However, it is difficult for me (and according to my research, problematic for professional critics) to quite discern his intent and message. On the surface, this seems to be about a young charismatic girl who is torn between becoming a leading speaker in the woman's movement or a traditional subservient wife. Underneath the surface, the conflict is between the girl's old-maid mentor, who hates all men, and the Southern man who is physically appealing to her. In other words, the whole novel appears to be about a conflict between lesbianism and heterosexual attraction. Interesting, considering the time when this was written. It seems to me that James did not perceive either alternative to be indicative of lasting happiness.
BARNABY RUDGE by CHARLES DICKENS (1841)
Second reading
The titular character, Barnaby, is actually peripheral to the plot of this early Dickens novel, which centers on the Gordon Riots of 1870 against those of Catholic faith. It actually tries to do too much, as it encompasses a mystery (easily guessed very early), two love affairs, and the effects of the riots on the characters. It does, however, contain several very memorable characters, as is typical of Dickens. Later Dickens novels are more focused. This is for hard-core Dickens fans.
THE CUSTOM OF THE COUNTRY by EDITH WHARTON (1913)
Second reading
A drama about the lust for money and power. The protagonist, Undine Spragg, is one of the easiest to hate in literature, as she destroys man after man in her quest for social status and a lavish lifestyle. It becomes infuriating to the reader that she succeeds just because she is beautiful and knows how to flirt. Edith Wharton is a wonderful writer, with a great talent for revealing character motivations. Her Age of Innocence is one of my favorite novels.
Monday, August 26, 2019
Sunday, July 28, 2019
BECOMING by MICHELLE OBAMA (2018)
Several years ago, just after Barack Obama was elected president, a good friend of mine remarked to me, "Don't talk to me about Michelle Obama. I despise her." I was quite taken aback, both by the vehemence in her voice and the use of the word "despise." I don't believe many people feel that strongly about a First-Lady. Coward that I am (or peace keeper, to give it a more favorable slant) I backed away from the subject. I didn't ask her why she felt that way. I suspected we had voted for different candidates, and I didn't want politics to interfere in our friendship. I wish now I had asked, because our friendship died anyway.
At the time I knew little about Michelle Obama, certainly not enough to know if I liked or disliked her. I knew that she was a lawyer, that she was attractive, and that she had a certain air of dignity which seemed appropriate for a FLOTUS. As the years of the Obama administrations passed, I was aware of her efforts to promote good nutrition and to fight childhood obesity. I was aware that she was criticized by some because school children didn't like their newly revised meals. Well, kids don't like to study history or English as much as they like to play video games. It's logical that they wouldn't like carrot sticks as well as they like tater tots. It seemed to me that people were looking for reasons to criticize.
This autobiography informed me of the multitude of things I did not previously know about Michelle Obama. For example:
*She grew up on the South Side of Chicago, which is not an affluent neighborhood;
*Her parents were working-class, not professionals;
*She graduated from Princeton and Harvard Law School;
*She held a prestigious position at a major law firm before resigning to accept more rewarding work for non-profit agencies;
*She apparently always put her children first when considering any career decision;
*She is 5'11" tall. (I am always fascinated by tall people.)
After reading this book, I would consider Michelle Obama as entirely admirable. Of course, an autobiography invariably presents a favorable impression. I would also consider this to be well written. Of course, famous people sometimes employ ghost writers, but her education would lead one to believe that she actually did the writing herself.
I have long believed that most of the criticism of the Obamas stemmed from closet racism. I may be wrong. I hope so.
At the time I knew little about Michelle Obama, certainly not enough to know if I liked or disliked her. I knew that she was a lawyer, that she was attractive, and that she had a certain air of dignity which seemed appropriate for a FLOTUS. As the years of the Obama administrations passed, I was aware of her efforts to promote good nutrition and to fight childhood obesity. I was aware that she was criticized by some because school children didn't like their newly revised meals. Well, kids don't like to study history or English as much as they like to play video games. It's logical that they wouldn't like carrot sticks as well as they like tater tots. It seemed to me that people were looking for reasons to criticize.
This autobiography informed me of the multitude of things I did not previously know about Michelle Obama. For example:
*She grew up on the South Side of Chicago, which is not an affluent neighborhood;
*Her parents were working-class, not professionals;
*She graduated from Princeton and Harvard Law School;
*She held a prestigious position at a major law firm before resigning to accept more rewarding work for non-profit agencies;
*She apparently always put her children first when considering any career decision;
*She is 5'11" tall. (I am always fascinated by tall people.)
After reading this book, I would consider Michelle Obama as entirely admirable. Of course, an autobiography invariably presents a favorable impression. I would also consider this to be well written. Of course, famous people sometimes employ ghost writers, but her education would lead one to believe that she actually did the writing herself.
I have long believed that most of the criticism of the Obamas stemmed from closet racism. I may be wrong. I hope so.
Sunday, July 21, 2019
AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE by TAYARI JONES (2018)
This is the story of a marriage in trouble. It is not solely because of some of the more commonplace stressors that face young couples, such as a lack of honesty or a difference in life goals. This couple's seemingly upwardly mobile lives are interrupted by events beyond their control.
Roy and Celeste, a young black couple, have journeyed to Louisiana to visit his family when he briefly interacts with a fellow guest at the motel where the couple is staying. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, they are awakened by police who tell them that the guest has accused Roy of rape. When he is subsequently convicted, Roy and Celeste must each face life alone while struggling to maintain their marriage tie despite the obvious obstacles.
The novel in narrated mostly by Roy and Celeste in turn, allowing the reader to understand the background and state of mind of both. A friend to both of them, Andre, narrates briefly about his involvement in their lives.
The questions to be answered, by Celeste and, by extension, by the reader: what is the right thing to do when familial and societal expectations contrast with hopes and desires; is self-sacrifice a product of pity or love; what do you do when you love two people, in different ways?
An American Marriage is written in sparse and straight-forward prose which flows well. The situations are emotionally charged and the plot is suspenseful. However, it had minimal impact, for me, at least. For someone who reads many books a year, it was not a waste of time, but for anyone who reads a limited number of books a year, I believe many other 2018 books would be more enjoyable and/or worthwhile.
Roy and Celeste, a young black couple, have journeyed to Louisiana to visit his family when he briefly interacts with a fellow guest at the motel where the couple is staying. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, they are awakened by police who tell them that the guest has accused Roy of rape. When he is subsequently convicted, Roy and Celeste must each face life alone while struggling to maintain their marriage tie despite the obvious obstacles.
The novel in narrated mostly by Roy and Celeste in turn, allowing the reader to understand the background and state of mind of both. A friend to both of them, Andre, narrates briefly about his involvement in their lives.
The questions to be answered, by Celeste and, by extension, by the reader: what is the right thing to do when familial and societal expectations contrast with hopes and desires; is self-sacrifice a product of pity or love; what do you do when you love two people, in different ways?
An American Marriage is written in sparse and straight-forward prose which flows well. The situations are emotionally charged and the plot is suspenseful. However, it had minimal impact, for me, at least. For someone who reads many books a year, it was not a waste of time, but for anyone who reads a limited number of books a year, I believe many other 2018 books would be more enjoyable and/or worthwhile.
Thursday, July 11, 2019
WARLIGHT by MICHAEL ONDAATJE (2018)
This is yet another novel I bought because of the writer, not because I had read glowing reviews. Michael Ondaatje is the author of The English Patient, recipient of England's Booker Prize in 1992, an extraordinary novel of the aftermath of battle in World War II. Warlight returns to that time period to examine the effects of war on one family, effects which linger long after "peace" has been declared.
Nathaniel, as an adult, remembers the time in 1945 when his mother and father left him and his sister, ostensibly to go overseas for the father's work, in the care of the enigmatic man they called The Moth, As a teenager, he experiences a strange coming-of-age through the odd acquaintances of The Moth, who seemingly take him under their protection. When their mother returns following an episode when Nathaniel and his sister are kidnapped and then rescued, she offers no explanations for the absence of the father or for where she has been.
Nathaniel is recruited by the Foreign Office when he is in his 20s, and begins to research records to gain some sense of what his mother had been involved in during and after the war. Through actual records and his recollections, filled in by his imagination, he arrives at a semblance of the truth of his mother's double life.
This is a very low-key novel. Despite being beautifully written, its emotional impact is negligible. It is definitely a "head" novel, to be appreciated intellectually.
Nathaniel, as an adult, remembers the time in 1945 when his mother and father left him and his sister, ostensibly to go overseas for the father's work, in the care of the enigmatic man they called The Moth, As a teenager, he experiences a strange coming-of-age through the odd acquaintances of The Moth, who seemingly take him under their protection. When their mother returns following an episode when Nathaniel and his sister are kidnapped and then rescued, she offers no explanations for the absence of the father or for where she has been.
Nathaniel is recruited by the Foreign Office when he is in his 20s, and begins to research records to gain some sense of what his mother had been involved in during and after the war. Through actual records and his recollections, filled in by his imagination, he arrives at a semblance of the truth of his mother's double life.
This is a very low-key novel. Despite being beautifully written, its emotional impact is negligible. It is definitely a "head" novel, to be appreciated intellectually.
Tuesday, July 2, 2019
WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by DELIA OWENS (2018)
If I were going to vacation at the beach or on a cruise this summer, this would be a great book to take. It reads smoothly and does not take much concentration, and its plot is interesting and somewhat suspenseful. It has a who-done-it mystery toward the end, but it is essentially a romance novel, albeit of a more literary cast than most. The descriptions of the Outer Banks of North Carolina are extremely well done. What a reader must needs overlook is that the plot is highly unlikely, almost unbelievable.
The protagonist, Kya, is abandoned by both parents and all her siblings at the age of nine in an isolated area on the edge of the marshes. And she survives. Grown to young adulthood, she is, of course, breathtakingly beautiful, and attracts the attention of not one, but two, of the "town boys." When one of them is found dead, possibly murdered, she is the first suspect.
In the midst of all this Kya has turned herself into a best-selling author and illustrator of books about the flora and fauna of North Carolina's Outer Banks. Who would have thought it?
I don't want to be too critical of a book that is quite entertaining as it is being read (though quite forgettable afterwards). It is a pick of Reese Witherspoon's Book Club. That may or may not be a recommendation for potential readers, depending on how one views Reese Witherspoon's literary judgment.
The protagonist, Kya, is abandoned by both parents and all her siblings at the age of nine in an isolated area on the edge of the marshes. And she survives. Grown to young adulthood, she is, of course, breathtakingly beautiful, and attracts the attention of not one, but two, of the "town boys." When one of them is found dead, possibly murdered, she is the first suspect.
In the midst of all this Kya has turned herself into a best-selling author and illustrator of books about the flora and fauna of North Carolina's Outer Banks. Who would have thought it?
I don't want to be too critical of a book that is quite entertaining as it is being read (though quite forgettable afterwards). It is a pick of Reese Witherspoon's Book Club. That may or may not be a recommendation for potential readers, depending on how one views Reese Witherspoon's literary judgment.
Friday, June 28, 2019
MACHINES LIKE ME by IAN McEWAN (2019)
It's surprising how often I serendipitously happen to read something and watch something on television simultaneously which correspond as to theme and/or subject matter. For example, I just finished re-watching all five seasons of the science fiction series Battlestar Galactica. The premise of the show is that human-created machines (robots) evolved and rebelled against their creators. Some, which were subsequently created by the machines themselves, were even indistinguishable from humans. As it turns out, these artificial intelligences were superior in some ways to the humans who originated them. Some Cylons (as the machines became known) and humans even fell in love. Just as I was finishing this binge-watch, I read the newest novel by one of my favorite contemporary authors, Ian McEwan. I chose to read it because of the author, having no clue as to the subject matter, although the title should have given me a hint. McEwan is ordinarily a writer of literary fiction rather than anything even vaguely resembling science fiction, so it is not surprising that this novel is much more thoughtful than one would anticipate, considering the subject matter.
The narrator, Charlie, is drifting through life when he unexpectedly receives an inheritance. Rather than spend his new wealth wisely, he impulsively buys one of the newly manufactured "synthetic humans," which are visually indistinguishable from actual humans. Since it is up to the owners to program the personalities of their purchase, Charlie enlists the help of his lover Miranda in creating what they perceive to be the perfect "human." As it turns out, Adam, the name they give him, is perhaps more perfect than they actually wanted him to be, exhibiting values and actions which his programmers might aspire to and consider ideal, but which they themselves fail to adhere to. And then Adam falls in love with Miranda.
Both the television series and this novel examine what it means to be human and whether we are, in fact, capable of ever reaching the perfection we would aspire to. As a secondary theme would be the question of what exactly distinguishes human from machine. Is there a soul, and if so, who or what has one?
Ian McEwan has won England's Booker Prize for Amsterdam and has been short-listed for six other novels. This is not his best book, by far. That would be Atonement, in my opinion. But this one is very interesting and a better novel than most current offerings.
The narrator, Charlie, is drifting through life when he unexpectedly receives an inheritance. Rather than spend his new wealth wisely, he impulsively buys one of the newly manufactured "synthetic humans," which are visually indistinguishable from actual humans. Since it is up to the owners to program the personalities of their purchase, Charlie enlists the help of his lover Miranda in creating what they perceive to be the perfect "human." As it turns out, Adam, the name they give him, is perhaps more perfect than they actually wanted him to be, exhibiting values and actions which his programmers might aspire to and consider ideal, but which they themselves fail to adhere to. And then Adam falls in love with Miranda.
Both the television series and this novel examine what it means to be human and whether we are, in fact, capable of ever reaching the perfection we would aspire to. As a secondary theme would be the question of what exactly distinguishes human from machine. Is there a soul, and if so, who or what has one?
Ian McEwan has won England's Booker Prize for Amsterdam and has been short-listed for six other novels. This is not his best book, by far. That would be Atonement, in my opinion. But this one is very interesting and a better novel than most current offerings.
Monday, June 10, 2019
THE OVERSTORY by RICHARD POWERS (2018)
This novel changed the way I look at the world.
That's a big deal. A very few of the many, many books I have read have opened my eyes to something completely new to me, or have changed my way of interacting with my environment. This one did. I hope that it has a similar effect on other readers, because it is important to our survival as a species that we change our ways of dealing with the other life forms on our planet.
This is a story about trees, and in extension about all of the non-human world. Because the human readers naturally react more strongly to stories about people, Powers introduces a cast of characters who interact with trees in various ways, but their plots are secondary to the introduction of a wealth of scientific information (previously unknown to me and, I would assume, to most non-scientists) about how trees interact with each other, send messages to each other, protect themselves, protect their young, and in a myriad of other ways perform all the same tasks as human beings. Who knew? Certainly not me.
I have long been fascinated with trees, having grown up in the Panhandle of Texas, where a tree of over ten feet is an anomaly and no such thing as a woods or a forest exists. I immediately loved Central Texas when I moved here, because of the trees. I am immediately calmed when I now sit on my deck surrounded by oaks and cedars. Thus, I was probably predisposed to appreciate The Overstory perhaps more than some. I have never experienced an actual forest or seen a redwood or other giant of the species. I can only imagine what my reaction might be to their magnificence.
Strictly viewed as a novel, The Overstory is somewhat lacking. The human stories are sketchy and sometimes illogical. The first 150 pages or so read like summaries of the early lives of the nine central characters, having in common only their tangential relationship with trees or a tree. The characters all come together in the end, but they never seem quite real. I would compare this novel to 1984. Like this one, 1984 is not the most well written, and the specific characters are not actually that important. The important thing is the message, the warning. Somebody, somewhere references 1984 daily about the current world, I hope that this book also enters the general consciousness.
The message here is LEAVE THEM ALONE. Don't cut the trees down. Don't curate the forest. Let nature take care of itself, and it will take care of us.
How did this book influence my actual life? I decided it was wrong to try to make my surroundings in the woods look like a lawn in the city. I decided to leave the native grass and weeds and wild flowers. I will vote for political candidates who vow to protect the environment. If I were younger or richer, I would do more. I have come to believe that environmental issues should be the focus of political thought. All other issues will have no relevance if the earth is not habitable.
Richard Powers won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction this year for this novel. I don't believe it to be the most well written book of the year, but I do believe it to be the most important.
That's a big deal. A very few of the many, many books I have read have opened my eyes to something completely new to me, or have changed my way of interacting with my environment. This one did. I hope that it has a similar effect on other readers, because it is important to our survival as a species that we change our ways of dealing with the other life forms on our planet.
This is a story about trees, and in extension about all of the non-human world. Because the human readers naturally react more strongly to stories about people, Powers introduces a cast of characters who interact with trees in various ways, but their plots are secondary to the introduction of a wealth of scientific information (previously unknown to me and, I would assume, to most non-scientists) about how trees interact with each other, send messages to each other, protect themselves, protect their young, and in a myriad of other ways perform all the same tasks as human beings. Who knew? Certainly not me.
I have long been fascinated with trees, having grown up in the Panhandle of Texas, where a tree of over ten feet is an anomaly and no such thing as a woods or a forest exists. I immediately loved Central Texas when I moved here, because of the trees. I am immediately calmed when I now sit on my deck surrounded by oaks and cedars. Thus, I was probably predisposed to appreciate The Overstory perhaps more than some. I have never experienced an actual forest or seen a redwood or other giant of the species. I can only imagine what my reaction might be to their magnificence.
Strictly viewed as a novel, The Overstory is somewhat lacking. The human stories are sketchy and sometimes illogical. The first 150 pages or so read like summaries of the early lives of the nine central characters, having in common only their tangential relationship with trees or a tree. The characters all come together in the end, but they never seem quite real. I would compare this novel to 1984. Like this one, 1984 is not the most well written, and the specific characters are not actually that important. The important thing is the message, the warning. Somebody, somewhere references 1984 daily about the current world, I hope that this book also enters the general consciousness.
The message here is LEAVE THEM ALONE. Don't cut the trees down. Don't curate the forest. Let nature take care of itself, and it will take care of us.
How did this book influence my actual life? I decided it was wrong to try to make my surroundings in the woods look like a lawn in the city. I decided to leave the native grass and weeds and wild flowers. I will vote for political candidates who vow to protect the environment. If I were younger or richer, I would do more. I have come to believe that environmental issues should be the focus of political thought. All other issues will have no relevance if the earth is not habitable.
Richard Powers won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction this year for this novel. I don't believe it to be the most well written book of the year, but I do believe it to be the most important.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)