edwinbcn's Reading Journal 2011

Inspired by several other threads her, I will launch my own. LT have helped me a lot getting back to reading a lot, I hope this thread will help me keep a regular log, write short reviews or comments and exchange ideas with other members.

My reading is very eclectic as a result of the fact that I have broad interests, have been cut off from my library for most of my life (just always living in different places), and, while living in China, having limited access to books.

I hope my log may inspire others, especially my students!

1. The witches of Eastwick
Finished reading: 1 January 2011



Last year, I read The widows of Eastwick by the same author, which I found extremely disappointing. That book seemed "written for the money", unreal and totally uninteresting. Fortunately, "the witches" is a very warm, and beautifully written book. Updike's skills in writing radiates from every page.

I had some difficulty with the discrepancy between the novel itself and the blurb texts and drum beating around the novel. While the male protagonist, Darryl Von Horne, does seem a mysterious character, it would seem a bit too overworked to assume that he is the devil. Also the magic displayed by the women is far-fetched. For some reason professional reviewers seem to want to push this approach to the reading and understanding of the novel. However, the novel can just as easily be read as a lustful romance. Entertaining, but not in any way outstanding.



Other books I have read by John Updike:
Rabbit, run
Terrorist
The widows of Eastwick
Brazil

2. Mokusei !
Finished reading: 2 January 2011



Generally speaking, I prefer reading books in their original language, which for this book would have been Dutch, but as this book was a special offer, and I cannot buy books in Dutch in China, I took this French edition.

I have not come round to reading all of Nooteboom's work. Much of his work consists of travelogues, especially in Spain and the Far East. His novels are often set in the Netherlands, and are experimental or involving Magical Realism. Nooteboom has spent a lot of time in Germany, especially Berlin, and written several books about that city, which are neatly stacked on my shelves / TBR pile. For a long time, Nooteboom was one of my favourite authors, but recently, I have come to realize that especially his writing about Spain is superb, notably De omweg naar Santiago -- deeply felt and very knowledgeable, while much of his other writing remains superficial.

And so it seems with this very thin novella, Mokusei!. There is a hefty volume of essays on travel in the Far East, Nooteboom's visits to Japan and other countries in the region (on my TBR pile). This novella was written after his visit to Japan. The story did not interest me, and the book lacked the poetic feel of Japanese or other Japanese inspired literature.



Other books I have read by Cees Nooteboom:
Rituelen
De ridder is gestorven
De verliefde gevangene. Tropische verhalen
De koning van Suriname
De omweg naar Santiago
Allerzielen
In de bergen van Nederland

It's good to see you here! You read from such a broad selection of books, especially by writers not writing in English, that I think you'll bring a lot to this discussion.

Looking forward to following along with you.

>4 RidgewayGirl: Thanks.

I am still considering whether to mention or refer to English or other language editions.

Added: I had some trouble with the touchstones, but it seems OK now. Apparently, the touchstones column on the right automatically chooses the foreign language edition.

3. Een zakenlunch in Sintra, en andere Portugese verhalen
Finished reading: 5 January 2011



Gerrit Komrij is another Dutch writer who has made a foreign country, viz. Portugal, his new home. Komrij is mostly known as a compiler of Dutch poetry anthologies and criticism. Much of his work consists of columns or collections of aphorisms. Komrij, who often strikes people as a grumbling old man, has noted that Portugal allows him to live away from the Netherlands, but be near enough to get there regularly for work.

Besides compilations and criticism, Komrij has published a small body of fiction, three or four novels, some short stories, and one piece of autobiographical fiction, named Vila Pouca. Kroniek van een dorp. The sub title of this book is "chronicle of a village", and it is more about the place than about the man. In fact, the other man in his life does not even make an appearance.

Most of Komrij's fiction, however, seems to be autobiographical, or bearing strong resemblance to the life and experiences of a Dutch author in a tiny Portuguese village. Een zakenlunch in Sintra, en andere Portugese verhalen is such a collection of stories, which each show an aspect of living in Portugal. To Dutch people, and possibly others, life in a Portuguese village, as life in the countryside of Spain might also, conjures up the image of rural simplicity, and backwardness with a rich sprinkling of corruption. Incredible corruption and bureaucracy is what the title story is about. While corruption is found among civil servants and city dwellers, Komrij pictures life in the village as pastoral and uncorrupted, age-old men and women, who seem to be living in another age, and a handsome youth, oblivious to the effect on the writer of flaunting his tanned body. Shame, lust and shyness are a triplet found in several of his works.



Other books I have read by Gerrit komrij:
Fabeldieren
Verwoest Arcadië
De buitenkant
Intimiteiten
Dubbelster
De klopgeest
Hercules
Vila Pouca. Kroniek van een dorp.

4. Verlovingstijd
Finished reading: 11 January 2011



Maarten 't Hart is a mainstream Dutch author. Some of his short stories, and three of his novels have been published in English, viz. Een vlucht regenwulpen translated as A Flight of Curlews (trans. 1986), De aansprekers translated as Bearers of Bad Tidings (trans. 1983), and De zonnewijzer translated as The Sundial (trans. 2004), none of which owned by LT members.

't Hart is not an easily likeable author. He is one of a number of Dutch authors, among them Hans Warren and Jan Siebelink whose upbringing steeped them deeply in what could be termed a type of fanatic Protestantism. In the former two writers, both originating from small God fearing communities in the south-west of the Netherlands, this has produced an apparently deep conflict both in life and fiction of reconciling life and faith, even though 't Hart claims to have renounced the Christian faith during his student years.

As a postgrad. student, I worked at a bookbinder, and was occasionally allowed to bring back home books the binding of which did not pass muster. So, I struggled through the 969 pages Verzamelde verhalen (Collected Stories), and loathed the book thoroughly.

I like neither the work nor the man. His public appearance as "Maartje 't Hart" ("Maartje" is the feminine diminutive of "Maarten"), in drag, is, I believe, indicative of a twisted mind. If 't Hart would be a closeted queer, I would not be surprised.

't Hart is a very productive writer. Before his professional career as a writer, he studied biology and took a PhD in ethology. The study of biology, plants and insects, features in some of his stories. In addition, 't Hart is passionate about Classical music, notably Bach and has published on that.

My appreciation for 't Hart is mostly for the work in which he is able to avoid (his rebellion against) the Christian faith, particularly those novels in which biology plays a role. I studied biology myself for a year, hence my interest.

In my opinion Verlovingstijd is not an altogether successful novel. My objection is mainly that the structure seems flawed, it would seem as if the author combined two pieces of writing and added a conclusion to tie things up. The first part seems only loosely connected to the second, largest chunk of the novel, with a conclusion, which mainly picks up threads from the first part.

I most enjoyed reading the first part of the novel as in this part 't Hart uses a lot of words which I had always thought of as belonging to a regiolect of Dutch. I have not heard anyone use these non-standard Dutch words and expressions for a long time, and had long assumed they were very specific for people mainly using standard Dutch from the area of my hometown, such as my grand-mother, my parents and some of my classmates at high school. The abundant use of these words in the first 80 pages of the book suggests the author enjoyed including them here, perhaps to highlight this (disappearing?) form of speech.

The main premise of the story is that as two friends grow up, one of them always 'steals' the girlfriends of the other. This is the story of the two men in the first part of the book. In the last part of the book, the aged mother of one of the men admits that she has life-long been married to the wrong man. The middle part of the book is tells the life story of the son. This part of the book repeats all previous story lines in novels of 't Hart, not very interesting and mainly repetitive. The structure which connects the first and the last part of the book is a ride in a touring car bus, hired to bring the whole family to the funeral of the deceased husband of the aged mother. The family boards the bus in the southwest of Holland, to take them to the funeral in the northeast, suggesting a very long ride -- a bus ride long enough to tell the story?



Other books I have read by Maarten 't Hart:
Stenen voor een ransuil
Ik had een wapenbroeder
Een vlucht regenwulpen
Verzamelde verhalen
Laatste zomernacht

5. Wagner matinee
Finished reading: 15 January 2011



Wagner matinee is a short story, published separately, taken from Youth and the Bright Medusa, by Willa Cather.

What I like about Cather's is its freshness. This straightforward story is about a woman, who has been living on a farm in rural America for more than 30 years, and visits the a concert with her nephew or cousin in a big city. While the young man fears how she might like the music by Wagner, she is moved to tears, and overcome by emotion as the concert ends. The story shows part of the tragedy of (im-) migrants who once lived in cultured centres, moving to rural outposts and being cut off from the cultural life in the cities.



Other books I have read by Willa Cather:
O Pioneers!

6. Un garçon d'Italie
Finished reading: 16 January 2011



The story of this book by Philippe Besson did not strike me as particularly original, although I cannot point at any other story I feel it bears resemblance to. The story is of a love triangle, a married man, his wife and the man's male lover, a male prostitute. All three main characters alternate in taking the role of the narrator, and the story emerges through the changing perspective. There is little suspense, from the start the story is clear to the reader, and there are no surprises. It never becomes clear why the story should be set in Italy.

What irritates me most about the novel is that the male main protagonist is already dead at the beginning of the story, so acting as the narrator is actually his ghost. This novel is not the only to feature a ghost in this way. Recently, I have been reading Instances of the number 3 by Salley Vickers, another contemporary novel, also about a love triangle, in which the ghost of the deceased lover appears to the women and speaks with them. While in the book by Vickers the ghost is not so disturbing, after all, many people are haunted by their past (lovers), the ghost-narrator in Un garçon d'Italie does not seem to have any other function that to narrate the story for the benefit of the reader. It is even made clear that the ghost cannot interact with the other characters in the book. I have read other novels in which supernatural occurrences take place, eg. Spiegelpanden by Sipko Melissen was wondering whether this is something recent. I do not like it.



This was my first book by Philippe Besson.

7. Winds in the woods. The story of John Muir
Finished reading: 16 January 2011



I like reading about natural history, and expected more from this biography of John Muir by John Stewart. Nowadays, one can find so much information on the Internet. Nonetheless, a somewhat interesting read for a few spare hours. The text was more like ruminations on John Muir, the photos were nothing very special. Most memorable is the story, told at the end of the book of John Muir showing President Theodore Roosevelt around Yellowstone, successfully persuading him to create the Yellowstone National Park.

Welcome to club read 2011. Fascinating selection of books, enjoying your comments. I have had a peek at your library and noted that you are fairly tough on your star ratings.

8. Travels in hyperreality
Finished reading: 17 January 2011



Occasional writings may be very readable on or around the occasion i.c. or in a given time period, but collections of such writings often result in tedious reads one has to drag through. Travels in hyperreality by Umberto Eco is such a collection of dead wood, that someone pasted an enticing new title on. A selection of readings from the 70s and 80s, this volume did me nothing.



Other books I have read by Umberto Eco:
Five moral pieces

I confess I had a similar reaction to Travels in Hyperreality. And I was sorely disappointed because I was prepared to love it. One of my favorite books is Foucault's Pendulum, which I have read twice and still suspect we've all been hoodwinked by Eco by some nefarious medievalist/semiotician's trick. The first time I read it, I thought it was a tour de force murder mystery with gobs of pseudo scholarship to impress and confuse the reader. Then I read Serendipities, and realized this was not pseudo scholarship. It was the real thing. So I reread Foucault's Pendulum with more appreciation. In the past year, I've been focused on medieval and Renaissance history and I'm thinking maybe I'm now really ready for Foucault's Pendulum. One way or another, my sense is it is one of the greatest mind dumps ever committed to paper in a fictional form. Thus, my disappointment with Travels in Hyperreality, which was after all, if I remember correctly, a collection of mere newspaper columns.

It doesn't look like that, i.e. 'newspaper columns' in my edition. It is a collection of essays, regular fashion. Oh no, I so much hated reading Consider the lobster by David Foster Wallace, that particular type of postmodernism twaddle, that had newspaper columns, and worse.
I have already bought several books by Eco, including Foucault's pendulum. I guess I am unlucky, approaching this author from the wrong angle. I first bought and read Five moral pieces in Singapore, and thought it very so so. I have started reading Baudolino, but did not like it, and abandoned it. Be it said that I rarely abandon books. However, since I already have those books, I will probably one day end up reading them.

9. The death of grass aka No blade of grass
Finished reading: 19 January 2011

published in the US as

In 2009 and 2010, Penguin Books has expanded and revamped the Penguin Modern Classics series, adding a number of great works of fiction which were about to be forgotten. I usually shun detective, and much sci-fi, but bought these on the authority of the series, considering that,inclusion in this Penguin series must indicate merit. On the other hand, foreign language books are still scarce in China, so as these Penguins appeared on the shelve in one bookstore (only), I bought a large number of them, across various genres and categories of authors I have never read.

Death of grass merits to remain in broad circulation for at least two reasons. In the first place, as it was published in 1956, it was one of the books that inspired environmentalists. The book poignantly demonstrates the importance of the environment, by drawing attention to the effects of total destruction of the environment if only one order of plants would be wiped out, namely grasses. Even in our day, the devastation that would be created by killing off any type of grass, is hard to imagine, and the author is able to impress the reader today by apocalyptic landscapes of bare and muddy hills an downs in rural England, where all grass has disappeared.

Secondly, some science fiction has the potential to turn into an ugly reality. According to the introduction to this edition by Robert Macfarlane, the type of virus described in the book as causing this massive die-off of grasses already exists in the natural world, and it is spreading. While it sounds a little bit like another eboli-horror originating from deep in Africa, apparently hardly spreading, the fact that it is spreading, plus the fact that I had never heard of it before, may give you an excellent reason to pick up and read this book.

Meanwhile, the story is a good read, certainly as good as John Wyndham. Naturally, all these novels read with a feeling of being somewhat dated. In another twenty years, they will be included in Penguin Classics, along with H. W. Wells. I must say, I quite like writings from this period, all the more, if you read a few of them, such as The black cloud (1957) by Fred Hoyle or After the rain (1958) by John Bowen my review

More intriguing books Edwin. Science fiction of the 1950's 60's did take itself a bit too seriously at times, but they are no worse for that and I still enjoy some of them.

10. La petite fille de Monsieur Linh
Finished reading: 19 January 2011



by Philippe Claudel

Warning: My review contains a spoiler.

This is not a simple story at all.

For a long time, I was puzzled by the title of this book. It is remarkable to see what translators have done with that, but after reading, it is my conclusion that there is no child at all.

Many reviews, here and elsewhere, refer to this short novel as a simple story. The prose is simple, and the story calls up an idealised nostalgia, both of the simple life style as we imagine it in Asia, and the apparent purity of the friendship between the two men.

However, I believe that simplicity is false, or rather, it is the product and expression on Monsieur Linh's mind. The reader is lured into believing this beautiful story through our sympathy for Mr Linh, as the opening and most of the story are seen through Mr Linh's eyes. Mr Linh is not the narrator, but the story is told, at least initially, from his point of view.

The simple-mindedness of Mr Linh is never made more explicit, than by the fact that he is locked up in a mental institution.

As the story progresses, the reader may gradually get the feeling that something is wrong about "the little girl". She never cries, we never hear anything else about her apart from Monsieur Linh's comments. She often does not eat, or not much. People smile tenderly, when Monsieur Linh dresses or cares for "the child". Is there a child? Why is "she" not separated from him, sent to school, surely an old man like Mr Linh could not take care of such a little child. In other reviews, it is suggested that Mr Linh is sent to a home for the elderly, but then how to reconcile the idea that "Sang Diû" is not separated from him. A child in a home for the elderly? The only logical conclusion is that there is only a child in the mind of Monsieur Linh, but not in the reality of the novel story. People acknowledge "Sang Diû" because they want to be nice to the old man. They smile, because he is holding .... a doll.

There is one other compelling suggestion that Monsieur Linh has lost his mind. In the book, we are told that Mr Linh knows about a spring outside his village. Villagers who know that they will die, drink the water from this well and hence forget all unpleasantness. Drinking this water will instantly erase all memories, leaving the mind peaceful, only the beautiful moments remain.

That is what is left of Monsieur Linh's mind.

I second the Foucault's Pendulum recommendation.

11. The play room
Finished reading: 22 January 2011



Today's paedophiles are yesterday's perverts and dirty men; men, mostly, who would lure innocent children and confront them with sexuality at a time and in a way they are not ready. The young teenagers, who befell that lot, were usually straying, consciously or unconsciously looking for such experience, and shocked or just blunted when they blundered into a situation like that. I would agree with the contention that today's paedophiles are a lot more dangerous, but that is beyond the scope of this review.

Such a blundering search into the world of sexuality lies at the heart of this novel by Olivia Manning. A young girl, merely 15, stumbles through teenage friendship, through a weird encounter with a pervert into a sexual relationship, for which she is not ready.

Unfortunately, the story does not ring true, and is hardly worth reading.

12. Cause for alarm
Finished reading: 28 january 2011



Published in 1938, this political spy novel can still entice the modern reader with a fast-speed, racy story. Surely, some of it seems dated, murder in an alley of long shadows, but this is only because we have seen to many movies from or about the same period. Retrospectively, we can see how well Eric Ambler caught the spirit of the day, with rising fascism in Italy. I am sure that, as more fiction from the 1930s comes into the public domain, or is re-issued, as this edition is in Penguin Modern Classics, and we will read more fiction from that period, we will have to re-evaluate the view that people did not see fascism coming.

13. The sailor who fell from grace with the sea
Finished reading: 29 January 2011



I do not read a lot in translation, but there is no other way to get to Yukio Mishima. The elegant prose, and beauty of the life style is contrasted with the horror of a cruel murder. Trust versus distrust, strength against cunning, young versus old, many against one.

14. The kite runner
Finished reading: 29 January 2011



I have nothing with this book, and only read it because it was a free gift in a bundle. Usually, I try to stay away from bestsellers, especially those linked up with current affairs. I was even more abhorred to find out the author is a lawyer or a dentist who has lived in the US since an early age, so yes, it is fiction, riding the wave, I suppose.

To be honest, then again, I have to admit that the book was more readable than I expected, and probably does tell us something about reality.

15. Solar
Finished reading: 30 January 2011



It is great when a writer can successfully reinvent himself. Ian McEwan latest book is a feast to read. Humour, wit and a sharp analysis of the modern business of science and education. Neo-liberalism has perverted everything, and Solar is a great satirical novel to expose all of that. The episode of the artists' conference in the arctic is based on a true experience of the author, and we can only surmise how much of it is rooted in his real experience. I can imagine some of it, but McEwan's description of Michael Beard's ordeal is just too funny. I laughed out loud.

Pretty much overweight myself, and busy battling the belly, I cannot fail to notice Beard getting fatter and fatter throughout the book. Superficially, this gain in weight, could be a measure of success, but with McEwan it is surely more than that. One feels this metaphor of expansion is emblematic for our time in which growth is the prescribed paradigm, and everything gets blown up. Until it all comes down to nothing in the end. As Beard is the purported discoverer of the so-called "Beard-Einstein conflation", the book is full of conflation, inflation and subsequent deflation.

Another challenge the author poses, is the question how willing the reader is to go along with Beard's deceit. Beard is clearly a morally flawed character from the start, but his clumsiness seems endearing, and the reader is led along of the path of sympathy, ever deeper into moral decay. The episode of Beard eating another passenger's crisps on a commuter train, and drinking his water, is a gem. It is another example how wrong Beard is about himself, and the world around him. While relativity should be his strong point, Beard is clearly confused in all possible ways.



Other books I have read by Ian McEwan:
Saturday
Black dogs
On Chesil Beach
The cement garden
The child in time
Enduring love
In between the sheets
Atonement
Amsterdam
The Innocent or the Special Relationship

16. Beyond words. How language reveals the way we live now
Finished reading: 31 January 2011



Once you start fidgeting about the way young people use the language, that's a clear sign you're getting old. While language would be able to offer an interesting perspective on the way we live now, John Humphreys is a bore and on every page he is the grumpy old man, complaining how the younger generation abuses the language. There are far mor interesting books than this one. I regret I bought these two books by Humphreys.



Other books I have read by John Humphreys:
Lost for words. The mangling and manipulating of the English language

17. Dirt music
Finished reading: 3 February 2011



I never found the way into this book. Boring characters, in a boring place, where nothing happens. This book was not for me.

Your reading as posted so far for this year is amazing. And I'm sure your students are inspired. Are you teaching English to Chinese students – or French or Dutch? And do you plan to stay there indefinitely? A friend of mine taught English in China for a year but she had a difficult time adjusting, not to mention her husband was still in the United States.

18. Devil's Night, and other true tales of Detroit
Finished reading: 4 February 2011



I was not sure what kind of book this was going to be, only to discover it is a bit of a shape-shifter. Largely based on interviews and journalistic reporting, turned into a story-line, perhaps best characterised as a documentary in words. Well-written, and sufficiently avoiding the "journalistic style" which turns every person into a cartoon character magnifying supposedly characteristic features (you know, the street artists who will sketch you in five minutes).

No matter how much is written about a country in the newspapers, it is hard to really grasp the reality of life if you have never been there. I know virtually nothing about Japan, and barely much more about the US. Devil's Night, and other true tales of Detroit came as a real eye opener, a view on developments in an American city that are shocking and startling

19. Een droom met heel veel groen
Finished reading: 5 February 2011



Just some easy, frivolous, little stories and poems in Dutch, without any pretense. Excellent toilet reading.

20. Ich bin meine eigene Frau. Ein Leben
Finished reading: 6 February 2011



Gay transvestite, teenage years in Berlin, growing up in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), spells out the problematic life of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf. In the last year of the war, 1945, aged 17, Lothar murdered his father, was forced to undergo psychiatric treatment and then imprisoned, and released as the Third Reich collapsed.

I haven't read many memoirs that describe life in Berlin during the war, and subsequently, maturing in the GDR. Besides old men with a taste for SM, Lothar was attracted to all other old things, knowing well the value, as during the war he had worked in second-hand and antiquities shops, clearing out the houses of deported Jewish families. After the war, he continues this style of acquisition, by carting off the possessions of emigrants. He sets himself up in an abandoned castle, presumably imitating the grand lifestyle of late nineteenth century aristocratic bourgeoisie. To make money, he starts giving tours, and gradually his collection and mansion are turned into a museum. There is some, but very little, about the emergence of a gay sub-culture in the GDR, in which Charlotte von Mahlsdorf in known to have played a prominent role.

This life story is clearly an attempt to idealize. The author emphasises hard work, historic conservation and femininity. The reader gets to know very little about the author's (sexual) relationships, although there are some hints, and it is useful to carefully study all photos and the photo captions. The author has been criticised for concealing parts of his life, history, and motives, but we may well assume that hiding and misrepresentation were second nature to the author.

21. The mask of Dimitrios
Finished reading: 8 February 2011



The mask of Dimitrios is my second book by Eric Ambler this year, read, not because I am so interested in espionage, but as it was re-issued as a Penguin Modern Classics edition. It is a pity I could not get all four. The book is known in the US as A coffin for Dimitrios.

Published in 1939 it describes the search for the identity of a spy, across Turkey, Yugoslavia and Greece. The novel is reminiscent of Graham Greene's and probably Ian Fleming, although I have never read any of the latter's novels, and somewhat of Joseph Conrad's Under Western Eyes.

The story is very exciting and is set against the back drop of the rise of Hitler in Europe. The book never feels dated, the reading experience is fully modern and contemporary, as opposed to the other book I read by Ambler earlier this year, Cause for alarm.

22. A citizen of the country
Finished reading: 10 February 2011



It would be easiest the put this book down as a simple failure and move on. Set in early 20th century France, it doesn't feel like France, the time does not feel right, the characters names do not feel natural (Alexander Reisden, Perdita), and so on. I am not fond of murder mysteries, and it seems the author was trying to do too many things.

>27 Poquette:

I teach English to Chinese students, and have on occasion taught German and Dutch. I was asked to do French, but declined. Unfortunately, the school usually asks newcomers to teach the literature majors, while I teach Philosophy, History and Marxism-Leninism majors. The latter are usually so immersed in their studies in Chinese, that their proficiency in English is rather low, and they cannot read English sufficiently well to enjoy it.

I have been living and working in China for nearly 12 years, and would like to stay forever. Besides teaching, I write text books, and do other jobs in the field of writing, proofreading, etc.

23. A widow for one year
Finished reading: 11 February 2011



Very well written, but really over the top (would we expect otherwise?) I haven't read any books by John Irving for a while, and enjoyed this one. For some time, when I was a student, Irving was one of my favourite authors, but reading The fourth hand a few years ago was a disappointment. Now, I do no longer care so much for the hilarity, some of real gross. Of course, the episode in Amsterdam appealed to me, and I thought it was well done.

Probably, quite a number of Irving's books would work just as well, or even better, if they were at least a third shorter. I sometimes wished that was the case with this book.



Other books I have read by John Irving:
The fourth hand
The world according to Garp
The Hotel New Hampshire
The Cider House Rules

24. A Burmese legacy
Finished reading: 11 february 2011



Let's start with a quotation from the book (page 80): "Then there was the man newly arrived from England who made derogatory remarks about the natives and their primitive ways. My mother said I mustn't repeat this but it was actually George Orwell. 'Don't be daft,' I said, 'George Orwell wasn't a racist. He liked the Burmese.' 'Well then,' said my mother, not at all dismayed, 'it was a friend of George Orwell's.'

This quote typifies the book. The author has nothing important to tell us and no first-hand experience. (Obviously, Orwell had to be included in some way or other, though.)

Half-way the book, the author writes: "Everything I have written up to now is hearsay." Half of the book are family anecdotes which tell us absolutely nothing. The second half of the book is the report of the author's journey through Myanmar in 1985, which tells us even less. The last chapter (20 pages) is an update, 10 years later, upon publication of this volume. Some books had better not be published.

A good range of books you have been reading and you are only up to 11th February. Ian McEwan is one of my favourite contemporary novelists, but I haven't got to Solar yet and so it was good to read your thoughts on it. I read The mask of Dimitrios a couple of years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. I might now look out for more of Ambler's novels. I envy you being comfortable in reading in a number of languages.

I second Barry's admiration of your ability to read in several languages. I am still struggling with reading French. My vocabulary is still limited so I have to read with a dictionary. Maybe some day . . .

>36 baswood: A very large number of reviews have been written about Solar, analyzing and dissecting it in every possible way. In many reviews Micheal Beard is put down as an unsympathetic character, but I cannot see how you could read the book and enjoy it without largely identifying with him. Despite the fact that he is a bit of a hyperbole, his evil never seems intentional, and he appears a rather likeable character.

In many reviews Solar is described as humourous, and a departure from McEwan previous style. While certainly, the book seems to have a lighter tone than, let's say, Enduring love, the humour is still the same wry irony, and still very much McEwan.

McEwan is one of my favourite authors, and I liked this book as much as some of his other full length novels.

>37 Poquette:

I read Dutch (mothertongue), English, German, French and Spanish with pleasure. Reading in Catalan, Portuguese, Italian and Norwegian, poses too many problems to enjoy it. Have to look up too many words in the dictionary. I have lost my ability to read in Czech. I am now at intermediate for Chinese, but still cannot read, other than functional reading. I have tried Latin a few times, but never had the stamina to push on; I cannot read it.

I like learning languages. I have tried Turkish and Bahasa Indonesian, but without a teacher and exposure it was too hard. On my wish list are still: Cantonese, Zhuang, Vietnamese, Thai, Russian, and possibly Japanese + dead languages Latin, Greek and Sanskrit.

You are a marvel! I have a bit of German and French, and am in the process of trying to teach myself Latin. I did take it in school, but that was too long ago to mention and I didn't get all the grammar there. Vocabulary is always the stumbling block. Like you, I feel having a teacher or tutor would be very helpful at this point.

25. Bamboo Palace. Discovering the lost dynasty of Laos
Finished reading: 12 February 2011



I could be mistaken, but it seems the liberalism of information on the Internet has penetrated the world of traditional publishing. While in the past most books were written by the more serious type of scholarly or semi-scholarly author, there now seems to be a new large group of journalists or former journalists who have turned to producing books. These books have a different flavour. A fairly large number of these books are written by relatively young, adventurous authors. Perhaps the availability of so much background information through the Internet enables these writers to combine journalistic skills of collecting first-hand information with the otherwise time-consuming task of writing up background to a story.

Their style of writing is somewhat different from earlier authors. Less knowledgeable, less snobbery; more personal, interweaving the object of research, with personal anecdotes, so to speak the process of collecting facts, in an easy-going, free, personal style. In some cases, the writing has a distinctly journalistic flavour of exaggeration and typifying descriptions. On the whole, the reporting also seems less neutral.

One such a new type of author is Christopher Kremmer, who has written books about Central and Southeast Asian countries, such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, India, and Laos. Bamboo Palace. Discovering the lost dynasty of Laos is his second book about Laos.

Rather than a thorough description and analysis of recent Lao history, the book is a racy detective story, trying to uncover the fate of the late royal family of Laos. Photos of and visits to derelict buildings, sites in the jungle, chasing witnesses, seeking out survivors, adventure and a pinch of danger are typical. The author is prominently present in the text, and in photos as the agent uncovering the facts.

The book is very readable, giving us a glimpse of contemporary life in Laos, and lifting a tip of the veil on Laotian history. The author is indeed able to lay bare quite a considerable part of the mosaic of that part of history concerning the last months of the royal family, and how they perished in concentration camps.

However, the style of the book is very confusing, especially in the beginning. It is a mish-mash of journalism, travelogue and personal reflections. The description of the author's dream, and the peculiar cycling accident, which the author claims was caused by a "cursed" stolen buddha sculpture are peculiar and undermine the sanity of the author and credulity of the book.

Laos is a country not much spoken of, and little known. This book is an interesting contribution to our knowledge of that country. It has whetted my appetite to know more about this country.

26. The autographman
Finished reading: 14 February 2011



I was not particularly expecting very much from this novel, but since we cannot get that many books here in China, and it was a special offer, plus, I thought I should give this author, Zadie Smith, so popular in recent years, a try, I bought this book and gave it a shot.

The book comes with some kabbalistic chart, which I could not make sense of, not before, nor while or even after reading. Perhaps it is a kind of postmodern distractor, who knows.

Naturally, I was sympathetic to the book opening with a main character of Chinese descent, but, as so often happens the name and background seems too contrived: a English - Chinese Jew, named Alex-Li Tandem. I was willing to go along, but basically, if an author cannot come up with a reasonably acceptable name for the (main) character(s), I must say I soon start losing interest. I never really discovered what the book is about, there does not seem to be a plot or story to follow. I suppose the postmodern author will scowl at me for that.

The only way to get through this book was by skimming. I doubt I missed much.

Interesting thoughts in the first paragraph of your review of Bamboo Palace.

It must be a cinch to write a thesis these days.

27. The knowledge of water
Finished reading: 15 February 2011



In this book, Sarah Smith better catches the atmosphere of Paris and turn-of-the-century France than in the sequel to this books, A citizen of the country, which I happened to read first.

The book has basically the same problems as the previous one, viz. too many characters, unconvincing characters, too many things going on, and lacking an interesting story. Usually, detective and mystery have gripping stories, and historical fiction is also usually characterised by a strong plot, but this seems exactly what Smith's books lack.



Other books I have read by Sarah Smith:
A citizen of the country

28. The botany of desire. A plant's-eye view of the world
Finished reading: 16 February 2011



I am no friend of Richard Dawkin's "selfish gene' theory, and therefore have very little sympathy for the idea postulated by Michael Pollan in the opening essay of this book that apples manipulate humans. The essay is a good medium to put forward thought provoking ideas, and provoking ideas can be very interesting, but that does not mean they are necessarily true. Besides, as Pollan adopts this idea from Dawkin,it can hardly be considered a novelty.

Nonetheless, Pollan has a lot to say, and has written four very interesting essays, about four plants, three of which, at least, are all very well known to readers. The histories Pollan chooses to describe in relation to each are very interesting, and stick in the mind, for example the story of Johnny Appleseed and American Frontier history.

In Pollan's description of his first-hand experience planting Monsanto GM potatoes, it is shocking to learn that these spuds come with a licence, almost like software, spelling out in detail what one may and may not do with those potatoes.

I was surprised by the profoundly interesting essay written on marijuana, the longest essay by far, which may betray Pollan's personal interest in this herb.

Very interesting, and very well-written.



Other books I have read by Michael Pollan:
In defense of food. An eater's manifesto
A place of my own. The architecture of daydreams

29. The trespasser
Finished reading: 24 February 2011



D.H. Lawrence is an author I have not come round to read too much, although the works I have read were fully satisfactory. Surprisingly, this short work has very few readers on LT, at least as a separate edition.

So, I enjoyed reading The trespasser. However, it must be said that it was a laborious read. I could not read it very fast, and each time, I would only read a number of pages. The story is simple enough, but the descriptions of nature, and the landscape, and the way they are symbolically intertwined with the mood of the characters calls for slow reading. While some readers might be put off by the symbolism, the tragedy has a very deep sense of realism, as the story draws on the experience of one of Lawrence's friends.



Other books I have read by D.H. Lawrence:
The virgin and the gyspsy

30. Heavenly intrigue: Johannes Kepler, Tycho Brahe, and the murder behind one of history's greatest scientific discoveries
Finished reading: 25 February 2011



Clearly, to the mass media reader, a murder mystery would be much more compelling than the science of history, let alone that of sixteenth century astronomy.

Early in the book, Heavenly intrigue, the authors, Joshua and Anne-Lee Gilder, juxtapose the two astronomers, Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler, in such a way that the outcome of their accusation is inevitable: Brahe, the rich aristocrat, is murdered by Kepler, the poor man's son, who aspires the old man's position and data for financial gain.

The authors never tell the reader that there are other theories about Brahe's death, involving the same means, but with another perpetrator, namely his cousin, Eric Brahe. The other flaw seems that the authors impose the modern view of scientific co-operation on the reader, while we do not know and cannot assess the exact nature of the co-operation between Brahe and Kepler.

31. Lawnboy
Finished reading: 27 February 2011



Very well-written, but not particularly interesting. The style is euphorious, all the time, but nothing to make is more lasting. There is too much sparkle, but no story.

After about 200 pages, I felt it was too long. The last 3 chapters are weak, as if the author is tying up loose strands, some of which appear out of nothing, such as Evan's green fingers. As a book written in 1998, it deals very unconvincingly with the issue of Aids; it more seems the author wanted to avoid it.

32. Een Hollander in Parijs. Articles de Paris
Finished reading: 1 March 2011



The Dutch author Simon Carmiggelt is mainly known for writing short sketches of everyday observations. This is a collection of such short sketches in Paris, the city where Dutch authors prefer to go when Holland gets too nauseous or their aspirations reach above the dykes.

The pretext of Heavenly Intrigue sounds very interesting. I'm sorry you found it subpar; else I might have given it a try.

>50 Poquette:

Yes, that was what I thought when I bought the book. Broadly speaking, you will find many other reviewers both on LT and elsewhere concurring in my disappointment.

The contentions of the authors, Joshua Gilder and Anne-Lee Gilder are speculative, and based on research done on hairs from Brahe's beard. The hairs came from the exhumation of Brahe's remains in 1901, and were analysed in 1995. Other authors and the scientific community prefer not to draw the conclusions which these authors do in their book, Heavenly Intrigue.

Last year, a new investigation, led by a Danish university, has reopened Brahe's grave, to film, photographs and examine his remains in a more thorough way. The issue of the high mercury residue in the hair will also be re-examined,with a possible review of the cause of death, although they claim that that is not the main aim of the study.

33. Doodverf
Finished reading: 4 March 2011



Between 1983 and 1996, the Dutch author A.F.Th. van der Heijden published the tetralogy De tandeloze tijd ("The Toothless Time"), which appeared in seven volumes, describing the life and times of Albert Egberts, a partial alter ego of the author. The cycle describes the events in the lives of a group of students, artists and junkies living in the squatter scene in the Amsterdam of the 1980s, altogether comprising just over 3,000 pages. The author intends to write a further concluding volume. While working on this opus, the author published several smaller novels, which may be regarded as off-shoots of this magnum opus.

Doodverf ("Death Paint") appeared in 2010, and is another off-shoot of the aforementioned tetralogy. The novel is not newly conceived, but consists of a rearrangement of existing sections of text, selected from the 3,000+ pages of the cyclus. However, Doodverf shifts accents to high-light some minor characters, and develop a possible story line, which was not previously explored, while further developing the story line of the artists in the cycle, and adding a surprising, new twist to that.

The novel is presented to the reader as a thriller, although in my opinion this may just be a ploy of the publisher to attract a greater, and possibly new readership. To regular readers, like myself, the development of the crime element certainly appears a viable option. It is typical of Van Der Heijden to select an extreme type of crime such as the traffic in children, child abuse, infanticide and drugs trafficking concealed in baby corpses. Regular readers and fans also welcomed the return of characters such as Albert, Flix & Thjum, whose initials refer to the author's initials. Their story is that they travel to Italy, Albert to keep his money making scheme of various types of traffic going, while trying to come clear of his heroine addiction, and the artist Flix to work on a project involving a sculpture experiment, with Thjum as his main model.

A.F.Th. van der Heijden is of Italian descent, and published his works initially under the Italianate pseudonym Patrizio Canaponi. The story of Doodverf is set in Naples, and Flix' sculpture experiment is to capture movement and agony, by "freezing" the postures of the models, who are wrapped in gipsum-soaked bandages. In the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, we are immediately reminded of the gipsum-filled cavities that were discovered in Pompeii, consisting of victims of the 79 AD volcanic disaster, many frozen in time in their final death throes.

In my opinion, Doodverf is an interesting off-shoot of the main work, which reintroduces some of the main characters and develops the material further, while introducing new elements.

As the older generation of Dutch writers is passing away, A.F.Th. van der Heijden has emerged as the only writer of his generation, producing large-scale epic works. Since 2003, Van Der Heijden has been working on a new cycle, "The Split Human", but his style of working, and the disorganized order of publications and off-shoots, as well as long waiting time between volumes, has made many readers turn away.

None of the author's works have been translated into English. Of "The Toothless Time", a German translation is available.



Other works I have read by A.F.Th. van der Heijden:
De gazellejongen. Het verzameld werk van Patrizio Canaponi
De draaideur
Een gondel in de Herengracht en andere verhalen
De slag om de Blauwbrug
Vallende ouders
De gevarendriehoek
Weerborstels
Het hof van barmhartigheid
Onder het plaveisel het moeras
Advocaat van de hanen
De sandwich
De Movo tapes. Een carriere als ander
Engelenplaque
Gevouwen woorden
Ik heb je nog veel te melden. De briefwisseling tussen Jean-Paul Franssens en A.F.Th. van der Heijden
Hier viel Van Gogh flauw
Het leven uit een dag
MIM, of De doorstoken globe
Drijfzand koloniseren
Kruis en kraai. De romankunst na James Joyce
Voetstampwijnen zijn tandknarswijnen
Gentse lente

34. Mr Mee
Finished reading: 5 march 2011



The novel covers so much ground, and so many different points of view and angles that I was unable to connect the dots. It is not clear how the Ferrand and Minard chapters connect to the rest of the book. It is quite clear that Ferrand and Minard are unreliable crooks, and so are Hitler and Eichmann, appearing in some other chapters, but the whole discussion of whether or not literature and art elevate mankind or destroy it (the Rousseau line) once again does not connect to the rest of the book. Chapter 9 is stylistically so different from the book, that it seems as if the author "fictionalised" an academic paper and included it in the book. The "I" persona, does not seem constant, i.e. the "I" in the first chapters, an apparently very egg-headed academic, is very different from the "I" character in the final chapters. One of the main features of the book does not technically seem plausible - even if a model on a pornographic photo on the Internet held a book in her hand, the title of that book would not appear in a web search. Is the epilogue there to tell us how old Mr Mee is? I could not think of any other way to connect it to the rest of the book.

Unless, of course, I missed it all, which I suppose I did. Towards the end of the book I started loosing interest.

35. Walk yourself thin
Finished reading: 5 March 2011



If reading could do the trick, I'd be as this as a stick... sigh.

>49 edwinbcn:: It's a pity Carmiggelt's books nowadays can only be obtained in second hand bookstores!
My highscool teacher in Dutch lit used to read us some Kronkels if there was some spare time. Fond memories.

36. Ultramarijn
Finished reading: 6 March 2011



Henk van Woerden was a Dutch writer and painter. Born in the Netherlands his parents moved to South Africa when he was three years old. Van Woerden moved to Amsterdam at the age of 20. His book Een mond vol glas was published in English as A Mouthful of Glass or The assassin: a story of race and rage in the land of Apartheid (American edition, transl. by Dan Jacobson, 2000)

Ultramarijn is Van Woerden's last novel, with which he broke through to a larger audience. While the Mediterranean is a familiar setting for novels, the choice of locating the story of this novel in Turkey is novel. Images of the landscape,colours and the role of music in the story, create an sensuous experience.

At the beginning of the book, the main character, Joakim has an incestuous relation with his half-sister, Aysel. To put an end to that relation, Aysel is sent to Europe, and Joakim will never see her again. Joakim grows up lonely, in his poverty-stricken village, and becomes a locally famous musician, playing the lute, often performing in pubs in a nearby coastal village, which gradually develops into a seaside resort, attracting Western tourists. One day, Joakim meets a girl, who reminds him of Aysel, and falls in love with her.

The novel is poetic, but with disturbing undertones of incestuousness. as I was reading it slowly, the novel grew on me, and I kept thinking about it for a long time after reading it.

Ultramarijn has been translated in various languages, including Czech and Chinese.

37. Het engeltje
Finished reading: 10 March 2011



Dutch author, relatively unknown, Wessel te Gussinklo. A very short novella, in which a writer seeks the company of a hooker.

38. Wie is van hout... Een gang door de psychiatrie
Finished reading: 12 March 2011



In Wie is van hout, the Dutch psyciatrist Jan Foudraine describes his Werdegang, his personal development, as much as his original success in revolutionizing psychiatry. Key in the work of Foudraine is the way we see "man", i.e. other people, namely as people.

In Part 1 of the book, Foudraine describes his experience during his training, with two schizophrenic patients, and how, he was able to establish contact, and build up a meaningful relation with patients who were considered beyond reach. Part 2 of the book describes the experiments he was enabled to complete at Chestnut Lodge, a well known as a psychiatric institution, in Rockville, Maryland. Building on the work of Frieda Fromm-Reichmann Foudraine broke through the traditional view of seeing and treating the clients as, and thereby institutionalising them as untreatable patients. Instead of continuing treatment as it had been for sometimes more than 20 or 30 years, for some of the schizophrenic patients at the clinic, Foudraine started treating them as individual and responsible people, aimed at returning them to some form of independent life in society. He succeeded achieving that with a number of patients.

To Jan Foudraine his discoveries and professional successes are no less than a stage in his own personal development. He celebrates his achievement of viewing schizophrenic people as humans rather than patients (objects), as a step in his own increasing understanding of human nature, and what it means to be human.

Following the success of this first book, Foudraine has spent ample time with Bhagwan Sri Rajneesh in Poona, India, and was given the name Swami Deva Amrito. His thinking has developed further in a more mystical-philosophic direction, based on the belief that human suffering could end by discovering one's non-dualism, and abandoning one's sense of ego, (Freud's Ich).

I will be very interested to read his latest book,
Metanoia. Over psychiatrie, psychotherapie en bevrijding (2004).

39. De ortolaan
Finished reading: 13 March 2011



A short novella, in which the author, Maarten 't Hart is able to stay away from his usual main theme of his calvinist upbringing, instead focusing of his passion for natural history. The story is about a graduate student with whom the main character falls in love, and their subsequent friendship over the years, during which they only occasionally see each other at conferences. Not very interesting.



Other books I have read by Maarten 't Hart:
Stenen voor een ransuil
Ik had een wapenbroeder
Een vlucht regenwulpen
Verzamelde verhalen
Laatste zomernacht
Verlovingstijd

40. Karelische nachten
Finished reading: 15 March 2011



Short novel by the Dutch author Louis Ferron. Not very interesting.



Other books I have read by Louis Ferron:
Hoor mijn lied, Violetta

41. Cuba en andere reisverhalen
Finished reading: 15 March 2011



A rather uninspiring travelogue, by the Flemish author Paul de Wispelaere. Each chapter mainly consists of a factual description of history, which the author based on a mere handful of sources, describing the conquest of Mexico, and other places in Central America.



Other books I have read by Paul de Wispelaere:
Tussen tuin en wereld
Paul tegenpaul 1969-1970
Het verkoolde alfabet. Dagboek 1990-1991

42. Imago
Finished reading: 20 March 2011

(Touchstones does not work, click on thumbnail)

Few people know that Carl Spitteler won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1919. While most of his work consists of drama and poetry, he published the novel Imago in 1906. I did not enjoy reading this novel, as it had an extremely dated feel to it,mainly through its extensive use of symbolism.

Spitteler is also known under the pseudonym Carl Felix Tandem, a name remarkably close to that of the main character, Alex-Li Tandem, in Zadie Smith's novel The Autograph Man.

43. Verhalend en essayistisch proza alsmede gedichten
Finished reading: 20 March 2011



A selection of prose, drama, poetry and literary criticism by the German author and Nobel Prize winner of 1919, Carl Spitteler. Poetry, drama and prose bear a close relationship to that of the last quarter on the nineteenth century, with many references to classical mythology.



Other books I have read by Carl Spitteler:
Imago

44. "... einmal wirklich leben". Ein Tagebuch in Briefen an Hedwig Andersch, 1943 bis 1975
Finished reading: 20 March 2011



The collected correspondence between the German author Alfred Andersch and his mother. Throughout his life, Andersch wrote letters to his mother, about 3 or 4 per year. Letters prior to 1943 were lost in a bombardment during the war. The content of most letters is rather banal, and of little interest to the general reader.

Alfred Andersch is one of the most important post-war German authors. Some of his works have appeared in English translation, e.g. Flight to afar (Sansibar oder der letzte Grund).

45. Het afscheid
Finished reading: 25 March 2011



Short novel by the Flemish author Ivo Michels. Not very interesting.

46. Maybe the moon
Finished reading: 27 March 2011



Coming to this book by Armistead Maupin after reading Tales of the City, I was expecting an entertaining, possible endearing read. However, I was very disappointed. Maybe the Moon has not inspired, nor captivated a sliver of my attention.

Apparently, this novel is a "roman a clef"; but the true identity is so well hidden, and the character behind the personage is so obscure that this never becomes clear. In the mean time, the reader keeps wondering why we are reading a book about "a female heterosexual Jewish dwarf".

Why on earth? Opening up to lesbian readership? Trying to imitate John Irving (not nearly as entertaining).

It all seems to be very well-written, but I have no idea what the book is about.



Other books I have read by Armistead Maupin:
The night listener
Tales of the city, Vol. 5. Significant others

47. Eating Animals
Finished reading: 30 March 2011



It is a bit of a mystery, why Jonathan Safran Foer suddenly felt prompted to write this book. I could not suppress the feeling that his publisher may have prodded him, with materialistic motives rather than a sense of idealism. The book almost reads like a pendant to The omnivore's dilemma by Michael Pollan.

The book tells us nothing very much new. It almost could have been written in the same way ten years ago. Possibly, through, the farming takes place on an even larger scale than before.

This book is not for the reader who is weak of heart. It contains some gruesome descriptions. The book is rather thick, and becomes repetitive, as the same type of problem is described for different types of animal, chicken, pigs and cows in succession.

It was funny that I was reading Jonathan Coe's novel What a carve up! at the same time, which also includes a chapter on the excesses in animal husbandry during the Thatcherite and neo-liberalist period of the past ten or 20 years.

48. Een tafel vol vlinders
Finished reading: 31 March 2011



A fairly well-written and somewhat interesting novella, by a relatively unknown Dutch author.

49. De pianoman
Finished reading: 31 March 2011



In April 2005, a young man, mysteriously washed up on the beach in Kent, kept the media enthralled about his identity. Rumours and misquotations led to the belief that the unknown man was a virtuoso concert pianist who had lost his mind.

The Dutch author Bernlef has picked up this story, and with some small changes, turned this news story into a short novella. Well-written.



Other books I have read by Bernlef:
Sneeuw
Publiek geheim
Verbroken zwijgen

50. Doctor Sax. Faust part three
Finished reading: 2 April 2011



There's stream-of-consciousness and there are the ramblings of the severely intoxicated. The latter are a lot less readable than the former. This is my second, minor, work by Jack Kerouac and it makes me wonder whether the Beat generation are overrated.



Other books I have read by Jack Kerouac:
Big Sur

51. The Book of Mechtilde
Finished reading: 4 April 2011



Generally, I do not read a lot of poetry, but merely what falls into my hands by serendipity. The author, Anna Ruth Henriques, originates from Jamaica having a very diverse cultural and ethnic background. She is active as a jewelry designer and painter, producing exquisitely beautiful works of art, some published in book form. This beautifully published book, contains paintings, prose fragments and poetry.

All art work and texts in the book were created by the author at a very young age, when she was mourning the death of her mother. It conveys a deep sense of grief, love, spirituality and optimism, and never feels too heavy or too religious.

Obviously, the book was produced many years after the art work was created. In my opinion, the author could have been a little bit more clear about the dating and the origin of the text parts of the book. She does admit that not all of the work dates back to the time the "icons" were made, but does not linger on that point.

A pleasure to read and watch, and ponder.

52. Piranha to Scurfy and other stories
Finished reading: 6 April 2011



While I am not so much into the thriller / murder mystery genre, but having heard so much positive about the author Ruth Rendell, not least here at LT, trying a collection of short stories seemed a good way to read something by this writer.

I was pretty disappointed. The opening story rambles on without end, and the development is slow, not very convincing, and not interesting. The collection included a few other stories, some apparently too long, and some so short that I was hard to figure out what to make of it. Exit Ms Rendell.

53. What a carve up!
Finished reading: 10 April 2011



I can't think of too many novels and authors offering a fine but poignant critique of contemporary life. I'd have to go back to Martin Amis London Fields or Money: a suicide note.

Fortunately, there's What a carve up! by Jonathan Coe, a 500-page novel on epic scale, an engaging read that spells it all out with a great deal of humour and suspense. By describing the exploits of the children of a British "dynasty", each moral sinners in different branches of economic activity, such as an arms dealer, an art dealer, a tabloid journalist, a politician, and a factory farmer. In each case, greed is all that matters, as trade and professional ethics are trampled in the lust for power and money.

A very entertaining read, with a lot to think about. Highly recommended!

54. Meneer Toto-tolk
Finished reading: 11 April



A very short story, published separately, of a man who is increasingly less able to keep reality separate from language.
Not very interesting.



Other books I have read by Bernlef:
Sneeuw
Publiek geheim
Verbroken zwijgen
De pianoman

55. Burning bright
Finished reading: 11 April 2011



John Steinbeck's idea to rewrite drama into short novellas, in order to keep them available, and readable in an enjoyable format for the wider public, is an excellent idea. Unfortunately, Burning bright is a bad example. Uninteresting.

56. Lolliepop
Finished reading: 12 April 2011



This very small publication, just a single story, was a promotional publication for readers to get a taste of the work of the Dutch author Marion Pauw. It is hardly likely such a short fragment could convey the sense of suspense and drama build-up needed for a successful thriller.

57. Falling man
Finished reading: 14 April 2011



9/11 is just there in the background, and the "falling man" in the title is not the "falling man" we would all think of. Setting off on that wrong foot, and then finding that the book is in fact a very unclear and very uninteresting story, I could be nothing but very disappointed.

58. Eerder thuis dan Townes
Finished reading: 15 April 2011



Another promotional publication, this time two stories by the Dutch author P.F. Thomése. The first story, about two writers losing their way in the Red Light district of Hamburg, is pretty readable, the second story, much less so.



Other books I have read by P.F. Thomése:
Het zesde bedrijf

59. 'n Kleintje Krol
Finished reading: 15 April 2011



A promotional publication by another publisher, introducing the work of the Dutch author Gerrit Krol. The biggest mistake of this publication is that it offers so many useless snippets of text, that I have lost interest in this author for ever.

60. Eat, pray, love. One woman's search for everything across Italy, India and Indonesia
Finished reading: 16 April 2011



This book is not about Rome, Bali or Indonesia. It is all and only about the author's navel staring. What a pathetic drag-on of self-complaint. The cover should have warned me (eating ice-cream on a bench in Rome). Perhaps this is what is called chick-lit? If so, the epithet would be well-chosen.

61. Se résoudre aux adieux
Finished reading: 16 April 2011



The reality of divorce and split up relations is often the definitiveness of one, and the holding on of another. This novel in letters by Philippe Besson relates the musings by a woman, Louise, who sends letters from different cities, Havana,New York, Venice, on the Orient Express and Paris, to her former lover, Clément, who never responds. The letters form a fond memory of the time they spend together, and how she gradually comes to terms with that new reality of the break up, being left and solitude.

As the letters are send from different European cities, the reader is gradually drawn into a similar melancholy mood, which may involve lost loves, or fondly treasured memories of these travel destinations. There is a faint suggestion of Proust's Remembrance of Things Past. Very cleverly done!



Other books I have read by Philippe Besson:
Un garçon d'Italie

62. Een korrel zand
Finished reading: 16 April 2011



This short novel, 131 pp., published in 1966, by the Flemish author Jan van den Weghe relates how a young man rapes and murders a young girl. Part 1 is written from the perspective of the girl, her aspirations to be taken seriously, her longing to be grown up, the misguided idea that her seducer loves her, and finally her panic and fear as things go wrong. Part 2 is written from the perspective of the rapist, what a miserly little nobody he is, his delusions, how he came to his actions, how he keeps himself concealed and finally gives himself up.

Cleverly done, but the style of writing and treatment of the subject matter, would now be considered simplistic. Nonetheless, an interesting read.

63. De reünie
Finished reading: 20 April 2011

Available in English as:

For some reason the epithet "thriller" is applied to this story, I cannot really see why. I enjoyed reading this book by Simone van der Vlugt, mainly because it was an easy and fairly gripping read in Dutch. Apparently, the author lives in my hometown. The book is available in an English translation.

64. L'étudiant étranger
Finished reading: 21 April 2011

Available in English as:

The French author, Philippe Labro has written a lot about the United States. This novel is the story of a young French student who studies at a prestigious university in the US, some time in the 1960s. The French student successfully adapts to his new environment, better, we are told than some of his predecessors, and through the story we are introduced to campus life at that time, loves and taboos.

Reading this novel, I had the feeling that we are probably sharing in many of the author's own experiences. However, somehow, the novel lacks spontaneity, and is a somewhat boring, lifeless narration, perhaps because it was written 30 years later, when the author's memories were no longer that fresh.



Other books I have read by Philippe Labro:
Un été dans l'Ouest

65. Amerika. Een hoorcollege moderne geschiedenis van de VS
Finished reading: 23 April 2011



I am not fond of audio books. I cannot sit still, while listening, when I start doing other things, I cannot concentrate, and will "not hear" any more, and while listening, I feel I cannot grasp what's being said. Even this audio book, consisting of seven lectures about the history of the United States, I was not entirely comfortable. Apparently, listening in my arm chair on Saturday morning is different from listening in a lecture hall.

While the content of the lectures was interesting, and the author, Maarten van Rossem is clearly an experienced lecturer, I was very much aware of the irritation I would have felt if I had bought this CD. First of all, the content seems very little. There are seven half-hour lectures, but the speaker / author makes all kinds of irrelevant jokes and asides, which take up many minutes each time. He even jocularly comments on the recording, which was apparently done in vivo. Van Rossem is known as a very humourous, somewhat distraught man, who easily loses himself in long-winded meandering arguments, but for the purpose of recording, one would expect a little more discipline. In addition to that, he seems to be addressing a rather youthful audience, so jokes and metaphors are geared to that age group, of college students in their late teens early twenties, which does not always appeal to listeners in a different age group.

I believe, the lectures contained some interesting information, but as I tell my own students so often: if you do not take notes, you will forget 70% within two weeks. How likely is it the arm chair listener takes notes?

66. Rendez-vous au Colorado
Finished reading: 24 April 2011



Another novel by Labro on life as an overseas in the US and experiences their. Uninspired, and boring. Lacks any of the originality and vigour of Un été dans l'Ouest.



Other books I have read by Philippe Labro:
Un été dans l'Ouest
L'étudiant étranger

67. Paroles de troubadours
Finished reading: 24 April



I was very disappointed when I first received this book, because it is so extremely thin. It is all printed on glossy paper, which means illustrated manuscripts are beautifully reproduced, but the poetry is printed in modern French. The booklet also includes very little information about the authors or their poems. In the end, it only served me as an anthology, giving me access to names of poets, which I could use to find songs and information about troubadours.

68. De slavenring
Finished reading: 26 April 2011



Simone van der Vlught developed as a writer, by starting with the writing of books for your adult, and eventually publishing novels for regular readers, such as De reünie. This book, De slavenring was written for teenage readers, but is already very mature. A very pleasant read, that did not strike me as a book for younger people, especially.



Other books I have read by Simone van der Vlught:
De reünie

69. Wit zand
Finished reading: 28 April 2011



The framework of this novel by the Flemish author
Kristien Hemmerechts consists of the people running and living in a hotel. Unfortunately, nothing interesting really happens, and the characters by themselves are not intriguing enough to carry the story along.

70. The curious incident of the dog in the night-time
Finished reading: 29 April 2011



It is remarkable how pliant the label Postmodern really is. As an English postgraduate students, in the late 80s, we read novels such as Waterland by Graham Swift or Money by Martin Amis as examples of postmodern fiction. These novels are still relatively traditional, in many ways, and at least they were very well-written. Apart from the fact that the label postmodern is not very descriptive, it now seems that any wacky novel, especially those featuring a wacky main character, are celebrated as postmodern novels. The unreliable narrator was a very interesting feature of novels in the twentieth century, but it is becoming a bit of a cliché.

I am gradually reaching the point, helped much by LT tracking my progress and opinions, that most modern literature is not far removed from rubbish.

71. Bangkok people
Finished reading: 29 April 2011



Sketches, usually published in the form of columns in (local) newspapers, can be very interesting or entertaining in the community they were written, and may help understand society by lifting individual experience to a higher level.

However, the success of many such pieces of writing depends on the context. Collections, published in book form often fail, even if the weekly columns were very successful.

This book, Bangkok people by James Eckardt fails to rise above the limitation of describing local characterisations. Uninteresting, and not instructive.

72. Old Men in Love. John Tunnock's posthumous papers
Finished reading: 30 April 2011



Alasdair Gray's books are unusual, as they present a total art work. Gray presents us with some more original features of so-called "postmodern literature", which includes adopting different "voices", illogical order of chapters, illustrations, mixing text types, and experimental layout. Old Men in Love. John Tunnock's posthumous papers has all these characteristics.

I very much enjoyed reading the first part of the book, as the author addressed contemporary issues, but after the first 100 pages, the book started losing focus. All in all, I felt the book was more readable than other work I have read by Gray.



Other books I have read by Alasdair Gray:
Unlikely stories, mostly

73. Hemelrijk
Finished reading: 30 April 2011



I expected a lot from this book, as it is set in a village near my hometown, and area I am very familiar with. Unfortunately, the story was very disappointing.

Rather than telling a story, the book consists of the reminiscences of an old man, a mixture of flash-backs, memories, dreams, talks, etc, all really very confusing.

74. The cliff
Finished reading: 2 May 2011



This novel by David Slavitt, his fiftieth, no less, is like a modern The prince and the pauper. An obscure, depressed, and utterly unsuccessful academic, is invited to a spend a year at a writer's residence program in Italy, as a result of mixed up correspondence with his namesake, a famous history professor, at the same university.

John Smith, is an unsuccessful writer, who teaches at an American college, and worries about his job. One day, he receives a letter, which is mistakenly delivered to him. The addressee of the letter is another John Smith, who also works at the same campus. The other John Smith is an eminent scholar in Italian history, working on a book about the death of Mussolini. The letter contains an invitation to spend a summer as a writer-in-residence in a villa in Bellagio in Italy. When John Smith hears that the other John Smith is incapacitated, and will not be able to take up this offer, he decides to take it up himself.

Thus, John Smith arrives at the artists’ colony in the Villa Sfondrata, and mixes in with the crowd, pretending that he is working on his book about Mussolini. His greatest fear is being exposed as a fake, but the irony, throughout the book is, of course, that he fits in perfectly, which could be taken as a critical reflection on the general practice of having such artists colonies.

The idea is very promising, but the relatively short novel, is not very interesting. Throughout the book, the main character is worried about being found out as a fake. Nothing much happens.

The novel develops like a comedy, describing various antics, and introducing a rather transparent disappearance. The plot and theme do not seem to justify the large number of characters. Many puns and sub-plots are only vaguely indicated (e.g. Marx & Engels). The high-flown language distracts from the main theme. The book is interesting, but difficult to read.

75. Het koekoeksjong
Finished reading: 5 May 2011



This debut novel by the Flemish writer Brigitte Raskin reads like a really boring detective novel. It is not a usual detective story, there is no murder and they murderer who must be unmasked.

However, there is a death, and it is this dead man, who is "unmasked", as the main character makes it her mission to discover all about the identity of the deceased man she only knew superficially. The novel is the report of this search, rather boring, as the man turns out to be a very ordinary person. It is more like a documentary.

76. The hundred and ninety-nine steps
Finished reading: 7 May 2011



Nowadays one can hardly trust the characterizations publishers provide on the back of books. These are now usually carefully manipulated texts to seduce readers to a purchase, naturally, but unfairly misleading. This slim novella is not a historical thriller, not a gothic romance, not a ghost story, and ultimately it does not prove the author is a singular talent etc blah blah blah.

Possibly these were the Michael Faber's, but with such a set of bland, uninteresting characters, the book remains a dull heap of gray paper.

77. The Courage Consort
Finished reading: 7 May 2011



Another uninspiring read, bland & uninteresting, with an oddly large sprawling of Dutch words and expressions.



Other books I have read by Michael Faber:
The hundred and ninety-nine steps

78. Pompeii
Finished reading: 9 May 2011



I am gradually realizing that in my appreciation of the novel, I cannot dispense with a good plot. Robert Harris has contrived quite an original new version of the story of Pompeii, producing an extremely readable novel.

Hi Edwin, It took me a few days, in various ten minute intervals, but I have finally made through your thread, which is fascinating and enjoyable throughout, even when the book was "not very interesting". Some great commentary and a very enlightening selection of Dutch books for those of us who only read English.

I am very much enjoying your thread and have added several books to my wishlist. You read such a wide variety of books.

I am glad some members can appreciate my choice of books; I am sure there must be a number of you who can and enjoy reading French, German and Spanish, and some even Dutch.

79. Vanwege een tere huid
Finished reading: 10 May 2011



The Dutch writer Anton Koolhaas is most well-known for his novels and stories featuring animals as the main characters. However, he has written a few novels in which people form the main protagonists, featuring animals is a sub-plot.Vanwege een tere huid is one of these books.

One criterion to decide whether a book is "good", is whether it leaves an impression on the reader or not. That impression may be a sense of beauty, importance, insight, but also be a sense of disgust, a provocation or some very unsettling set of images and/or ideas. Vanwege een tere huid has certainly touched such a chord in me.

The main story is simple enough. First love, a twelve-year-old boy loves a girl, same age, but abandons her. Both are scarred for life.

The sub-plot is the story of two non-existing animals --hoedna's--, life-long mates, which can best be imagined as a kind of beaver.

The epilogue to the book is unexpectedly philosophical, and in two or three pages seems to cover more material than the essence of the story itself.

The story is best summed up by a quotation from the book: "In every woman a girl has died, in every man a boy."



Other books I have read by Anton Koolhaas:
De hond in het lege huis

80. Daalder
Finished reading: 14 May 2011

Available in English as:

While the Dutch author Philibert Schogt is fairly unknown in the Netherlands, he seems to be very popular in North America, -- Canada and the US--, where most of his books have appeared in English translations, this book titled Daalder's Chocolates.

The opening chapter was very strong, and I enjoyed reading it with great anticipation. However, it ended with an anti-climax, later echoed by a second anti-climax at the end of the book.



This was my first book by Philibert Schogt.

81. A house In Flanders
Finished reading: 18 May 2011



Michael Jenkins's stint as Ambassador to the Netherlands was the crown on a life-long career in the Foreign Office, many postings of which were served in Europe. It was therefore with some interest that I picked up this small book, A house In Flanders.

The book consists of some 10 chapters, each devoted to one of Jenkins' aunts. While no particular geographical reference is given anywhere in the book, it seems quite clear that the House mentioned in the title of the book is not in Flanders. What a bummer!

The books consists of the author's reminiscences of a summer spent with the French branch of his family in his youth. This might have resulted in an interesting book if the reader could learn something about the time and culture of that place and that locality.

However, the book is nothing but a tedious read about these grumpy, old relatives of Sir Jenkins. It lacks freshness, not surprisingly, being the memoirs of a summer written half a century later. It bored me to death.

# 101 - Yes, that would be me, although I'd change Spanish for Italian.
I've been working my way through your very intersting thread and I agree on most books that you reviewed here and that I've read. It's nice to see some reviews on Dutch and Flemish books as well.
Too bad you didn't like A house In Flanders. I had it wishlisted. I'm not sure I want to read it now, although I might still want to compare notes.
Since your reading-choice is so varied, what would be your favourite books?

My favourite books are usually classics; I studied English Renaissance literature, so I am very interested in that period; but also in medieval literature in English, Dutch, German and Spanish. Generally speaking, I like books with a good plot, so many pre-1880 novels, and some contemporary fiction, as well. I like writings from the period of Modernism (1880 - 1930), especially with psychological depth, involving memory or reminiscences.

Some favourite authors:
Hermann Hesse
Brontë sisters
Christopher Isherwood
Joseph Conrad
Thomas Hardy
John Buchan
Louis Couperus
Thomas Mann

Favourite poets:
Edmund Spenser
William Shakespeare
William Dunbar
John Milton
Walther von der Vogelweide
John Keats
Luis Cernuda
Heinrich Heine
Goethe

I am not reading as much non-fiction and philosophy as I used to. I am increasingly drawn to philosophy of spiritual development, but not in a religious sense.

Thanks for the list, Edwin, it looks very interesting and I need to read Isherwood, him being the only one I haven't yet read any books of. I've embarked on a tour of the Classics myself, in between the other books I want to read. So, once and awhile I throw in a Great Classic (with a long way to go). I just started Wuthering Heights but for some strange reason, I have difficulties with working my way through the book. It cannot be the style because I've read others like Jane Eyre and most of the Austen-books. Do you think it's just a matter of getting past the first 50 pages?
I'm happy to see that you're interested in the philosophy of spiritual development as you put it. If I understand it correctly, that's exactly what often draws me to a book too. Scary how tastes can be alike.
On the other hand, I need my solid thriller and detective from time to time, too :-)

Stylistically, I would not put Wuthering Heights in the same category with any of the novels by Jane Austen or Charlotte Brontë. Their novels are restrained, while Emily Brontë's novel is passionate.

As far as I recall, the number of characters is large, and the story is a bit difficult to follow; maybe that's the cause of your difficulties. However, I'd suggest to keep going, because it is an absolute topper in world literature.

I first read it at high school, and later re-read it another four or five times, now all quite a long time ago. I will read it again, surely.

Just reading through parts of your thread again.

>90 edwinbcn: Your comments regarding the "postmodern novel" ring true to me. I was an English lit student a couple of decades before you, and "postmodern" hadn't arrived yet on the English department undergrad curriculum! I've had trouble getting my arms around the classification myself. Your mention of the unreliable narrator made me smile because Melville's The Confidence-Man, published in 1857, was already featuring one, among other so-called postmodern characteristics — yet another in a long line of mid-Nineteenth century prototypes. Could it be that "postmodern" is in the eye of the beholder?

I share your propensity, by the way, for the classics.

# 108 - Thanks, I will keep reading, or rather I'll start fresh so I can keep track of the characters and story-line and try to read it in a short period of time without too many interruptions. That should do the trick.

#106 - you might be interested in the le Salon group. A handful of us are working our way through The Faerie Queene, slowly... Also, later this year we will do a group read of Mann's The Magic Mountain. This should in include more people as some anticipation has built up, and there is a terrific person leading it.

>101 edwinbcn: And another one you appreciates your reviews of Dutch books. I saw your reaction in JustJoey4's thread and recognized your nickname from Bookmooch. Great reviews of quite some different kind of books. A couple of them still unread on my shelves. Got you starred!

Happy to hear so! It is a pity that LT is not extremely apt to show which translations exist for books in various languages. It is a bit laborious to check, and only language editions owned by LT members are listed.

82. My life as a fake
Finished reading: 19 May 2011



While other reviewers consider this book confusing, I disagree and find it masterful. There are some shifting dialogues, but with one of the character's speech always typically (linguistically) marked, the careful reader should not lose track. An absolutely great read, with a great deal of humour and quite a pinch of horror.

The story is framed by the hunt and wish of a young female editor, Sarah, to discover a great, unknown poet and make a scoop. She stumbles upon Chubb who leads the miserable life of an absolute loser in Kuala Lumpur. Despite her travel companion's attempts to save her from herself and Chubb, whom he seems to know all about, Sarah is sure she's onto her great discovery. Chubb carefully entices her to listen to his life story, holding the supposedly great works out as bait.

Chubb is an outcast. In his youth he wrote a pastiche of some poetry of a friend, attributing / publishing those poems under the pseudonym Bob McCorkle. This McCorkle, shows up in flesh and blood, claiming to be the author and starts haunting and causing havoc in Chubb's life. McCorkle kidnaps Chubb's daughter and disappears to southeast Asia, where Chubb eventually tracks him down, and manages to liberate his child, who is completely estranged from him. When Sarah meets Chubb, many years later, Chubb is revered by his wife and daughter, who guard his works like guardian angels.

The novel has stark overtones, reminding us of Conrad's Asian and African novels and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. McCorkle is like an evil genii, called up or into existence by Chubb. Originally, Chubb created McCorkle, or so he thought, and tracking down his malicious creation reverberates the hunt for the monster of Frankenstein.

There are several other, remaining strands. The role of Sarah's travel companion is not very clear. He draws her attention to Chubb, apparently casually, but fully and knowingly of who Chubb is. He acts a bit like Sarah's mentor. The novel extensively explores issues of authorship and copyrights, and the moral rights attached to that.

Throughout the book, Chubb is put forward as an utterly repulsive figure. Repeatedly, we are confronted with his legs, covered with pustules and boils, his miserable life style, his run-down clothes and even his deteriorated English. Nobody wants to have anything to do with him, except for the deluded, misguided, his wife (apparently), his daughter (supposedly) and desperate Sarah.



This is the first book I have read by Peter Carey

83. Lieve Gerard. Brieven aan Gerard Reve, 1965-1980
Finished reading: 19 May 2011



Gerard van het Reve, together with Harry Mulisch and Jan Wolkers were considered the Great Three, the top three authors in Dutch letters in the Twentieth Century. In general, Dutch literature tends to be rather provincial, endlessly going on about the Second World War, masturbation or other vices. Stylistically, Dutch literature is also rather monotonous. There is very little variation in linguistic form. The so-called 'Great Three' broke through the dreariness of the literature of the 1950s, Mulisch as the great, megalomaniac philosopher, Wolkers exuberantly celebrating sex, and Reve seeking out every opportunity to provoke religious people flaunting his homosexuality. Essentially, their writings are also all about the War and vices, but they started writing about that, and very explicit at that, hence their stardom.

Quite a number of Reve's novels are epistolary, an unusual literary form in Dutch literature, and his fame is based to considerable extent on the publication of his letters, correspondence with other Dutch authors, mainly. These collections of letters only contain Reve's letters to his correspondents. Their answers are always missing. Attempts at publishing them jointly have stranded on the anal retentiveness of Reve's publishers and estate.

Most of Reve's correspondents (all Dutch) are minor authors. Some, like Bernard Sijtsma have collected and published their letters to Reve themselves.

While I haven't made a systematic study, and my readings of various volumes partly lies many years behind, some general observations can be made:
1. Reve does not initiate the correspondence
2. Reve is often indifferent to the continuity of the correspondence
3. Sooner or later the novice author / correspondent is drawn into some ménage à trois.

It is no different with Bernard Sijtsma. His letters move from scorn and reverence, to familiarity and adoration, meanwhile illustrating his minor achievements as a budding author.

Supposedly, these "companion volumes" are usually read to gain further insight to the biography of Gerard van het Reve. Otherwise, they are relatively insignificant.

84. Signals of distress
Finished reading: 20 May 2011



Historical novels by contemporary writers are usually about famous historical figures or events. Not so Signals of distress by Jim Crace.

Crace's novel uses a narrative technique often used in drama: a random group of characters is brought together by circumstance, and is forced to spend some time together, before each can go their own way. In drama this is a very forceful technique, which can bring about very interesting confrontations, while the audience is forced in a similar way to keep on listening. This same technique could work well in a novel, but in this novel it's deployment is only moderately successful.

In Signals of distress a group of American sailors, carrying one African-American slave, is stranded in a small port city in Britain, awaiting the completion of repairs on their vessel which was damaged in a gale. They spend a few nights at an inn, together with a traveller, who intends to sail to the US.

Unfortunately, all these characters are rather boring, and none of them are described in any amount of great detail. There is no apparent forceful dilemma, except for the difference in manners between sailors and a middle-class Englishman. The situation of the slave plays a very minor role. Without any further interesting events or developments, the novel remains a rather bland story. A bit as if the author tries his pen, but does not move beyond some simple dabbings.

For its shortcomings in the plot, the novel's descriptions of the English countryside, and the historical couleur locale are impressive. The book is a pleasant read, with considerable, but moderately achieved potential.



This is the first book I have read by Jim Crace.

85. Vertraging
Finished reading: 20 May 2011

Available in English as:

Vertraging by the Dutch author Tim Krabbé features two parallel story lines on the same theme. The main character, Jacques, a Dutch TV personality, decides to make a quick visit to his high school love, Moniek, while he makes a stop-over in Australia. What was intended as an ultra-short visit, develops into a long adventure as he is dragged into an adventure of Moniek evading the police on charges of embezzlement. Loaded with money, they manage to keep ahead for several weeks, until a surprise which throws them back onto themselves.

During their trip, Jacques thoughts wander to the years of their early friendship, and what transpires is that Moniek led him on, basically not much different from the way she leads him on in their current ordeal. Once, twice, three times a lady.

The title, "Delay" in the English translation, refers to the prolonged stop-over, as well as the suggestion of a delay between the love of their youth and the present consummation of that love.

Well-written, but rather conventional.

86. One good turn
Finished reading: 25 May 2011



This rather thick novel by Kate Atkinson starts with an exciting episode, in which all main characters are brought together. Unfortunately, the next 500 hundred pages lack narrative structure or character development, and sag through in prolonged boredom. An absolutely awful read.

I see you're still catching up with reviewing the books you read this year, adding to your reding-novella, so to speak. As for your comments on Dutch literature (In general, Dutch literature tends to be rather provincial, endlessly going on about the Second World War, masturbation or other vices. Stylistically, Dutch literature is also rather monotonous.), I absolutely agree. And I think the same goes for Flemish literature. Although the emphasis might be slightly different, the tone is quite depressing. I wonder how you feel about contemporary Dutch fiction?
I sometimes wonder if my scepsis about Dutch literature has got anything to do with an allergy I developed iin high-school after having to read all those awful books or if it's based on something more fundamental like the fact that Dutch literature is quite depressing and one-sided. I probably have to read more in order to find that out, I guess.

Thanks for the warning about One Good Turn. It was a narrow escape for me as I've just finished the first in the series and was undecided if I wanted to read the next book. I'll skip this one for sure now and concentrate on Wuthering Heights or so.

P.S. I started a personal thread to keep track of and comment on my Dutch reads (in Dutch). In intend to add my comments there as I continue. In case you're interested, here's the link: http://www.librarything.com/topic/121351.

Books need to be fairly decent to get 4 stars from you edwin and so I am intrigued by the Peter Carey and Jim Crace books. From your excellent reviews they both seem to have pretensions to literary fiction and so I will look out for them.

>120 baswood: For my personal enjoyment, I mainly need a well-crafted, interesting story, which tends or intends to belong to the genre of literary fiction. However, in appreciating a book and awarding stars, I look at many more aspects, such as narrative structure, literary allusions, character development, language, suspense, and so on. The main reason for joining this group is that it is a way of compelling myself to have a closer look at books and writing down these kinds of observations.

Carey is definitely a very literary writer. He is one of only two authors to have twice won the Booker Prize. His books are difficult, and require slow reading. I am currently reading Parrot and Olivier in America, which is also excellent.

Jim Crace is a relatively new and somewhat less well-known author. His books are very well-written, also requiring somewhat slow reading, and often about very original characters or content. Currently, I am reading Quarantine.

For both authors I have already bought several books, which wait to be read.

>119 Trifolia:

I have starred your thread. It is difficult to keep up with contemporary Dutch and Flemish literature, because these books are not available to me here. I ordered through Bol.com for a few years but that was very, very costly. I still have tons of Dutch books in my mother's attic in Holland, which I one day hope to bring to China, and read them. I visit Holland on average once a year, and then usually buy everything that seems important, most new books from major publishing firms and many minor or older authors second-hand.

If you can find 2 or 3 other members, I will join the new group you have proposed. Reviews of Dutch literature ought to be written in Dutch, although writing in English on this thread here is more apt and useful for other international members.

87. De zwaardvis
Finished reading: 27 May 2011

Available in English as:

Rather uninteresting novella, by the Flemish author Hugo Claus.



Other books I have read by Hugo Claus:
Een bruid in de morgen
De dans van de reiger
De koele minnaar

88. Nirgendwo in Afrika
Finished reading: 30 May 2011

Available in English as:

In the middle of nowhere, is how we should best understand the title of this voluminous work "Nowhere in Africa", or by its original German title Nirgendwo in Afrika. As the tags on LibraryThing indicate, there is considerable confusion about the nature of this book, and its sequel, Irgendwo in Deutschland, by Stefanie Zweig. Stylistically, it reads very much like a memoir, but according to the author and publisher it should be read as an autobiographical novel.

It is with awe and horror that we read memoirs and history of the holocaust. I feel, I have to keep reading, to keep the memory of those people who underwent that horrendous fate.

Not that many books have appeared about individuals or families who escaped Nazi Germany, and found a safe haven in other countries. This book is therefore very valuable. In the first part, it described the process, a combination of luck and foresight, and the difficulties to be overcome to obtain visa and a means of living in Kenya. Another interesting feature is the description of the hesitation and disbelief of the family members in Poland that the developments in Nazi Germany meant serious deauth peril to Jewish communities in Poland and other parts of Europe, and the difficulty of realizing which luggage would be essential and which superfluous, as the family had to dissolve their household, pack up, abandon their lifestyle and move to, and settle in the middle of nowhere, deep in the Kenyan countryside, as farmers.

The book described the youth, and growing up of the main character, and life in Africa. The description of Africans is particularly warm and friendly, and the story is soaked in the deep, natural and spiritual believes of the Africans.

89. Engelen van het duister
Finished reading: 3 June 2011



Jan Siebelink, for the most part of his career an unknown Dutch author before breaking through with Knielen op een bed violen in 2005, needed a vast number of pages to shape this novel, Engelen van het duister. While the publisher advertises Engelen van het duister as Siebelink's latest novel, the matter of fact is that Knielen op een bed violen is a prequel to this book, published in 2001.

Like Maarten 't Hart, Siebelink grew up in an extremely Calvinistic religious environment. I was worried, that I might not like this book very much, but have to admit that it was much better than I expected, albeit a bit long-winded and unfocussed.

Not speaking from experience, I assume that many features of the behaviour and life of the main characters, the brothers Lucas and Casper Alteveer, are symbolic for sin. Some are very evident, such as Casper prostituting himself, acting as a gigolo, and adultery, having a baby with his sister-in-law, and Lucas' human trafficking and meddling in prostitution. Many pages and side-lines to the story illustrate the further decay of society. Initially, the reader may feel that Casper's behaviour is in a way just rebellion against his dominant father, but as the novel progresses, the two brothers are becoming more and more alike, as if they are converging in sinful behaviour.

The condemning tone of the book, the rejection of modern society, which is felt widely in Dutch society, makes one wonder whether the author wants to reinstate the moral standards of the past. Possibly, the success of Knielen op een bed violen is a resounding affirmation of that.



This is the first book I have read by Jan Siebelink.

90. Irgendwo in Deutschland
Finished reading: 4 June 2011



Unfortunately, the sequel to the story in Africa, Irgendwo in Deutschland, lacks the freshness of the first book. It describes the harsh reality of the family's return to Germany. Some features of this story are interesting, notably the description of the difficulties of living in Frankfurt, right after the end of the war, before the Waerungsreform, the years of scarcity, the solidarity between Jewish families, and the aggression of some Germans to Jewish people and the preferential treatment they received in those years. While Irgendwo in Deutschland in shorter than the story set in Africa, I felt it was too long. The repeated reminiscences about the time in Africa and the iteration of the use of expressions in Swahili created the sense that the story was dragged out too much.



Other books I have read by Stefanie Zweig:
Nirgendwo in Afrika

91. Nirgendwo in Afrika / Irgendwo in Deutschland
Finished reading: 4 June 2011



Omnibus edition; 699 pages.

92. Eeuwige zomer
Finished reading: 6 June 2011



Between 1996 and 2004, the Antwerp publisher Houtekiet published the series "Flemish Library", re-issuing 36 important Flemish novels which originally appeared between 1927 - 1970 in hardcover editions. Through this series, many novels, long out of print, were made available in clean, crisp, new editions.

Mireille Cottenjé novel Eeuwige zomer tells the story of a woman, Guya, who is seduced by the virile Lex, and deserts her "boring" husband, Peter. Wooing her, Lex appears to be elegant, charming, interesting and passionate, but during a trek through Lapland, he is revealed as an entirely egoistic person. When Guya is unable to do all he wants and expects of her, he completely irresponsibly abandons her to the wilderness

According to the afterword, Eeuwige zomer sparked another Flemish writer, Jef Geeraerts to write Indian Summer as a reaction to this book (See review here in Dutch.) Geeraerts and Cottenjé had a relation, as described in the novel, and Geeraerts was the model for the selfish main character.

93. Un homme accidentel
Finished reading: 7 June 2011



The story of this novel by Philippe Besson is somewhat unlikely, but nonetheless interesting. A police man, (happily?) married, investigates the murder of a young drug dealer, and falls in love with the murderer, a movie star, Jack. They have a good time together, going on a "road trip" until the police investigation is finished and the police are about to apprehend the man. He then shields him, and they hide out in his mother's (!) hotel, which buys them a little more time, until they are arrested.

Besson seems to have these odd takes on gay relationships, deliberately seeking an odd angle. Set on the American west coast, the novel has an interesting American feel to it, somewhat reminiscent of the novels and life of Jack Kerouac.



Other books I have read by Philippe Besson:
Un garçon d'Italie
Se résoudre aux adieux

Hm, Mireille Cottenjé, I'd forgotten all about her. I'm sure I've read one of her books in highschool, but I really can't remember which one. It surely wasn't Eeuwige zomer.
And I think it's quite odd that you seem to read all the Besson-books that I haven't read and v.v. :-) It appears Besson is "specializing" in the gay theme.

94. Winterwood
Finished reading: 9 June 2011



The scariest horror movies are the ones where much is left unsaid, where the viewer's imagination is enticed to fill in the gaps. Likewise, great fiction thrives by suspense, and Patrick McCabe is a master of this type of fiction.

The book tells the life story of Redmond Hatch, a journalist investigating the old traditions or Ireland. Hatch is a sinister character, with a shady past, a shady life, and a shady future. Tips of the veil over his past are lifted, showing a history of violently disgusting child abuse, the memories of which are triggered by chocolate and its silver paper wrapping. Hatch leads a hidden life, changed his job, appearance and identity, stalking, and finally kidnapping and murdering his wife and little daughter. And his future, after forsaking this world of pain, "attired in (a) fine carved suit of boards".

Throughout the book, our attention is drawn to the close bond between Ned Strange and Redmond Hatch. Their names are near identical, "hatch" meaning "strange", while "Redmond" is very close to "Edmund" (Ned's name). There are many other links between the two men, and Redmond "sees" him in various places around. Finally, we get the feeling that they are the same, a feeling which is extended to other "Auld Pappies", whether red-headed or named Hatch. Extreme evil, violence and disgust, further fuel the idea that Ned Strange is in fact the devil, whose evilness is slumbering all over the auld country, in the form of bloodsucking vampires. I lost count of the number of characters in the book, flashing their incisors...

To earn 5-star rating a book should trigger a physical response in me, some strong emotion. In the case of Winterwood that was a shiver. This is the first book since American Psycho that has given me a nightmare, and various images from the book keep coming back to me. While American Psycho is explicit in its descriptions of horror, this book is all suspense. Incredible disgust, incredible violence, incredible horror. I have linked the book to Dracula. I've read two other books by McCabe but find this one, so very much different from the other books, by far superior.



Other books I have read by Patrick McCabe:
The dead school
Breakfast on Pluto

95. La douceur du sang
Finished reading: 10 June 2011



Being the sole owner of the one, single copy of a book on LT, may spell disaster. And so it is with Boris Scheiber's short novel La douceur du sang. The story consists mainly of the discussions, better described as banter, between two French authors, the I named "Boris" and another author, identified as "Arnold". We progress through the book, in a series of encounters with different women, often rather astute women, who take the initiative, flirtingly, of making contact with Boris. As a result, the novel is not particularly captivating, not to say boring.



This is my first book by Boris Schreiber.

96. Tod eines Kritikers
Finished reading: 11 June 2011



First of all, I am not a fan of Martin Walser. I think his work is overrated, possibly because he is the only major novelist from southwest Germany (if you are the only one, the you must be the best...). My feeling also is that his claim on fame, rests especially with controversial novels, which sparked a great debate, which detracted from more objective merits of his novels, especially with regard to, for example, Ein springender Brunnen, which is still on my tbr pile. This summer I read another novel which sparked a controversion, namely Tod eines Kritikers (English: "Death of a Critic".)

Apparently, Walser walked around with the idea of writing a novel like this for nearly two decades. His personal, pent-up anger is aimed at the one, most powerful literary critic in Germany, Marcel Reich-Ranicki. It helps quite a bit if you know who that is, or have seen him on TV, as he appears quite a bit of a toad, who, through his wielding power as the main, most influential critic, cultivates quite a personality cult.

I would say the novel is not much more than a clash between two equally vain and narcissistic personalities, neither of whom can admit to defeat or being wrong.

I would not describe Walser's novel as all that successful. It starts with a reception at which an author, Hans Lach, is seen having an argument with the famous critic, who then goes missing. A blood stained garment, leads to the suspicion that the critic has killed or murdered the critic, and readers are led to believe this story line for three quarters of the book, until, in the end the critic re-appears, alive and well. A weird structure. Apart from the uninteresting story, the book was very readable.

It is said that the supposed critic, presumably Reich-Ranicki, took very badly to the novel, and considered it a thinly veiled death threat.



Other books I have read by Martin Walser:
Lügengeschichten
Über Deutschland reden

97. Instances of the number 3
Finished reading: 12 June 2011



Sally Vickers' novel Instances of the number 3 reads like a kaleidoscope of possible combinations of people in relationships. Shortly after her husband, Peter Hansome, has died, Bridget discovers that he had a mistress, Frances. Honoring Peter's choice, she decides to be friends with Frances. Soon after that, an Iranian boy, Zahin, described as very beautiful literary shows up on her doorstep, and she takes him in. The young man claims to be friends with Peter, who also provided him with accommodation. Throughout the book, there is the vague sense that Peter may or may not have had a relation of sorts with Zahin, who is probably bisexual, if not gay. In the broader context of the stories, the two women also explore other relationships, with men they meet. In addition to that, Peter haunts them, as his ghost observes the action of the story, initially only "visible" to the reader, but later also showing himself to the female characters in the book.

Originally, I did not like the idea of a "ghost" appearing, observing events and revealing itself to the characters. However, if viewed in the sense that deceased loved ones probably "haunt" people, they stay in their minds, or the thought of them keeps the "alive" in our mind, in our lives, there is something poetic to the idea. (although the suggestion in the novel is that the initiative of appearing seems to lie more on the part of the ghost.)

Very well written, and a joy to read.



This was the first book I have read by Sally Vickers.

It is said that the supposed critic, presumably Reich-Ranicki, took very badly to the novel
I think that's hilarious :-).
Thanks for your very interesting reviews, although I must say some books sound so awful that I'm tempted to try some, just for the fun of it. Probably a bad idea?

Am wondering whether The Hundred and Ninety-Nine Steps is at all referential to The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan and/or the eponymous Hitchcock movie. But since you give it such low marks, maybe that isn't important. What say you?

I happen to have an unread copy of Pompeii by Robert Harris floating around here somewhere. I really should read that especially since you have given it such a glowing rating.

Have made a note of My Life as a Fake. Enticing review!

Your review of Nirgendwo in Afrika makes me regret my lack of multilingual skills. Would love to read this book for two reasons: I have actually been to Kenya and Dinesen's Out of Africa left an indelible impression on me.

All in all, you are having quite a reading year! I am more than impressed. I'm in awe!

>135 Trifolia:

The rating of books on sites like LibraryThing is by definition skewed, as most people select or buy the books they want to read carefully trying to avoid the books they won't like. So most people will evaluate the books they read at 4 stars or higher, unless they were truly disappointed.

I buy books more impulsively, often buy remainders fairly randomly and also buy and read books to make myself more familiar with new writers, and trying to keep up with what is being published in a broad sense. That means I expose myself to lots of books which I may not actually like. Besides, I still feel that to evaluate an author, you should read at least two books, so even a bad experience does not put me off.

I suppose readers of my reviews will get a sense of whether we are at the same wave length, and often agree in our judgement. In that case, it is likely that when I do not like a book, neither will you.

On the other hand, I must say that sometimes it simply doesn't "click". The two Faber novels just wouldn't catch on. If a book fails to spark any interest in the first 80 - 100 pages, then I often cannot follow it at all, and will end up with a very short dismissive review. You might give those a try...

Suzanne, The Hundred and Ninety-Nine Steps did not register with me at all. I just could not get into it, finding the characters so uninteresting and the story unfocussed. I do not recall how the title thematically links to the work, and I would not suggest it has anything to do with John Buchan's The thirty-nine steps.

Michael Faber's The crimson petal and the white has been on my tbr pile for a few years. This Spring the yearly Literary Festival at "The Bookworm" in Beijing focused on Scottish writers, so I picked up four or five books by Faber, plus several books by other Scottish authors.

I haven't read much by Robert Harris, but feel that his work may be not be appreciated for what it is, or the author may have somewhat higher ambitions. Cover design, promotional blurbs etc, seem to promote his work as not quite "literary fiction", while in fact it aims to be or come close to that.

For my reviews for books which I read in their original language, the title + cover image are listed in the original language, while the review is in English. I have considered listing the English title for those works, but found it was too much work for me, and hope members will sort that out themselves.

On LT you can either look at "Work details" or "Editions" on work page of every book. Also, I noticed that the Touchstones automatically list the English language edition, if one is available, i.e. if any LT members have listed it.

So, Nirgendwo in Afrika by Stefanie Zweig is available in an English language edition (see Touchstones) as: Nowhere in Africa: An Autobiographical Novel.



Nowhere in Africa: An Autobiographical Novel / Zweig, Stefanie (ISBN 0299199649) or (ISBN 0299199606).

For many books I review, translations in other languages are available, searchable via LT.

If you have lived in Kenya, you will probably like this book. What did you do there? Teaching English?

98. The red leather diary. Reclaiming a life through the pages of a lost journal
Finished reading: 16 June 2011



This book made me angry. The book and its author a nothing more than a fraud. My anger originated with the difficulty to figure out how the book had come into being and who the real author is. Authorship is claimed by Lily Koppel. It must be said that her claim to authorship is justified regarding the way the book was produced, but it does not seem entirely fair. Some of my anger also relates to the title: the words "diary" and "journal" are very misleading, suggesting a wealth of original material. However, the original source document is merely a notebook, containing ultra-short messages for each day between 1929 and 1935 (almost like a long-hand version of a Twitter account). Ms Koppel is not the editor of a historical document, no, she has selected and interpreted these short messages and writing a story around them. The story is based on the notes, conversations with the author, whom she tracked down, and library research (+ Lily's musings).

The author never tells us how many entries the original notebook contained, and how much of that she used. from the book, we get the impression that the notebook was crammed with notes, but a photographic image of the notebook on the author's website suggests that the notebook was only partially filled.

Another problematic issue is the overall scope of the book. The notebooks cover a five-year period, during which the author, Florence Wolfson, was between the ages of 14 and 19. However, the story in the book and reproduced photographs extend into the period after the age of 19, for example Florence's 'grand tour' to Europe at the age of 21! This transition / extension is not clearly marked, and obviously is a much more attractive part of Florence life.

The story that is told by the book is interesting, and the investigative work put into it is thorough and well-done. Nonetheless, much of my anger remains, as lingering irritation at the sloppiness of presenting the source and the lack of modesty on the part of the author, pushing herself on the foreground.

99. Dreaming in Chinese. Mandarin lessons in life, love and language
Finished reading: 16 June 2011



As an introduction to the Chinese language, I found it rather weak. It is much more a travelogue plus the author's musings on the language than to be of any use to anyone who might want to know more about the language. The only chapter that interested me was chapter 10, about dialects, although all factual information can be found in much more detail on the Internet.

As a factual introduction, I would still suggest, for example, About Chinese by Richard Newnham, or a book I have recently read, which tells you all about the experience of learning Mandarin, Keeping my Mandarin alive. Lee Kuan Yew's language learning experience by Chua Chee Lay.

Thanks re the Stephanie Zweig. I'll pay attention to that from now on.

100. The black cloud
Finished reading: 17 June 2011



I do not like the genre per sé, but quite enjoy reading the semi-philosophical sci-fi of the 1950s, thereabout, say John Wyndham etc. This reissue in Penguin Classics, was a very enjoyable read. Unfortunately, the book slowed down for about 20 pages in the final quarter of the book, but was still rounded off in a very satisfactory way. I was not particularly impressed by the afterword by Richard Dawkins. It might be a good idea to read it as an afterword, and not as a foreword, as I did.

101. Voyage en Italie
Finished reading: 18 June 2011

Available English as:

The French author Jean Giono is known for his writings which are all set in his native area, the Provence region in France. Giono spent most of his life in Manosque, about which he also wrote a short novella. Giono travelled very little, and this book of Italian travels, Voyage en Italie, is exceptional.

Somewhere in the book, Giono says that his main objective while travelling is to be happy, and that happiness would be achieved best by drinking a cup of coffee in a street-side cafe. I can fully agree with that view, but that does not seem the best starting point for a volume of travel writings. This volume of travel writings about various Italian cities, notably Venice, Florence and Rome, tells us more about Giono than about the cities he visits. Information about the cities and interesting sights which can be visited there seems to be added as an afterthought, and very researched. As a travel guide, the book is quite useless, and it did not inspire me as a travel diary.

I traveled through Italy myself in the summer of 2010, visiting virtually the same cities as described by Giono. The book is structured in chapters, bearing the names of the respective Italian cities, and I had hoped to share some thoughts and ideas reading Giono's book. However, in that sense the book was a disappointment.



This was the first book I read by Jean Giono.

102. Lametta Lasziv. Ein kleiner festlicher Roman
Finished reading: 18 June 2011



This small hardcover booklet, by Joseph von Westphalen, of no more than 63 pages, came out as an occasional publication from the Swiss publisher Haffmans during the 1996 Christmas and New Year festive season. The story is hilariously humourous, describing the Christmas week of an obviously very high-class prostitute, Lametta Lasziv. For ridiculously high earnings, Lametta, sees a record number of clients, several a day, raking in piles of cash. The action does not seem ti tire here, as most clients satisfaction depends on their own perverse fetishist imagination, centered on Lametta. Among the clients are a literary critic, and various other high profile society figures.

A very entertaining read, which ended somewhat abruptly.

103. Consider this, Señora
Finished reading: 19 June 2011



Harriet Doerr came to be a writer at a very high age, clearly free from careerist ambitions or other vanity, and that shows in her writing. Set in Mexico, where Doerr lived many years, this quiet novel develops a few story line, allowing the reader to focus more on the characters than on action. Not much thicker than the average novel, nonetheless, by the end of it, the reader feels as if they have spent a long time with the characters, and gotten to know them intimately. The reader almost comes away from the novel, as if they were one of the tenants of the estate, in the quiet settlement of Amapolas. The story enables the reader to develop sympathy, even for a dubious character like Bud Loomis, or other eccentrics, such as Don Enrique or the concert pianist.

A very touching, and beautifully written novel.



This was the first book I have read by Harriet Doerr.

104. Meine grüne Wiese. Geschichten und Zeichnungen
Finished reading: 24 June 2011



Originally published under pseudonym, this volume contains a collection of Günter Grass' earliest writings. After travelling to Spain, in 1954, Grass wrote the short story "Meine grüne Wiese", which was published in a German literary magazine in 1955. Many of the stories feature Spanish people of scenes. Besides short prose, the book includes sketches and drawings by Günter Grass.

The collection is very fragmented, and unfocussed.



Other books I have read by Günter Grass:
Die Blechtrommel
Katz und Maus

105. Cartas del Presidio The prison letters of Fidel Castro
Finished reading: 30 June 2011

(Bilingual: Spanish & English)

Published in 2007, this bilingual edition of The prison letters of Fidel Castro, is the first since the original publication of Cartas del Presidio, an edition which has long been out of print.

The edition comes with a long preface, and an afterword by one of Fidel Castro's contemporaries, Luis Conte Aguero, who suffered a prison sentence and exile after Castro rose to power. Conte Aguero was thrown in prison for quoting from Castro's letters, so it is obvious that Castro wanted these letters to be suppressed.

For readers interested in the history of Communism, the letters are relatively uninteresting. Castro's reign over Cuba over the past 50 years has sufficiently doused revolutionary enthusiasm to celebrate every scrap published by a leader like that.

However, Castro is a very well-educated revolutionary, and his prison letters are very eloquently written. Obviously, for historians of Cuba and the Cuban Revolution, these letters will be compulsory reading.

106. La pleurante des rues de Prague
Finished reading: 2 July 2011

Available in English as:

In 1992 I lived in Prague for three months, having visited the city many times before and after that, most recently last summer. As the city changes, nonetheless, the past seems always tenable, there to grab, but for ever just out of reach. Sylvie Germain's poetic novel seems to attempt to capture that aspect of Prague, in the form of a phantom, which appears in various places of the city. This phantom, or spirit, appears as a heavy-set woman, who limps uneasily through the streets, or appears in fog, like a shadow, an epiphany, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Knowledge of the city of Prague intensified my experience of the book, which contains some beautiful descriptions, and catches the spirit of the city.



This is the first book I have read by Sylvie Germain.

107. Athena
Finished reading: 3 July 2011



I never got into the book. It was very difficult to read. Some say the story crystallizes and becomes clear in the final chapters, but it never did for me, or it was too late.



Other books I have read by John Banville:
The sea

108. The Darwin conspiracy
Finished reading: 7 July 2011



In 2009, the 200th anniversary of the publication of The origin of species was commemorated, which prompted "The Bookworm", a bookstore in Beijing, to organize a literary festival around Charles Darwin and evolution theory. During the festival period, I bought this novel, The Darwin conspiracy by the American author John Darnton.

The title is a bit of a misnomer, and might put some people off. The author has published other novels in the genre of thrillers / suspense, but unlike his previous books, The Darwin conspiracy is a historical novel, belonging to the more serious genre of literary fiction.

The opening chapter is a bit messy, and this messiness keeps coming back. The book is structured in chapters alternating between the past of Darwin's age, and the present. Unfortunately the present-day chapters are weak, including far too many side-lines and sub-plots, which distract from the main story. Also, the main plot relies too heavily on unlikely story elements, played out in the present-day chapters. The characters in these chapters are also not very interesting, and their actions too subservient to plot development.

The past-time chapters, however, are very well-written, and the ideas constituting this part of the book are original and interesting. The unfolds as two academic researchers discover unpublished diaries and letters, which throw a new light on the development of Darwin's theory, suggesting how and why it took Darwin so long to publish. The uncovering of the historical material, which gradually reveals the story is reminiscent of A.S. Byatt's great novel Possession.

Apart from some weaknesses, I felt very much drawn into the story, which I truly enjoyed reading.

109. Winter and rough weather
Finished reading: 12 July 2011



China is not a very good place for browsing second-hand bookstores. Antiquarian books are vastly over-priced, while many books are heavily damaged or water-stained. Relatively many books date from the period 1920 - 1960, either left behind by expats or discards from expat, university or missionary libraries.

This copy of D. E. Stevenson's Winter and rough weather, published in the U.S. as Shoulder the Sky, was in a very good condition, a first edition - mid-1950s, without dust jacket and reasonably priced at 50 yuan.

A quick glance gave me the impression of a somewhat rural theme, so how bad could that be?

Well, very bad. Potboiler. Chicklit avant la lettre.

110. The body artist
Finished reading: 12 July 2011



When I first started reading this novella by Don DeLillo a few years ago, I quit soon because I could not get through the opening part of the book, some six or seven pages describing a breakfast scene in meticulous detail. In my recent reading I did not feel this obstacle.

This odd opening helps the reader slow down and focus. The transition in the next chapter is somewhat abrupt, and it takes a few moments to realize that the story has jumped a considerable period forward and the man of the opening passage is dead, and the woman has returned to the house. Contemplating his death, grieving, she is spooked out by a presence in the house, repeating some of his words, in actual near-identical intonation and modulation, as if she is hearing her dead husband speak.

A very poetic story, thoughtful.



Other books I have read by Don DeLillo:
Falling man

111. The double
Finished reading: 16 July 2011



The double by Fyodor Dostoevsky was not an easy book to read. I was "lucky" in the sense that my edition (Great short works of Dostoyevsky) did not have an extensive introduction. However, as a trained philologist, one does not come entirely free from preconceptions to a literary work like this, and these preconceptions do make things easier, at least not while reading.

The story is that of a clerk, whose life is "invaded" by a persona, virtually his double. Especially in the beginning, the introduction of this double is so masterly, that I experienced a loss of orientation, and switch of perspective, which made me uncertain whether I was "seeing" through the eyes of the "original" Golyadkin (later dubbed "senior") or the double (later dubbed "junior").

The intrusive Golyadkin junior is perceived by senior as a threat to his position and his existence. Various scenes are played out at the office, in which junior is supposedly trying to replace senior, superseding senior by outstanding performance or making senior look bad in the eyes of his (their) superiors.

Towards the end of this short novel, the reader presented with a logical resolution, namely that Golyadkin has all along been suffering from delusions, and experienced a mental breakdown. The final page superbly reminds us of Philip Roth's Portnoy's complaint.

However, another way of reading is possible. Last year, I read Notes from the underground in which a destitute character refers to himself as an insignificant "insect", a total nobody, as opposed to a "hero". The image of the insect made me think of Kafka's Die Verwandlung. While a mental breakdown, and schizophrenic delusion is the most rational explanation for Golyadkin's behaviour, it would still be possible to interpret his visions subjectively, as an externalised threat. For quite a while, reading The double I felt that Golyadkin senior projected his own image on a new employee, an new clerk at the office, equally insignificant as himself. Many of Golyadkin's fears and frantic behaviour to prove himself worthy, or true, could be explained if he felt threatened in his existence by a newcomer who would try to take his place, or possible even oust him. This type of situation is not uncommon in the work place, and as a phenomenon it may have been novel in the mid-nineteenth century.

A difficult read with a lot to think about, I will probably need to reread it some other time.



Other books I have read by Fyodor Dostoevsky:
Crime and punishment
Netochka Nezvanova
Notes from the underground

112. Notes from the underground
Finished reading: 19 July 2011



This summer, while carrying my edition of the Great short works of Dostoyevsky on holiday, a sly compromise to my partner who forbade me to bring more that two books, I reread Notes from the underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

My first-time reading gave me the immediate sense of dealing with a top piece of literature, but I was nonetheless nonplussed as to the meaning, and before reading the book a second time this summer, I could not remember a single scrap about its contents. This second time round, my understanding and appreciation of the work is greatly enhanced by reading it within the context of several other works by Dostoevsky, all complex and rather depressing.

Dostoevsky has this predilection of choosing to focus on characters who a clearly defective in society, as the main character of this novel is clearly a "loser". The first part consists of that type of person's typical self-accusatory ramblings, expressing his misery and self-contempt. The second scene shows him to be a social misfit, rejected, and for good reason, by his former classmates, while in the last scene he reveals himself as a cruel sadist in relation to a girl, who is worse off than he himself.

The novel is somewhat difficult to read, because the characters' frame of mind is based on conventions in nineteenth century Petersburg, and not all allusions and references are immediately clear or understandable to the modern, foreign reader. However, the true nature of this anti-hero shines through so clearly, that we cannot mistake the basic meaning of the novel upon close, reading, which may need to be repeated.



Other books I have read by Fyodor Dostoevsky:
Crime and punishment
Netochka Nezvanova
The double

113. Any human heart
Finished reading: 5 August 2011



One typical characteristic of postmodern literature is the play with genre. Early on in the 1990s, literary authors started producing biographies of insignificant or imaginary people, the latter sometimes with relatively uneventful or insignificant lives. In 1998, William Boyd published Nat Tate: American Artist, 1928-1960, which is an elaborate hoax, a biography on a non-existant American painter. Any human heart is a variant in the same vein, being the diaries of the fictional character Logan Mountstuart.

In a way, I suppose writing a fictional diary must be more difficult that a fictional biography. In a journal the internal psychology, the psychology of the main character are essential to the credibility of the journals, a credibility which is important to maintain suspense, and prevent the reader from abandoning the book altogether. Still, as a consequence of the genre, any fictional diary or biography is in essence less interesting than a real journal or biography, because nothing really matters.

The first hurdle for the author is, therefore, to make a convincing case for the diarist to keep a journal which would be interesting enough for a modern readership. This problem is conspicuously solved by making Logan a minor author, who lived throughout the whole of the 20th century, being born in 1916, whose background, course of life through modern history we are all familiar with, and interests are generally appealing to the average reader. However, there is some strain as Mountstuart's life story does take some unexpected turns, possibly to keep the story going.

There are a few hidden strings in the story, which add to the authenticity of the character of Mountstuart while winking an eye to the reader. One of these lines is Mountstuart's flawed assessment of celebrities he encounters during his life, dismissing Hemingway as a minor author. Another would be his "daring" bravado of publishing an "indecent" novel, although Mountstuart is a follower here, rather than a trendsetter, as D.H.Lawrence's Lady Chatterly's Lover would already have come out and paved the way for this type of literature.

Any human heart did not convince me as a journal. The unity of style, the lack of spontaneity and the general feel were more of a novel than an autograph. Nonetheless, the formidable book, more than 500 pages, was a very enjoyable read.



Other books I have read by William Boyd:
Restless

114. In Persuasion Nation
Finished reading: 6 August 2011



Not funny, over the top, ridicule as a result of lack of true imagination, this book was very disappointing.

Enjoyed your review of Any Human heart edwin. From the look of the cover I thought it was a fairly old novel, but it was published in 2002. I have read a couple of books by William Boyd Ice cream war and Brazzaville beach and I believe he writes well.

In 2008 Penguin Books featured the book series "Penguin Celebrations" re-releasing 36 popular titles in seven genre,viz. Fiction, Non-fiction, Crime, Travel & Adventure, Biography, and Essays, issued in the late 1940s' style (hence the "old" look of them). Following the 1940s style; Green is for 'mystery', Orange for 'fantastic fiction', Pink for 'distant lands', Dark Blue for 'real lives' and Purple for 'viewpoints'.

The whole set was available for the very generous price of just ₤105

The 'Penguin Celebrations' books are as follows:

Fiction

William Boyd - Any Human Heart
Jonathan Coe - What a Carve Up!
Jonathan Safran Foer - Everything Is Illuminated
Zoë Heller - Notes on a Scandal
Nick Hornby - How to Be Good
Marian Keyes - The Other Side of the Story
Matthew Kneale - English Passengers
Hari Kunzru - The Impressionist
Marina Lewycka - A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian
Meg Rosoff - How I Live Now
Ali Smith - The Accidental
Zadie Smith - White Teeth
Sue Townsend - Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction
Pat Barker - Regeneration

Non-fiction

Noam Chomsky - Hegemony or Survival
Niall Ferguson - Empire
Robin Lane Fox - The Classical World
Malcolm Gladwell - Blink
Brian Greene - The Fabric of the Cosmos
Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner - Freakonomics
James Lovelock - The Revenge of Gaia
Eric Schlosser - Fast Food Nation

Crime

Donna Tartt - The Secret History
P.D. James - A Certain Justice
John Mortimer - Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders
Alex Garland - The Beach
Barbara Vine - The Chimney Sweeper's Boy

Travel & Adventure

Ryszard Kapuscinski - The Shadow of the Sun
Redmond O'Hanlon - Congo Journey
Paul Theroux - Dark Star Safari

Biography

Charles Nicholl - Leonardo da Vinci: Flights of the Mind
Claire Tomalin - Jane Austen: A Life
Jeremy Paxman - The English

Essays

Alain de Botton - The Consolations of Philosophy
Jeremy Clarkson - The World According to Clarkson
Alastair Cooke - Letter from America

I have a few of them. Typically, the whole set at such a good price was not available in China.

A Brilliant collection

I'm going to have to look for those. I do wonder what you will make of Jeremy Clarkson and Marian Keyes if you picked those up.

115. Het hemelse gerecht
Finished reading: 10 August 2011



I am not so fond of the Dutch author Renate Dorrestein, but found Het hemelse gerecht an entertaining read. It is the story of two sisters running a restaurant, one of them cooking, the other running the restaurant business. As they reach the top in culinary achievement, being awarded a Michelin star, they hit the bottom in their social affairs. An ever more unlikely tale is spun, which ends in a apocalyptic catastrophe of water, fire, death and disease.



Other books I have read by Renate Dorrestein:
Het perpetuum mobile van de liefde

116. Die Unbekannte
Finished reading: 10 August 2011



Die Unbekannte by the German author Reinhold Conrad Muschler tells the story of the fate of the provincial orphan Madeleine Lavin, who has fallen in love with the British diplomat Lord Thomas Vernon Bentick and, after a romance, commits suicide in the Seine when Bentick returns to his fiancée. The story is over-romanticized and a real tear-jerker.

Interestingly, the Unbekannte the "unknown" refers to a plaster cast of a young girl dregged up from the Seine in the late 1800s. The death mask of this young girl was a house-hold item in apparently every intellectual study, and countless references to it appear in European literature between 1920 and 1940, notaly William Gaddis's The recognitions, Die Aufzeichnungen des Malte Laurids Brigge by Rainer Maria Rilke, as well as fiction and poetry by Camus, Nin, Nabokov and countless other less well-known authors. The story has inspired film makers of the same period.

Reinhold Conrad Muschler (1883-1957) was a German author who was never punished for his fervent sympathies with the Nazis. He was the author of Das deutsche Führerbuch (1933), hailing Hitler as the Messiah and thereby helping in the popularization of German fascism. He was a member of the Nazi party from 1932 till 1937, and divorced from his Jewish spouse "so as the be able to fully devote himself to the construction of the Third Reich". After the war he continued publishing various novellas and novels. He is also the author of a manual of the flora of Egypt.

117. Radikalisierung und Mitte. Zwei Vorträge.
Finished reading: 10 August 2011



Radikalisierung und Mitte by Golo Mann, son of Thomas Mann is a dated (1971) essay about Marxism in the late 1960s and its influence of German politics, and promoting a middle road. The second essay, "Geschichtsunterricht heute", which translates as "Present-day history education", contemplating the role of the school subject "history".

118. Rede vom Verlust. über den Niedergang der politischen Kultur im geeinten Deutschland
Finished reading: 10 August 2011



Text of a speech by Günter Grass lamenting the decline and loss of political culture in the unified Germany of the early 1990s. The essay is a good representation of the political atmosphere of that period, as I experienced it while working in Germany. The rise of bands of skin-heads in Leipzig and other German cities, particularly in the East, who formed a threat to anyone especially non-caucasian foreigners, and the decline in tolerance towards immigrants.

The most memorable quote, the last sentence: "Die Zigeuner sind überall in Europa zu Hause, sie sind, was wir zu sein vorgeben: geborene Europäer!"



Other books I have read by Günter Grass:
Die Blechtrommel
Katz und Maus
Meine grüne Wiese. Geschichten und Zeichnungen

119. The mystery of Olga Chekhova
Finished reading: 13 August 2011



I very much enjoyed reading this book during the several weeks before, and after my holiday. The title and cover of the book are somewhat misleading, suggesting a kind of high profile espionage book. While some of that is featured in the book, and the connections between Olga Chekhova and various Nazi leaders plays an important role, the book offers a much more interesting glimpse into the lives of a family of artists and their unique and protected position from the years before the Russian revolution through the Second World War, until after the death of Stalin.

Protected by its artistic prominence and potential usefulness at the hands of the secret service, members of the family of Chekhov, survive the Revolution, the War and the Terror, while the giant ogres of Hitler, Stalin and Beria are hovering in the background. The book presents detailed biographies of the actress Olga Knipper, one of the original members of the Moscow Art Theatre, who married Anton Chekhov, her brother, the composer Lev Knipper, and most prominently her niece, Olga Chekhova who went on to a life-long career as a film actress in Germany, well into the 1970s.

The book threw a new light on the art scene in Russia, especially the theatre and music between 1915 and 1950, making me yearn for my copy of Chekhov plays (which I could never retrieve), and instead making me revel in memories of all the famed Chekhov plays I have seen performed.

The sinister story of the war, life in Nazi Germany as well as Communist Russia, and the machinations of the leaders of that time, all courting the arts, gives the book a magic twinkle. Very readable, and interesting.

#150 - 150th, not 200th. :)

120. Supertex
Finished reading: 15 August 2011



A feature of novels, particularly, and stories by Jewish writers, regardless of their nationality, seems their unrelentless quest for their identity, coupled with a great sense of humour, often at their own expense. This makes their works extremely readable.

In Dutch literature, there are not many Jewish writers, who write that kind of literature. Unfortunately, especially among older writers the trauma of the holocaust is still all pervading - a horror of such tremendous scope and impact that no author nor reader should pass over. Belonging to a younger generation, Leon de Winter breaths more freedom in choice of themes.

Supertex is about two brothers independently rediscovering their roots. The elder brother, Max Breslauer, is a businessman leading the textile imperium. He leads a lifestyle of fast cars, penthouse and gorgeous girlfriend, until one day he is confronted with a family of orthodox Jews, in a way that literary arrests him is his stride, and leads him to contemplate his life, on the couch, and find what has been missing. Earlier, out of his sight, his younger brother Benjamin, whom Max despises, has made a similar discovery. On a business trip to Marocco, he has fallen in love and married a girl into an orthodox Jewish family.

Supertex is a very well-written, high-speed novel. De Winter plays a masterful trick on the readers portraying the orthodox Jews, and making the reader sympathize with Max in the incident which is the turning point in Max' life. Brilliant!



Other books I have read by Leon de Winter:
Serenade

121. The wounds of hunger
Finished reading: 17 August 2011



Generally, I wouldn't buy English translations of Spanish novels, preferring to read to read in the original language, but since no Spanish books can be bought in China and this was a dirt cheap second-hand book, I took it nonetheless.

Lovers of the bull fight, will fore-mostly think of Death in the afternoon by Ernest Hemingway, a book which has been widely criticized. A few weeks ago the news was broadcast that Barcelona has now banned bull fights. It seems, in due course this noble, albeit cruel, artful ritual may disappear altogether.

If ever that should happen, we should be glad to have this Mexican novel, The wounds of hunger, by Luis Spota, dubbed the most perfect bull-fighting novel, to preserve the myth for posterity.

According to his biography, the author was a bull-fighter for a short time. From the novel, it is clear that he knows the metier and scene very thoroughly, giving the whole of the novel an air of profound authenticity.

In relatively few pages, just over 200, the author shows us the depths and heights in the career of Luis Ortega, an aspiring toreador. Most of the time Ortega and his pals are so poor that they have nothing or very little to eat. The poverty of the matadors and their families is almost tangible. We learn that it was incredibly difficult to get the opportunity to perform in a corrida, and the danger and fear of the young, often inexperienced men facing the bulls. There is a lot of blood and goring, all described in vivid colour and detail. Our sympathy for the main character is swayed from sympathy to loathing and back to admiration, as he struggles to be a hero, but often enough is just "merely" human.

The novel is very entertaining, full of adventure, as one would expect of a bunch of young Mexican rascals. The translation of Barnaby Conrad retains the quality of being very Mexican, and I very much enjoyed reading this book.

122. Quarantine
Finished reading: 18 August 2011



To my knowledge there are few serious novelists who still take stories from the Bible and make it the centre piece of a novel, without sounding terribly religious. Jim Crace does, in this wonderful novel Quarantine.

Perhaps Quarantine should better be described as a historical novel. The mastery in the choice of the novelist is to find a character, a period and an event which appear "empty" on our minds before reading, the white spot on the map, the terra incognita for the explorer to discover and fill in. Crace's masterful choice is Jesus' forty days fast in the desert.

The novel is an obviously very free suggestion of what could have happened, told with dignity and sufficient mystery to keep even the non-religious reader in awe about the historical and religious figure of Jesus, the Galilean.

The story opens with the abandonment by a caravan of Musa, a rich merchant, and his wife Miri, left behind in the desert in his tent to die. It sets the scene in the heat of the harsh environment of the desert, where they soon run out of water. Miri digs his grave after Musa has died, but returning to the tent she finds him alive. A subtle measure of suspense, the scenes separated by about 30 pages, suggests that Musa's resurrection is a miracle performed by Jesus. Towards the end of the book, as Jesus' fast comes to an end, he is also believed dead and risen, a feat again surrounded by circumstance enough to blur perception and myth.

They are not alone in the desert. Musa believes Jesus came together with four other travellers, who have entered the desert to fast and pray. Musa seizes the opportunity to claim the land, and tell the travellers that the caves in which they have put up belong to him, and they should pay him to stay there. From the pit (Musa does not know it was to be his grave) wells water, which he tries to sell them. The picture of Musa is definitively not sympathetic. Could it be taken as a reference to the modern-day situation in Judea?

A very intriguing novel.



Other books I have read by Jim Crace:
Signals of distress

123. This side of brightness
Finished reading: 19 August 2011



Colum McCann is the first author I discovered through LibraryThing. I was surprised to find his books in the bookstore, and bought several, of which This side of brightness is the first I finished reading.

Unfortunately, this was rather a disappointment. The opening chapters are very strong indeed, but retrospectively it is a bit ironic that these are based on a real event, taken from the newspaper archives. Nonetheless, I suppose, brilliantly fictionalized. However, the rest of the novel is a foul-mouthed rant, rather hard to follow the story-line and aging of the characters over time. I could not make much of it, and barely lost interest, as nothing much happens.

It is always interesting to read your thread. These last three books — Supertex, The Wounds of Hunger and Quarantine — would never have been noticed by me f I had not read about them here. You make them all sound like books I would enjoy.

124. Out of Mao's shadow. The struggle for the soul of a New China
Finished reading: 20 August 2011



Within the People's Republic of China, discussing contemporary history in public is taboo. Yesterday, I watched the live broadcast of the wreath-laying ceremony at the The Monument to the People's Heroes, on the occasion of the 62nd anniversary of the foundation of the New China. An aged and eminent Chinese professor was interviewed and asked for comment on the proceedings. Interestingly, this professor made the rather bold claim that the monument, which was erected in the 1950s, does not only commemorate past martyrs who laid down their lives for the revolutionary struggles of the Chinese people during the 19th and 20th centuries, but included those who fell in the years leading up to the present. Summarising China's contemporary history, the commentator divided modern history after 1949 in two periods, each subdivided into three periods, as follows:

Period: 1949 - 1976
Sub 1: 1949 - 1956; characterized by great optimism and progress
Sub 2: 1957 -1965; characterized by some serious mistakes
Sub 3: 1966 - 1976; a disaster ("I am not going to say anything more")
Period: 1977 - now
Sub 1: 1977 - 1986; characterized by great optimism and progress
Sub 2: 1987 - 1994; characterized by great progress with the opening up & reform
Sub 3: 1995 - now; characterized by increasing gap between rich and poor and corruption

Regardless of the typical refusal to refrain from comment on the Cultural Revolution (though naming it!), the chronology and characterization are pretty candid.

During my 12 year stay in China, and longer than that experience with Chinese people, it is obvious that Chinese people need to come to terms with their history on their own, as this is painful enough for them as it is. And this can only be done in very small steps.

Who has the right to claim that these steps are too small? Historiography of modern China is divided by Chinese scholars, Western sinologists and an ever increasing group of journalistics publicists, all of whose allegions are divided by their loyalties.

The author of this book, a journalist, Philip P. Pan makes clear where his loyalties lie in the introduction. Mr Pan is clearly no "friend of China" and expresses his hope that his book might be instrumental to, and he himself a witness of the collapse of the system. This stance made me reflect on the objectivity dilemma, and the value of this book.

Perhaps I should mention here that in my final assessment I appreciate the book highly, in spite of a number of flaws and the intentions of the author. The book seems to be written from two angles of motivation, the one mentioned above, with which I do not sympathize, the other however is more sympathetic, namely the preservation of people’s stories for later generations.

Out of Mao's shadow. The struggle for the soul of a New China consists of 11 chapters, covering the same periods of Chinese contemporary history as above. Needless to say, the author has only picked stories which cast more of a shadow than expel any.

The first three chapters focus on the story of a young female student who resisted the oppression exercised from the late 1950s onward, the second and third sub-period. While from a Western point of view the issue of “breaking her will” is very valid, we also see that her behaviour (stubbornness) is very un-Chinese; in fact, all her classmates and other prisoners survive the whole period and the madness. These chapters are flawed in the sense that the author reports the facts through the lens of a Chinese film maker who tries to document the student’s life. It is not very clear where the film maker speaks and where Mr Pan steps in.

Chapter four is the most balanced and has a poetic quality. It tells an original story, not much heard elsewhere. This chapter comes closest to the author’s other motivation to preserve these stories for future readers. The story sounds true and is moving.

Corruption is a big problem in China, which is not denied by anyone. There is no doubt that power and politics are woven into an intricate pattern in many countries around the world, and in a country like China where there is perhaps more money, and less regulation, excesses may appear on an even larger scale. Interesting reading, though.

The final part of the book is somewhat weak, as the author chews up an old story, and spreads it out over four chapters; 7, 9, 10 and 11. While approaching the story from slightly different angles, the fabric of the book becomes very this here, the more so because this story has been dealt with in more detail in the book Will the boat sink the water? The life of China's peasants by Chen Guidi and Wu Chuntao.

There is no chapter dedicated to the events in 1989, although they are described lightly as part of the biography of Mr Pu Zhiqiang in chapter 10 (pp. 274-275), conclusions which are quite a lot less shocking than we are used to from other publications.

I do not know what readers outside China would make of this book, but I felt it was rewarding and insightful. Clearly, the book is not entirely balanced and has some flaws which the author could have avoided. The author’s outspoken intentions should caution readers to be critical. While some stories are controversial, others are not. For readers who are not necessarily looking for judgement, there is a lot to listen to and ponder on, reading this book.

125. The mind's eye
Finished reading: 21 August 2011



Although I have collected several volumes of works by Oliver Sacks, I had so far only read one, Awakenings. That book was extremely powerful, and I still often think about it.

It seems that will not be the case with The mind's eye. Sacks is clearly a very good writer, but these case histories gave the the feeling he was rattling off, pulling stories from stock. Some stories are horrible, especially as they affected the author personally, but perhaps not odd, I must say I was not touched. Just another case story, I suppose, the reader's nerves are numbed.

I was irritated by the multiple and many references to other cases in other books published by Sacks, as if this book was one way to promote all the other books.

I still have three books on my shelves, but grown aware that I should be more careful, and less impulsive when buying books. With these kinds of books there may be a point of saturation.



Other books I have read by Oliver Sacks:
Awakenings

Thanks, Suzanne. In August I had nearly caught up with my previous reading, just another 10 titles. But then, as the new term started work was soon so busy again, I could not update my thread, since August 28. I have read a lot, though September fell short 4 books from my target of 16 per month.

In August, I was lucky to pick up some very good books, and I felt it was better to postpone writing reviews than do it hastily. It also takes a lot of time simply catching up with what you guys (and galls) are reading.

The availability of books in China is still, continuously improving. Yesterday, I saw I can order Porius from Amazon.cn, and probably will next month. Still, I possess many, many books bought locally from 2nd-hand shops dating from 1900 - 1980, or published locally spanning the same period or foreign language books with few readers on LT.

According to LT there are German, French, Spanish and Italian translations for Supertex but I am not sure about English. If i can locate any, I usually mention the English translation for the many (mainly) English readers on this thread.

I enjoyed your comments on Out of Mao's Shadow, but even more your insight into the increasing, but still guarded, candor of modern Chinese commentators on their recent history. I took a vacation to China a year ago, and noted that our tour guides were not reluctant to talk about the mistakes of the past or the problems of the present, but they all had the same refrain: Chairman Mao was 70% right, 30% wrong; he was a great man, but his mistakes were very costly. It's intriguing to think how different his legacy, and, indeed the world as a whole, would be if Mao had not stumbled off the path he was on in the 1949-56 period.

126. Day
Finished reading: 22 August 2011



This was a difficult book to read, and I had to read it twice to make sense of it. Even reviewing it here makes it necessary to go back to the book, and see that there are still a multitude of strands that I have left, or should have looked at more closely. Day, a novel written by the British novelist A.L. Kennedy is clearly, cleverly crafted, requiring a great effort on the part of the reader to stay with her. Perhaps that is why the reader is so often admonished in the 2nd person (singular or plural).

As the main character's name is Alfred Day, the novel's title is Day, but it might as well have been "Night", as the book reads like a nightmare, Alfred's nightmare. There is another, parallel juxtaposition between "joy", the moments of joy Alfred experiences with his girlfriend Joyce, and what would be the opposite of "joy", gloom or depression. As a matter of fact, the book is full of parallels.

The book is also very much about the way the mind works, as for narrative technique, and this is what makes the book difficult, but also interesting. Maybe we could say the mind works with parallels, good versus bad, past versus present, present versus future, joy versus gloom, etc. Another feature of thought is that it is not necessarily chronological. A chronological recall depends on control, but uncontrolled memories surface randomly, without any particular order or pattern. Another feature of the mind is a kind of multi-tasking, i.e. while engaged in one activity, the brain may still, fully consciously register and allow for comment of other observations. For example, I may be having a conversation with a friend, and at the same time make an unspoken comment of the tea, or make an unspoken comment on things I see happening behind my friends' back. These unspoken asides, are different from stream-of-concious, and not part of the narrative. Rather, they are a kind of interior monologue, but very random and very unfocussed, very short and often "unedited", i.e. using pretty rude vernacular. In the novel, these unspoken asides appear in italics throughout the book. The difficulty in reading the book is its apparent lack of control of the narrative voice, lack of chronology and many asides. In a way, we are inside the mind of Alfred Day.

The plot, reconstructed, is not that difficult. Alfred Day grows up somewhere in England. His father abuses, and kills his mother, an act later revenged by Alfred in a striking parallel fashion. Alfred joins the RAF, is shot down over Nazi Germany and interned in a POW camp. After the war, he re-lives the experiences of the camp on a film set, the stage of the film is basically his own life at the POW camp. As in Shakespeare, this sets the scene for a total confusion of reality and fiction, an excellent canvas for the mind boggling confusion of right and wrong, good and bad, real and unreal, true and false, sane or mad, and the all pervading theme of joy versus gloom, trauma and guilt.

The structure of the book makes us live through, and wonder about sanity and madness, good and bad, fear and self-assurance, loneliness and companionship. There are moments reading the novel, we aren't sure about the character of young Alfred, whether he is perhaps an insane, homicidal maniac, whether he might hurt Joyce, on whom he seems so madly fixed. The final visit to Joyce seems ominous. From the next, and final scene, we know that something terrible could have happened. However, in the final pages there is another juxtaposition, that between what comes last, final and what comes next, the end and a new beginning.

Difficult but rewarding, I would only recommend this book to readers with a sincere interest in literary fiction. Despite the highly experimental approach to the novel, I did not feel the irritation I sometimes experience when reading so-called postmodern fiction. Day probably belongs to that genre, but in that case should probably be regarded as one of the more successful exponents.



This is the first book I have read by A.L. Kennedy.

127. The Thanatos Syndrome
Finished reading: 24 August 2011



When I ordered this book, the description said it had only about 120 pages, so I expected a somewhat contemplative, philosophical novel to enjoy at ease. I was not prepared for this large sprawling novel, far too thick for such a simple story.

The story is a kind of conspiracy, about a large-scale experiment which should benefit the general population, curbing violence by administering drugs as additives to drinking water. Changes is people's behaviour lead a doctor to discover the plot, and counteract it. The story is simplistic, and spelled out for the reader in various steps. The whole thing is very contrived, with some facts being very unlikely, but necessary to make the novel work.

I was surprised to see and wondered how such a novel could still work, published as it was in 1987. Possibly, readers were forgiving, accepting a deal of inferiority from a celebrated novelist at the end of his career. The feel of the book is that of a story which might have been spectacular in the late 50s - early 60s (thinking of A clockwork orange), but is quite misplaced in the late 80s. The writing is not bad, but the story is unimaginative and peopled with cardboard characters.



Other books I have read by Walker Percy:
The Moviegoer

128. The tragedy of the Korosko
Finished reading: 28 August 2011



A trend which can be observed in publishing for a few years now is to publish small books, rather than thicker ones. Various publishers bring out titles such "short introductions", "essentials" or even "short biographies". This trend is likely to find following in the e-book commerce, selling short stories singled out from the collections they originally belonged to. The Hesperus Press is a proponent of this trend, bringing out small, handsomely printed volumes of "around 100 pages", sometimes just below, sometimes just over, up to 130 pages, as in the case of The tragedy of the Korosko by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a very prolific and very productive writer, best known for the Sherlock Holmes stories, beside very different genres such a the Professor Challenger stories, historical novels and a variety of other works, to which The tragedy of the Korosko belongs, published in 1898.

Each volume in the series published by the Hesperus Press is preceded by a foreword, usually by well-known writers, who, however, are not experts on the author. They make for interesting reading, as they provide some insight through the eyes of another reader, but not just anybody. Some of these introductory essays are very interesting in themselves. I felt the foreword to this edition, written by Tony Robinson was neither particularly interesting not insightful, pondering too much on parallels between the story and Arab (sic!) terrorism in our day, and raising provocative questions such as "Why is there a British presence in the Near east?", Wherein lies its moral authority?" and "Why do so many Arabs hate us"? These are questions that are on the mind of Mr Robinson, just as he opens with a mistaken panic situations, referring extensively to the 9-11 attacks. While quoting Conan Doyle mindlessly, Robinson never shows the fruit of the wisdom that "fear (..) seldom helps us come to balanced conclusions". (The foreword was written in 2003.)

Telling us more about himself, and his short visit to Egypt, Robinson forgets to tell the reader that Arthur Conan Doyle lived in Egypt from the autumn of 1895 till 1899, where he witnessed clashes between British troops and the Dervishes. This stay in Egypt provided him with the material for the book. On the other hand, I would surmise that the general reader, like myself, would know very little about the modern history of Egypt, and therefore could not come close to answering Mr Robinson's confusing and misguided questions. In fact, Egypt would not become a British Protectorate until 1914, although the British presence was felt strongly before that as Great Britain rescued Egypt from a debt crisis, as huge national debts had accrued following the construction of the Suez Canal.

However, such political backgrounds are not necessary to read Conan Doyle's stories. Many, is not most of his works are exciting diversions. Egypt inspired him to write some blood-curdling horror stories, particularly The ring of Thoth and Lot 249. The tragedy of the Korosko can be read in the same way as a number of other Africa-related adventure stories, such as the Alan Quartermain novels by Sir Rider Haggard.

The tragedy of the Korosko tells the story of a group of Western tourists, some British, American, a Frenchman, etc who set out on a boating trip to do some sightseeing. Characterization follows some amusing national stereotypes, as the story unfolds and the tourists are captured and carried away by a band of ruthless marauders. The story is very entertaining, bringing together a number of stock piled ideas about arrogance and civilisation on the part of the Westerners, ruthlessness on the part of the marauders, and their fixation of the muslim faith, against the backdrop of the desert, with Camel caravans, Oases, the fearsome prospects of their destiny of being sold on the slave market in Karthoum and their hope of rescue before their captors transport them beyond the reach of the British garrison.

I was unlucky that my copy, bought in 2004, was a misprint, so 30 pages were printed twice, while another 30 pages were missing, at the beginning of the book. However, this was easily remedied as the books is available as an e-book from The Gutenberg Project in two versions, A Desert Drama and The tragedy of the Korosko.

Excellent reading.



Other books I have read by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle:
Tales of unease
The lost world & other stories
The land of mist
The poison belt
The lost world
The case book of Sherlock Holmes
His last bow
The valley of fear
The hound of the Baskervilles
The return of Sherlock Holmes
The memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
The adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The sign of four
A study in scarlet

129. Star of the Sea. Farewell to Old Ireland
Finished reading: 30 August 2011



I had once before started reading Star of the Sea. Farewell to Old Ireland by the Irish author Joseph O'Connor, but abandoned it, and this summer resolved to give it a final try. Not regretted.

The reason I abandoned the book the first time, was its peculiar density and postmodern styling, including mock engravings and text printed in columns, etc which turned me off, thinking I would have to struggle through another tedious postmodern novel. Upon second reading, however, I found that the book is obviously very well-researched, perhaps a bit too much, as the five pages of dense printed "sources & acknowledgements" at the end of the book testify. The book itself consisted of 400+ pages of dense, and somewhat small print, and there were times I felt the book could have gained from terseness.

The novel presents the adventures, or rather life, death and agony, on board the vessel Star of the Sea of a cross section of Irish society fleeing famine-stricken Ireland for hope of a better future in the New World. The book chronicles their 31-days voyage. However, the 34 chapters plus an epilogue describe much more than the events on board the ship. The novel portrays the lives of a few main characters into detail, their interactions and their socio-economic, and cultural family backgrounds at the time. The authors gaily winks at history, making one of the villainous characters claim to have told Charles Dickens all about thievery and pick-pocketing, serving him an entirely fictional account, and taking revenge on an associate by slipping Dickens the name of "Fagin" as a particularly vicious character.

As the characters carry their past, and present feuds aboard ship, the "Farewell to Old Ireland" does not come about until after disembarkation, and we lose sight of them. Interesting, but demanding a lot of attention.

130. Destiny
Finished reading: 1 September 2011



Following the suicide of his son, a man is plunged into a depression, self-doubt and the conviction that he should divorce. A chaotic, disturbed novel. I could not make much of it, and lost interest after about 80 pages.



Other books I have read by Tim Parks:
Europa

131. The comfort of strangers
Finished reading: 2 September 2011



I have read nearly all of Ian McEwan's novels, this one being an early, short one. Reading this elegant, somewhat stilted novel, I wondered how much later readers would understand of the atmosphere. In my view, the reader should have a good grasp of the 1970s to understand what is going on, and why this story seems plausible. The novel itself provides very little description.

The comfort of strangers is a fine novel, full of languid descriptions of Venice. A married couple, somewhat wearied in their relationship, make acquaintance with a handsome, apparently very sympathetic man. At the end of the novel, the story works out in a gruesome twist, typical of McEwan's novels.

This novel would be a very good novel to start reading Ian McEwan, or, as in my case savour the taste of his early works. Very nice.



Other books I have read by Ian McEwan:
Solar
Saturday
Black dogs
On Chesil Beach
The cement garden
The child in time
Enduring love
In between the sheets
Atonement
Amsterdam
The Innocent or the Special Relationship

132. The pale king
Finished reading: 7 September 2011



I thought I was not going to like this novel, but bought it anyway, to keep up with what's going on in American letters, where David Foster Wallace is clearly seen as an author of major importance. Despite it's fragmentary nature, and the fact that the book is not finished, I did come away with the feeling of having read a monumental fragment.

The published version of The pale king does not exactly present a unity. While some parts are clearly related to, what I would call the main fragments, there are many other parts, sometimes even only a few paragraphs, which are either vaguely connected or must be assumed to be in their correct position, without being of any help to the reader in making sense of the work as a whole. In a work executed, revised and proofread by the author, one would expect such perfect constellation of all parts, but David Foster Wallace did not live to see the book through those stages. Nonetheless, I have faith in the work of his editor, using the author's notes, outlines, drafts, etc to come to this near-final version.

The main fragments, some of which appeared as magazine publications tell an upsetting story, which seems to be autobiographical. The author, appearing as "the author" in the book, addresses the reader presenting an elaborate argument by which fiction and non-fiction in the novel are inverted, suggesting that the legal disclaimer, which states that any semblances in the novel to reality are unfounded, is in itself a piece of fiction. This humourous section -- how true often enough! -- the intervention of the author, whether to be considered as a postmodern ploy or not, or the general assertion that readers should not confuse reality with the "reality in the novel", the fact remains that the David F. Wallace in the novel bears striking resemblance to the David Foster Wallace, the author. Incidentally, there are two other characters, appearing in other fragments as David F. Wallace, who represent two different characters, who may or not be related to the character of that name in the main fragments, calling the hallucinatory ordeal of Yakov Petrovich Golyadkin to mind in Dostoevsky's The double.

Large parts of the novel, in many of the interrelated fragments, is set to take place in the work environment of the IRS, a large, grey, bureaucratic organization, reminiscent of Kafka's novels. A lot can be learned about this vast, all-encompassing environment, peopled by a large variety of characters, from all walks of life. This setting could be a metaphor for the dehumanized office work environment, in which the majority of our modern-day work force is entrapped, or the state of depression in particular, or possibly both.

The main fragment describes how the main character came to join the IRS. This choice is motivated by various biographical events, the earliest of which is the "life-changing kind of event" (p. 172) in late 1977, -- traumatic loss of his father in an accident.

The "choice" of a career in the IRS is at various stages described with a great deal of irony, which makes the reader feel it is more of a kind of fate, rather than a choice, and even in that aspect there are circumstances, which make it very likely that the IRS must be read as standing for something quite different. For example, on page 176, we read that "the fact is that there are probably just certain kinds of people who are drawn to a career in the IRS. People who are (...) 'called to account'". In the same paragraph, he concludes that he had those "features and characteristics" which singled him out for a career in the IRS. The next paragraph described his drug abuse as a reason for “how {he} got there” (p. 177), and following pages through p. 185 tell about the character’s drugs usage and psychedelic experiences from smoking pot to Obetrol and Cylert.

There are other parts in the fragments where work in the IRS and the outside are described in an unnatural way, which creates the feeling that the IRS environment represents safety, while the outside world is threatening, causing feelings of uncertainty and doubt ( p. 227).

There are other places where the main character experiences odd sensations of inversion between reality and fiction, or “real life” and a “real-life show”, fantastically highlighted by the author’s play with typography on page 222 where the main character has an epiphany over the degrees of reality represented by the announcement “you are watching As The World Turns” versus “you are watching As The World Turns”.

Any experienced reader knows the adagio not to take for granted that what happens in the novel should not be taken as autobiographical reality referring to the author, even if the main character in the novel has the same name as the author. On the other hand, only God creates “out of nothing”, and therefore artists must get their ideas somewhere, although they will deny that, and hide behind legal disclaimers on the colophon page.

A very impressive and profound novel, if only a fragment.



Other books I have read by David Foster Wallace:
Consider the lobster, and other essays

133. The lucky country
Finished reading: 9 September 2011



I bought this book on the strength of the editor's choice to include The lucky country by Donald Horne in Penguin's "Modern Classics" Series, which I assumed selected works of fiction and non-fiction of a certain lasting quality, a kind of portal to the pantheon of Classics. Reading the no less than 34 pages of prefaces, to the second, fifth and sixth editions, I started feeling uncomfortable, and I later found out that Penguin's criteria for inclusion of works in the series is based on strong and lasting sales.

Reading the book, which was first published in 1964, it becomes clear that it is horribly out-dated. Many of the insights, possibly first presented by Horne have trickled into the layer of general knowledge of every well-educated reader, and all of the contents and more can, nowadays, be found reflected on web pages, more up-to-date and more accurate on Wikipedia, and elsewhere.

The lucky country may have been a very good book, but it no longer is. Think twice before buying, is what I should have done.

134. The wild boys. A book of the dead
Finished reading: 10 September 2011



Perhaps this short novel by William S. Burroughs should not be taken too seriously. It was a joy to read this orgiastic, erotic, playful and sometimes hard to follow story. The troupe of rebellious wild boys, defeating the CIA and army attack, cannot be accepted but with a smile. There is a lot that defies understanding, perhaps one should not try to understand everything.

This naughty novel was written as early as 1969, but was not surprisingly not published until 1980. Pure madness and joy.



Other books I have read by William S. Burroughs:
The Western lands

135. Tilt. A skewed history of the Tower of Pisa
Finished reading: 11 September 2011



I started reading this short monograph on the history of the Tower of Pisa by Nicholas Shrady as a preparation for my Grand Tour of eight weeks across the European continent, of which two weeks in Italy, where I visited Venice, Florence, Pisa and Rome.

Tilt. A skewed history of the Tower of Pisa is a very nice,small book, which excellently served its purpose in giving me a lot of background to the history of Pisa and many interesting facts and anecdotes about the tower. I agree with other reviewers that, as the tower is skewed, so is the book, leaning heavily to giving more information about the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, while almost neglecting, or glossing over recent history.

Unfortunately, I did not finish reading the book before my trip, and did not bring it along. As a result, I missed Chapter 7 describing the Pisa Circle of poets and artists such as Shelley, Byron and Leigh Hunt, whose traces I would have looked for had I known.

136. Die Unwissenheit
Finished reading: 18 September 2011

Available in English as:

The ease with which Milan Kundera sets up and writes this wonderful novel is remarkable, and it was a pleasure to return to work by Kundera since I read Die unerträgliche Leichtigkeit des Seins in 1992. The mention of that earlier novel is also of relevance to this excellent novel, Die Unwissenheit.

While the main theme of the former book is the escape and flight into exile, the themes of the latter are return (visit), memories and nostalgia. These themes are explored on a philosophical level, by examining the mythical voyages of Odysseus, and in life by visits, first of Czech people travelling abroad to visit those in exile, and later a return to Prague. The rift is enormous. In forty years, it seems the memories of people in Prague were frozen, while that of the exiles moved on. Where two former acquaintances both lived abroad, the gap seems double as big, and memories, faded or nearly unretrievable.

Beautiful descriptions of Prague and some astute comments on Communism.



Other books I have read by Milan Kundera:
Die unerträgliche Leichtigkeit des Seins

Fascinating reviews, Edwin. I loved Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being (and the film too) and The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, but I haven't read anything by him in years. Perhaps I should restart with Ignorance.

I've had Day on my wishlist for some time because I really enjoyed Kennedy's novel Everything You Need. From your review it would seem that they are very different, as the style and structure of Everything You Need are quite conventional.

I enjoyed The Comfort of Strangers as well, and I'm looking forward to reading Ignorance and The Wild Boys, both of which I have.

Edwin, great reviews here and I have added the following to my to buy list

The wounds of hunger I have been to corrida's when I have been to Spain and found them fascinating and exciting. Yes I know its a cruel spectacle, but there is something gripping about live bullfighting that is unique. However I will probably never go to one again after a visit to a corrida in Southern France near where I live. It was a very small bull ring the matadors were not of the best and it was more like butchery than bull fighting.

Out of Mao's shadow sounds fascinating as I have only a sketchy knowledge of recent Chinese history

The A. L. Kennedy novel sounds like a must read, especially after your words of caution about post-modernist novels.

I find Jim Crace to be a very original novelist and so I am always interested in reviews of his books.

137. The red thread
Finished reading: 21 September 2011



The red thread is a novel written by the Australian author Nicholas Jose who lived in China for many years. At the centre of expat literary life in Beijing, the Bookworm--a lending library, book store and literary cafe, organizing lectures and literary festivals-- whose owner is Australian, presents, promotes and sells the books of many Australian authors in China.

The red thread of the title refers to the story line of the late Eighteenth - early Nineteenth Century Chinese novel by Shen Fu translated by Lin Yutang as Six chapters of a floating life, also known under the alternative title Six records of a floating life. The story by Nicholas Jose follows and mirrors the events in Six records of a floating life, creating a parallel story. Excerpts from Six chapters of a floating life in the translation of Lin Yutang are reprinted with permission, while other parts are translated by Nicholas Jose.

Shen Fu's work, Six records of a floating life was lost and rediscovered, but upon its rediscovery and publication in 1877, only four parts were included while another two parts are mentioned in the table of contents in the manuscript, but not been found. In the 1930s the other parts were claimed to have been found, but exposed as frauds. Following Lin Yutang, Nicholas Jose prefers to refer to these parts as chapters enhancing the suggestion of "missing parts", whereas I would prefer the translation as records (as in the Penguin translation).

The red thread tells the story of a young Chinese man, named Shen Fuling, who works in an auction house in Shanghai. One day an old man, who often places antiques and curios at the auction house brings in a red-cloth bound volume of Shen Fu's Six chapters of a floating life. The book is brought into the auction, but as Ruth, a young Australian woman starts bidding, Shen Fuling retracts the book. They meet again and fall in love, and as their love relationship develops, Shen Fuling believes that he is the reincarnation of Shen Fu and that their love is a re-enactment of the story of Six chapters of a floating life. As Ruth falls ill, Shen Fuling believes the only way to save her is to discover the two missing chapters, to know how to live out their story.

Although the story is simple, it could not always bind my attention, and I was a bit bored by the long excerpts taken from Six chapters of a floating life. From the moment Ruth falls ill, the story lines of Six chapters of a floating life and The red thread start diverging. There are not enough excerpts to reconstruct and fully grasp the story of Six chapters of a floating life, and therefore it becomes difficult to understand where the story in The red thread is going, especially because in Six chapters of a floating life Yun/Ruth dies, while in The red thread she is saved. The love triangle has a lesbian tinge in the modern novel, but this element does not become clear enough from the excerpts. Possibly, the knowledge of the whole work, not just the excerpts, is required to fully appreciate The red thread.

The story of Ruth and Shen Fuling is set against the background of modern Chinese society, and life in Shanghai. For this type of book I use the tag Chinoiserie for the genre of books written by foreigners about China.



This is the first book I have read by Nicholas Jose.

138. The painted veil
Finished reading: 21 September 2011



I had been reading The red thread by Nicolas Jose for many weeks, and finished reading The painted veil by Somerset Maugham in one sitting on the same day. These books are in almost every way opposites. The painted veil is set in colonial China, depicting superficial, adulterous relationships among expats. The story of The painted veil is very superficial and can be read in a breeze.



Other books I have read by W. Somerset Maugham:
Of human bondage

139. Remembering Babylon
Finished reading: 28 September 2011



Remembering Babylon by the Australian author David Malouf is a novel set in the colonial history of Australia. The novel opens strongly, as Gemmy, the European "savage" boy from the wilderness emerges and is taken back into civilization, a settlement of colonists. However, the embrace is not warm. In the perception of the colonists, Gemmy develops from a curiosity into a threat. The boy becomes the focus point of the settlers fears of the unknown, and towards the end, after an attempted murder, the reader is left wondering who is more savage.

The novel beautifully depicts early colonial life, evoking vivid images of Australia. The language is beautiful. A very enjoyable read.



This is the first book I have read by David Malouf.

140. Everything in this country must
Finished reading: 28 September 2011



After reading This side of brightness earlier this year, Everything in this country must is my second book by Colum McCann. McCann is often presented as an Irish writer, which by birth he is, but he moved to the US at the age of about 20. We would not call that an early age. He had started his journalistic career before that, while still in Ireland, but his career as a novelist / fiction writer developed in the United States, with is first work of fiction, Fishing the Sloe-Black River published there 8 years on. Despite references to Ireland, his work has a strong American feel to it.

The stories of Everything in this country must, a novella and two stories, are set in Ireland. The first, title story, Everything in this country must affirms my feeling that McCann is particularly strong at describing crises. The other two stories, however, lack that energy and momentum, and are relatively bland. In the third story Hunger strike the repetitive tables of weight loss are distracting, and mask the weakness of the writing to convey the development in the character.

Supposedly all set in Ireland, none of the stories feel authentically Irish.



Other books I have read by Colum McCann:
This side of brightness

141. Lobster Moth
Finished reading: 3 October 2011



Niall Duthie is a relatively unknown Scottish novelist, who grew up living in Scotland, Ghana, England and Malaysia. The language in his novels has a poetic quality.

Lobster Moth is the story of the actor David Orr who is preparing to act the role of the lepidopterist Robert Gilmerton, in the movie about his life Almost a hero. As the story sometimes presents the actions of Gilmerton, and sometimes those of Orr, or Orr's musings about Gilmerton, the picture is blurred, and I often lost track of what was going on. I was attracted to this book by its title, and supposed motive of natural history, but was disappointed by this. While the study of butterflies and moths prominently features in the story, it is not very clear why. We are told on the blurb that the author presents how metamorphosis, mimicry and perception intertwine in the lives of Gilmerton and Orr, but this ploy is not successfully operationalized in the novel. Their is no other natural reason for the presence of Gilmerton's interest in lepidoptery. The novel features prose, interspersed with fragments of dramatic dialogue (film script?), which is distracting, as the text in the scripts is not directly related to the story line. The role of the women is not very clear, as is the case of Gilmerton's "pillow book".

It seems the author had a number of interesting ideas, but no ability to tie them together into a captivating narrative.



Other books I have read by Niall Duthie:
Natterjack

Hi Edwin, good to see you back.
The Malouf-book looks interesting. I'll add it to my wish-list. I read a few books by Somerset Maugham a few decades ago and only remember I had mixed feelings about them, but I cannot remember why. I should look into them again.
You don't seem to care about the rest and since they're not really my cup of tea-themes, I think I'll skip them.
It's always great to read your reviews, even if you tell us something's rubbish. A woman warned, etc. :-)

142. Sweetness in the belly
Finished reading: 3 October 2011



I picked up this book for free at a book exchange, otherwise I would never have acquired it due to its distasteful title Sweetness in the belly, a disgust which was strengthened by the mention of infibulation--female circumcision, blood and menstruation (pp. 67-8). Sweetness in the belly is very much a women's book, but definitely not chick-litt.

One problem I have with this book is that the cultural perspective of the author is not clear. It could be argued that the position of the author is irrelevant, as the story needs to be told, and only a narrator within the text would do, however, in this book, this oversight irritated me. In this context it is important to know that the author, Camilla Gibb is a social anthropologist who lived and worked in Ethiopia. While generally I would not be bothered by the position of the author, that is to say, the work may not be autobiographical, and the story of the book may be entirely fictional, there is a strong sense that the auctorial voice must be authentic. Whether in an historical or contemporary novel setting, suspense can only be maintained by the craft and skill of the author to create a make-belief reality. Sweetness in the belly is too researched, and seems to lack indigenous originality.

I tried to appreciate Sweetness in the belly as an introduction into the Muslim world of women, but the femininity of the book, its content, style and references to Islam, prevented that. Possibly, I would have felt differently if the story had been told by an Ethiopian female writer.

It did not help much that the novel was unexpectedly (and unnecessarily) long, with 334 pages, and the narrative jumps in confusing non-chronological order, back and forth between 1974 and 1991, and between the geographical locations of Ethiopia and London.

143. The blue afternoon
Finished reading: 5 October 2011



Reading The blue afternoon confused me a bit. At first, the book starts with scenes from the life of Kay Fisher, but when Salvador Carriscant appears in the book, his story completely takes over, and Kay disappears completely into the background. The story of Carriscant is confusing in itself, as it takes the reader across the world and it is not very clear why or how all of this relates. Parts of the book are interesting, such as Carriscant's life as a doctor uncovering a kind of plot involving murder of patients, but there are so many unconnected parts and plots in the novel, that I lost track, and could not connect the dots. For example, what is the point of Pantaleon developing the first aeroplane.

The book is very well-written, as far as language is concerned, but the loose structure, confusing story line and disconnected story elements failed to keep me interested. I have also wondered whether the whole story of Carriscant is fictional or based on fact The book might have been more interesting if that were known.



Other books I have read by William Boyd:
Restless
Any human heart

Hi JustJoey4, glad to see you here again. I have several more books by Somerset Maugham but haven't come round to reading them yet.

I know I seem a bit harsh in my assessment of books, but remember I do not buy books the way I used to, back in Holland, and the way I guess most people would, which I suppose is by carefully choosing what to read / buy, making a critical assessment before buying as to whether they might like the book, perhaps from (newspaper) reviews, recommendations or own previous experience. I buy impulsively, often motivated to read new writers, unknown to me or apparently forgotten, in a book buying market where there is little choice and offerings are unbalanced. I end up buying and reading a lot of books I do not really like.

But I can assure you the book by Malouf is good. It was my first by this Australian writer. I hope his other works will be as good and interesting.

144. Sunset Park
Finished reading: 6 October 2011



Sunset Park by Paul Auster is the novel written for the Occupy Wall Street generation. Here is a long quotation:

Since the war in Vietnam, which began nearly twenty years before he was born, he would argue than the concept known as America has played itself out, that the country is no longer a workable proposition, but if anything continues to unite the fractured masses of this defunct nation, if American opinion is still unanimous about any one idea, it is the belief in the notion of progress. He contends that they are wrong, that the technological developments of the past decades have in fact only diminished the possibilities of life. In a throwaway culture spawned by the greed of profit-driven corporations, the landscape has grown ever more shabby, ever more alienating, ever more empty of meaning and consolidating purpose (page 72).

He in the quotation above is Bing Nathan, the central character is the novel, characterized as the militant debunker of contemporary life who dreams of forging a new reality from the ruins of a failed world ...he does not believe in political action. He belongs to no movement or party. (p.71)

Sunset Park is a novel that looks back to the 1970s and 1980s with nostalgia, to the time before before new technologies such as cellphones, computers and all things digital, to an age when things were tangible, as opposed to virtual. Things "live", such as "live music".

To regular readers of Auster a quirky name such as the Hospital of Broken Things is a typical name. It is the name of Nathan's shop where he repairs broken things, such as manual typewriters, mechanical watches, record players, rotary telephones, wind-up toys, etc. The name, of course, refers to the Boulevard of Broken Dreams, which in turn refers to Sunset Boulevard.

Along with the story of Nathan, we are introduced to the lives and ideas of several of his friends, whose lives all connect to the main theme of the novel which is the loss of belief in what is going on in America. Miles Heller is a photographer who works clearing out the homes of evicted families, who fled their homes as they could no longer pay their mortgages. Miles has developed a compulsive habit of photographing personal items in such homes. There are quite a few references to a movie from 1946, The Best Years of Our Lives directed by William Wyler.



The plot of this movie tells the story of three American soldiers, coming home after WWII and fitting back into society. One of these soldiers, Al, had worked as a bank executive and loan officer, and because of his war experience he is appointed vice president of a bank, which anticipates an increase in loans to returning war veterans. In the movie, Al approves a loan to a veteran without collateral, and is reprimanded by his boss not to gamble on further loans without collateral. This 1946 movie is early to predict that the bank gambles with their depositors' money, which is justified by gambling on the future of the United States. Until the wake-up call in November 2008.

Altogether, Sunset Park is a very readable novel, perhaps a bit too readable. It is a bit different from Paul Auster's previous novels, in the sense that it is easier to read, and allusions to the theme are a bit thick and very obvious. Perhaps that is because Auster knows that his audience, at least the younger portion of it must have everything spelled out for them. They would not know better after having graduated from "Pifflebum Tech, Asswipe U or the Institute for Advanced Retardation. The characters in Sunset Park are relatively "normal", and the novel is devoid of quasi-expressionist style elements, as in The New York Trilogy.

I liked this novel more than I expected I would, but not as much as some of Auster's earlier work. The sense of infinite possibilities and optimism, has made place for pessimism and nostalgia. It is, however,the nostalgia I like.



Other books I have read by Paul Auster:
The music of chance
Oracle night
The book of illusions
Leviathan
In the country of last things
Hand to mouth. A chronicle of early failure
Moon Palace
The New York-trilogy
The locked room
Ghosts
City of Glass
The red notebook. True stories, prefaces and interviews

# 198 - You don't have to apologize for giving your own opinion, especially since it's so well thought over. And in a way I'm a bit jealous of the fact that you have to read what's available instead of carefully choosing the books. I guess, apart from a lot or rubbish, you occasionally come across a wonderful book which you wouldn't have read otherwise. Most great dicoveries are mere chance so why should finding books be any different? And maybe choosing books too carefully along the lines of what you like might be like staying in the candy-store too long: no matter how tasty, in the end you get sick and get bad teeth.
What I actually want to say is that I appreciate your reviews, no matter how you chose the books or vice versa.

I have tried Auster's New York trilogy, but it probably came at the wrong time and I couldn't really understand what Auster's about. Since you seem to have read many of his books, which one(s) would be a good and representative introduction to his oeuvre?

Excellent review of Sunset Park Edwin. You have read a lot of Auster and so you can certainly judge where Sunset Park lies in his oeuvre. It is one I will read soon.

Do you get frustrated by your lack of choice or have you now accepted the fact and just read what you can get hold of. It sounds liberating in a way.

Once again, you have exposed us to a tremendous list of interesting books, too many to comment on all. But I want to make note of the following TBR:

The Tragedy of the Korosko sounds like right up my street. Will definitely go for this one.

Ian McEwan is on my personal list of neglected writers. The Comfort of Strangers may be a good place to begin. Making a note.

I read The Painted Veil many years ago and enjoyed it, but then I have enjoyed all of Maugham's works. There are two very good movies based on it, one old one with Greta Garbo and a newer one with Edward Norton and Naomi Watts. The Garbo film is very good, but I loved the Norton/Watts film. The cinematography is ravishing.

Interesting review of Sweetness in the Belly. I picked it up for £1 after it was recommended to me by another LT-er, but haven't read it yet. I'm hoping I'll like it more than you, but will bear your comments in mind.

Hmm, I just went over my review again, and should add the following observations. In my experience, I do not enjoy, or less so, book written by authors with a very strong female quality to the writing. A concept, perhaps difficult to explain. For example, although I like reading Iris Murdoch and A.S. Byatt, I don't like Margaret Drabble, because the latter also has that particular femininity to her writing. I felt the same with Camilla Gibb.

Then, I am not really a traveller in literature. I prefer reading only the literatures of a few countries, and then preferably in the original languages. I like reading about other countries, but, if in English, then preferably through the eyes of an English or English-speaking author, so all cultural references match mine. So, I would enjoy reading a novel or travelogue by an English or American author about Sweden, but will not read any Swedish authors, neither fiction not autobiographical works.

Hence, the problem I have with Sweetness in the belly is that in my experience of the book, the cultural identity of the author is not sufficiently clear, or too far removed from the British cultural point of view. This is most likely caused by the fact that Camilla Gibb trained as a cultural anthropologist, and writes from within, so to speak, making the characters mimic the other cultural identity.

I recently had a similar experience, reading Robert Olen Butler's A good scent from a strange mountain, a short story collection in which the narrator tells stories from different gender perspectives (no problem there), but from the Vietnamese point of view, either set in Vietnam or the United States. I do not know much about the author, but my impression is that this connection and choice of perspective is inappropriate and not very interesting. With Olen Butler I even sensed a racist-sexual obsession for the Vietnamese female body. I love Marguerite Duras and Andre Malraux, French writers who write about Vietnam from their French or French / Indo-Chinese perspective or Graham Greene's The quiet American, which is set in Vietnam, but written entirely from the British perspective.

I recently finished Robert Olen Butler's A good scent from a strange mountain, but haven't had time to catch up on my thread.

I hope you will enjoy reading Sweetness in the belly, and will definitely be interested to read your review.

Hi Edwin, just stopping by. I notice you've been reading (and rating) some interesting books lately.