lit_chick's 2011 Reading List

Hi all. I'm new to LT, so this is my first Reading List. I'm thrilled to have found a place where I can keep track of what I've read and what is still TBR. I have no idea whether I’ll actually read 75 books this year, but I think this is a fine way to find out!

Other Threads:
lit_chick's 2011 Reading List (2)
lit_chick's 2011 Reading List (3)
lit_chick's 2011 Reading List (4)




July 2011

55. Bride of New France, Suzanne Desrochers
54. Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese

June 2011

53. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
52. Sons, Pearl S. Buck
51. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Shaffer/Barrows
50. Jar City, Arnaldur Indridason
49. The Forgotten Garden, Kate Morton
48. Annabel, Kathleen Winter

May 2011

47. The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields
46. Mansfield Park, Jane Austen
45. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
44. The Promise of Rain, Donna Milner
43. The Long Song, Andrea Levy
42. Alligator, Lisa Moore

April 2011

41. The Phantom of the Opera, Gaston Leroux
40. The Matter with Morris, David Bergen
39. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
38. Faceless Killers, Henning Mankell
37. The English Patient, Michael Ondaatje
36. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
35. All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque
34. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold
33. Out of Africa, Isak Dinesen

March 2011

32. Ruth, Elizabeth Gaskell
31. Night and Day, Virginia Woolf
30. Still Missing, Chevy Stevens
29. February, Lisa Moore
28. The Return of the Soldier, Rebecca West
27. The Piano Teacher, Elfride Jelinek
26. Atonement, Ian McEwan
25. Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides
24. 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, Peter Boxall
23. The Sky is Everywhere, Jandy Nelson
22. Your Voice in My Head, Emma Forrest
21. The Return of the Dancing Master, Henning Mankell
20. Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen

February 2011

19. Sweetness in the Belly, Camilla Gibb
18. Room, Emma Donoghue
17. The Help, Kathryn Stockett
16. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, Stieg Larsson
15. Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt
14. Barchester Towers, Anthony Trollope
13. House of Sand and Fog, Andre Dubus III
12. A Million Little Pieces, James Frey
11. The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
10. The Warden, Anthony Trollope
9. The Girl Who Played with Fire, Stieg Larsson

January 2011

8. Fortune’s Rocks, Anita Shreve
7. No Great Mischief, Alistair MacLeod
6. The Lonely Polygamist, Brady Udall
5. Where White Horses Gallop, Beatrice MacNeil
4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson
3. Secret Daughter, Shilpi Somaya Gowda
2. Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro
1. One Day, David Nicholls

Very interesting reading. I'm also working my way through the Trollope, occasionally throwing in one of Angela Thirkell's comedies in which she appropriated the Barsetshire setting. I've got the second and third Larrson's sitting waiting to be read but just too many other things keep popping up before them.

Thanks, Tad. I'm also looking forward to reading the rest of the Barsetshire series, but dont' know when I'll get to it. If you are able to get hold of the BBC "The Barchester Chronicles," it's well done and worth the time.

Welcome! Nice start to the year.

Yep, you're in the right group, Nancy! Lots of good stuff, and I'm envious of your ability (shared by many here) to read a LOT of varied stuff.
My only Trollope to amount to anything was the Palliser novels, which I devoured in the 70's. I know I need to go to Barchester and Barsetshire too. Every time I read a Thirkell, I kick myself for not making her a more steady part of my literary diet.

Oh, what an interesting reading list :). How did you like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? I got it for Christmas but haven't gotten around to it.

The entire Millennium Trilogy is fabulous reading, pure entertainment! I'm not usually a crime fiction reader, but I had to see what all of the fuss was about ... I found out! Highly recommended!

Great to find another Trollope fan. I love the Barchester series, and intend to have a go at the Pallisers soon.

Hi Nancy,

I found your thread after the lovely note you left on my profile page - welcome to LT! Have a great year of reading; I will be following along :)

Hi, Nancy. We're doing an Austenathon this year. Sense and Sensibility was Jan. 15 to March 15, and now we are on Pride and Prejudice if you want to join us.

#8 Thanks, gennyt. Check out the BBC series "The Barchester Chronicles" ... it's well done!

#9 I'll be following you, too, Cait86 : ).

#10 Like the idea of Austenathon. I'll have to look for the thread ... ?

Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides
Thought I'd post some comments re the last few books I've read. My take on Middlesex does not favour popular public opinion, to say the least.



Rating: 2/5

Comments:
Despite the Pulitzer and legions of wonderful reviews and recommendations, I found Middlesex to be a complete miss. I was drawn to the story of Callie/Calliope's hermaphroditism, but after two hundred pages, I was still waiting (impatiently, by now) for the birth of the protagonist. The much too long family history of the incestuous Stephanides and their escape to Detroit did not interest me. Nor did I find the characters relatable or appealing. Middlesex failed to deliver; I abandoned the novel at two hundred.

Atonement, Ian McEwan
Finished Atonement a couple of days ago and quite enjoyed it. If you haven't seen the movie, it is also well done.



Rating: 4/5

Review:
Atonement is a well told, engaging read. Set in England at the time of WWII, naïve thirteen year old, Briony Tallis, misunderstands a passionate encounter she witnesses between her much older sister and a young man. Her misunderstanding causes her to knowingly commit a crime that will change forever the lives of all involved. Years later, she will attempt to atone for her misdoing.

I credit McEwan’s talent with my spunky response to the characters. Briony, I found decidedly sinister, in spite of her youth and naivety. And I gave her little margin for being the product of an inept, hypochondriac mother and an absent , philandering father. I knew logically that her parents were at least as responsible as she for her behavior; still I could not excuse. In this regard, I stood firmly in Turner’s court: “Yes, she was a child. But not every child sends a man to prison with a lie. Not every child is so purposeful and malign, so consistent over time, never wavering never doubted … It was not reasonable or just to hate Briony, but it helped” (293)

The fact that Briony’s outrageous lie is “never doubted” was prepsterous to me. I detested the adults, including police, who so willingly, and so repeatedly, allowed themselves to be played by a child. “They chose to believe the evidence of silly, hysterical little girl. In fact, they encouraged her by giving her no room to turn back.” (267) I expect the adults used Briony’s suspect offering as a way to circumvent for themselves the inevitable discomfort they would encounter in the event of a criminal investigation into sexual assault. What I found most disturbing is that their self-interest is entirely believable.

As Atonement unfolded, McEwan kept me fully engaged. In fact, even had I not enjoyed the novel, I would have read it just to experience the final hundred pages. Highly recommended.

The Piano Teacher, Elfriede Jelinek



Rating: 4/5
"Trust is fine, but control is better." (5, 198)

The Piano Teacher is a read like none other I've experienced. Its subject matter is dark, and Jelinek's portrayal is stark, and powerful. This translation is top-notch. The writing is clear, crisp, and engaging.

Erika Kohut is the eponymous protagonist. She is in her late thirties, a professor of music at the prestigious Vienna Conservatory. She lives with her abusive, controlling mother who lives vicariously through her daughter. Mama has "adopted an ambition as her own child." (162) Erika was to have been a concert pianist but failed to achieve this goal; mama reminds her of this failure often. She micro-controls every aspect of her daughter's life.

Erika's response to her existence is, understandably, self-loathing. She self-mutilates and further acts out by exerting absolute control over whatever she can. She is cruel and demanding with her students, and takes pleasure in inflicting pain on others. Erika begins to frequent seedy pornographic theatres and live sex shows on her way home from work. When her student, Walter Klemmer, expresses interest in her, she looks to sadomasochism to feed her self-loathing and establish ultimate control.

Jelink is masterful in her portrayal of Erika. While my usual response to such complete submission in a character would be disdain, I felt none of this for Erika. Her experience was so devoid of human emotion, it simply was not possible to feel indifferent toward her. On the contrary, I understood and was empathetic towards her servility.

Not recommended for readers who may be offended by blatant sexuality.

#11 I've never seen that BBC Barchester series, but have it on my wishlist from my DVD rental service - one of these days it will arrive in the post!

I do hope you join in the Austenathon - it's fun reading everyone's reactions to reading/re-reading as we go along.

I had to come over to your thread and say hello because I've just finished reading February and loved it, and also loved your review! And I really liked The Return of the Soldier a couple of years ago. Uh oh, I have a feeling your thread is going to be an expensive one for me!

Yep. I'm looking hard at The Piano Teacher, and I really can't. (famous last words)

A couple of years ago I saw the film adaptation of The Piano Teacher, mostly because I'm a sucker for Isabelle Huppert. While it was very good, it was also excruciatingly squirm-inducing, and the thought of reading the source material gives me feelings of fascination and dread. Someday, someday.

#18 Interesting; I didn't know The Piano Teacher was a movie. I can easily see it being squirm-inducing though!

#19 Speaking of which, are you still looking, or have you done it yet, LizzeD? : )

*sigh* I'm only looking, Nancy. AMP offers an old copy for 1¢ + shipping, but I've bought too much in March. Maybe later.

I just picked up a copy of Return of the Soldier yesterday. It's fatal to see something mentioned on someone's thread and then spot it in a second-hand bookshop - I can't resist!

#21 So glad you found it, Genny! I'm sure you will enjoy. The Return of the Soldier was an audiobook for me; so beautiful to hear it read. I've recently discovered and am making good use of LibraVox; a HUGE online catalogue of books in the public domain ... FREE! works for me.

Needed a short break from lit so I devoured a Canadian-authored psycho-thriller yesterday; author is Chevy Stevens and Still Missing is her debut. Decent read.

Now reading: Virginia Woolf's Night and Day which is in my iPod (ok, I'm listening). This is my first by her, so her humour is a pleasant surprise! And I'm behind on the Austenathon, so this afternoon is dedicated to Pride and Prejudice. Can't go wrong with Austen and the hotness that is Colin Firth : ).

Hey Lit Chick!!! Found you on the 75 books thread and I'll star you! Oh ! The Piano Teacher. I've never read the book - but I saw the movie many moons ago - oh it was depressing and senseless - to me ...but I see that perhaps the book is better! 4/5 stars! Very good! Thanks for reading Middlesex for me. :)I'd considered reading it, after reading Annabel by Kathleen Winters. Thanks to your review - I'll skip it! You might consider the Canadian Lit Annabel that I mentioned. It deals with a person born as a hermaphrodite in Labrador in the 1960's. I very much enjoyed it, but on the other hand - it is lengthy with a lot of description of Labrador -so you be the judge.

#24 Glad you found me, Deborah! I've got your thread starred too : ). I didn't know The Piano Teacher was a movie, but it doesn't sound like one I will pursue. As for Annabel, I can't wait to read it; I'm on a LONG list at our library for it.

Still Missing, Chevy Stevens
Mixed things up with a thriller this week by a young Canadian author. Quite enjoyed - thanks for the rec, Deborah!



Rating: 3.5/5

Young novelist Chevy Stevens makes her debut with Still Missing. It's a quick and easy read which held my attention, a decent thriller. More than once, I was reminded of Emma Donoghue's Room.

Annie O'Sullivan, a young realtor, is abducted from an open house she is hosting and taken into captivity. She is held for a year at a remote mountain cabin on Vancouver Island. Stevens does not shy away from disturbing details around Annie's confinement or the abuse she is subjected to. A couple of scenes in particular are quite graphic. However, to her credit, she uses the details effectively; they are not gratuitous. Having said that, readers who are easily unsettled by such accounts may choose to give this novel a pass.

I like the writing style Stevens chose to tell the story: Annie informs readers of her experience through conversations she has with her therapist; at other times, she speaks directly to her audience. The first half of the novel for me was better than the latter; I found the plot a bit contrived as it unravelled.

The Return of the Soldier, Rebecca West
Loved this! Also an LT find, thanks to some well-read members.



Rating: 4.5/5

2009, LibriVox Recording, Read by Elizabeth Klett

The Return of the Solider is a superbly engaging, timeless story, and I think some of the most beautiful prose I’ve come across. The reader of this audiobook, Elizabeth Klett, does an exemplary job of breathing life into the novel (novella, really).

Briefly, Captain Chris Baldy, is injured in WWI. He suffers shell-shock which causes him to lose fifteen years of his life to amnesia. He returns home to Baldry Court but does not know his wife, Kitty, at all. His cousin, Jenny, who lives with him and his wife, he relates to only as a childhood playmate. It is his first love, Margaret, a local woman now aged and long since married, whom he thinks he is still courting.

I think West does an exceptional job of exploring those experiences and people who live in “eternity” for us; and those others that live in “time.” The first of these represent the truth; the latter the falsities and pretenses we subscribe to. Margaret, of a much lower class than the Baldrys, lives in Chris’s “eternity”; his life with Kitty and Jenny exists in “time.”

West adeptly uses the ever-present dichotomy of social classes to illustrate her theme. She is by turns poignant, formal, and even humourous. Her descriptions of Margaret’s coarse clothing artfully contrast the baseness of the lower class with the sophistication and arrogance of the upper. Jenny hilariously observes Margaret’s “deplorable umbrella and unpardonable raincoat.” And later, when Jenny has brought Margaret to Baldry Court, she says the woman is “physically offensive to our atmosphere.” At the same time, West elevates Margaret’s baseness, and by extension the baseness of the lower class, with Margaret’s observation that such a grand home as Baldry Court must have cost Chris much hard work to maintain. Jenny is flummoxed; it has never occurred to her that perhaps the lower class knows something the upper does not:

“The pity of this woman was like a flaming sword. No one had ever before pitied Chris for the magnificence of Baldry Court. It had been our pretense that by wearing costly clothes and organizing a costly life, we had been the servants of his desire. But she revealed the truth: that though he did indeed desire a magnificent house, it was a house not built with hands.”

Captain Baldry, who by all appearances had been a happy man prior to his war injury, seems to have been living in “time” and yearning for “eternity.” Jenny tells us that his “Thirst for the sacrament had made Chris strike away the cup of lies about life that Kitty’s white hands held to him, and turn to Margaret with this vast, trustful gesture of his loss of memory.”

Highly recommended. Even if you have already read The Return of the Solider, I urge you to listen to the audiobook. LibriVox.org hosts a huge selection of recorded literature which is in the public domain.

Hi lit_chick! I though it was interesting seeing your thoughts on Middlesex, as that is on my TBR pile. Atonement is one of my favourite books, so I was glad to see you enjoyed it as well. Oh, and Return of the Soldier looks interesting, will check that one out. :)

Return of the Soldier was an absolute top read in 2009. I'm always glad when another person enjoys it so much.

#28 & 29 Always nice to have visitors : ).

Your Voice in My Head, Emma Forrest
Thought I'd also post this review of Your Voice in My Head. It doesn't appear to be very well known here at LT; I came across it reading a celebrity gossip blog (a catty, intelligent one ... yep, guilty pleasure). Anyway, I very much enjoyed.



Rating: 4/5

Your Voice in my Head is a candid, wrenching account of Forrest's descent into utter despair, self-mutilation, bulimia, and attempted suicide. She is young, a talented and successful writer, a London transplant living in New York; and she has realized that her "quirks had gone beyond eccentricity, past the warm waters of weird, to those cold, deep patches of sea where people lose their lives." (8) So begins her journey back to land. Thrown a lifeline by loving parents and an exceptional doctor of psychiatry, she grabs on; but her madness is not easily silenced.

Ultimately, Forrest writes of life: great love, great dreams, great loss. Though her reality is scarred by depression and mania, she nonetheless writes with a sharp wit and is, by turns, even humourous. The continued appearance of water in her memoir is brilliant. "I feel the waters rising up around my heart. They don't stop. This is my last breath, this is my last heart. I'm searching frantically for an air pocket." (145)

Ultimately, of course, only Emma can save herself. "Can I tell you what it's like to live inside Millais' painting of Ophelia? There are patches of water so warm. Drowning I can see the sky, the branches of trees hanging overhead. It's very beautiful. I will stay afloat for as long as I can." (202)

Highly recommended. Your Voice in My Head is, in its final act, about our relationship with ourselves, and about the struggle for balance in our contemporary society. For anyone who has personally met the monster that is depression, Forrest is not to be passed by.

Ruth, Elizabeth Gaskell



Rating: 3.5/5

I was unfamiliar with Elizabeth Gaskell’s work until I saw the BBC production of Wives and Daughters. This story I enjoyed so much that I sought out further of Gaskell’s works, beginning with Ruth.

Ruth has all the elements of a perfect Victorian storm: the young eponymous heroine is orphaned, turned out by her guardian, seduced and impregnated by a wretch with enough wealth to be considered a gentleman, and then deserted by same. She is subsequently taken in as a “widow” by the kindly Bensons; alas, it is a deceit they are not able to sustain indefinitely. The discovery that Ruth is a “depraved” woman naturally has far-reaching implications for her “bastard” son. Indeed, she is reminded that the implications are eternal: “Those wild autumnal storms had torn aside the quiet flowers and herbage that had gathered over the wreck of her early life and shown her that all deeds, however hidden and long passed by, have their eternal consequences.” (258)

This Penguin Classics edition notes, and I agree, “In writing Ruth, Elizabeth Gaskell daringly confronted prevailing views about sin and illegitimacy with her compassionate and honest portrait of a ‘fallen woman.’ (back cover) Among the things I did not like about Ruth: I had difficulty buying into the absoluteness of Ruth’s ignorance and naiveté, youth and lack of parental guidance aside. And a substantial portion of the text was slow for me; the novel took me longer than usual to see my way through.

Truthfully, I wanted to enjoy this read more than I did. Still, I recommend it if you are able to look past these minor faults.

I have been out of touch for the last 6 weeks, so I will welcome you to LT. I hope you enjoy your experience here in the group!

#27 I've read the first few paragraphs of your review of The Return of the Soldier and skimmed the rest, as I like to form my own impressions before reading too many reviews - but what I've read so far makes me glad I've got a copy to hand.

#32 Thank you for the welcome, alcottacre : ).

#33 Genny, I'l look forward to reading your review of Return of the Soldier; I'm certain you will enjoy!

Night and Day, Virginia Woolf
I love this book cover. It is exactly how I imagined Katherine Hilberry and William Rodney.



Rating: 4/5
2007, LibriVox Recording, Read by J.M. Smallheer

Night and Day is my first of Virginia Woolf’s novels. It was easy to be drawn into her rich and intelligent prose, and it was a pleasure to hear it read aloud.

The four main characters in Night and Day are Katharine Hilberry, privileged granddaughter of a famous poet; Mary Datchet, a vicar’s daughter and suffrage worker; Ralph Denman, attorney; and William Rodney, frustrated writer. Woolf contrasts the daily lives of her characters in terms of love, work, and romantic attachments. Refreshingly, it is the novel’s male characters that are prone to be lead by their emotions; the female leads, on the contrary, are reasonable and logical.

Delightfully, I discovered that Virginia Woolf has a superb sense of humour! When Katharine visits Mary at the suffrage office, Mary’s eagerness to impress is hijacked by hilarity:

“She became immediately anxious that Katharine should be impressed by the importance of her world, and hoped that neither Mrs. Seal nor Mr. Clacton would appear until the impression of importance had been received. But in this she was disappointed. Mrs. Seal burst into the room holding a kettle in her hand, which she set upon the stove, and then, with inefficient haste, she set light to the gas, which flared up, exploded, and went out.” (Ch 6)

Further, Woolf recounts a meeting between William Rodney and Katherine Hilberry when the former insists upon reading aloud an excerpt from his latest dramatic attempt. Though Katharine has already made clear that she has no knowledge of literature, she listens attentively and inwardly responds:

“Katharine’s ignorance of Shakespeare did not prevent her from feeling fairly certain that plays should not produce a sense of chill stupor in the audience, such as overcame her as the lines flowed on, sometimes long and sometimes short, but always delivered with the same lilt of voice, which seemed to nail each line firmly on to the same spot in the hearer’s brain.” (Ch 11)

Highly recommended. I’m glad to have listened to the audiobook for Night and Day. The treasure of Woolf’s prose was presented to full effect.

Thanks for dropping by my profile page, Nancy!

I have not read Woolf's Night and Day yet. Glad to see it is another good one by her.

Thanks for your note on my profile page--I thought I'd drop by and see what you're reading. I have seen a couple of great reviews of February recently so it looks like one I should look for.
Welcome to LT and the 75 group (I have not been around that long myself.)

Out of Africa, Isak Dinesen


Rating: 3.5/5

Out of Africa is Isak Dinesen’s memoir of her years in Africa (1914-31) where she lived on a coffee farm near Kenya. It is well written and full of rich description; Dinesen writes lovingly of the land, the climate, the people and their principles and customs, and the animals. The novel takes the form of short reminiscences of Dinesen’s African life; sometimes these appear to be little more than journal entries. For the most part, this form serves Dinesen’s purpose; but occasionally it does make the reading feel choppy. The novel, I think, is much more than a memoir and much more than a story about Africa. It is a story for Africa.

"I will not let thee go except thou bless me." (283)

#38: Yet another book I will get to one of these days. . .

Nancy! You are amazing in the volume and the quality of the books you read!!

@38, 39 Hi Deb and Stasia : ). Nice to "see" you. Thanks, Deb; I've enjoyed this year's reading and I'm loving LT. I've also just had a couple of weeks off which greatly helps with volume!!

Back to wave hi!! Thanks for letting me know that the last Kurt Wallender book is already out! I'd better get cracking as I am on number 5 in the series! My library has just caught on to the series!!! Sometimes I think I ought to go in there and offer to donate my books -but only for circulation - not for a library sale!!! Actually, we have a very good library - and they do get in many of the books I suggest to them. But you know what it is like to wait as number 55 on a list!!!

#41: A couple of weeks off? I am jealous! :)

Checking in -- you're reading so much terrific stuff and writing thoughtful and useful reviews. -- I remember liking Middlesex quite a lot, I probably would have rated it around 3 1/2 - but I vaguely also remember that it did sprawl and wander a little.

#43, 44 Morning, Stasia and Lucy. I love having visitors : ). Lucy, I'm delighted to hear you find some of the reviews useful. Re Middlesex, I wanted so much to enjoy it ... couldn't get there!

Hi, Nancy! Your review has made me order Return of the Soldier from PBS since a VMC copy is available there. Thank you, I think. I think I'll have to pass *Your Voice* for now although I'm probably the ideal reader.
And I remember enjoying Middlesex but can't quite think why.

Hi, Nancy - just de-lurking to say thanks for the great reviews. We seem to have some similar reading tastes, so I've enjoyed your comments. Looking forward to seeing what's next!

Hi, Nancy--exchanging visits. I'm enjoying your reviews too and love what you're reading. I think you've sold me on February, Return of the Soldier, and possibly The Piano Teacher, and I've never read Night and Day

#46 Yay, Peggy! I think you will enjoy The Return of the Soldier tremendously. Do let us know!

#47 Nice to have you, Katie. And thanks for answering the question I posted to you : ).

#48 Hi Anne : ). Glad you stopped in to exchange visits. I know a lot of what you're reading is headed for my wishlist!

I loved Return of the Soldier so I am glad you enjoyed it too, Nancy.

The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold



Rating: 3.5/5

“Our house looked the same as every other one on the block, but it was not the same. Murder had a blood red door on the other side of which was everything unimaginable to everyone.” (206)

Susie Salmon, fourteen years old, is brutally raped and murdered in her quiet neighbourhood while on her way home from school. In death, she is the omniscient narrator of The Lovely Bones. Susie tells us who murdered her and how she was lured to her death; and she tells the story of her family and friends as they struggle to cope with grief unimaginable and fight to somehow regain their footing in everyday life. Ultimately, the family unravels. Through Susie’s ever-watchful spectatorship, we learn that the dead, as well as the living, must surrender to loss in order to make way for hope. “You don’t notice the dead leaving when they really choose to leave you. You’re not meant to.” (323)

Sebold is genuine in her portrayal of the Salmon family; there is no Hollywood ending here. In an interview with Publisher’s Weekly, Sebold has said, “I was motivated to write about violence because I believe it’s not unusual. I see it as just a part of life, and I think we get in trouble when we separate people who’ve experienced it from those who haven’t.” That said, the Salmon family needs not only to come to terms with its loss, but also with its new, imposed identity as “the family whose daughter was murdered.”

The Lovely Bones is a satisfying read, if somewhat too reminiscent of Sebold’s earlier memoir, Lucky.

"...we learn that the dead, as well as the living, must surrender to loss in order to make way for hope."

I love that, Nancy. Very well put and very true, I think.

I liked both The Lovely Bones and Lucky very much. I read the memoir after the novel, and while I think I still would have liked both of them, I wonder how my reactions to them would have been different if I had read them in the opposite order.

Like Katie, I read the memoir after the novel and also wonder if my reactions would have been different had I read them in the opposite order.

#52, 53 Interesting thought, Katie and Stasia. You've got me thinking about how we respond to an author's works based on the order in which we experience them.

Hello, I just found your thread. I'm so glad you liked Ruth. I also became an Elizabeth Gaskell fan when Wives and Daughters was broadcast, and read North and South as well (also well worth watching as a TV series).

I actually listened to The Lovely Bones on Audio and was moved (and shaken) -- but I've not been inclined to read another Sebold.

#55 Appreciate your comments, Susan. I want to read more of Gaskell, the ones you mention actually: Wives and Daughters and North and South. I didn't know the latter was a TV series ... something else to watch for.

#56 Interesting, Lucy. I feel much the same about Sebold ... I enjoyed the experience, but I've read enough of her.

#57: North and South as a TV series stars Richard Armitage, who is extremely lovely in it (and I say this not even as a Richard Armitage fan!). It's definitely worth a look. And there's also Cranford, which is also fabulous both as a book and TV series (although the series is an amalgamation of three books, and not just Cranford).

Did you like Sweetness in the Belly? It's on my library wishlist, but I can't remember where I saw it written about.

#58 Thanks, Susan. I'll have a look for these! I very much liked Sweetness in the Belly. It's one I didn't post earlier, so here you are:

Sweetness in the Belly, Camilla Gibb



Rating: 4/5

Gibb is immensely readable. I'm delighted to have discovered another notable Canadian writer.

“He must have envisioned a time when I would have to make my way in the wider world; the books he presented offered lessons about war and morality and disease and love and betrayal and, perhaps most important, survival. Under the sea, at the centre of the earth, on another planet, alone on a desert island, as a person hunted, in war, as a giant among little people, in the future, in a world upside down, a world through a looking glass, a world gone mad.

"A world like the one we live in. A world like the one we left." (248)

I woke up this morning thinking about Where White Horses Gallop. It's so beautiful (and not very well known here at LT, at least not yet). I read it in January before I joined LT, so it wasn't posted. But I want it to be part of my thread, so here it is.

Where White Horses Gallop, Beatrice MacNeil



Rating: 5/5

Beautifully written, Where White Horses Gallop is set in Cape Breton, NS. Three young men, all friends, enlist in Canada's military and set sail for Europe in 1941. MacNeil tells their story, and the story of their families. As Alistair MacLeod notes, "Beatrice MacNeil has a brilliant insight into the souls of the wounded."

I was taken with MacNeil's prose from the first page of the prologue. "In spring, when the dandelions were young and saucy, the children had plucked them by the handfuls. Fed them to the brook just to watch them drown. Adults had snapped off their golden round heads and green leaves and spoken openly of the liquid pleasures brewing in their barns. Farmers had sliced away the weeds with a vengeance, leaving their slaughtered bodies to the wind for burial." (7)

A must read!

Well it's just gone onto my wishlist - I love good Canadian novels! Thanks.

#61 Hi Cushla : ). I think you will enjoy Where White Horses Gallop; I remember that you love a good Canadian read : ).

I'm being good though so I won't be reading it till 2012 - am not buying anything (ok, honestly, not anything much...). We are moving home to NZ in December and then I'll be back to having access to a wonderful public library again!

It's on my wishlist too, Nancy, and not just because I tried to dig the world's largest dandelion from my lawn this morning. (What I was thinking about then was the weed in the beginning of Sheri S. Tepper's The Family Tree.)

All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque



Rating: 5/5

I have not encountered a novel so naked, or writing so powerful as All Quiet on the Western Front. And I have never wept while reading a novel – until this one.

Paul Baumer, a young German soldier who has enlisted in WWI with his classmates at the urging of their schoolmaster, Kantorek, narrates from the front lines. Kantorek himself, of course, will not go to war; instead, he preaches of its merits from the safety of his life at home. Kantorek happens to be a schoolmaster in this story, but he could as easily be a present-day world leader. “There were thousands of Kantoreks, all of whom were convinced they were acting for the best – in a way that cost them nothing.” (12)

Remarque spares his readers no atrocities. War is not an adventure, but an absolute living horror; a hell which destroys all that is human in a man. The greatest horror of all, Remarque teaches, is that men who are not enemies are forced to kill one another. We learn from Paul Baumer that soldiers, regardless of uniform, are fundamentally no different from one another. Paul says to the corpse of Gerard Duval, a young French soldier he has just killed:

“Comrade, I did not want to kill you … But you were only an idea to me before, an abstraction that lived in my mind and called forth its appropriate response. It was that abstraction that I stabbed. But now, for the first time, I see you are a man like me. I thought of your hand-grenades, of your bayonet, of your rifle; now I see your wife and your face and our fellowship. Forgive me, comrade. We always see it too late. Why do they never tell us that you are poor devils like us, that your mothers are just as anxious as ours, and that we have the same fear of death, and the same dying and the same agony – Forgive me, comrade; how could you be my enemy?” (223)

All Quiet on the Western Front is timeless. I think it should be required reading in every grade in every secondary school in the western world. Let the Kantoreks advance to the front; may the rest of us choose never to go to war again.

“He is dead. His face is still wet from the tears.” (32)

#58 Just discovered my local library has the North and South TV series with Richard Armitage! I'm excited! This is another of Elizabeth Gaskell's that I want to experience!

Great review, Nancy. I think my husband has a copy of All Quiet on the Western Front - I am going to go dig it up!

#64 Peggy, make me laugh with your adventures in dandelions!

#67 Thanks, Katie. I will look forward to hearing what you think about All Quiet on the Western Front.

#66: Enjoy! And thanks for letting me know what you thought of Sweetness in the Belly. I'll keep it on my list.

Great review - I finally read it in 2009 and wondered why it had taken me so long.

I just recently recommended All's Quiet to a student who was looking for a war book. Rather than have it as required reading to students in the west, I would like all students everywhere to read it with the hope that it would reduce the amount of violence we have in the world.

#60: Adding the MacNeil book to the BlackHole.

#65: I agree with you - 5/5 for me on that one too.

More visitors : ). I'm glad you dropped in!

#70 I don't know why it took me so long to read All Quiet on the Western Front either, Stasia, but I'm glad I finally did.

#71 mamzel, you have a wonderful job ... directing young minds to great books!

#72 Stasia, love the BlackHole!! I am developing the same affliction, and I've not been at LT for two months yet! Glad you also loved Remarque.

#73: BlackHole-itis is a common affliction here on LT. Nice to know you are in good company though, right?

Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh



Rating: 4.5/5

2008, BBC Audiobook, Read by Jeremy Irons

First, I must say that Jeremy Irons is absolutely fabulous as narrator in this BBC audio recording of Brideshead Revisited. His training as a stage actor is fully apparent; he does not read the story but “performs” it with bewitching result.

Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited observes the lives of the aristocratic, Catholic Marchmain family through narrator Charles Ryder. Charles studies at Oxford where he meets Sebastian, youngest son of the Marchmains. The two become fast friends. Much has been written about whether or not their relationship is homosexual; I did not detect that, but others would make a different case. Far more pervasive in the novel are its religious themes, specifically the Catholic themes of sin, salvation, conversion, and atonement. Waugh himself was a converted Catholic, and all of the major characters in the novel undergo some religious transformation.

Lady Marchmain is the most religious of the characters; and, admittedly, I occasionally found her self-serving devotion and morality irksome. We learn from Julia that her mother makes “skeletons” (05l) of the living; these skeletons, first Lord Marchmain and later Sebastian, have refused to conform to the demands of her oppressive, unrelenting Catholicism. Lord Marchmain, whose fortune far exceeds that of his wife, has fled to Italy where he lives with his French mistress. Sebastian, on the other hand, descends heartbreakingly into alcoholism, and is cut off by “mummy.” That said, Lady Marchmain’s religious example lives on years after her death. Eventually, all in their own ways and for their own reasons, Lord Marchmain, Julia, Sebastian, and even Charles, who is a confirmed agnostic, will seek divine grace.

Delightfully, Waugh’s religious themes are not without entertainment, even moments of hilarity. Rex Mottram, determined to marry Julia, declares he will convert to Catholicism. Accordingly, Lady Marchmain sets him up to be instructed by Father Mowbray. All does not go smoothly, however. The Jesuit says to the Marchioness, “You should have chosen one of the younger fathers for this task. I should be long dead before Rex is a Catholic.” (05l) And Rex, unwitting prey to one of Cordelia’s larks, accuses the priest of holding back:

“I’ve had a long talk with a Catholic, a very pious and well educated one; and I’ve learned a thing or two. For instance, that you have to sleep with your feet pointing east because that’s the direction of heaven, and if you die in the night, you can walk there. Now, I’ll sleep with my feet pointing any way that suits Julia, but do you expect a grown man to believe about walking to heaven? And what about the Pope who made one of his horses a Cardinal? And what about the box you keep in the church porch, and if you put in a pound note with someone’s name on it, they get sent to hell? I don’t say there might be good reason for all this. But you ought to tell me about it, and not let me find out for myself.” (06l)

Brideshead Revisited is a treasure. Waugh’s characters are masterfully written – the kind that live on with a reader long after the book has been closed. Highly recommended.

I can see how Jeremy Irons would be a good choice to narrate this book. Have you been able to catch him the the series about the Borgias? He is so deliciously evil!

#76 Thank you, mamzel. I will look for Irons in the Borgias series : ). He is SO good!

Hi there,Nancy! Glad to see you enjoyed Brideshead Revisited. I confess to never having read it! I do have All Quiet on the Western Front on the way - thanks to you!!! Just finished up Sidetracked by Henning Mankell - loved it!!! It's the 5th in the Kurt Wallender Series. I'm now about 70 pages into Long Songby Andrea Levy -and I'm loving it so much, I've put one of her other novels - Small Islandon my wish list.

Boy oh boy - the more you read, the threads you read - the more the wishlist grows!!!! :)

#78 Hi, Deb! So glad you are enjoying Henning Mankell's Wallander series; I've got the first one, Faceless Killers here ... just haven't gotten to it yet.

Was not previously familiar with Andrea Levy. But I've just looked up the two you mention, Long Song and Small Island ... and they're now both on the wishlist!

I know exactly what you mean about that list ... another LT member has called it the BlackHole!! And, you're right in that the more I peruse threads, the bigger the hole gets! Hee ...

I have fond memories of a Brideshead Revisited miniseries that starred Jeremy Irons, so it seems quite natural that he would be a fabulous narrator. Your review makes me eager for a re-read--I think the audiobook might be just the ticket.

And I think I'll have to get to All Quite on the Western Front, which I'm pretty sure I've never read.

#80 Anne, I saw the film Brideshead Revisited with Emma Thompson some years ago and remember that it was excellent. Now that you've told me about the miniseries with Jeremy Irons, I'll need to see if I can get hold of it, too. He is SO good!

The English Patient, Michael Ondaatje



Rating: 2/5

“A novel is a mirror walking down the road.” (91)

Unfortunately for me, the road that is The English Patient did not hold my attention. I have an irritating habit in that I can find any number of insignificant things to do when I am disinterested in what I am supposed to be doing; this was my behavior as I read The English Patient.

The novel certainly has the ingredients for a spellbinding story: devastation of war, the burdensome politics of nations, desert intrigue, and passionate love. It brings together at the end of WWII four disparate characters who are living in an abandoned Italian villa: an unidentified man, burnt beyond recognition; Hana, a young Canadian nurse; Caravaggio, a thief turned spy; and Kip, a Sikh bomb disposal technician. Framed within this reality are the memories of the “English patient” who recalls elaborate desert expeditions and an illicit love affair with the wife of a colleague. His passion for the desert is mesmerizing:

“The desert could not be claimed or owned – it was a piece of cloth carried by winds, never held down by stones, and given a hundred shifting names long before Canterbury existed, long before battles and treaties quilted Europe and the East. Its caravans, those strange rambling feasts and cultures, left nothing behind, not an ember. All of us, even those with European homes and children in the distance, wished to remove the clothing of our countries.” (138)

Still, The English Patient simply did not flow for me. I’d pick up a strand in one of its many layers, excited to read on, only to lose the strand again in the next moment. I enjoy a layered and complex story; but this one distracted me so often that I finally lost interest.

Last thoughts: I'd be remiss not to reveal that I saw the film, The English Patient, some years ago and loved it. I think that film-first experiences, and I only have a few to go on, can really skew my enjoyment and perception of a book.

>82 lit_chick: Sorry you didn't like that one more, Nancy. I have not read it, mostly because I love the film, and I am afraid reading the book might ruin it for me.

#83 Katie, I saw the film many years ago and also loved it. I think you might very well be right that reading the book after enjoying the film ruined the experience for me. I've done this a few other times - watched a movie and then read the book - and it tends to really skew my enjoyment/perceptions. I'm going to add an edit to the review on this. Thanks : ).

Faceless Killers, Henning Mankell



Rating: 3/5

After the millennium trilogy, I went looking for another Swedish crime fiction author and found Mankell. His books are quick reads with entertaining story lines -- pure escape for me. This is my first foray into Detective Kurt Wallander, but I'll be back!

Oh they get better as you go on - the Kurt Wallendar Series! :) I've just finished The Long Song and gave it 4.5 stars.......... nearly 5 stars. Andrea Levy has the rare gift of being able to write insightful, heart tugging historical fiction while maintaining some levity. I really appreciate that in a writer. I think my next book will be Small Island - Andrea Levy's Orange Prize winning book. In fact, I am about 60 pages into Small Island and very much enjoying. She's a really engaging writer.
Ugh - the The English Patient - I saw the movie and thought it was okay -but I was never drawn to reading the book. The movie was long and disjointed enough that it turned me off ever reading the book!;) I agree with your assesment of The English Patient.

Thanks, Deb! I know you are a dedicated Mankell fan : ). You gave me the idea to also add Arnaldur Indridason to my escape library. You've got me sold on Andrea Levy; both of hers are on my wishlist. Hope to read soon.

Happy Easter!

Brideshead Revisited, Miramax Films, 2008

Wanted to follow up my reading of BR by watching the film. It is fabulous! True to the novel, beautifully written and so skillfully acted, I just loved it!. Emma Thompson, of course, rocks! But the young actors who play Charles, Sebastian, and Julia are all superb as well.

Interestingly, there is no doubt about Sebastian's homosexuality in the film; this was somewhat ambiguous in the novel. For my part, I think his being openly gay in the 1930s makes his character even more heartbreaking as he tries to find the way to his mother's approval in her austere world of unforgiving Catholicism.

Photograph below is from a scene in the movie shortly after Charles and Sebastian have met.



(There is also a BBC film of BR with Jeremy Irons which I'm sure is excellent -- on my TBV list).

The Jeremy Irons mini-series of BR is excellent, although I'm slightly alarmed to see that it came out 30 years ago, and I still remember it well! Parts of it were shot at Castle Howard, which was the most amazing house I'd ever seen, and I think the house became nearly as famous as the cast. I read the book a while ago but it's one of those ones where I think that on balance I preferred the TV version.

#89 Thanks, Susan. Castle Howard also serves as Brideshead in the 2008 film. There's a bonus feature on the DVD which details all of the film's locations: Castle Howard, Venice, Morocco. Spectacular! And that castle ... amazing, indeed!

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain



Rating: 3.5/5

2006, LibriVox Recording, Read by Annie Coleman

I part read and part listened to Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This was a reread for me; I’d studied the novel many years ago in a children’s literature class. Libraries of material have been written about its varied and worthy themes, but this time I read for the most noble of reasons: pure fun. I wasn’t disappointed!

“We said there warn’t no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don’t. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft.” (Ch 18)

Both the LibriVox recording and the Gutenberg eBook were wonderful. Annie Coleman, reading for LibriVox, perfects the warm and languid dialects of the South. The Gutenberg text was a free download; I used Kobo, but it’s widely available.

Hi Nancy! Thanks for popping by my thread -and your Henning Mankell suggestions! I think you would enjoy Arnuladur Indraisson's series also - Jar City is his first -but they only get better! I'm one who likes to read them in order! I know Mark -- you know - popular Mark - who is also in the 75 books for 2011 - is planning a Murder and Mayhem read for April!;) Just thought I'd let you know! I can't remember his proper handle. Kobo edition I see above. Hmmm. I've wanted one for a while, but then I wonder if I might go mad " flipping the page " with a Kobo - they are not that big. But - if you read while commuting - then it would be well worth it!

#92 Hi Deb : ). The page flipping on the Kobo does look annoying. I don't actually use one (yet). I have an iPad, so I use the Kobo app when it suits (or the Kindle), but the page flipping on the iPad is uber-cool! However, it's heavy and expensive, so ...

I don't know who Mark is in the 75 Books for 2011 Group, but I am going to have to find out. A Murder and Mayhem read sounds wonderful! LOL.

This is the link to the May: Murder & Mayhem thread that Mark started. Should be fun - and dangerous to one's wish list!

#94 Got it! Thanks, Katie : ). Yes, fun AND dangerous!

The Matter with Morris, David Bergen



Rating: 3.5/5

Morris Schutt, husband, father, and successful journalist, is caught in the crosshairs of mid-life transition and inconceivable grief at the loss of his only son, Martin, killed in Afghanistan. His marriage, unable to withstand the loss of a child, unravels, and Morris is unhinged. He seeks solace, but finds none, in assorted relationships with women, some of whom he pays for. He knowingly uses the armour of an expensive car and fine clothes to conceal his grief and his turmoil. Ultimately, Morris finds his way back to his life; his estranged family and a doctor he comes to love show him the way.

My difficulty with Morris is that for nearly the first half of the novel, I did not like him; and because I did not like him, I was indifferent toward him. It is not that I was without compassion for his trouble: his unimaginable heartache and outrageous response to mid-life. I just didn’t like him. Then suddenly and unexpectedly, Morris acknowledged and unleashed his grief, oceans of it, to Hasim, an unsuspecting Toronto cab driver. And the human connect between the two put Morris into a different focus for me; he became a person I could relate to, and I needed to read on.

I like that The Matter with Morris is current, and that author David Bergen is not afraid to ask thought-provoking questions about Canada’s prolonged presence in Afghanistan -- even if, in so doing, Morris hilariously attracts the attention of CSIS! I also like that Bergen is in full control of his writing. He is clear, concise, confident, and has no need to impress with overwrought or overwritten. And I like that out of unspeakable loss, optimism emerges.

Rating/Recommendation: The Matter with Morris is hard to rate because I was lukewarm for so much of it. Based strictly on storyline, I would probably rate it a bit lower than 3.5 stars, but I think there is considerable literary value here. I’m also hesitant about a recommendation (that lukewarm-ness again), but I think for readers who follow Canadian literary awards; and for those grieving from, or otherwise affected by, the waste of our contemporary wars.

“I saw a doctor after Martin died. I went to his office and I told him about myself. I was trying to understand my terrible sadness, and no matter how much I talked about Martin, I couldn’t retrieve him. He was gone.” (90)

The Phantom of the Opera, Gaston Leroux



Rating: 3/5

2004, Blackstone Audiobooks, Read by Ralph Cosham

Phantom of the Opera, highly reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast, is resplendent with gothic elements: castle setting (actually the Paris Opera House), gloom, horror, supernaturalism, murder, mystery, disfigurement, and a woman in distress. There’s even occasional humour which plays out between the two ridiculous managers of the opera house. Character development, unfortunately, is uneven in the story. We are well familiar with Eric, the Opera Ghost. But Christine Daae, another central character, I found underdeveloped and not particularly likeable.

Ralph Cosham does a decent job narrating. Overall, I enjoyed Phantom of the Opera but admittedly wished for its conclusion sooner than it came. The last several chapters seemed interminable. However, to be fair, gothic genre is far from steady literary fare for me.

Popping by to say hi! You are so ambitious to have read Phantom of the Opera! Nice review! I've just finished Small Island by Andrea Levy. A fabulous - IMO- read! I enjoyed it even more than Long Songby the same author. I wrote up a little bit of a review for Small Island since it was a 5 star read for me! It's really amazing how all of the plot elements come together - though that is only one of the features. It's a fair bit different from The Long Song but in both cases the author tackles difficult material with some levity. I've really apprecriated that!

Boy oh boy - do you ever have a lot of books read already!41! Amazing! I've just started number 25. Mennonite's Don't Dance a book of short stories I can hardly put down! Touchstones do not work for it.

I'm all set for murder and mayhem -but I need to sneak in a couple of books that are only 200 pages or so - so I can feel a little further ahead about my numbers! ;)

#98 Hi Deb! You've piqued my interest with Long Song and Small Island. Great review, too! I am in the queue at my eLibrary for Long Song and hope to have it soon. I'll read Levy in the same order you have.

What are you reading for murder and mayhem?

I'm not quite certain, but plenty of books await me! :) Maybe The Redbreast By Jo Nesbo - and door stopper of a book - 650 pages or so - but a new author for me. I think he is from Sweden - the book is upstairs right now. I also have a mystery by Karen Fossum - perhaps it's called The Water's Edge .. or a very fun author - Lisa Lutz's new book, Heads You Lose. I've read all four of her previous books - they are very humourous mysteries -not usually my style - but she is side splitting writer. Head's You Lose looks like quite a departure from her previous series.

I'm nearly finished Mennonite's Don't Dance a book of short stories by a Canadian author . Her book was shortlisted for the 2011 Orange Prize. I am finding it to be so sad and devasting , and also filled with grace and forgiveness. She is a wonderful writer and I find myself shedding a few tears over some of the pages -and I'm not given to that.

So - Murder and Mayhem - not quite certain yet! how about you? Any plans for Murder and Mayhem?

Drat! Trouble with touchstones for Heads You Lose - not the one I mean -and the other one is not coming up! sigh!

Here is a link to the proper Head You Lose - http://www.librarything.com/work/10564476

I also enjoyed Long Song and Small Island (there's a good TV version of that one, which I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear me say!). I hope you get Long Song soon - I reserved it when it first came out and now keep seeing it on the shelf. I want to say to people "Read this! It's good!" but usually I am browsing alone.

Just a quick hello, Nancy. Hope you have a good week!

#100 Deb, you have some great ideas for murder and mayhem! I'm not sure what I'll read yet. Might be Jar City; you got me interested in Arnaldur Indridason. Or, might be the next in the Wallander series, The Dogs or Riga. Or might be In the Woods, Tana French. Or ... might go with the Austen group and read Mansfield Park for mid-May. It's spring, and I'm scattered!!

#102 Thanks, Susan. I'll look for those. I think it was you who recommended BBC's North and South based on Elizabeth Gaskell. I watched that series over the weekend and loved it!!

#103 Hi, Katie : ). Hope your week is good too!

Touchstones do not appear to be loading; this is happening more frequently lately -- frustrating.

Well, Nancy - I'll warn you that Jar City is his first book -and it was the one I least enjoyed. But I was committed to reading the series -and each book got better and better - IMO. My ratings are on 11 in 11 page - or on my main home page here.

As for The Dogs of Riga I was totally transported to a different time and place!! Fascinating reading!! Kurt Wallender ends up in some -err - small country that is still communist - or has just been released from Communism. I can't remember the name of the country - but I do remember how well he set up the atmosphere!!! Best of luck choosing your book! Difficult choices!

#105 Thanks, Deb! I so appreciate your input. You've read more of Mankell than I have, and I got the idea to read Indridason from you when we chatted about Swedish msytery writers. You're my go-to mystery advisor!

Mystery is a fairly new genre for me ... I got absolutely hooked on Swedish mystery writers when I read inhaled the millennium trilogy over the winter.

Alligator, Lisa Moore



Rating: 3/5

A series of eclectic characters, all loosely connected, live their way through contemporary St. John’s, NF. Alligator’s chapters are named eponymously for its characters; in this way, the story leaps (not necessarily transitions) from one character to the next. Similarly, within each chapter, shifts between past and present occur with the “confident swiftness of a gator in attack mode.”

I wanted to read Alligator because I had read and loved February. For me, Alligator was not nearly so enjoyable a read, but to be fair, it is a first novel. That February is written with considerably greater finesse, then, is not surprising.

What I particularly like about Moore is her consistently clear, crisp style. This passage is one of many that jumped off the page for me:

“She has a glass of vodka with ice and tonic and she works one toe behind the strap of her sandal and kicks it off. She hobbles over, still wearing one high heel, and drops into the leather couch and kicks off the other sandal too, and removes her rings. Big silver rings, with amber and turquoise, and they clink on the glass coffee table as she puts them down.” (9)

Catching up, Nancy, and grateful for your Alligator review because I'll never read it. Crisp it may be, but I cannot abide present tense narration. de gustibus non est disputandum!!!
On the other hand, I'm waiting impatiently for enough people to put Faceless Killers on PBS for me to have a copy. I have two of the later ones, but I think it may be important to read these in order? I'm glad that it's apparently worth the wait.

#108 Hi Peggy! Nice to have you : ). Well, now you've sent me looking for a latin phrase! I did not know that any of Henning Mankell's works were movies; I will keep an eye out because I would watch those! Thanks.

Just a hi, Nancy!! Great review of Alligator and like LizzieD -aka Peggy - I won't be reading Alligatoreither! I cannot abide books written in the present tense either! I'm in the midst of The Water's Edge by Karin Fossum. I'm a little over 130 pages in -and it promises to be a great psychological mystery.... The author is Norwegian, I believe and this is a new author for me. :)

Ah! Just reading further back in your thread. I too saw the The Piano Teacher - I hope I've chosen the correct one - because I don't know the author's name. I can tell you it was a most depressing movie! You may want to pass on the movie.. I wish I had!!!

Just checking in, Nancy, since I am far behind on the threads these days. Looks like you have been doing some interesting reading! I really need to get to Brideshead Revisited some century.

#108, 110 Hi Deb and Peggy! I've not communicated very well in my review of Alligator if I've left the impression that Moore writes in present tense. She does not. By "past" I mean "flashback"; and by "present" I mean current narration. Sorry about that.

#112 Hi Stasia! I know about trying to keep up : ). When you decide on Brideshead Revisited, I do hope you seek out Jeremy Irons .. delicious!

The Long Song, Andrea Levy



Rating: 4/5

The Long Song is set in 1820s Jamaica, a turbulent period in the island’s history as the slaves labouring on sugar plantations fought to be free. Miss July, housemaid to the ample Caroline Mortimer, owner of Amity Sugar Plantation, narrates. The Long Song is a framing narrative: at the same time July is narrating the story of the Amity slaves, she is writing a book at the urging of her son. She tells her readers, “your storyteller is a woman possessed of a forthright tongue and little ink.” Indeed, readers will soon understand that July has no time for “the puff and twaddle of some white lady’s mind.” (ch 1) Hilariously, she warns one last time before launching into her tale:

“Let me confess this (forthrightness) without delay so you might consider whether my tale is one in which you can find an interest. If not, then be on your way, for there are plenty books to satisfy if words flowing free as the droppings that fall from the backside of a mule is your desire.” (ch 1)

July is delightful, sometimes hilarious, company throughout The Long Song. I enjoyed her sparse, straightforward style of storytelling. She is compassionate and honest, but never sensational; and her voice is steady and confident. She knows the story of the Amity slaves is her story, and she tells it well.

I particularly liked that Andrea Levy is able to write about a sensitive subject without sensationalizing and sentimentalizing. July leaves readers no doubt as to the violence of the period; but violence is not the point of her story. In the same way, Levy is authentic and believable as she writes about the lives of Jamaica’s slaves post-abolition. Their freedom, long sought and hard won, came with a hefty price. Indeed, in its early years, the “victory” of freedom wore the face of destitution, even starvation.

Recommended to readers who enjoy historical fiction, readers interested in Jamaica's era of slavery and abolition.

#114: I will get to that one. . . some day. I still need to read Small Island which I have owned for a couple of years now!

Great review, Nancy!! I'm so thrilled that you enjoyed Long Song! I hate to steer people in the wrong direction. I loved Small Island even more - but it's very close between the two!! I have very few favourite authors that I show on LT - but Andrea Levy is one of them!!! Thumbs up on that wonderful review!! :) It's started me reading books for this years Orange Prize! :)

Have a great Friday!

I just (yesterday) finished Small Island, which I loved, and have The Long Song on my shelf waiting patiently. Thanks for the review!

#115 I haven't yet read Small Island either, Stasia. I know I'm reading in the wrong order, but The Long Song was in my hands first!

#116 Thanks, Deb. I'm looking forward to Small Island. I agree that it's fun to track book lists/prizes. Speaking of the Orange Prize, have you read Room? It's another one on the list that I just loved.

#117 Another vote for Small Island ... thanks, Anne : ).

#118: I am limited to buying 10 books for this year and since I own Small Island, I will definitely be reading it first. Maybe next year I can get my hands on The Long Song.

>114 lit_chick: Great review, Nancy. I own Small Island and have The Long Song on my WL. The former is on my short list of books I must finally get to this year.

I had The Long Song in my hands last year at a used book place and put it back. I wish I had read your review first. I ended up liking Small Island, but I didn't enjoy reading most of it. Now I can't remember why, so I'm off to see what I said at the time.

#120 Thanks, Katie. Hope you will enjoy Small Island ... you are reading in the order the books were written, so will be curious to see if you choose to puruse The Long Song after the former.

#121 Hi Peggy! I'm curious to see what you said about Small Island too. I've felt the same way about some books ... that is, I've liked them but not really enjoyed reading them.

Nancy - I started a thread in the Orange Jan/ July group, since I've been quite a few of the orange 2011 contenteders, and also a few of the older ones. I've got Room sitting waiting to be read -but instead I'm close to the end of Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna. I also read Annabel , another on the shortlist, and I hope to read Grace Williams Says It Loud before the Orange Prize is announced on June5th or so. Eventually I'll get to Room.

As for Small Island is a wonderful read!! Small Island and Long Song are two completely different stories -and I LOVED them both, and they are both very accesible reads. But of course, everyone is different.
I'll bet Memory of Love will take the prize. It's very sweeping in it's story,3 intertwined narratives, and it goes back and forth in time. Initally I found that a bit difficult -but I've go it all sorted out now! ;)

#123 Thanks, Deb : ). I will get to Small Island after I get through some others that have been awaiting attention, hehe! I was not familiar with Memory of Love until I found it on your thread, so it is now on my wishlist.

I'll look for the thread in the Orange Jan/July group.

I see through my feed that you loaded up on Memory of Love :) I'm such a good influence!;) So - what's on your attention grabbing list of books that are barking at you to read! I know I have the same problem!!! And the more I read, the more I discover to read! It never ends! My next book I think will be either The Uncommon Reader just for fun! or Grace Williams Says it Loud -which is another book on the Orange Prize shortlist . I never know til I start reading my next book.

#125 Exactly, Deb! Presently, in the pile of books on my dining room table: The Promise of Rain, I Am the Messenger, Mists of Avalon, Jar City, The Dogs of Riga, and Mansfield Park!! What's a girl to do? hehe Oh, and I've got Bleak House on the go, in between iPod and eReader.

#126: Wow! Some great reads there! Oh, and Bleak House is pretty good too :)

Wonderful stuff you are reading -- I agree about The English Patient the least successful, to me, of his novels.

I'm excited that you're reading Bleak House, MY FAVORITE DICKENS!!!!!

#127, 128, 129 Hi Stasia, Lucy, Peggy : ). Love to have visitors here! Stasia and Peggy, thanks for the Bleak House encouragement ... it's SO long! Lucy, I will try something else by Ondaatje; I know he is widely appreciated.

LOL!!!I tell you, my family has to move around my piles of books to make room to eat! ;)I'm just a few pages away from finishing The Memory of Love... That's going to be a 4.5 or 5 star read! But still - I loved Small Island even better! I've got Grace Williams Says it Loudly on the bookshelf, An Uncommon Reader on the kitchen table along with Bird Eat Bird. Bird Eat Bird isn't showing here yet -but it's short listed for the Commonwealth First Book Prize. Grace Williams Says it Loudly is shortlisted for the Orange Prize -but I think I'm going to read Bird Eat Bird next.

I can't wait to see what you read next! I have three large book shelves and I stash books underneath the coffee table -that way my husband does not know quite how many books I have purchased! :) I do use the library too. You know - I love Dickens too - I read nearly all of them back in my early 20's. I think I had to read one at university -and that got me started - though I'd read a Christmas Carol in my teens. I had the good fortune to work p/t in a bookstore p/t in my teens! OH the bargains!! The 25% off! Now one of my sons' works p/t at his university bookstore - UBC. But he says - and I quote " I don't read". Could he really be my offspring? He's computer science major, so I think he has to read so many text books - he has no time for anything else. I think I remember those days.

#131 Hehe. Could he really be my offspring? Too funny, Deb! That said, I did not read for pleasure throughout university either. I simply did not have time. In fact, after cramming a four year English degree into three, it was quite some time before I read for pleasure ... and I mean a few years. Ah, well, that was LONG, LONG ago : ).

Was browsing the Orange list a couple of days ago following a conversation with you. You're doing a great job getting through those books. Talk about being on a roll! Delighted The Memory of Love has been so wonderful!

What a wonderful review of Long Song. Beautifully done, Nancy...now you just have to add Small Island, Andrea Levy's Orange Prize Winner from 2004. Hehe! I loved it even better than Long Song.At least Small Islandshould not have a long list of holds! Have a great day!

>131 vancouverdeb: Haha! I just had to laugh at stashing books under the coffee table to hide them from one's husband. I thought I was the only person who hides book purchases.

#133 Thanks, Deb. You bet Small Island is on the list!

#134 Hehe! Love it : ).

The Promise of Rain, Donna Milner



Rating: 3/5

The Promise of Rain is set in 1940s Hong Kong during WWII and in 1960s Vancouver. Howard, a young Canadian soldier deployed to the Far East shortly before Pearl Harbor, is captured and imprisoned by the Japanese. He returns home replete with the emotional scars of war; but he conceals a secret, too, of something that happened in Hong Kong. When his wife, Lucy, dies unexpectedly, his family is threatened by separation. Ethie, his young daughter, is determined to uncover the truth behind her father’s silent absence.

What I Liked: Milner handles the subject of war sensitively and matter-of-factly without getting bogged down in emotion. She uses “the promise of rain” repeatedly throughout the novel, personifying rain as a cleansing agent for the “blood soaked earth” (263) of war and also for the shroud of secrecy which engulfs Howard.

What I Disliked: The plot was a little contrived for my taste. Lucy dies under very bizarre circumstances. And Ethie, a young child, almost singlehandedly uncovers her father’s long-guarded secrets to save her family from separation.

A decent read in the end. Recommended to readers of historical fiction (WWII era), and readers who enjoy an optimistic story of family.

Great review, Nancy! Well - I gave it 5 stars but I totally understand how -as Nickeleni says - your mileage may vary! :) Nicely done!!! I'm glad you found it at least a decent read! :)

#136: Wish my local library had that one. *sigh* I am a sucker for WWII stories.

#137 your mileage may vary! I like that, Deb. I like that we can read the same book and have different ideas about it, and share them all here at LT. Decided I will do the Austenathon read, so I'm off to Mansfield Park next : ).

#138 You'd really like this one if you're a sucker for WWII stories, Stasia. Hope you can get your hands on a copy.

Hey thanks for the visit to my thread. I see you are reading / or planning to read Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton! If memory serves, it's a delightful gothic mystery sort of a read. Great escape fiction! Enjoy! I really recommend Grace Says It Loud - but for now I have moved onto some escape fiction - a murder mystery - Love You More by Lisa Gardner. I must say my taste in reading has changed over the less than a year that I've been on LT!!! I don't enjoy my escape Lit as much a good read that I can really sink my teeth into.. Nevertheless, I had Love You More on hold at the library, and my number finally came up...

Say - there is a group read of A Thousand Autumns starting on June 15th I think. I've ordered the book from Amazon ca - maybe you would like to join us? I hope I can get through the book. Group pressure might be just what I need. It's here on the 75 books thread - I think Mark - msf59 - is the organizer. If you have not met him her on LT - he's a great guy and really friendly!

Hi Deb : ). Funny you should ask about Forgotten Garden; I just got an email from the library that it's ready for pick up! Not my plan for the long weekend however; I'm SLOW going on this Austen read ... it's hot and sunny here in the Okanagan; so I'm outside playing in the dirt, with the hose, opening up my summer digs (my patio)!

Hope you enjoy Love You More; will be waiting to hear what you think. Must agree that May long weekend is the perfect time for escapism, hehe!

I'll have a look at A Thousand Autumns. Thanks : ).

I guess I am psychic!!!;) Ohh I bet it's hot in the Okanagan!! We honeymooned in Kelowna - and travelled there many times in the past. I've got a childhood friend who lives in the " Loops" as I call it. Nice area up in the OK.

Hey - thanks for helping me rule out Middlesex!! Great comments there... I've looked at it -and some say it's the better book than Annabel but just by flipping through the pages - I've thought otherwise - and you have cemented my opinion. Thanks.

#142, 143 Yes, Physhic Deb, hehe! Interesting that your first impressions of Middlesex were not favourable. It has a HUGE following of people who loved it (as you know); I am most definitely not among them : ).

My library does have a surprising number of books, so yes, I purchased my book from Chapters - where they only had 3 in stock at the time! Gasp! It's a paperback - 14.99 before my discount!;)

I need an interlibrary card. The other thing I can do here is suggest a title for the library to purchase - and quite often they do. I can actually do that online. I got quite a haul of good books last time I was at the library -but they have nothing by Muriel Spark - and now I'm wondering about Barbara Pym..... sigh..........

#145 Our library is well stocked, too. We are part of Okanagan Regional Library, so there are umpteen branches to draw from. I've put in a request for Grace Williams Says It Loud, so we'll see; I'm surprised, honestly, the ORL does not already have it. Re the request system, I've put in several over the past six months (also done online) and have never heard word one on any of them. In that regard, your system, or at least Branch of it, sounds much more efficient. Must ask about this next time I'm in.

I also am not a fan of Middlesex, although many loved it. There are just too many books to read to spend time on ones that don't interest you!

#147 I couldn't agree more!! I used to be of the "finish what you start" school, but that has changed, gratefully. Like you say, there's just TOO much wonderful stuff out there to read what does not interest me. Thanks for the visit : ).

Hi Nancy,

Thanks for your rewiews! Your thoughts on all quiet on the western front was exactly as I remember it. Made a great impact on me - very sad but somehow also a reminder of how dear every single day is. And the longing for a return to life before the war - while we know that time is lost forever for the main character.

I was dissapointed with brideshead but your review - and also watching the recent movie adaptation - want me to go back reread this classic.

#149 Welcome, Carsten! Sounds as though All Quiet on the Western Front impacted you much the same way as it did me. I thoroughly enjoyed Brideshead Revisted though I don't know whether I would have enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed listening to Jeremy Irons "perform" it.

I dropped by your profile page and see that you are a fan on Anthony Trollope : ). I hope to get the next Barsetshire novel over the summer.

Just catching up, Nancy. I'm about to start The Memory of Love, and I'm SO EXCITED!!!
As to sneaking books in ----- well, if he asks, I'll tell him. Of course, when he gets to the mail first, everything is completely out in the open......
Interesting discussion. I liked Middlesex, but I didn't love it. I'm in pretty much the same place with *Brideshead* although it's been so long since I read it that I should really reread just to see.

@151 Hi Peggy : ). I'll be looking forward to your remarks on The Memory of Love. I'm hearing wonderful things! Have you watched the movie Brideshead Revisited, Miramax 2008 ... it's superb.

#150: Yes, Jeremy Irons! An obvious choice for reading Brideshead Revisited. I will check Audible for that one.

My next Trollope will be Doctor Thorne. Looking forward to that. Trollope is perfect for relaxed summer reading :)

#153 My next Trollope also is Doctor Thorne. After The Warden and Barchester Towers, I watched BBC's The Barchester Chronicles. It's fabulous; Alan Rickman rules as the odious Obadiah Slope!.

I am finishing up the Barchester series right now. It seems sad to be saying goodbye to those folks!

I am hoping to start the Barchester series this summer. I'll keep that BBC series in mind for when I finish...

#155, 156 Hi Stasia and Katie ... more Barchester fans : ). I want to read more of the series this summer, too.

# 154: Oh yeah, a great tv-production. A must for Trolllope fans. I have to see it again soon.

Have any of you who are Barchester fans read the Palliser novels as well? If so, how do you think they compare? I liked Can You Forgive Her? well enough that I picked up the next two books, but I guess not enough to hurry back to the series.

(Hi Nancy - great list so far this year!)

#159: I have not read the Palliser novels yet, Shauna. Sorry.

Ohhh - I think - think- you'd enjoy The Thirteenth Tale. I kept seeing it in the bookstore until the cover enticed me to purchase it! :) It was somewhat of mystery -and a bit of gothic mystery... not one where kids dress up in goth stuff.... have a look on the main page for it ! I have not read or looked at The Da Vinci Code which I think is a ridicoulous book. So - with the Physick of Dane Book of Deliverance Dane the fact that one review says it's in the same league as The Thirteenth Tale which I loved -and another review says it has Alice Hoffman Vibes - don't know who she is- and also mentions that it has a little Da Vinci Code has caught my attention....I think it will be a fun escapist read. The Thirteenth Tale and as we know, our mileage may vary - is such a wonderful atmospheric slighly spooky novel - I think you'd love it! I've lent it to several people and all have enjoyed it...or so they said....

#158 Carsten, I will watch it again, too : ).

#159, 160 Hi Shauna and Stasia, I also have not yet read the Palliser novels, but they are on my list! I really enjoy Trollope.

#161 Hi Deb : ). You know, the cover of The Thirteenth Tale looks oddly familiar. I didn't pick up on this yesterday, but I think I've read it at some point. Also recognize the author's name, and I know I haven't read anything else by her. Too, I see a common tag for The Thirteenth Tale is "sisters" which also wiggles the long-term memory.

Bleak House, Charles Dickens



Rating: 5/5

2007, Blackstone Audiobooks, Read by Robert Whitfield

Bleak House is a long, sweeping novel (I don’t think Dickens writes another kind), which took me considerable time to get through but was entirely worth the effort. I needed to remember that Dickens, for me, is always a long, slow, quiet read; that established, I settled in comfortably for the long haul. I part-read and part-listened to Bleak House; shout out goes to Robert Whitfield who does an exemplary job of this Blackstone audiobook – he reads Dickens’ host of characters flawlessly, from homeless, illiterate urchin to arrogant lawyer.

The first chapters introduce a profusion of characters, and keeping them straight sent me to CliffsNotes on more than one occasion. However, true to form, Dickens introduces not a single one of them needlessly; all play a role in spinning the tale that is Bleak House. The characters are as varied as they are numerous; and the intricate web that eventually ties them all one to the other is impressive.

The main plot of the novel is a scathing social criticism of the ineffectiveness and ineptitude of England’s Chancery Court. Dickens declares the legal system to have failed utterly and completely in bringing justice; exhaustive court costs and legal fees have ruined the lives of many. Fast forward to present day, and I needed to ask myself what, if anything, has changed. Tom Jarndyce explains:

“’The lawyers have twisted it into such a state of bedevilment that the original merits of the case have long disappeared from the face of the earth. It’s about a will and the trusts under a will – or it was once. It’s about nothing but costs now. We are always appearing, and disappearing, and swearing, and interrogating, and filing, and cross-filing, and arguing, and sealing, and motioning, and referring, and reporting, and revolving about the Lord Chancelor and all his satellites, and equitably waltzing ourselves off to dusty death, about costs.’” (ch 8)

Of course, Bleak House is about much more than the failed Chancery. Dickens masterfully uses his cast to inform of, among other things, the inequities of social class: poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, domestic abuse – to name but a few. Indeed, I think he could not have nailed the inadequacies of our modern society any better supposing he’d had a crystal ball.

Timeless, a true classic – highly recommended.

I'm delighted to have finished Bleak House. It was a long one, but so worth it! And I can only do one Dickens per year, hehe. I'm waiting on the movie from my library and will post my thoughts on it, too, when I have viewed.

Ah! Dickens!! I don't know if I've ever read Bleak house or not... You've created a great review! I'm certain I"ve read A Christmas Carol ,David Copperfield and The Pickwick Papers. I'm sure I've read others, but I read them back in my ambitious early twenties! :) It looks like touchstones are not working. Bravo to you for finishing up Bleak House. That's one big read!

Nicholas Nickelby if I've spelled that correctly is another Dickens I've read. Hmmm - just download IE9 and I'm wondering if that's why touchstones are not working for me!!!! Maybe I'll come back via firefox!!!

#165, 166 Hi Deb, I've also read A Christmas Carol and David Copperfield. But I've not read The Pickwick Papers or Nicholas Nickelby. They'll happen, but much later ...

I read Bleak House last year and while I found the heroine a bit namby-pamby for my taste, I still loved the book. I am glad to see you did too, Nancy.

@168 Make me smile, Stasia, with "namby-pamby" : ). Glad you enjoyed Bleak House.

#163: Thanks for another great review, Nancy.

You are right about Dickens. You just know you are entering a unique universe with characters that only Dickens could write. And you have to be ready to relax and patiently let it work it's magic. With all it's strange characters - and there are plenty in Bleak House!

The recent BBC-production of Bleak House is very, very good. Is that the one you have ordered?

That was a great review. I started reading Bleak House years ago but didn't finish it. Then I bought the Penguin Classic version of it to try again, but haven't quite managed it. I'm going to blame LT for giving me too many other suggestions ;-)

My next Trollope is also Doctor Thorne. The TV series does sound entertaining.

#159: I have read and LOVED the Pallisers. In fact, The Eustace Diamonds is, I think, one of my very favourite novels. Can You Forgive Her? is not the best of the series, in my opinion, but I think that's partly because the heroine is a bit...namby-pamby ;-) The Phineas Finn ones are the longest, and definitely benefit from an edition with good notes, because there is a lot of politicking which is quite hard to follow unless you're already familiar with that period. Despite my new-found love of the Kindle freebie, I was glad to have read these in the Penguin Classic edition.

#170 Thanks, Carsten : ). Indeed, Bleak House is no stranger to odd characters! I hope the DVD I've requested from the library is the BBC production you write of (can't check right now because the library site will not cooperate) ... "very, very good" makes me want to watch it right now! BBC has done many awesome interpretations of classics; I am a fan!

#171 Hi Susan : ). Make me smile with I'm going to blame LT for giving me too many other suggestions. I know exactly what you mean! Couldn't agree with appreciating Kindle freebies but always returning to Penguin Classics.

#153-160, 171 I'm SO enjoying the dialogue about Trollope! We've found another fan in you, Susan : ).

Mansfield Park, Jane Austen



Rating: 4/5

Mansfield Park opens with Austen reflecting on the virtues of marrying well, and the consequences of failing to do so. (I love a woman who knows how to get right to the point!) Fanny Price, a most unlikely heroine, is the product of one of these latter marriages; her mother, “Miss Frances married, in the common phrase, to disoblige her family, and by fixing on a Lieutenant of Marines, without education, fortune, or connections, did it very thoroughly.” (5)

Said to have been one of Austen’s favourite heroines, Fanny is the “poor cousin,” charitably taken in by wealthy relatives. But while she may be inferior to her peers by birth, fortune, and education; she is undisputedly their superior by far, save Edmund, in modesty, morals, and behaviour. Beside Fanny, the appropriately condescending Miss Bertrams appear twittering, fickle, and silly. Tom Bertram is, in equal measures, outrageously wealthy and irresponsible. The Crawfords, questionably well meaning, are idle and misguided, “thoughtless and selfish from prosperity and bad example.” (108) Only Edmund, younger brother to Tom, and a parson of modest means but superior morals, is able to stand as Fanny’s equal.

And so the stage of principal characters is set. But Austen also has great fun with the minor characters of Mansfield Park: the indolent Lady Bertram, example extraordinaire in the art of marrying well; her domineering but rich husband, Sir Thomas; the insufferable Mrs. Norris; Dr. and Mrs. Grant, the former best known for his ample appetite; and the unfortunate looking, but very wealthy, Mr. Rushforth – cuckolded in the end.

I enjoyed this re-read of Mansfield Park much more than my original read some years ago. Austen is delightful in her shrewd satire of the upper crust. A sample passage, one of many, illustrating her exceptional command of her writing (a single sentence!):

“The ensuing spring deprived her of her valued friend he old grey poney, and for some time she was in danger of feeling the loss in her health as well as in her affections, for in spite of the acknowledged importance of her riding on horseback, no measures were taken for mounting her again, ‘because,’ as it was observed by her aunts, ‘she might ride one of her cousins’ horses at any time when they did not want them,” and as the Miss Bertrams regularly wanted their horses every fine day, and had no idea of carrying their obliging manners to the sacrifice of any real pleasure, that time of course never came.” (34)

Mansfield Park, Miramax Films, 1999



Now that I've finished my re-read of Mansfield Park, I am looking forward to re-watching this 1999 film version which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Great review of Mansfield Park. I think that I read most of Jane Austen back in the day -but it may need a reread. Thumb up for your review!! Nicely done!

Nice review of Mansfield Park, Nancy!

#175, 176 Thanks, Deb and Stasia : ). I think all of Austen deserves to be re-read (and re-read)! In fact, I am much more enjoying these re-reads than I did my original reads in university where everything was such a rush! The Austenathon has been fun, too : ).

# 173, 174: The unfortunate looking, but very wealthy, Mr. Rushforth. LOL Nancy!

I also enjoy the rereadings a lot more than the first time. Specially with Mansfield Park that I found quite boring some years ago - but I guess I notice and enjoy different things in her writing now.

Fannys reflections when Edward joins the play are so well written, the mixture of doubt, confusion, love and disgust at the whole situation. I think it's in Fannys immobility and prison-like situation in a house full of energy and change (London coming to Mansfield) that makes for interesting tension and moral conflict.

The joy of reading Austen is to watch a movie adaptation afterwards :) and the 1999-one is a very good one - although they do not present Fanny as fragile and timid as in the novel. Well, still a remarkable performance by the one who plays Fanny.

#178 hehe @ Mr. Rushforth ... even the name Austen chose for him!

It's interesting that we enjoy authors and books in a different way as we age and our tastes change. Too, I initially read Austen in university, and everything was such a rush! I like your observation that Mansfield is a house full of energy and change (London coming to Mansfield) that makes for interesting tension and moral conflict. Well said!

>177 lit_chick:: SO much better when you're not trying to find time to read this many chapters by that date and then write a paper. I have a list of books I want to re-read because I first read them under those circumstances.

#180 I have a list of books I want to re-read because I first red them under those circumstances. Exactly!!

Ohhh I'm so excited - doesn't take much! :) I see that you are reading Annabel and Stone Diaries. I'll be fascinated to know your take on both of those book. I read Annabel shortly after it came out - and I'll be curious as to how it strikes you. I had to be pushed by a few kindly Canadian Booksworms to read The Stone Diaries and I really enjoyed it too!

I had such a great day at the library, among other things. You know you go there some days and there is nothing that strikes you - well today I found all kinds of different books. Gilead and Esther - which I'm the first person to find on LT, so I can't get a touchstone to work. But it's by Julie Wheelright, and it's the biography/ memoirs of Esther Wheelright. You might remember how much I loved the historical fiction Bride of New France? Well anyway, this is the story of a young girl who is part of a puritan family - gets abducted andl lives with the " natives" for a while -and ends up a Mother Superiour in New France - Quebec in the 1700's. And it's true!

Just about finished The Phsyick Book of Deliverance Dane. I'm not quite finished - but it's been a combo of spooky, informative, plodding,predictable, silly, easy to guess the plot -but I'm learning something about the witches of Salem! ;)

#182 Hi Deb! It's great to come home from the library excited : ). I've got Gilead on the list, I think ... an idea from some LTers, no doubt. Esther I am not familiar with, but from what you write, it sounds fascinating ... I'll wait on your queue! I do have The Bride of New France on wishlist; it landed there as a result of your review : ).

I'm enjoying Annabel. I find the sparse remoteness of Labrador intriguing and very well done. I've lived in the North; spent four years in northern SK some years (decades) ago. It has stayed with me ... it's like that I think for most who've experienced it.

The Stone Diaries is an audiobook. I'm not too far in, but have found some of it hilarious! Daisy's mother-in-law and friends "educating" her prior to her marriage and upcoming honeymoon ... on the habits of the French, sexual and hygienic. I laughed out loud!

I was sure I already had The Stone Diaries in the BlackHole but just checked and it is not there. I cannot wait to see what you think of it when you are done, Nancy.

#184 Stasia, you just crack me up with the BlackHole! That is a fabulous expression : ).

#185: I did not use to be the BlackHole before LT and more specifically this group. It used to be Mount TBR. It has grown considerably in the past 5 years.

The BlackHole, Mount TBR...I can so relate! Mine is the most-likely-document-to crash-Word, especially if I haven't rebooted in a couple of weeks.

#187 hehe, Jeanne, crashing Word with THE list! Before LT, I used to keep a one-page Word doc of books I wanted to read. But now ... she's outa control!

Just a wave! Thanks for visiting my thread -and I await your judgement on Annabel and The Stone Diaries with baited breath!

Oh! Not long until the Orange Prize is announced! Since I"ve read 4 of the 6 books I'm quite eager to see who takes the Orange Prize! You know my money is on The Memory of Love - but you know how that works! ;) In retrospect, of the 4 books I read - the story that sticks with me is Grace Williams Says it Loud. I'm sure I have a Mount TBR - but I am kind to myself. If I decide I'm really not going to read a book -after a while - I will give it to charity - or - if I've just got it in my wish list - I just remove it! :) It's really true though, the more you visit LT -the more books you realize might be wonderful to read.

#189 *waves back at Deb* Crazy week for me, not much time for reading so far. But I'm making progress with Annabel and The Stone Diaries ...

I do know your money is on The Memory of Love for the Orange Prize! But you're also right in that sometimes the winners are surprising. We'll soon find out : ).

Giving books to charity is a wonderful idea. Sometimes I also take them to one of our used bookstores - not quite as noble, but it keeps them in circulation. Also, I've donated to my public library.

The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields



Rating: 4/5

2006, BTC Audiobooks, Read by Sara Botsford

First, Sara Botsford is a stunning reader! Her accents are so spot-on, so authentic, that it’s hard to believe one person narrates the entire audiobook. My favourite was her perfect southern drawl – delightful!

I had high expectations going into The Stone Diaries, and Carol Shields did not disappoint; neither did Daisy Goodwill. I think the most remarkable thing about Daisy is that she is entirely unremarkable, and I don’t mean that at all offensively – quite the opposite. She is, if you will, “remarkably unremarkable” – “extraordinarily ordinary.” It strikes me that such a story would be difficult to write – an impressive accomplishment for Shields.

My absolute favourite part of The Stone Diaries is when Daisy’s mother-in-law-to-be, Mrs. Arthur Hoad, thinks to educate Daisy before her upcoming wedding and European honeymoon. This ensues in a hysterical discussion about European customs and manners, particularly regarding hygiene and sex. Daisy’s bridesmaids, Elfreda Hoyt (Fradie) and Labina Anthony (Beans), are also present to help out:

“She means a bidet … a bottom washer. You fill it up with water and sort of squat over it and scrub your Aunt Nelly clean.” (2.1)

“The thing you have to remember about the French, is that they are absolutely filthy about certain matters and religiously proper about others. For them a bidet is a necessity, for before and after … They have intercourse much, much more often than American women to, or English women for that matter. They’re much more highly sexed. They’re very keen on it, very creative; they do it other ways.” (2.1)

Highly recommended. This BTC audiobook will not disappoint.

Great review, Nancy!!Yes indeed -that section was most comical! Oh those French! ;)

#192 Hi Deb, Glad you also enjoyed The Stone Diaries.

I'm glad The Stone Diaries did not disappoint - I'm always a little wary when starting to read something that others have spoken very highly of. I agree about the ordinaryness; Shields shows great skill in making an unremarkable life interesting, funny, and moving by turns.

#194 Hi Genny! Like you, I am also wary of reading that which has been so highly spoken of by others. I can trip fairly easily over too-high expectations.

WHooo-eeeeeee! You have done a lot of reading in the past few weeks, Nancy!
Did I mention that Bleak House is my favorite novel? Yes! Or that I read the Palliser novels years ago but never Barchester ones? Or that I own The Stone Diaries but have never cracked the cover? Or that I continue to read The Memory of Love and have now read enough to say with confidence that I think it should win the Orange? Or that I don't know what I'm doing here because I have so many things I'm dying to read that I should be doing it?
SO. Hi, Nancy. I'm out of here!

#196 Hi, Peggy! Delightful post!! Makes me smile : ). I didn't know Bleak House was your favourite novel, or that you'd read the Palliser novels - I'm looking so forward to them. As for The Memory of Love, I've heard others say it should win the Orange prize too ... soon TBA. If you don't get to reading The Stone Diaries, might I suggest the audiobook, BTS version was awesome, and hilarious, and ...

See you soon!

Annabel, Kathleen Winter



Rating: 4/5

My expectations going into Annabel were sky-high. I was not disappointed, but I was somewhat surprised by my response. Pre-reading, I was most interested in the story of Annabel as hermaphrodite, the story of her life as she struggled to belong amidst a culture unforgiving of contradiction. But it was really the superb portrayal of Newfoundland and of life within its remote, hard shores that appealed to me most. Kathleen Winter’s Newfoundlander characters were so impressive: Treadway’s hard softness and simple practicality; Jacinta’s contented acceptance but secret longing; and Thomasina’s compassionate fearlessness. The isolation, loneliness, and the contradictions of setting and characters, all of these perfectly mirror Annabel’s hermaphroditism.

All of my favourite passages, the ones I underlined in my book to come back to, were about Newfoundland – the place, the life, the harshness of the isolation against the peaceful contentedness of simple life:

“The movements of the duck were the white hunter’s calligraphy.” (12)

“Women of Croydon Harbour knew what was expected of them at all times, and they did it, and the men were expected to do things too, and they did these, and there was no time left.” (36)

“then the brutal grandeur of the real Labrador took over.” (178) – how great an expression is “brutal grandeur”?

Highly recommended. Required reading for lovers of Canadian literature.

Great review, Nancy. I think I felt that same. Initially I went into Annabel expecting a story primarily about Annabel's struggles as a hermephrodite - or intersex person as I think is the correct term these days. While I suppose the book primarily dealt with Annabel and her/ his challenges - as you say - it was a wonderful protrayal of rurrual Labrador and beautifully written. Glad you enjoyed it! So - what's up next ?

Oh, I just peeked at your profile and I see two books up next. Both of them are fun , lovely reads!!! I am certain you will enjoy them!

#199-200 Hi Deb : ). Interesting that you felt the same way about Annabel - I think I actually became more interested in reading about Labrador than I was in reading about Annabel. And fun that you have already read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (I'm listening to the audiobook - fabulous readers!) and The Forgotten Garden - glad to have a thumbs up from you on those!

# 191: Haven't read anything by Carol Shields, but this sounds like a good place to start. I'll look for it on Audible.

I have The forgotten garden in my TBR pile. I haven't heard anyone mention that one much, will be interested to see what you think of it.

#203 The Forgotten Garden is a really good book! I loved it, and I loved her other book, The House at Riverton, even more.

#204 Thanks for the recommendation. One of these days...

Love to have visitors!

#202 Audible is a great site! There are a couple of different version of The Stone Diaries available in audiobook.

#203, 205 Hi Genny : ). I haven't heard much about The Forgotten Garden either.

#204 ...until now! Thanks for the rec, bbleil : ).

I would have sworn that I had The Stone Diaries in the BlackHole but I checked and the book was not there. It is now!

#207 Enjoy The Stone Diaries, Stasia. I cannot help myself when I read your BlackHole expression ... make me laugh every time, hehe. It's perfect!!

Hello Nancy! Larry's Party is also excellent by Carol Shields. Your review tempts me to (shock! horror!) re-read it - I NEVER do a re-read - unless by accident....Otherwise how would Mt TBR ever be climbed - I'm still at base camp for heavens sake. But your review of Annabel was VERY persuasive and onto the Wishlist it goes...

Hi Nancy! I laughed at your comment about my review - " chasing skirts". :) Nothing turns me off a mystery or thriller than gratuitous sex and high heels and a bunch of swearing! I'm really not a prude - but some writers do such a poor job of writing in my opinion - and yet they are very popular.

Well, if you ever read Larry's Party I'll be most interested in what you think. I've avoided Carol Shield until my fellow Canadian Bookworms pushed me into reading Stone Diaries which it turned out to be very good. I think in highschool and maybe university, they overdosed me on Carol Shields and the Margaret's Feminist tomes - and as adult - I've shut them out! ;) Alice Munro, Carol Shields, Margaret Atwood and Margaret Lawrence - all one and the same to me....Too Much Happiness by Alice is sitting on my shelf - but what came over me to purchase such a book. Just look at the title - that says it all! I do have Alias Grace also on the shelf - and one day I will get to that one. I think I could stomach it. ;)

I've added Annabel. And Deb, it is interesting, looking at the list of Canadian women authors, how serious they all are! Shields might have the lightest touch of that bunch!

#209 Welcome, PrueGallagher! Thanks for the rec on Larry's Party. I hear you about re-reading ... I've read many great books that merit re-reads but I'll never live long enough : ).

#210 Hi Deb, enjoyed your comments about the Canadian posse of Munro, Shields, Atwood, Lawrence. I loved Alias Grace; I'll be curious to know what you think if you decide to take it off the shelf : ).

#211 Hi Lucy : ). You may just be right about Shields having the lightest touch of that bunch!, hehe.

LOL! I've a streak of rebelliousness in me! I do think I would most likely enjoy Alias Grace. I'll get to it one day. I just read what the winner of the Orange Prize is -and wouldn't you know it - of the 4 out of 6 shortlisted Orange Prize contentenders that I read - one of the two I did not read won the Orange!!! And of course at the moment I cannot rememeber the title of the winner - it's by T'ea Obrecht - or something close to that - The Tiger Something. Always so exact, that's me :) Anyway, I guess that will have to go on my TBR pile!

Next week I'm starting a group read of Thousand Autumns by David Mitchell. I'lll be curious to see what it's all about....

Ah Deb - Must be The Tiger's Wife that won the Orange - I have seen many mixed reviews on LT and haven't been moved to add it to my Wishlist...what did you think of the other shortlisteds?

#213, 214 Yes, The Tiger's Wife. I have also read many mixed reviews. I may read it eventually - not rushing to get it to the top of the list (not even sure if I've yet put it on the list).

The Forgotten Garden, Kate Morton



Rating: 1/5

Far too contrived for me. I found the premise of a child abandoned on ship and taken in by a kindly dockmaster questionable at best. But I was finished when the dockmaster, not wanting to disappoint his wife, throws into the fireplace the notice that a man in London is looking for the child. The letter is destroyed with a “brief reproach” (73) – a brief reproach for having stolen a child? I also failed to understand Nell's response to learning she is "adopted." She has been raised by a loving family and appears to be a well-adjusted young woman, but this news completely ruins her life. Oh, the melodrama!

Not for me. I forced myself through the first hundred pages and abandoned.

Hello Nancy - what interesting and eclectic reading choices you make! I had a perve in your library. Isn't it wonderful to be able to check out people's bookshelevs without every having to visit their homes? Better still to see what was thought of the books. I love when you go through a library and you're having that mental commentary..

"oh yes, see she has got that one - 4 STARS - thinks the same as me - good
"Yes, yes we are in sync with that one too - and that one - more or less the same there...."
"WHAT THE HECK! SHE RATED THAT ONE WITH A SINGLE STAR!!! HOW COULD THAT BE!!!

Heheheh it cracks me up when that happens! Vive la difference, I say!

Like Prue said - Vive la Difference I say! :) Thumb up from me! I think that the book I've most harshley criticisized was High Latitudes by Farley Mowat ! I plowed through that wretched bore of a book and gave it 2. 5 stars.

I see that you have Jar City up next.... I'll warn you in advance that was my least favoured book of Arnadlur Indriason. It seemed to me to be perhaps the darkest and driest of the series - though all of them are dark - IMO. But I went on to really enjoy the rest of the series - just waiting on the last book of the series to be published. You know - thought I read and enjoyed The Forgotten Garden - truly a different genre for me - I could not get interested in her subsequent books.

Though Jar City has been my least favourite of Indirason's books, I think it really helps to read the series in order. For me, part of my interest laid in the fact that my mother's side of the family is Icelandic - therefore the names of the characters' and places were quite familiar to me.

#217 Hehe @ Prue - a perve in my library!! Not one star!! Yes, I do love those secret stalks through another's shelves, and I love the mental dialogue : ).

#218 Deb, you crack me up, too, with . I'll make sure it never hits my wishlist!

#219 Interesting that you have Icelandic roots, Deb. I'll likely find the names nearly impossible to manage - make something up as I go along, so I can remember who's who. I think I remember you saying at another time that Jar City was your least favourite, but that the series improved greatly as it went along. I'll see ... I'm ready for some escapist crime fiction.

The Forgotten Garden is not a usually genre for me either. Far too contrived, forced, fluffed ... (I'll stop there because so many enjoyed it so much). It's as Prue says, "Vive la difference!"

Hello Nancy - just waving hi and wondering if you can cast your mind back to House of Sand and Fog, which is in my Mount TBR. I absolutely adored the film, which has led me to the book. Wondering what your view of the book was?

#221 Hi Prue, I've never seen the movie so can't comment (but from what you write, I'm going to see if I can rent it). The book I disliked intensely. Read it in Feb; I've pasted my comments below. Of course, that's just me - my sister read the book and absolutely loved it; it was she who recommended it to me. So if you go for it, I can't wait to hear what you think.

House of Sand and Fog, Andre Dubus III



Rating: 1/5

I read the first 100 pages of House of Sand and Fog and then had to put it down. The plot is built on the stupidity of the female lead, Kathy, who deliberately discards all mail received from county taxation and subsequently is surprised when she loses her home to auction for unpaid taxes. She decides she needs a married cop (second protagonist) to help get her house back, so she seduces one. Meanwhile, a Persian colonel (third protagonist), living far beyond his means in an upscale California neighbourhood, has purchased the house at auction; him I found equally unlikeable.

Hi Nancy! Just delurking to say that you've read some great books this year. :) I've seen you around the threads and the TIOLI challenges so I thought I would stop by and just say HI! I will definitely be back to see what other reads you will be doing this year.

Oooohhhh Nancy - putting House of Sand and Fog to back of pile....But I seriously loved the movie - slow paced but beutifully acted.

#223 Welcome Valerie : ). I'm so glad you stopped in and "delurked" - I just love that LT expression!

#224 Hi Prue, well at least House of Sand and Fog sounds to have produced a good movie - one for my TBW list : ).

I have The Forgotten Garden lurking around my house waiting for me to read it. I imagine I will get to it eventually.

I have no desire to read House of Sand and Fog.

#226 Hi Stasia, I'll be interested to know what you think of The Forgotten Garden when you get to it. I'm a fish swimming upstream in disliking it, given the many positive reviews here at LT.

#227: I have been that fish before too, Nancy, so I can commiserate. One of the things I love about this group is that even the fish swimming upstream are welcome!

Not sure when I will get to The Forgotten Garden since at the moment I have no idea where my copy of the book is!

I have Forgotten Garden and one other book by Kate Morton on my shelves but I haven't read either one of them. Hopefully I will get around to it sometime this year. :)

#228 Stasia, I also love that all fish are welcome here at LT. You've not displaced something in the BlackHole have you? hehe

#229 Valerie, do post a review when you've read The Forgotten Garden.

I love the fish analogy, I'm sure I've been that same fish for a few books.

I was that fish for Middlesex and The Road!

#231-232 It's good being a fish : ). I was that fish for Middlesex too!

#230: You've not displaced something in the BlackHole have you?

Who, me? *innocent look on face*

Jar City, Arnaldur Indridason



Rating: 3.5/5

Scandinavian crime fiction is my recipe for escape. Jar City is a good, quick read - layered and intelligent. Indridason impresses with the clarity of his writing.

Glad you enjoyed it, Nancy... the rest of the series just gets's better. I've finished Excellent Women by Barbara Pym - 3.5 stars -and have begun Coventry by Helen Humphreys. Haven't wrote about it on my thread yet - have to go out this evening! Later!

Yes, thanks, Deb - Indridason was a great tip! Love escape : ). Will be by your thread to read comments on your latest adventures. Enjoy your evening.

#235: I have that one hanging around my house (somewhere) waiting for me to get to it. *sigh*

#238 It's somewhere in the BlackHole, Stasia, hehe.

Ohhh so delighted to see that you've added Jade Peony to your wishlist. I loved the book! I really think that you will too..... and it not - I'll survive. I found it so enlightening , full of life and also sorrow. It's a wonderful book. Nearly finished Coventry. I'm finding it fascinatating read about two women who live through and survive the Coventry bombing. The bombing scenes are based on real life research - and it sure paints a sad picture of war. I really need and want to get to All Quiet on the Western Front. I'm doing a group read next, though.

So glad you liked Jar City. I always feel a wee bit badly when I make a recommendation to someone and it turns out to be a flop! ;)

#240 Hi Deb - Yes, Jade Peony was a recommendation I gathered from your library, I think (feed on my profile page). You are on a roll with Coventry; I thought you had just started it! Sounds good.

I'm just a few pages into Sons. Can't believe I read The Good Earth years ago and only recently discovered it was a trilogy. I love Pearl Buck's writing style.

#241 Lit_Chick

I just recently read The Good Earth for the first time and loved it. However, I didn't like the sons at all, so I've decided not to read Sons. Let me know how it goes for you!

Oh The Good Earth. Gosh. I think I read that more than 30 years ago - it seems to be popping up all over the place in threads lately. Renewed interest in China perhaps? One likes to think that good literature never goes out of fashion, but I don't know if that is true...some books and authors definitely drift in and out of the zeitgeist....

#242 True, the sons are not particularly likeable, but they are interesting to me as characters.

#243 Prue, I think it's true that books and authors drift in and out of vogue. It was a friend who loaned me The Good Earth some years ago, and I enjoyed it, so when I learned it was a trilogy, I wanted to read on.

I have The Good Earth sitting on my shelves and the poor book has been sitting there and waiting for years! Hopefully I will get around to it sometime soon. I totally was not aware that a sequel was written so now I will have to go and find out more about it!

#245 I hope you enjoy The Good Earth as much as I did, Valerie : ).

Thanks for your kind words re Coventry. I very much enjoyed it, as I said on my thread -but I've no doubt that All Quiet on the Western Front is the superiour read. I will soon have to pull that offf my shelf and read it too!

#247 I will soon have to pull that off my shelf and read it too! I'll be waiting on your review when you do, Deb : ).

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Shaffer/Barrows



Rating: 5/5

2008, Random House Audio
Read by Paul Boehmer, Susan Duerden, Rosalyn Landor, John Lee, and Juliet Mills

This Random House audiobook is read to perfection. Each of the characters has a distinctive voice, beguiling and full of personality. Completely charming! I didn’t want to say goodbye.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (title needed an editor!) is an epistolary novel set in London and the Channel Islands post WW II. At the center of the novel is English author, Juliet Ashton, who is hoping to write about Guernsey in her next book. The varied members of Guernsey’s literary society write to her of their literary tastes and tell of their experience during the German occupation. Also central to the novel is Elizabeth McKenna of Guernsey, whom we meet only through her acquaintances. Varied minor characters further add to the novel’s charm: friend, editor, suitor, busybody. Shaffer and Barrows strike a perfect balance between light, delightful wit and absolute heartbreak.

On the one hand, members of the Society enchant and delight with their literary perceptions. Isola Pribby, my favourite, has “a fondness for the Bronte girls. Poor lambs! To think all five of them had weak chests and died so young. What a sadness! Their pa was a selfish thing, wasn’t he? … And their brother, Branwell, he wasn’t much either – always drinking and sicking on the carpets. They were forever having to clean up after him. Fine work for lady authoresses! It is my belief that with two such men in the household and no way to meet others, Emily had to make Heathcliff up – out of thin air. And what a fine job she did! Men are more interesting in books than they are in real life … I didn’t like Wuthering Heights at first. But the minute that specter – Cathy – scrabbled her bony fingers on the window glass, I was grasped by the throat and not let go.” (2/7)

On the other hand, there are letters from Guernsey tempered with absolute heartbreak: the indomitable toll of war; the evacuation of children to London on the cusp of German occupation; the horrors witnessed by the survivors of concentration camps. John Booker, one such survivor, in writing of the monstrosities he endured, recalls when the war at last ended: “The British got there the next day, and dear God, but we were glad to see them. I was strong enough to walk down the road, so I saw the tanks crash down the gates, and I saw the British flag painted on their sides. I turned to a man sitting against a fence nearby, and called out, ‘We’re saved! It’s the British!’ Then I saw he was dead – he had only missed it by minutes. I sat down in the mud and sobbed as though he’d been my best friend. When the tommies came down out of the tanks, they were weeping, too, even the officers.” (4/7)

Random House audiobook is highly recommended. Five-star rating is for pure enchantment!

249 Oh, I did love that book too. Nice review.

Thumb up on your review! I enjoyed The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society very much too. I've lent it to so many people I'm not sure where my copy is anymore. It seems to be well loved by all sorts of readers.

#250-251 Hi Deb and Anne, glad both of you loved it too! Re your comment, Deb, that it seems to be well loved by all sorts of readers - how rare, and how wonderful!

For some reason I don't know if I have this one on my shelf or not, but I've heard rave reviews from friends who've already read it! Wonderful review Nancy.

#253 Thanks, Valerie : ). If you decide to pick up The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, go for the audiobook! So delightful!

Good review, I read this last year and loved every bit of it as well. Plus, you learn so much about the role of Guernsey during the war, I never knew any of that before reading this book.

#255 I learned a great deal as well. Like you, I was not aware of the role of Guernsey during WW II.

I loved it too. And I knew nothing about G. in the war either, before reading it.

#257 *waves at Lucy* Nice to "see" you : ). It's delightful hearing from so many LTers that they also loved Guernsey.

Sons, Pearl S. Buck



Rating: 3/5

Having thoroughly enjoyed The Good Earth some years ago, I was delighted to discover recently that it was a trilogy. But I did not find Sons nearly as engaging as The Good Earth. The main characters, the three sons of Wang Lung, I found uninteresting and unlikeable. Wang the Eldest, the Landlord, is lazy, lewd, and cowardly. Wang the Second, the Merchant, is greedy, miserly, and deceitful. Wang the Tiger, a warlord and Wang Lung’s third son, is ambitious, disillusioned, and misogynistic. Truthfully, I found the characters of the sons’ wives more interesting than the sons; but of course, the story is about the House of Wang Lung, and we read only very little about the women.

In addition to being disinterested in the characters, I found Buck’s writing style verbose and occasionally grating with its repetition:

“But she hastened on, for if she looked at these two with love, and she loved no one else now, there was such an anger in her heart as must out, and if it were a quiet anger, seeing her anger was always so sad and she could have no other kind, still it was a firm anger, too, and she could not rest …” (72)

I wanted to like Sons, but it didn’t happen. I don’t plan to read the final book in the trilogy.

Sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy this one Nancy! I have The Good Earth sitting on my shelves and have hopes of getting to it, hopefully sometime soon. I think I may still have to give Sons a shot too whenever that may be... :)

#260 Hi Valerie : ). I encourage you to read both The Good Earth and Sons. There are some other readers here at LT who loved Sons and wrote glowing reviews.

Hi Lit_chick,
I loved The Good Earth, but as I didn't like the sons I didn't continue with the trilogy. Your review confirms that I made a good decision! The only thing I can say about Buck's repetitive prose is that when I listened to The Good Earth on audio, it helped me to understand what was happening as my comprehension isn't as good when listening to an audio book.

#262 BBleil, you make an excellent point about comprehension when listening to audiobooks; I'm the same. In terms of the sons, you make another very good point: in addition to not liking the sons of Wang Lung, I also did not like their sons - undoubtedly the subject of A House Divided.

Hi Nancy! Thanks for stopping by my thread. I certainly love my Karin Fossums - and the He Who Fears The Wolf was an excellent story! As for A Thousand Autumns - had I not been a part of the group read I'm quite sure I would have abandoned the book were I not taking part in the group read. At least now I've satisfied my curiousity about the book. I have a feeling you might abandon the book - but one never knows! As far as Pearl Buck goes - I only remember having to read one of her books back in highschool and disliking it! :) But perhaps I should have a look at her books again. I had no idea that there was a trilogy! Interesting!

Well - with a bit of nice weather here at last - must run! I'll be back....;P

#264 Hi Deb : ). Ah, yes, nice weather - July and August are my thing(s)!! You're probably right that I would have abandoned A Thousand Autumns. Interesting that you read Pearl Buck in high school; I was not even aware of her until I read The Good Earth a few years ago.

I think the cover of Sons is a strong candidate for the awful cover art TIOLI. It reminds of me of wallpaper gone WlLD!

#266 Yes, the cover is a little like wallpaper gone wild, hehe! Nothing at all like The Good Earth.

Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier



Rating: 4/5

I admit I wasn’t sure whether I’d like Rebecca or not. Gothic novels are not usual fare for me. But du Mauier excels as a storyteller. I don’t know how I’ve missed her until now, but I’m looking forward to more.

Part of what made Rebecca so appealing to me is du Maurier’s wonderful sense of balance. I find that Gothicism is easily overdone; and du Maurier seems to be aware of this. Alongside Manderley’s dark foreboding is the perfect contrast of its pastoral beauty. Same goes for the characters: Mrs. Danver’s creepiness is the perfect foil for Frank Cawley’s benevolence. That said, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the heroine’s weak willed persona didn’t grate – if anything was overdone in the novel, that was it for me. Still, the novel’s unexpected, “didn’t see that coming” plot reveals more than made up for any shortcomings.

I think du Maurier does a great job of blurring the lines of several genres here. She appeals as a gothic writer, a mystery writer, and as a writer of classics.

Rebecca is one of the few gothic novels that I have re-read. It may be about time for another re-read of it. It's one of my all-time favorites.

#269 Interesting - yes, I can see it being worth a reread.

I remember having much the same response, expecting not to like it, but then being totally swept up in it.

#271 Interesting that you had the same response to Rebecca, Lucy. Thanks for catching up on threads : ).

Rebecca sounds fabulous , Nancy! For some reason I think I may have read it in my younger days. But I will have to check it out and make certain. Great review. I've been so busy with the long weekend and the nice weather, I'm dreadfully behind! I have not yet finished one book for July! Case Histories, my current read is excellent - I'm just not finding time to read. I'm also wasting time following the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as they travel around. Such a sucker I am!

Rebecca is on my list for this summer, so it is nice to read another positive review of it!

Rebecca is one I might revisit for the "re-read something you read before the age of 21" challenge. Great review! I loved it when I read it as a teenager; it would be fun to see how it strikes me now. And, I picked up a used copy a few months ago.

#273 Deb, I know what you mean about the beautiful weather, the long weekend ... ah! I live for this stuff, and the Okanagan rarely disappoints.

#274 Welcome, Cait! I will look forward to your comments on Rebecca. I was just by your thread and am now looking forward to the release of One Day, the movie. I read the book in the winter and loved it.

#275 Hi Anne, I like the idea of reread something you read before the age of 21. I also find it interesting to see how rereads strike me ... my responses are varied.

I read Rebecca last year after having seen the movie as a teenager. I had the same sense of "Why did I wait so long?" Glad you enjoyed it.

#277 Hi Jeanne : ). I have never seen the movie ... I need to do that!

The movie of Rebecca is wonderful - especially Mrs Danvers...fabulous casting. I have My Cousin Rachel on the Shelves of Shame - have heard that is good also. And of course she wrote The Birds which I personally think is just about the scariest of all the Hitchcock movies...especially as there is nothing inherently creepy about birds (well, not to my mind, anyway)

#279 Prue, you've confirmed that I must get my hands on the movie, Rebecca. I didn't know du Maurier had also written The Birds! Indeed, it is a Hitchcock phenomenon.

Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese



Rating: 2/5

Cutting for Stone is a seemingly unedited, rambling story, which failed to hold my interest. It reminded me of Middlesex, with its tedious introduction of well over one hundred pages. I found the long-winded medical procedures and the jumping around between characters distracting to say the least. When, after 130 pages, Marian and Shiva Stone, the main characters, were finally born, I thought at last to have arrived at their story. Not so – Part Two and another twenty pages, and still not a word about them. I abandoned the novel at this point, my patience exhausted.

Whatever the appeal that has earned Cutting for Stone its rave reviews, it escaped me.

LOL - It always feels slightly wicked to abandon a book, but as I get older I have realised 1. I don't have to finish everything on my plate (and whether I do or not will have no impact on all the starving children in India) and 2. I don't have to finish a book if it is boring, badly written, or simply Not My Cup of Tea

I gave Cutting for Stone 3.5 stars, but I remember thinking, "This should be a better novel with everyone else liking it so much." It was very long and probably could have used a heavier cutting knife in the editing. There were some good elements and I liked the characters though. I agree with you on Middlesex, too. I think we've chatted about that before here on LT.

#282 Well said, Prue! Freedom to abandon a book I am not enjoying is one of the greatest gifts age has given me, hehe. In years past, I've forced my way through many books I didn't like because, as you say, there seemed to be something indecent in not finishing what I'd started. Well, to heck with that ... there's simply too much great stuff out there!

#283 Hi BBleil : ). Yes, I think we have chatted here about Middlesex. I'm glad you enjoyed Cutting for Stone more than I did ... that wouldn't be hard I guess, hehe.

Interesting , Nancy! Cutting for Stone was a favourite book for me. It's so interesting how we all vary in what we find to be enthralling or not. I think it might have been designated a favourite of mine. So intriquing! But it is a long complex yarn -and I don't think I could make it through Middlesex. But I've never had compunctions about abandoning a book if I don't enjoy - unless of course I've signed up for a particular challenge -and then I pretend that I have to read for school - like in the olde days when I was young! ;) That's how I made it through A Thousand Autumns - and one of the lowest rated books on my LT - a book by Farley Mowat. I'll dig up the title later. I reviewed it on LT and gave it 2. 5 starts. Man it was a bore!!!! Turned me off Farley Mowat forever! ;)

#285 Hi, Deb : ). Actually, I noticed in one of my feeds while I was reading Cutting for Stone that you had really enjoyed it 5/5. I wish I had - wanted to, but just couldn't make it work. I chuckled at your remarks about pretending to have read something for school in days gone by. Ah, yes : ). I admire that you've never struggled with putting down a book you didn't like. LOL, I won't be reading the Mowat title you mention - not a chance!!

The book by Farley Mowat that I read was High Latitudes and I think this is my review here - http://www.librarything.com/work/760542/reviews/65988543 . I plowed my way through that one as part of a Cross Canada read challenge. We were to read at least one book by a Canadian author - fiction or non -fiction book that took place in every province and territory in Canada. I sure got familiar with Can Lit last year! ;)

Here is a link to the Canada Challenge that I mentioned - http://www.librarything.com/groups/canadianfictionnonfi . Now to eat supper, finish up Case Histories and walk the dog...I'm nearly finished a book of short stories too - Bird Eat Bird. I've been reading that forever here and there. Loving Case Histories!!!!! Wonderful read - IMHO!!!:)

*Waving* as I attempt to catch up on threads, Nancy :)

#287-288 Deb, your review of Mowat's High Latitudes is great! Sounds like a drone, so I'll give it a pass. The Canada Challenge looks interesting. I've read books set in most, but not all, of our provinces/territories. I must say again that I have a fondness for our maritime storytellers - they have an innate gift that rings true with me. Cape Breton, and NS in general, comes to mind ... Beatrice MacNeil, Alistair MacLeod, Ami McKay, to name a few. MacNeil's Where White Horses Gallop, set in Cape Breton, was one of my five-star reads this year.

#289 *waving back* at Stasia : ). Good on you attempting to catch up - it means you haven't yet disappeared into the Black Hole, hehe.

#290: No, but give me time. . .

Okay, Nancy - I've just put a hold on Where White Horses Gallop at my library. I did know if they would have it. Just to be contrary -but it's true for me - I often find our Maritime writer's to be dreadfully depressing! Head to BC for fabulous CanLit! ;) I do like Ami Mckay - but Mercy Among Children by David Adams Richards comes to mind when thinking of Maritime writers -and oh boy - was that a depressing and yet interesting book - once I slogged my way through. ;) I read a dreadful book for my SK book by Gail Bowen. Let me worn you that she writes trite , silly, dreadful mystery/politically oriented books about Regina. I've since read other books that take place in SK . Gail Bowen seems to be quite a popular writer - but oh boy - she is dreadful!!!!! So trite.

#291 hehe, Stasia

#292 I hope you will enjoy Where White Horses Gallop, Deb. I found it very beautiful - not depressing at all. That said, it is about three young Cape Breton men, all wounded by war, and you may have a different take. I'm not familiar with Gail Bowen - doesn't sound like I need to look her up either : ).

Case Histories was one of my favorites by Atkinson.

I did enjoy the Verghese -- but I also thought it was two novels pressed together. I never thought it was really about the twins but the hospital ..... so the part in America was jarring (you'd probably let it go by then).

#294 Hi Jeanne : ). Case Histories sounds like one for the list!

#295 Hi Lucy : ). Interesting, your thought on Verghese. And yes, I had let it go prior to America.

When you get to Atkinson, I am the president (appointed myself) of the Jackson Brodie fan club, you'll see.......

#297 I'll remember that, Lucy : ).

Yes indeed, Nancy, Case Histories is the start of a series. If I think there is a chance of that, I always check to see what book is first! ;) So I'm reading them in order. I've got three books in the series. Even if it doesn't really matter that much whether you read them in order, I find it's always better to be knowledgeable about the protaganist, in this case, Jackson Brodie. There is a carry over person from Case Histories to One Good Turn besides Jackson Brodie - so I find it's usually helpful to read in order . Have a great weekend!

#299 Thanks, Deb. Yes, I like to read in order too.

Just saw the tv series cover on - I think it was One Good Turn - on Book Depository. Not so sure about the actor playing Jackson Brodie - a little older and 'worn' than I imagined him! Not that I saw hom as a fresh-faced youth; but a little more handsome...Course, he may be brilliant in the series - whenever it gets here.

#301 Thanks, Prue, good to know. I must say Jackson Brodie has me most curious - I hadn't even heard of him until this morning!

Bride of New France, Suzanne Desrochers



Rating: 3/5

Set in the late 1600s, Bride of New France is the story of Laure Beausejour, a young woman from a Paris workhouse, who is sent to Quebec, Canada (New France) by the French government for the purpose of marrying and bearing the children of a French officer. Many such “filles de roi” (king’s daughters) were dispatched to Canada with a view to stabilizing the settlement of New France. Naturally, the wilderness, isolation, and climate of the French frontier were a callous awakening not only to the filles du roi, but to the French soldiers who dared to settle there.

The novel is a decent read, if not particularly memorable. The historical fiction I suspect is accurate, but I did not find any of the characters, Laure included, to be especially well-developed. The back flap of the edition I read states that Desrochers “wrote her M.A. thesis on filles du roi, combining creative writing and history.” The novel reads a bit like a research thesis written in creative writing class – however, to be fair, it is also Desrocher’s first.

I can’t widely recommend this one. If it’s Canadian lit you’re after, there’s much better out there. However, if it’s the beginnings of European contact you’re interested in, you might enjoy Bride of New France.

Hi Nancy! Just swinging by all my starred threads while I catch up on LT. :)

Well, even if you weren't keen on Bride of New France - you know it's been on the bestseller list for Canadian books for about 8 weeks now. We get the Globe and Mail - and I've check on the bestsellers every Saturday when they list them. If you are looking for a more serious tome about historical New France - I have - Esther The Remarkable True Story of Esther Wheelright - Puritan Child, Native Daughter, Mother Surperior by Julie Wheelwright. Its a biography written about Esther Wheelright who was taken from her Puritan family by a raid of Abenaki warriors. The Abenaki adopted her into the tribe and she grew up them . Finally her release was secured through a French Jesuit -and eventually became a nin - nad finally the Mother Superior of New France. Took place 1703 - and forward. I've not read it yet!;)

I'm still very much enjoying One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson and when I finish that I plan another Orange read - maybe Lullibies for Criminals. BTW - I picked up Where White Horses Gallop today at the library, as well asMy Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier - since you had mentioned reading Rebecca - but my library did not have it in today. I think I'm biting off more than I can chew bookwise latey! ;)

Somehow with this nice weather I'm finding myself outside more than usual. At last we have summer!

#304 Hi Valerie : )

#305 Hi Deb, I remember you writing in one of the threads about Esther Wheelright - what a life story! I quite enjoyed Lullabies for Little Criminals - it is not like anything I've read before. I'll be looking forward to your thoughts. I'm tickled you found Where White Horses Gallop and do hope you will enjoy it - I know I've raved about it and our east coast storytellers. Hmm, I'll also be very curious to see what you think of My Cousin Rachel; I plan to read more du Maurier. But like you ... getting just a little ahead of myself this past while.

Yes, the weather is gorgeous and I'm outside most of every day. As a result, I've returned several books to the library in the past month which I haven't even cracked ...

Hi Nancy!
I have had Cutting for Stone sitting here for ages and it's only its length that's putting me off. Now I'm more curious to see what I think...
I still haven't read Rebecca either.

Hello there - think I will give Bride of New France a miss - lovely cover though....Where white horses gallop remains on my WL until I read another book (according to my self imposed spending restriction)...but I am looking forward to it!

"I have no idea whether I’ll actually read 75 books this year, but I think this is a fine way to find out!"

Are you kidding me! Your count is looming at 55! I am at a ridiculous 10 as of now. :(
btw, how did you find Virginia Woolf in general? I started with The Mrs. Dalloway and found it very hard to follow.
May be that should be next target in 75. hmph...

#307 Hi Cushla! I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of Cutting for Stone. For me, it was one of those widely raved about novels, the appeal of which escaped me entirely - I call it my "fish swimming upstream" syndrome. Others which belong to the syndrome are Middlesex and Angela's Ashes (though the latter to a lesser extent).

#308 Prue, I so hope you will enjoy Where White Horses Gallop. I remember some of our conversations on your thread about national literature - I've got True History of the Kelly Gang on my list as one of your recommendations for an Australian read.

#309 Welcome Sandeep : ). Yes, I've done a huge amount of reading this year. I decided over our Christmas holiday that I would read my way through January and February - the most uninspiring months on the calendar for me. As they say, the rest is history!

My first experience with Virginia Woolf was this year. I downloaded an audio recording of Night and Day from LibriVox.org. The recordings are all in the public domain, so they are free to download; and the catalogue is huge. I very much enjoyed Night and Day (see post #35). I can see that Woolf could be difficult to follow ... in that regard, I think the audiobook was a great way to start.

Yes, listening to Woolf -- what a good idea -- I'm finding that listening to great writers read by someone talented and able enriches my understanding tenfold.

#311 Absolutely, Lucy. You said that perfectly! ... listening to great writers read by someone talented and able enriches my understanding tenfold.

This thread is getting a little long, slow on loading. So I've started a new one here:
lit_chick's 2011 Reading List (2)