Vancouverdeb's 2013 Orange reading.

Here is a link to my previous Orange reading.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/129765

I have on hand

Painter of Silence by Georgina Harding
Old Filth by Jane Gardam
The Song of Achillles by Madeline Miller
A Spell of Winter by Helen Dunmore
Unless byCarol Shields

and I have on order two more orange contenders..

The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives by Lola Shoneyin
Sorry by Gail Jones.

I'm not sure which one I will get to - but those are books I am considering for January.

I"m sure I've got others in my massive TBR pile, but those are the ones that I am aware of right now.

Of your choices, I highly recommend The Song of Achilles! If you are looking for recommendations, that is :)

Thanks for the suggestion Tina! Another good friend of mine in the " 75's tell me the same about The Song of Achilles. I'm not certain yet which one or two I will read. For some reason The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives is calling to me - but of course it's the one that I am waiting on from the Book Depository.

Baba Segi was also good, but I gave it 4 stars as compared to Achilles' 5 stars.... But that's just me!

I really enjoyed Unless, but I read it when it was published and I don't really remember much about it now.

I hadn't realized that Unless was published back in 2003 or so. For some reason I had thought it was newer. It's siting right on my coffee table. Really it's a junk collecting table most of the time... :)

Unless was Carol Shields last book...
It was my favorite book the year I read it.

I'm about 3/4 of the way through Sorry by Gail Jones. It's a story set in 1930's - 1940's Australia and what a heartbreaking story! I'm very much enjoying. It was longlisted for the Orange Prize some years ago.

#8 I have that one wishlisted Deb so I look forward to your thoughts on it. It's funny how often I find that I really love some of the longlisted books.

>#8;
Sorry is awaiting my pick up at the library. I am really looking forward to the read. Nice to see you are enjoying it so much.
Of your list up top I have only read two but have been waiting and waiting for my number to come up in the library queue for The Song of Achilles. I am so excited to read that one as everyone simply seems to love it. And I do have Old Filth on my shelves somewhere.
The ones I have read are Painter of Silence and A Spell of Winter. The former was a 4* read for me. I really liked it a lot and the Dunmore was a 5+* read for me. But then I am of the firm opinion that you simply cannot go wrong with a Helen Dunmore. I find her beyond amazing and have loved everything I have read of hers.

I just loved Sorry, but I did not review it, just put a few comments on my 75 in 2013 thread. Rainpebble did a fabulous job with her review of Sorry!

Well worth the read!

In addition to Sorry by Gail Jones, also read the short listed 2004 Orange, The Colour by Rose Tremaine.

Oh, did you enjoy The Colour Deborah? I have been putting that one and also her The Road Home off for eons. Don't know why but every time I pick one of them up, I just put it right back on the shelf.

I've not read any Tremain yet so I'm interested to hear more of your thoughts too.

I finally did do a review of The Colour if you are interested. It's on the main page.

Thank you Deb for letting me know. I just went over and read it and think I will give it another try in July. Your review backstoried the book very well. Thanx.

forgot to say: The thumb struck again.

Finished and reviewed Life After Life by Kate Atkinson on the main page. 5 stars!

Once every year or two I am fortunate enough to run across a novel that is very unique, beautifully written and so engaging that I just get lost in the pages and I am so sorry when the novel draws to a close. Such is the case with Life After Life.

Prior to reading Life After Life, I had some misgivings . The story is based on the premise that the main character, Ursula Todd, is born and dies many times throughout the novel. I have difficulty with " experimental " novels and in particular I did not care for the movie Groundhog Day in which a man wakes on Groundhog's day repeatedly. This concern with regard to Life After Life was for nothing, so expertly and smoothly does Kate Atkinson handle the transitions. Each time that Ursula dies - or takes her last breathe, she wakes up as the same person , with realistic , grounded settings and an expanse of well - drawn characters, rounded characters . Each time Ursula is born into the same family, with the same setting, just the circumstances change, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. The novel depends on the premise that when one comes to a fork in the road of life, one can choose to go left or right, and everything that happens after that choice is made is more or less consequence. Ursula is not is not always reborn as a baby, but often " the darkness falls" even as she is older , only for her to wake at the same age, or slightly older or younger, but always she is always Ursula, surrounded by the same cast of friends and family, though as time goes on new characters are of course present, and where Ursula lives changes as she ages. Once you accept that premise , which was very easy, the novel flows effortlessly .

As the story begins in February of 1910, Ursula is born and reborn several times , depending on whether the cord around her neck is cut in time or not. The re-births slow down greatly as the novel goes on. Ursula Todd is the third child , born to Hugh and Sylvie Todd. Father Hugh is a banker and mother Sylvie is his well -bred, intelligent wife.Eldest brother Maurice is a difficult, often cruel and thoughtless character throughout the story. Pamela, the second child, a practical, steadfast person and remains a close friend to Ursula no matter the circumstances. Younger brother Teddy ( Edward) is the good natured family favourite, and youngest child Jimmy arrives after Hugh returns from Flanders Field, WW1. The Todd family lives in country home called Fox Corner , which is within commuting distance of London England. They are well- to- do, with a cook, Mrs Glover and and Irish maid,Bridget.

As Ursula experiences " the darkness falling" and waking up to new set of circumstances, she begins to occasionally have a sense of deja vu. Will Bridget and Teddy die of the Spanish flu, will a child drown in a lake or not, when Ursula turns 16, will she be raped , causing a dreadful episode, or will she throw off her attacker and go onto and go onto college? Each episode ends with darkness falling and Ursula reacting differently and thus a new set of circumstances come into play.

The novel moves forward to WW11, with the London Blitz being perhaps most central to the novel , vividly and realistically described. Darkness falls relatively frequently during the Blitz, as Ursula works for the war office, does or does not work for the ARP, is or is not hit directly by a bomb.There are many grim scenes of bombs falling, fires, dismembered bodies, the smell of cordite and death. The horror of the London Blitz become very real. I enjoyed Kate Atkinson's even handed treatment of the soldiers of war. During the London Blitz, as Ursula is outside amongst the bombing , she " found it very odd to think that up above them there were German bombers flown by men who, essentially, were just like (her brother) Teddy. They weren't evil , they were just doing what had been asked of them by their country. It was the war that was evil, not the men. Although she would make an exception for Hitler.'Oh yes, 'Miss Wolff said, 'I should think the man is quite, quite mad.'" page 374

Does Ursula's seemingly infinite number of number of lives allow her to change the worlds destiny or not?

Though the plot may sound intricate and possibly grim, overall it is a warm, wonderful, and not infrequently darkly humorous read, one to be savored and appreciated. I enjoyed each and every word, and was sad to say good- bye to Ursula and the many wonderful characters that populated the novel.

5 wonderful stars

I really liked it as well, but am having a time trying to review it. I feel like I'll give something away, but you've done a wonderful job.

It didn't occur to me that she was sometimes reborn at an older stage. I just thought we were picking up the story at a point where a decision would be made. What do you make of the first story? Was that just there as a piece from later?

Deb, your reviews are marvelous. You have some writing talent yourself my friend. Lotz of thumbs going on over there. And I am so happy that you loved it. Makes me really look forward to reading it.
I hope you are having a nice day up North. It is dark and rather stormy just below you this weekend. I finally dug in and got some Spring cleaning done yesterday though. Hubby went nuts and said: I'm driving out to the beach and check out some camping areas. Ha ha; doesn't like to be underfoot when I clean. Between the noise of it and my cursing he can't hear the telly, you know. lol!~!
I suppose I had better get off here and get ready for church. Hubby going with. Huge praises.
warm hugs,
b

I bought Life After Life at Barnes & Noble this morning. The woman at the information desk passed by me, noticed that I was holding it, and told me that she was reading it and loved it so far. I'll probably read it the week after next.

18 Elizabeth, I had the most difficult time reviewing the book, so I feel your pain. I procrastinated for a day , then stayed up til 3 am trying to write a review that made some sense but did not give away much of the plot -but also gave a few teasers. Trying to explain the " life after life" bit was my main concern, because that aspect of the book had been off -putting to me, before I began reading the book and realized how smoothly and well it worked. So I really sympathize with you! As for your question re is she reborn at an older stage, I would say yes . However , the way Kate Atkinson handled the transition was to say " and darkness fell" or some such thing. Then in the next episode Ursula would just be in a different slightly/ or very different situation then the one that she died in. I'm not sure that we need to say she was re-born, because the novel does not emphasis that aspect, except at the beginning. I do think that she dies each time though, but of course that is very open to interpretation and I think Kate Atkinson probably planned it that way.

As for your last section - again, yes, I'm not sure. Was that foreshadowing or did it happen beforehand? Once again I think Kate Atkinson leaves that open to interpretation. I think Kate Atkinson also needed a " hook' to grab the readers interest and to give an idea of what might happen in the novel, so I think that piece could serve in several ways.

19 Belva, I'm really not sure about me having any writing talent. I really labour over my reviews . I get befuddled with how to explain things, how much to give away , how much not to say. In the end I try to give the information that I would want if I was thinking about reading the book. Thanks for your kind words. It is not too bad here today! Ah! I need to do some spring cleaning myself!

20 Oh I do hope you enjoy the book, Darryl! It was really an excellent read for me, one of those books that I just want to hug.

I prefer not to know anything about a book before I start reading, so I only read enough of your review to see that you thought Life after Life is really good. I'll have to come back and read your review properly one I've read the book, which may be a while as I don't have a copy yet... Am looking forward to it very much x

@ 22 for your kind words, and yes I did love Life After Life ! Do let me know what you think of it when you get to it.

Here is my review for A Trick I Learned from Dead Men , which is also on the main page. This is my 4th Orange 2013 read.

A Trick I Learned From Dead Men is a quirky, interesting mix of dark humour and much sorrow. The novel is short, with just over 200 well spaced pages.

The story is narrated by our 25 year old protagonist, Lee Hart. The style of narration reflects Lee's lack of education and his station in life, but can be off putting ,as it is very colloquial. Lee is a mortician in training. At a very young age, his father simply disappeared from the family in search of work, never to be heard from again. Lee's mother re- married a fellow named Lester, who, after the cancer death of Lee's mother, sits nearly catatonic on the couch watching daytime TV. Lee has a deaf, very mentally disturbed somewhat younger brother, who he also tries to care for.

Lee's work as a mortician in training is touching, very graphic and insightful. Lee describes sewing lips together, stabilizing eyeballs, and applying make up to the dead. As Lee narrates " The dead deserve some peace and quiet. Important to respect their needs, it's not like they want much. Dead men need no one and nothing. Fair play to all of them, we could all take a tip." p 137

Overall I was disappointed in the novel. Though I am accustomed to enjoying short ,sparse novels, I felt that the characters were underdeveloped, the narrative slight and somewhat annoying, and the ending to be very sudden and ambiguous. Just like the inderminate ending to the novel, I am left feeling puzzled and uncertain as to how to rate this book. 3. 25 stars

Wondering what you are planning to read in Orange July? It's almost upon us.

Well, I guess I will revive my old thread. I just finished reading Aren't We Sisters? by Patrica Ferguson and the review is on the main page, as well as here.

The novel "Aren't We Sisters?" takes place in 1930's Britain, in the small Cornish town of Silkhampton.

The narrative moves among three women, Norah Thornby , Lettie Quick and Rae Grainger. The overarching theme of the story is the ignorance that women of that era had about reproduction. Many, if not most women did not know how they became pregnant, nor how to prevent pregnancy and oftentimes, very little about the process of giving birth. A quote from the book as Rae ponders on how a woman might give birth is very telling of the time. " Had Mrs Dorrit protected her bedding? Had Jane Eyre had a big gush? Perhaps Mr. Rochester had stood her a new mattress." ( p.286)

Lettie Quick , inspired by the real life Marie Stopes, tries to educate women about contraception,pregnancy, and childbirth to help women become " sovereign over their bodies." Initially she spreads the word via a mobile clinic, but goes to Silkhampton to establish a women's clinic in the seedy part of town.

Norah is an upper class " spinster" , in her early 30's, who is having financial difficulties maintaining her grand family home . Her parents have passed away, and she knows nothing about sex other than what her mother taught her ;" purity is valuable in itself."

Rae is a beautiful, young British film star who has found herself with a " little problem." She has contacted less then respectable people who will assist her with her "little problem." She has hidden out in an old , crumbling and isolated cottage far from the town of Silkhampton. There, the slightly eccentric Bea Givens, an older lady, looks after her.

As I read the first few pages, I was concerned that I had stumbled upon a novel that graphically and perhaps pedantically was going to lecture me on the contraceptive methods of the 1930's. Fortunately I was very wrong. Don't be put off by the first few pages.

All of these lives intersect in the most interesting ways to create a very readable novel, one which includes suspense and even murder. The novel is written in ordinary prose, neither spare, nor the sort where one would wax eloquent about the beautiful language. It is simply an engaging, unusual novel that is a wonderful read .

Aren't We Sisters? is long listed for the 2015 Bailey's Prize and given it's overall theme of empowerment and education for women in the 1930's, I can see why.

An engaging , interesting and even suspenseful novel, it is one that I think should find a wide audience. 4.25 stars

I finished A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler and it is my favourite 2015 Bailey contender so far.

Review

A Spool of Blue Thread is in large part a story about two aging parents, Abby and Red Whitshank. Their four grown children become concerned for their welfare and gather together to help out the parents. Denny is their " prodigal son" , who has never really made good in life and he comes rushing home. Stem , the easy going, successful son also steps in to help . There are two daughters', Amanda and Jeannie. Though the story is about the aging parents, in fact they are only in their early 70's and Abby, the mother, is just having the odd wandering spell. Whilst the story is about the aging parents, it is so much more about family dynamics, between parents and children, between husband and wife, between adult siblings and even grandparents and grandchildren and their relationships. This story is really about keenly observed relationships, the eccentrics that every family has, the unspoken secrets , jealousy and favoritism. It's about coming from the wrong side of the tracks, about social climbing or one's lack thereof. I found it to be a wonderful , page turner of a book. Though my family is not particularly like the Whitshank family, I could certainly identify with the family and I suspect most of us could do so.

On the back of the book The Boston Globe says of A Spool of Blue Thread says " They are our own families; they are our ourselves; and it is our own desperate desire to understand the people that we love, as well as the people who hurt us and whom we hurt, that keeps us reading with fervor" and I would heartily concur.

A wonderful and insightful read. I have to mention that I think that this is my favourite of Anne Tyler's books that I have read. Anne Tyler is now in her early 70's and I too have grown older, so I think that Anne Tyler has become an even keener, kinder observer of humanness and I too have grown older and can appreciate this book that much more.

4. 5 enthusiastic stars

Good to catch up with some of your reading, Deb! I wasn't going to bother with A Spool of Blue Thread, but you've made it sound appealing.

I'm getting increasingly tempted by Aren't We Sisters. It may be joining my Kindle library this weekend, I think.