Anita Brookner

wasn't sure where to post this as Anita Brookner isn't a Virago author - but I like to think she is of a type. Anyway I have been toying for a while with the idea of an Anita Brookner reading month. I have previously read 11 of her 24 books and I have 5 Brookner novels TBR - and it would a good excuse to read them - and I have fancied hosting a reading month of some kind on my blog. There are a good number of Anita Brookner novels and they aren't very big - so I thought she would fit the bill perfectly. Now then my questions to you all are:

1. Would anyone be interested in joining in with an Anita Brookner reading month?

2. Is a month too much - would a reading week be better? -I had thought a month - because I can imagine reading a couple of AB novels over a month but wouldn't really want to read more than one in a week - her work is wonderful, but quite meloncholic (some people say depressing - I don't)

3 When? - I had thought July as it is her 85th birthday on the 16th - but I know there are loads of other reading challenges in July - Paris in July and Orange July - plus my own re-reading challenge (which I will have to scale down this July anyway as my TBR is ridiculous) - still July seemed fitting - but is it too short notice? So I wondered about September instead - for no other reason than I couldn't think of anything else it would clash with. Which month would be best?

Ali; July works for me if I am only going to read 1 or perhaps 2 of Anita Brookner. I have not yet read her. As far as a month with a fairly clean slate, September is the first one that comes to mind. But whatever you decide I am good with.

This sounds a lovely idea. I'd like to do it in July to get some re-reads in as, as you know, I got up to a certain point in her oeuvre and stopped reading her as it all got a bit depressing, but do love her earlier books.

4: Like you, I did find her work a little on the down side - I remember the furore about Hotel du Lac when it came out, but I personally didn't like it that much. I was a lot younger though (!) so maybe I would respond differently now?

I've found that as I've got older, her heroines have stayed that bit older than me as the new books come out, and so it got more depressing. But I loved the early ones so very much and it would be lovely to revisit those again.

Ah - maybe I should try the early ones first then.

I like all of the ones I have read - I can see why some people think they are depressing - and I wouldn't want to read one after another. My favourites so far are AClosed Eye (1991) Look at me (1983) and Falling Slowly (1998) - I'm not sure where the line between early and late Brookner novels would come. I have read her 2009 novel Strangers - her latest full length novel - which while it wouldn't be a favourite is very impressive, it's a sad and reflective novel I suppose. There is (in my opinion) noone who can portray the sadness of a Sunday afternoon like Brookner. Anyway I think I will do the reading month in July for her birthday.

I'm in. Don't know which one I'll read but I have several on my tbr pile.

I will try and get hold of one and join in too!

Count me in Ali. I have heard a lot about her writing and it's time I read something by her. Thank you for setting this up. ♥

I am really looking forward to reading some of those early ones, discovered in my teens, again. My month of re-reading in July is forming already and it's only May!

Hi, I would like to join in, I read a number of her books and always enjoyed them.

I've been very bad at keeping to reading commitments recently but will aim to read at least one Brookner in July.

I've read five of her books (one when I was in my late teens and four more recently) and enjoyed them all. I agree with your comment, Alison, that her work is more melancholic in tone than downright depressing though I do have to be in the right mood for the melancholy.

I have several of hers on my shelves, still to read, including a boxed set of her early novels which has been calling to me recently.

I've never read anything by Brookner, so this would give me a reason to try. I'll try and fit at least one into my July reading. Thanks for suggesting this, Ali!

I might be regarded as an Anita Brookner fan. I particularly liked Dolly, A Private View, Visitors, and Falling Slowly. I was less fond of Lewis Percy, A Friend from England, and Altered States.

Unfortunately I don't have any of these books at hand, and my memory for details of plot is very bad. I'd be happy to chime in whenever I can, though.

What a great idea in honor of the author's upcoming birthday!

Just a little reminder that Brookner in July is nearly upon us.

For those of you with blogs/and or twitter - the hashtag #BrooknerinJuly can be used - along with this image

I am ready and raring to go. Anita Brookner should go very well with Orange July. Thank you for the 'bump' post to remind us Ali.

I shall join in too Ali - I found a copy of Hotel du Lac in a charity shop(!) and so I plan to see what I think of it nearly 30 years on. I've done a little post linking to your site too.

yes thanks for that - Hotel Du Lac was my first Brookner - a good introduction to her work. Although I always associate her with London mansion houses, though of course several of her books have European settings. I am hoping to get three read during July - though I may do more than that I do actually have SIX!! TBR - which is partly what prompted me to host this reading event. I have:

Undue Influence
Family and Friends
The Next Big thing
A friend from England
Latecomers
Providence

Which shall I start with? oh decisions decisions!

That's bizarre Ali. I have six Brookners as well:

Hotel du Lac
Look at Me
The Debut
Providence
Falling Slowly
Visitors

Providence appears to be the only one we share Ali.
As I've not yet read any of her body of work I think I will begin with A Start in Life or The Debut as it is entitled here.

I've never read anything by Brookner either - I think I will try Hotel du Lac on July which I can see my local library has a copy of.

Hotel du Lac - say no more - I loved it. I had a bit of a purge of books some time ago and hers were some that went - oh dear.

#20 oh Belva A start in Life is very good - though it's a while since I read it - I know it features a character who fears her life has been ruined by literature. I loved Look at Me and Falling Slowly, and remeber Vistors as another one I enjoyed a lot. Hope you enjoy your Brookner reading.

#21 Hotel Du Lac is a good one to start with Heather : ) enjoy!

I've read most of Brookner already so won't be joining in but my absolute fave is A Family Romance, which I read under the title Dolly. Hotel du Lac is where I started though.

I too have managed to acquire a charity-shop copy of Hotel du lac so that will be my Brookner read for July.

I was hoping to start with Hotel du Lac too but the Anita Brookner box set which contains it seems to have mysteriously disappeared from my bookshelves (ie I've lost it) :(

Oh Dee, that is just wrong. So sorry. Do you have another that you can read? Or perhaps use the library?

It is certainly very annoying! I do have several other Brookners but I particularly wanted to read one of her early ones and they're the ones in the boxed set. I will continue to search...

29: I'm *so* glad I'm not the only one who loses books somewhere in the caves of their shelves...... ;)))

>29 Soupdragon: & 30:
Do it all the time and get mighty *issed at myself. :-(

:))))))

Does anyone want a copy of Hotel Du Lac? I have a copy to give away.

Have started Hotel Du Lac (which I found at a charity store, or I would have taken up your kind offer) and finding it surprisingly enjoyable so far. I remember absolutely nothing about it at all!!

I finally found my Brookner boxed set (hidden behind some Penguin Modern Classics) and read the first chapter of Hotel du Lac in the garden this morning.

I'm very taken with the central character who has been sent away for some trangression which she seems to have mixed feelings about, feeling less shamed than others think she should and "not drowning but waving"! The grey clouds surrounding the hotel and its sombre respectability seem typical Brookner but I'm finding the tone lighter than with the more recent books of hers that I've read. As I've only read one chapter, it's still early days though!

I posted my review of Providence this morning - which is the second Brookner I have read in July - I read Undue Influence last week.

http://heavenali.wordpress.com/2013/07/13/providence-anita-brookner-1983/

Lovely review, Alison. Providence is also in my newly rediscovered box set and it was a toss-up for me whether to start with it or with Hotel du Lac.

Well, at 184 pages it didn't take me long to finish Hotel du Lac. I enjoyed it a lot, more so than some of the later Brookners I've read actually.

Edith reminded me a bit of Mildred in Excellent Women - a woman judged mousy and safe by others but who makes her own sharper observations of those judging her. Actually, I think Edith is referred to as an "excellent woman" at one point. Something else that Edith shares with Mildred (and certain Jane Austen characters) is a tendency to receive marriage proposals of dubious attractiveness!

I'm so glad you liked Hotel Du Lac - I remember it fondly and I liked Edith too - I hadn't though of her being like Mildred - but she is a bit : )

I have just begun Brookner's The Debut or A Start in Life as it is also entitled. I quite like it thus far but am only finding the child to be a likeable character.

I just completed The Debut and I loved it. This was my first experience with Anita Brookner and I found myself really enjoying her writing. While most of the primary characters are without redemption, I liked Ruth very much and enjoyed some of the other minor characters. The unredemptive ones made the book very interesting. I am thankful that I have a couple more of hers on my shelves.

This story follows Ruth Weiss, a young woman who lives a meaningless life overshadowed by her parents, George and Helen. Helen formerly counted herself among the B actors in London. Now she rarely leaves her bedroom. George formerly ran an antiquarian book store where he did less selling than fussing.
Ruth at some point attends the University where she studies Balzac. I suppose this book has some intertwining of themes with Balzac that will make it more meaningful but as I've not yet read him I did not pick up on them if they were there.
All three lead pathetic lives. Ruth moves back in with her parents because a date shows up late. Helen can’t be bothered to do anything except lay in bed and recount tales of her glory days. George sells the store but drops in daily to help the new owner because he has nothing better to do with his life. The only character who participates in her own life is Mrs. Cutler, the housekeeper. At first she is pretty sad herself. But at some point she gets moving and decides to find herself a husband. Not that people must be married but at least it showed some gumption on her part. The others have none. So perhaps there is some intended meaning to be gained from examining the life 'not lived'.
All of that being said I suppose one would think that I did not care for this book but I did. I cared for it a great deal and found it to be very well written & very interesting. This was my first Brookner but it won't be my last.
4 stars.

My review of Hotel du Lac here:

http://kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2013/07/17/recent-reads-hotel-du-la...

Much as I enjoyed her prose, I was left a bit cold in the end.

I've read A Start in Life which fitted in with my Month of Re-Reading and the Brookner Month - review here http://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2013/07/16/book-reviews-65/ I don't think I'll read another as I managed to buy ELEVEN books on holiday and came back to three more in the post - oops ...

Karen, I liked Edith. I saw her as an introvert and one of life's observers rather than lacking in substance. There were moments though, when I felt she had a sense of being superior to those she was observing and wondered how she could justify that! I found her easier to like than some of Brookner's later protagonists, possibly because her personality hadn't completely calcified and there still seemed a glimmer of hope for her!

The Debut/A Start in Life sounds good. Another one to look forward to.

44: I see what you mean, Dee, but I did find her inconsistent - Alex's post here is very good on this:

http://alexinleeds.com/2013/07/13/review-hotel-du-lac-by-anita-brookner/

Interesting review. I agree that Edith's actions and emotions could often be seen as constructs to move the book along but overall I didn't find Edith an unbelievable character. I thought she was someone who had led a quiet, repressive sort of life and that at times the things she had repressed showed themselves in an extreme way and at other times not at all.

Edited to add: Actually, I think Brookner intended Edith to be an inconsistent character. I think her work as an author of romance novels and her affair with a married man are supposed to be at odds with her careful persona, and it was not being able to admit how she felt about her lover, even to herself, that led to some of the seemingly odd behaviour later.

I think you might be right about Brookner's intentions there Dee - and I personally don't think she got that across properly. I guess we'll have to agree to differ!! :)

:)

Some rather rambling thoughts upon finishing Hotel du lac:

I really enjoyed the book. Brookner wonderfully evoked the sense of being in a liminal, transitional space where people perhaps behave more - or less - like their "real" selves. If we don't get a sense of who Edith is as a person, it is because she doesn't know herself, I believe. Perhaps by the end of the novel she is beginning to know herself, as evidenced by her sudden decisiveness. I liked that her vagueness as a character seems reflected in the misty landscape around her. The portraits of the other guests were fascinating, as their stories and characters are slowly revealed to us from behind Edith's initial (usually incorrect) assumptions. I especially liked Monica and would like to have followed her into the future. I did find it strange that Edith was such an appalling reader of people - one does expect writers to be more perceptive - but this could have been a joke on Brookner's part. I read Alex's review that Karen linked to in post 45, but disagree that Edith's behaviour was unrealistic, even though it was inconsistent. I could certainly recognise myself in Alex's summary of Edith's differing thoughts and actions, varying according to time of day, mood and company (or solitude). In addition to the atmosphere and characters, I also enjoyed Brookner's prose; it put me in mind of a more readable Henry James in its careful construction and word choices.

Many thanks to Ali for the inspiration to read this!

#49 Thanks Claire so glad you enjoyed it. I hope you don't mind my quoting you in my BrooknerinJuly round up post that I'm planning for the end of the month.

#46 - could I quote some of your thoughts too Dee?

I am currently reading my third Brookner of July Leaving Home published in 2005 it is one of her later novels and so far I am loving it.

>50 Heaven-Ali:: I don't mind at all Ali. Glad you found something of value in my ramblings!

50: That's fine, Alison.

I have written a post about Brookner in July - here

http://heavenali.wordpress.com/2013/08/01/rounding-up-reading-brookner-in-july/

53: Great post, Ali. I plan to go back to it and check out some of the other blogs you've linked to, too. I'm familiar with some, but not all, of them.

I added my review of The Debut up above with my post on completing the book.

Great thanks Belva : )