Carol Thought These Were Great

 

The Searcher, Tana French 

The Mirror & The Light, Hilary Mantel

The last of Mantel’s trilogy about Thomas Cromwell. Wolf Hall, the first was the best. I’d even suggest reading it again or for the first time before reading this last. Bring Up the Bodies is the second and a disappointment, not as tightly written or compelling as Wolf Hall. They both won Booker Prize, but I didn’t agree with the second. Anyway. This one is a sturdy dense long story. It captivates at times yet meanders at others, delving into the inner thoughts and complexities of the son of an abusive blacksmith from Putney who became Lord Cromwell, the most powerful man of his era. He manages King Henry VIII with some success and the king himself as a persona continues to be well-drawn, less so his queens in this novel.

Mantel uses interesting devices to tell us what Cromwell is thinking, even as he speaks. It is a smooth flowing style which does not rely on typical punctuation and brings us from third person to first person with an organic ease. A rare writing brilliance. The narrative is replete with images of light, reflection and mirrors, looking glasses on almost every page. More worthy than her second by far.

It is an 800-page tour de force with dozens of characters and settings so it takes many days to enjoy.

 

Once Upon A River, Diane Setterfield

I love a long meandering story. As long as it’s good. The river metaphor held throughout. Brilliantly crafted. A community of people who frequent The Swan, an Inn in Northern England along the Thames. Its currents are both forces and characters of their own. The telling is more interesting than the plot, which gets wrapped up too neatly and seems contrived at the end. But. At its best, this novel recollects The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton, in its rich description of a discreet place with mystical undertones. And Richard Russo’s characters around an isolated central location. Although this does not rise to Catton’s Booker Prize winner, it could have made the Longlist.

 

 

The Uninvited Guests, Sadie Jones

Jones has a jaundiced view of life. This book is ironically laugh out loud funny. A madcap Twilight Zone. She also seems to have a love of old “piles”. Here a cherished country manor called Sterne in a remote English setting. As in Laurence? Anyway, despite a rationale for her character, the mother was horrid. As was the mother in Jones’ most recent The Snakes. Most of the men are fuzzy and wishy-washy. The women are conflicted yet strong. A bit retro. The train wreck is an apt metaphor. It goes off the rails. A cleverly different and fun read.

The Snakes. Also by Sadie Jones, but not as good. And. Not really about snakes. Rich slum-lord developer British patriarch and his slithering beauty of a wife. Racist inept gendarmerie in France’s countryside. A ramshackle hotel. A fatalistic mystery with a few red herrings.

 

 Save Me The Plums, Ruth Reichl

Her Gourmet Magazine memoir as its doyenne for a decade from 1999 through 9/11 until the magazine’s demise in 2009. The story of Severine in Paris will blow your mind. Reichl’s writing about food is legend, but her storytelling is wonderful. Actress Louise Brooks of The Chaperone appears in one of Reichl’s vignettes.

Bitter Orange, Claire Fuller

Lyntons is an abandoned crumbling hulk of a once grand mansion in the English countryside. Its history interrupted by war when it was ravaged by military occupation. Cara, Peter & Frances, three damaged souls spend a summer in 1969 together in its ruins, a reflection of their own lives. Debauched and guilt-ridden, they use each other to deflect their own pain. It’s a tightly written piece which brings the reader into the scene.

 

 

 

 

Home Fire, Kamila Shamsie

Lost Boys. This story exemplifies the phenomenon of young men joining jihadi gangs. Young men who join gangs in general. The familial cultural and societal reasons why having a job, a direction and a present loving father make a difference. Each person’s perspective well told. It’s rare that a novel takes me from my recent hometown of Northampton, Massachusetts to Raqqa, Syria. An important book of our times.

 

 

 

 

    A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles

Count Rostov wears a gentlemanly attitude despite his confined 30-year sojourn at the Metropole Hotel in Moscow from 1930’s to 1950’s. Under house arrest after the Revolution, this aristocrat relishes the finer things found in his new surroundings from literature to furniture to food. It’s a beautiful story of love and loyalty that takes place within the walls of this old-world hotel yet extends its view into the history and streets of Russia throughout the decades from the Revolution to the Khrushchev years. Guests of the hotel bring the culture-of-the-day in from the cold. The funny narrator breaks the wall to welcome the reader into the fray.

 

 

The Woman on the Stairs, Bernhard Schlink 

Translation from German well done. Subtle mysteries. Irene, the young woman on the stairs in a painting brings three men together to confront old age and their disparate pasts in Germany. Each evaluates his life as Irene reunites them on her isolated island in Australia as she faces death. All of them loved her in different ways. Possessive, obsessive, unconditional. The latter beautiful. A story of loneliness, regret, then peace.

The Honeymoon, Dinitia Smith

Well structured and researched novel about the life story of literary icon George Eliot, nom de plume of Mary Anne Evans. Her rebellious and difficult childhood was indelibly scarred by rejection from her mother and brother. She retreated into a world of knowledge and books, while doting on her loving father. These gave her the strength to later withstand several heartbreaking liaisons with men. She finally finds a wonderful love with George Lewes from whom she took her pen name and inspiration. This period was her most productive as a writer for over 20 years. Adam Bede. Mill on the Floss. Middlemarch. When Lewes dies, she is 60 and finds solace in a strange 20-years younger dandy named Johnnie Cross. Her “honeymoon” with him is the titular plot line and it is a doozy. Beyond weird. Tore through 400-pages.

 

 

The Long Drop, Denise Mina

Beautifully written scenes of 1950’s Glasgow, giving context and culture of the times. The asides were even more poignant than the plot. Rich characters in a rough-and-tumble world of pubs and gambling clubs. The most memorable passage depicts three urchin boys playing in an abandoned luxury car and then portends how each of them might be affected by that experience in their futures. Based on an historic serial murder case.

 

 

 

The Night Ocean, Paul La Farge

I’m not sure. It kept me rapt. Author clearly had lots of things to work through. Personally. Literarily. Many unfinished stories found their way into this dense work. Sprawling disjointed tales of several complex people in different times and places. Spaces. Told from a woman’s point of view, Marina the shrink, working out her own issues. The author gave her an authentic voice. It begins as her husband Charlie disappears into Agawam Lake in the Berkshires. H.S. Lovecraftian fandom less clear. More context necessary for those not acquainted with this cult of science-fiction-horror genre. Nonetheless. Worth the meandering page-turning journey. Lots to think about.

La Farge’s New Yorker article about the story.

Little Deaths, Emma Flint

This made the Baileys prize Long List. Used to be Orange prize. Now both sponsors have ditched the prize. Why does there need to be a segregated literary prize for women authors? Man Booker list and winners include so many women. Anyway. This is a well written mystery. Character development excellent. Some of the plot twists and clues had holes. Feminist agenda aside. It is a compelling tragic story of neglected children and the horrors inflicted upon them by selfish immature adults. Although it takes place in 1960’s Queens, NY, it could be anywhere today.

 

 

 

 

BEFORE 2017

Muse, Jonathan Galassi

Pastiche parfait. Reminiscent of St. Aubyn’s Lost for Words. Not as brilliant, but nevertheless a ludic success. Fast forward not too far to get to where books and words are obsolete. Wonderfully derivative yet original characters and realistic literary authors, works and themes. Clever satire from a writer who clearly loves books and laments their future demise. Ida Perkins beautifully drawn muse as were the publishers and Paul, Galassi’s autobiographical soul. Conjured so many greats of historical literature. Love of words reigns supreme.

 

Church of Marvels, Leslie Parry 

Gritty Life Circus. A debut success. It does not rise to the lyrical edgy joy of Erin Morgenstern’s Night Circus. This tale is more Robertson Davies’ World of Wonders. Dark. But, glowing writing makes up for it. Turn of the last century saga of tortured tattered lives on Coney Island and lower Manhattan. Endurance. Wit.

 

 

 

 

The Unknown Bridesmaid, Margaret Forster

Not a silly bridesmaids story. It is a serious look at how we are formed from our DNA as well as experiences as children. Julia was a young bridesmaid who no one recognizes in a family wedding photo years later. A troubled girl by nature, Julia is the observer of her own anti-social and just plain mean actions. Parallel stories told from her past to her present intertwine emotions and case studies which mirror her mis-deeds. Although she never truly evolves, nor feels contrition, Julia is aware of her intrinsic lack of empathy. How guilt and shame shape certain lives.

The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt

Dickens meets Nietzsche meets Dostoevsky in Tartt’s third novel. The Goldfinch, Fabritius’ master painting, is the centerpiece of this epic tale. It becomes young Theodore Decker’s only glimmer of light as his life is blown to smithereens one afternoon at the Metropolitan Museum post- 9/11. As fate fractures, the tethered bird on the shelf also foretells shackles of self-loathing. Theo’s teen years are collateral damage of adults’ bad choices. Even when he’s given sanctuary, he rarely feels worthy. Life with an eccentric wealthy uptown family is muddled. In the Village, he apprentices with an antiques restorer father-figure, but later squanders opportunities. He spends tedious amount of chapters in another American locale, where the saga goes sour. We all waste way too much time with stereotypically corrupt Ukranian “friend” Boris. All semblance of clarity is lost in an increasingly substance-abused haze ending in Amsterdam. Would I recommend this book? I kept returning to it, hoping that Theo would kick his demons. It’s an absurdist journey. Tartt leaves the reader with art as hope and redemption. Without it, life is left both troubled and empty.

 

Ruby, Cynthia Bond

Bond’s prose is beautiful and takes the reader into Ruby’s world. A grisly depraved story of this poor little girl in the American Deep South in the 50’s and 60’s. Horrors heaped upon horrors, which many children did and do endure. The worst part was that the demented violence against her came at the hands of her own people. Churchgoing elder, Celia, was the most selfish and evil, the all too often woman who blames other women victims for their own abuse, holding deadly secrets as collateral. Resilience. Spiritual escape. Darkly captivating.

 

 

The Paying Guests, Sarah Waters 

A once grand Victorian house as stage for post-WWI English drama. The rooms and setting of the forlorn home are better drawn than its occupants. An uncomfortable and unlikely situation where a newlywed couple become renters of this rambling house, sharing an upstairs with the owner/quirky spinster daughter’s bedroom. She and her mother mostly live on the main level but the WC in the backyard has to be used by everyone so all are bumping into each other on landings and in the kitchen. A nightmare on its own. Worse, the mother and daughter have lost their husband/father, sons/brothers in the war. They live a humdrum daily routine of chores, frustration and regret. The newlyweds aren’t much fun either. They have their own issues. Suffice it to say that it’s a bit dreary. Misandry muddled with major misdeeds dominate the theme. A little bit of boring sex. Lots of bloody mess. However, shocking events occur which is a reason to keep reading.

 

The Mad Boy, Lord Berners, My Grandmother and Me, Sofka Zinovieff

 

Hard cover cream-color bound with a pink ribbon bookmark. Delicious biography of a talented wealthy old dandy and his people playthings. Filled with artists, musicians, writers, politicians of the times. Gertrude Stein, Igor Stravinsky, the Mitfords, the Lygons, Evelyn Waugh. Evolving decades of life at an Oxfordshire estate and its unlikely heirs. Fun read.

 

 

 

The Deptford Trilogy, Robertson Davies

Written in the 1970’s. Three unique novels revolve around the murder/death of Boy Staunton from Deptford, a rural village in Ontario, Canada. But, more so, lifelong ramifications of the flight of an errant snowball on three boys. Bottom line great writing.

Pre-WWI, the first novel, Fifth Business, is told from Dunstan Ramsay’s point of view. He is an unwitting catalyst in the snowball saga and his obsession with its victim and her family. The Manticore is the story of Boy’s family from his son David’s perspective. It focused on Jungian psychology. The third, World of Wonders the best.

The Strange Fate of Kitty Easton, Elizabeth Speller

Downton Abbey meets Easton Manor. As with Downton, the brutally devastating impact of World War I is sharply drawn in daily English country life at Easton. Heiress of the manor, little Kitty’s accidental disappearance provokes pervasive rampant guilt and suspicion. Upstairs, downstairs. All through the surrounding village. Plot twists and turns. An ancient church with a maze. Fun NOT to have guessed the ending.

 

 

 

The Sea The Sea, Iris Murdoch

1978 ManBooker Prize Winner. Good writing stands the test of time. Muddled relationships. Obsessive possession. Nothing is ever as it seems in a ramshackle antique house perched on a rocky English shore. Wonderful read. Also loved The Black Prince by Murdoch.

 

 

 

 

Snowdrops, A.D. Miller

This short Man Booker short-listed novel is a keen clear look into modern Russia. Corrupt, debauched, cynical, economically and morally depressed. Plot a bit silly but for current Putin-era context a must read.

 

 

 

 

 

An Unexpected Guest, Anne Korkeakivi 

A day in the life of American-born Clare living as the wife of a Brit ambassador in Paris. Her obsession with an old boyfriend Niall and her behavior with him as a young adult causes excessive fretting on the day of a big diplomatic dinner. Meanwhile she neglects her children. Her tolerant Brit husband is clueless. There is political preaching, too. Detailed descriptions of les rues, food, event prep, servants in supporting roles all good.

 

 

 

Chaperone, Laura Moriarty

Moriarty successfully conflates non-fiction and fiction. A soon-to-be famous true-life actress, Louise Brooks, and her chaperone Cora face childhood demons on a trip from Kansas to New York in the 1920’s. Cora’s profound epiphany emanates from her meeting with the past and the realization that life should not be bound by superficial morality.

 

 

 

All Our Yesterdays, Erik Tarloff 

This novel was billed as a ‘Big Chill’ derivative. Berkeley friends meet in college there and stay through adulthood. It was far more than that. It was a story of enduring love and good triumphing over evil. Zeke falls for his soul mate Molly in their early twenties. She strays for bad boy radical adventure and life happens to both of them. They reunite in a swirl of mayhem from the past. Zeke’s voice is authentic, poignant. His character the most deeply drawn. The narrative wavers a bit when the point of view changes and can get confusing. Some words and dialogue seem forced at times. But, nit-picking aside, I would recommend this read as well worth the investment.

 

That Old Cape Magic, Richard Russo

Marriage in the ‘sandwich years’. Relatable to us of a certain age. Coming to grips with elderly parents, young adult kids while our generation is trying to navigate retirement and the next phase. It ain’t easy to make sense of life in that context. Russo shines a sweet glimmer of hope in this light-hearted yet poignant quick novel. More great even are his Empire Falls and Bridge of Sighs.