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Mailbox Monday
If you follow my Mailbox Monday posts, you'll know I collect Virago Modern Classics, works by talented but often little-known woman authors. I've had pretty good luck finding titles through Paperbackswap. Not long ago, one of my wish listed titles became available and I entered into a bit of correspondence with the PBS member about the book. I mentioned that I collect these books, and she threw a bonus VMC into the box. But that wasn't all. This PBS member had seen several VMCs in a used bookshop, and offered to do a little shopping for me. Within a day or two she sent me a list of available titles, and I chose 7 that I needed in my collection. She bought them, boxed them, and mailed them ... and I sent her some PBS credits in return. These seven books marked a major milestone: I now own 101 of the more than 500 published Virago Modern Classics!
Reaching this milestone required a celebration of sorts: reorganizing the bookshelf that holds these "enduring works by women novelists" !!
Reaching this milestone required a celebration of sorts: reorganizing the bookshelf that holds these "enduring works by women novelists" !!
And a close-up on the 7 books:
Back row, left to right: The Three Sisters, by May Sinclair; Rumour of Heaven, by Beatrix Lehman; Selected Stories, by Sylvia Townsend Warner
Middle row, left to right: Taking Chances, by M.J. Farrell; The Way Things Are, by E.M.Delafield; Mad Puppetstown, by M.J. Farrell
Middle row, left to right: Taking Chances, by M.J. Farrell; The Way Things Are, by E.M.Delafield; Mad Puppetstown, by M.J. Farrell
Front and center, the honorary #100: The Tortoise and the Hare, by Elizabeth Jenkins
If you are a Paperbackswap member, I encourage you to visit this kind member's PBS bookshelf!
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What landed in your mailbox this week? Visit Marcia at The Printed Page to find out what others have received ...
Well, June has come and gone so it's time for both a monthly and quarterly wrap-up. Since we're also well into July now, I'll also share a bit about my current reading. Last month I came out of May's reading funk and was back on my normal pace. While I read only 5 books, one of them was over 600 pages and reading just over 2000 pages is pretty typical for me. Here are my complete June stats:- 5 books (38 YTD)
- 2,044 pages (11,473 YTD)
- 3 written by women
- 1 from the "1001 Books you Must Read Before you Die" list
- 2 from a "new" country for my Reading Across Borders and Lost in Translation challenges
- Wives and Daughters - review (
) - Desertion - review ( )
- Omeros - review (
) - The House of Mirth - review (
) - The Girls - review ( )
- 19 books, 38 YTD
- 5,735 pages, 11,473 YTD
- 12 written by women, 26 YTD
- 2 from the "1001 Books you Must Read Before you Die" list, 10 YTD
- 2 Booker Prize winners, 5 YTD (2009 goal: 12)
- 0 Orange Prize winners, 3 YTD (2009 goal: 8) ... but just wait for Orange July!
- 2 Pulitzer Prize winners, 2 YTD (2009 goal: 6)
- 2 Virago Modern Classics, 4 YTD (2009 goal: 10)
- 4 from a "new" country for my Reading Across Borders and Lost in Translation challenges, 6 YTD (2009 goal: 10)
- 8 "just for fun" -- not associated with any particular reading goal! I've read 14 YTD.
- Sorry - review (
) - The Elegance of the Hedgehog - review ( )
- Wives and Daughters - review ( )
- Desertion - review ( )
- Miss Mole - review (
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- 2009 - Home, by Marilynne Robinson
- 1999 - A Crime in the Neighborhood, by Suzanne Berne (complete - read my review)
- 1998 - Larry's Party, by Carol Shields (complete - read my review)
- 1997 - Fugitive Pieces, by Anne Michaels
- 1996 - A Spell of Winter, by Helen Dunmore
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Join The Sunday Salon here.
Larry's PartyCarol Shields
339 pages
Larry Weller is an average guy who moved from young adulthood to middle age in a pretty average way. He received a diploma in floral design, choosing the profession more by accident than by choice, and moved "up the ladder" in a small floral chain store. On his honeymoon he became fascinated with garden maze design, and made this the cornerstone of his career. He struggled to form meaningful adult relationships with parents, siblings, and women. But as Larry moved from this twenties through his thirties and forties, he matured, "found himself," and made peace with key figures in his life.
Reading Larry's Party is like watching selected scenes from a movie. Each chapter covers a short time in Larry's life and is self-contained, almost like a short story. Shields provides details as if previous chapters had not been written; for example, well into the book she described Larry's parents, and his education, even though earlier chapters covered these aspects of his life in detail. At the beginning of the book, Larry is in his late twenties; by the end, he is 47 -- the same age as I am now. I could relate to Larry's journey through adulthood, and think this book may be more enjoyable for older audience. (
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A Crime in the NeighborhoodSuzanne Berne
285 pages
One summer evening in 1972, a young boy was brutally murdered behind a suburban shopping mall. His death sent shock waves through the neighborhood; this crime was unprecedented. The murder and related events are retold by Marsha, a 10-year-old girl. She becomes a bit obsessed with the murder and imagines herself a private investigator, collecting "evidence" in a notebook. But at the same time, Marsha's own life has been turned upside-down by dysfunctional family relationships. The reader quickly realizes Marsha may not have a firm grasp of the situation.
In fact, over the course of the novel several "crimes" are committed: husband-wife betrayal, deceit between siblings, squabbles and mistrust between neighbors. Some are incidental; others have significant after-effects. Suddenly it becomes clear that solving the murder is not the point of this Orange Prize-winning novel. It starts out as a mystery, but ends with insights on a deeper crime: man's inhumanity to man. Recommended. (
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The GirlsLori Lansens
343 pages
Rose and Ruby, "the girls" in this novel, are conjoined twins. In fact, at 29, they are the oldest surviving craniopagus twins (joined at the head). Raised by Aunt Lovey and Uncle Stash, they now live independently and work at the town library. Rose, the more intellectual and bookish of the two, sets out to write their life story. She asks Ruby to contribute her own writings. The result is The Girls, a story that is both enlightening and touching.
Rose and Ruby have overcome a myriad of physical challenges just to live life day-to-day, and are faced with numerous medical issues. They can only view each other through mirrors. This means that although they have spent every moment of their lives together, their experiences and observations are sometimes vastly different. They have also kept secrets from each other. There is a scene where one twin observes a situation she knows will greatly disturb the other twin (who cannot see the situation herself). This is revealed in the novel but, because the twins do not share their chapters with each other, only the reader knows the full story.
Lori Lansens does a brilliant job of describing the significant challenges faced by conjoined twins, while also portraying the twins as everyday people possessed of typical emotions, ambition, and dreams. I also appreciated Lansens' technique of intertwining the twins' stories, revealing different aspects through each girl and allowing the reader to form the full picture of their lives. All in all, quite a thought-provoking read. (
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TEASER TUESDAYS, hosted by MizB at Should be Reading asks you to: - Grab your current read and let the book fall open to a random page.
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page
- Share the title of the book the “teaser” comes from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
- Please avoid spoilers!
My two sentences:
I needed to know the details of what had happened to Uncle Stash. When? Where? Did he call in the emergency himself?
page 95, The Girls, by Lori Lansens
page 95, The Girls, by Lori Lansens
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Today I'm near Toronto, Canada with Rose and Ruby, two 29-year-old conjoined twins. Rose is writing her autobiography. Occasionally Ruby writes a chapter, too. Their story is an interesting one, both because of the challenges they face and because their different points of view bring such depth to the story.
Today I'm near Toronto, Canada with Rose and Ruby, two 29-year-old conjoined twins. Rose is writing her autobiography. Occasionally Ruby writes a chapter, too. Their story is an interesting one, both because of the challenges they face and because their different points of view bring such depth to the story.
Visit an adventure in reading to find out where others are today.
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What landed in your mailbox this week? Visit Marcia at The Printed Page to find out what others have received ...
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of spending a weekend in the Berkshires (Massachusetts), with a group of LibraryThing friends. While there, we toured The Mount, Edith Wharton's estate built in 1902. While living at The Mount, Wharton wrote The House of Mirth, which I just finished reading this morning. So for today's Salon I present to you my review. Next week I'll share my June and second quarter wrap-up, and a preview of my Orange July reads. Have a great week, everyone!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The House of MirthEdith Wharton
462 pages
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Join The Sunday Salon here.
OmerosDerek Walcott
325 pages
Omeros is an epic poem, loosely modeled on The Odyssey. Set in the Caribbean, its main characters are a collection of fishermen, a mysteriously beautiful woman named Helen, and a retired English major and his wife. The book jacket described a scene where one of the fishermen is transported to his ancestral African village. The led me to believe his journey was a central element of the story, but this was just one of many vignettes in this book.
Having enjoyed The Odyssey, I really wanted to like Omeros, too. However, the story didn't "flow"; it seemed to dart all over the place, with some sections set in the Caribbean, and others in London and America. I couldn't find the "glue" that made it all hang together. Significant events, like the death of an important character, were told in such a way that I had to re-read the passage to "get it." However, the story of the major and his wife, living out their final years on the island, was most poignant. Some passages in this work were quite lyrical, and I enjoyed the rhythmic language. However, my overall impression was less than positive. ( )
Having enjoyed The Odyssey, I really wanted to like Omeros, too. However, the story didn't "flow"; it seemed to dart all over the place, with some sections set in the Caribbean, and others in London and America. I couldn't find the "glue" that made it all hang together. Significant events, like the death of an important character, were told in such a way that I had to re-read the passage to "get it." However, the story of the major and his wife, living out their final years on the island, was most poignant. Some passages in this work were quite lyrical, and I enjoyed the rhythmic language. However, my overall impression was less than positive. (
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From left to right:
The Caravaners, by Elizabeth von Arnim; The Adventures of Elizabeth in Rugen, by Elizabeth von Arnim; Union Street, by Pat Barker
And then, I also received a wonderful package from a dear friend. This was part of a gift exchange among a group of LibraryThing friends.
From left to right:
Over the Frontier, by Stevie Smith; The Snow Geese, by William Fiennes; The Little Stranger, by Sarah Waters; Sock Monkey Dreams, by Whitney Shroyer & Letitia Walker
What a delightful batch of goodies! That sock monkey book is totally silly, by the way. But I have a thing for sock monkeys, so I love it.
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What landed in your mailbox this week? Visit Marcia at The Printed Page to find out what others have received ...
DesertionAbdulrazak Gurnah
262 pages
Desertion opens with an Englishman, Martin Pearce, stumbling into an east African town, exhausted and potentially injured. He is taken in by Hassanali, who found him in the streets. During his recovery, Pearce falls in love with Hassanali's sister Rehana. The stage is set for a tale of interracial love in colonial Africa, c. 1899. And then suddenly, as Part I comes to an end, it becomes clear there is more to this story than the European man and native woman. As the narrator says, It is about how one story contains many and how they belong not to us but are part of the random currents of our time, and about how stories capture us and entangle us for all time. (p. 120). I read that passage and was hooked; entangled for all time, so to speak.
Gurnah fast-forwards from the story of Martin and Rehana to 1960s Zanzibar on the brink of independence. The narrator is Rashid, the youngest in a family that includes sister Farida and brother Amin. Farida doesn't do well in school, and takes up dressmaking while secretly writing poetry. Amin finishes school, but certain events keep him rooted in Zanzibar. He cares for his parents and shepherds the family through tumultuous years of government unrest. Rashid appears to be an underachiever, and yet is the only one to qualify for university education in England. He leaves Zanzibar just before independence, and struggles with finding his way in a strange land. He is not entirely happy with what he becomes:
Gurnah fast-forwards from the story of Martin and Rehana to 1960s Zanzibar on the brink of independence. The narrator is Rashid, the youngest in a family that includes sister Farida and brother Amin. Farida doesn't do well in school, and takes up dressmaking while secretly writing poetry. Amin finishes school, but certain events keep him rooted in Zanzibar. He cares for his parents and shepherds the family through tumultuous years of government unrest. Rashid appears to be an underachiever, and yet is the only one to qualify for university education in England. He leaves Zanzibar just before independence, and struggles with finding his way in a strange land. He is not entirely happy with what he becomes:
In time I drifted into a tolerable alienness. Living day to day, this alienness became a kind of emblem, indeterminate about its origins. Soon I began to say black people and white people, like everyone else, uttering the lie with increasing ease, conceding the sameness of our difference, deferring to a deadening vision of a racialised world. For by agreeing to black and white, we also agree to lmit the complexity of possibility, we agree to mendacities that for centuries served and will continue to serve crude hungers for power and pathological self-affirmations. (p. 222)
The story eventually comes full circle. One story did, indeed, contain many. The connections unfolded in a tantalizing, gradual way and the overall effect was quite poignant. A very enjoyable read. (
)TEASER TUESDAYS, hosted by MizB at Should be Reading asks you to: - Grab your current read and let the book fall open to a random page.
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page
- Share the title of the book the “teaser” comes from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
- Please avoid spoilers!
My two sentences:
That was how he was when he arrived, exhausted, lost, his body worn out and his face and arms covered with cuts and bites. Hassanali, on his knees in the dust, felt for the man's breath, and when he felt it warm and strong on his palm, he smiled to himself as if he had managed something clever.
page 6, Desertion, by Abdulrazak Gurnah
page 6, Desertion, by Abdulrazak Gurnah
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I'm in an east African town, where local shopkeeper Hassanali has just encountered an exhausted, possibly injured European who staggered into the town very early one morning. Hassanali took him to his home for rest and care. After that brief bit of action to set up the story, Tanzanian author Abdulrazak Gurnah has taken me, chapter by chapter, into the minds and hearts of several key characters. Now that I understand the very different perspectives each brings to the story, it will be interesting to see what happens to the European!
I'm in an east African town, where local shopkeeper Hassanali has just encountered an exhausted, possibly injured European who staggered into the town very early one morning. Hassanali took him to his home for rest and care. After that brief bit of action to set up the story, Tanzanian author Abdulrazak Gurnah has taken me, chapter by chapter, into the minds and hearts of several key characters. Now that I understand the very different perspectives each brings to the story, it will be interesting to see what happens to the European!
Visit an adventure in reading to find out where others are today.
From left to right:
Told by an Idiot, by Rose Macaulay; The Brimming Cup, by Dorothy Canfield
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What landed in your mailbox this week? Visit Marcia at The Printed Page to find out what others have received ...
What landed in your mailbox this week? Visit Marcia at The Printed Page to find out what others have received ...
Having devoted the past two weeks of my life to one single book, I also feel compelled to devote this Sunday Salon to my review of the same book!
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Wives and Daughters
Elizabeth Gaskell
652 pages
Elizabeth Gaskell's last novel is a classic story of English life in the mid-1800s. Heroine Molly Gibson is the daughter of a widowed doctor in the town of Hollingford. As a teenager she is sent on an extended visit with the Hamleys, one of two wealthy families in the area. Mrs. Hamley takes an instant liking to Molly, making her a companion of sorts. Molly also befriends the younger son Roger, and later meets his brother Osborne. Roger helps Molly work through feelings regarding her father's marriage to Clare, a local widow. Clare also has a teenage daughter, Cynthia, who has been schooled in France for many years. Cynthia and Molly become close friends, even though the two young women couldn't be more different. The story unfolds at a very slow and easy pace. Not much happens, and yet everything happens. People become sick, and some die. People visit London, and some travel further afield. Most people are inherently good, but there are one or two bad apples in Hollingford who, of course, get their comeuppance.
Gaskell is well-known for exposing and exploring the social issues of her day (an earlier novel, North and South, centered on working conditions and class differences). On the surface Wives and Daughters is less daring, and more like Jane Austen's work in its depiction of romance and social strata. However, Gaskell directly challenges the traditional role of women in 19th-century English society. All of the male characters treat women as fragile children, incapable of managing their own affairs. In contrast, Molly is a strong female protagonist. She is respectful and kind, and yet uses a subtle strong will to steer events in the right direction. She comes to the aid of several characters, and proves herself indispensable during a crisis towards the end of the novel.
The novel ends abruptly, because Gaskell died before it could be finished. This could have been a very bad thing indeed, but it appeared the story was close to wrapping up (and after 650 pages, shouldn't it?!). While some of the details are unknown, eventual outcomes are certain. While reading Wives and Daughters requires a significant time commitment, Gaskell writes beautifully and often with great wit, and this story held my interest to the very end. ( )
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Wives and DaughtersElizabeth Gaskell
652 pages
Elizabeth Gaskell's last novel is a classic story of English life in the mid-1800s. Heroine Molly Gibson is the daughter of a widowed doctor in the town of Hollingford. As a teenager she is sent on an extended visit with the Hamleys, one of two wealthy families in the area. Mrs. Hamley takes an instant liking to Molly, making her a companion of sorts. Molly also befriends the younger son Roger, and later meets his brother Osborne. Roger helps Molly work through feelings regarding her father's marriage to Clare, a local widow. Clare also has a teenage daughter, Cynthia, who has been schooled in France for many years. Cynthia and Molly become close friends, even though the two young women couldn't be more different. The story unfolds at a very slow and easy pace. Not much happens, and yet everything happens. People become sick, and some die. People visit London, and some travel further afield. Most people are inherently good, but there are one or two bad apples in Hollingford who, of course, get their comeuppance.
Gaskell is well-known for exposing and exploring the social issues of her day (an earlier novel, North and South, centered on working conditions and class differences). On the surface Wives and Daughters is less daring, and more like Jane Austen's work in its depiction of romance and social strata. However, Gaskell directly challenges the traditional role of women in 19th-century English society. All of the male characters treat women as fragile children, incapable of managing their own affairs. In contrast, Molly is a strong female protagonist. She is respectful and kind, and yet uses a subtle strong will to steer events in the right direction. She comes to the aid of several characters, and proves herself indispensable during a crisis towards the end of the novel.
The novel ends abruptly, because Gaskell died before it could be finished. This could have been a very bad thing indeed, but it appeared the story was close to wrapping up (and after 650 pages, shouldn't it?!). While some of the details are unknown, eventual outcomes are certain. While reading Wives and Daughters requires a significant time commitment, Gaskell writes beautifully and often with great wit, and this story held my interest to the very end. (
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Join The Sunday Salon here.
TEASER TUESDAYS, hosted by MizB at Should be Reading asks you to: - Grab your current read and let the book fall open to a random page.
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page
- Share the title of the book the “teaser” comes from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
- Please avoid spoilers!
My two sentences:
Was Cynthia coming at last? Oh, what a pleasure it would be to have a companion, a girl, a sister of her own age!
page 213, Wives and Daughters, by Elizabeth Gaskell
page 213, Wives and Daughters, by Elizabeth Gaskell
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For more than a week now, I've been visiting the fictitious English town of Hollingford, home to Dr. Gibson and his teenage daughter Molly. At over 650 pages, this novel is a serious chunkster, but I'm now on page 430 and have been enjoying this book immensely. The novel is filled with well-developed characters -- aristocrats and townspeople alike -- along with romance, and a bit of deception. In short, it has everything needed for an interesting story. This novel was serialized in a magazine, as was often the case in the mid-1800s. In fact, Gaskell died before finishing it, so my edition concludes with a note from the magazine's editor. I'm eager to see how all the loose ends are tied up, especially if Gaskell was unable to tie them herself.
For more than a week now, I've been visiting the fictitious English town of Hollingford, home to Dr. Gibson and his teenage daughter Molly. At over 650 pages, this novel is a serious chunkster, but I'm now on page 430 and have been enjoying this book immensely. The novel is filled with well-developed characters -- aristocrats and townspeople alike -- along with romance, and a bit of deception. In short, it has everything needed for an interesting story. This novel was serialized in a magazine, as was often the case in the mid-1800s. In fact, Gaskell died before finishing it, so my edition concludes with a note from the magazine's editor. I'm eager to see how all the loose ends are tied up, especially if Gaskell was unable to tie them herself.
Visit an adventure in reading to find out where others are today.
This week I finally came out of my month-long reading funk. I finished Gail Jones' Sorry, and was absolutely blown away by it. It was only the third book this year to earn a 5-star rating. It really touched a chord; I was completely caught up in the main character, Perdita, and her relationship with her mother and especially with Mary, an aboriginal girl. And I thought it a brilliant allegory for the historic treatment of aboriginal people, and more awareness and reparations. A really great book, and you can read my review here. Now I'm reading Elizabeth Gaskell's Wives and Daughters. Gaskell was a contemporary of Charles Dickens, writing in the mid-1800s. She wrote many social novels, offering critique and even protest of particular aspects of society. Wives and Daughters centers on Molly Gibson, the teenage daughter of a widower. While on one level the novel is a nice coming-of-age story, on another level Gaskell explores male decision-making power. Molly's father, a country doctor, wants the best for Molly but, as was undoubtedly common at the time, rarely consults her as to her wishes. Her father intercepts her mail, and even conceals it from her. He sends her away to stay with friends, usually with good intentions but Molly has little ability to influence these situations. It appears that Molly may have been drawn from Gaskell's own experience since she, too, was daughter of a widower and was shuttled around among relatives for much of her youth. However, this is far from being a sad or negative novel. Gaskell explores themes of power primarily through satirical characters. Her depictions of men and the upper classes can be quite amusing. Her prose is so descriptive and detailed, I have a fairly detailed map of the setting in my imagination! At over 600 pages, this book is longer than my typical read, but I'm about halfway through now and enjoying it quite a bit.
Before I close for today, I need to acknowledge a recent award I received from another blogger. Tutu at Tutu's Two Cents recently presented me with The Lemonade Award, which recognizes "fellow bloggers who exhibit attitude or gratitude." Thanks Tutu! Now, I know I'm supposed to nominate several other bloggers, but I've decided to take a page out of Wendy's book and instead honor the blogger who honored me. I have only recently discovered Tutu's blog; I "met" her first on LibraryThing. This woman is a reading machine! She is dong the 999 challenge twice over: that's 9 books in 9 categories in 2009, times two. I'm not quite sure how she does it, but I'm having fun following her progress. Thanks Tutu!
Now I'm off to enjoy the rest of the day. It's sunny (for a change!) the birds are singing, and my garden is calling me ... see you next week.
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Join The Sunday Salon here.
SorryGail Jones
230 pages
Sorry opens with 10-year-old Perdita Keene witnessing her father's brutal death. Perdita's parents (Stella and Nicholas) moved from England to the Australian outback as newlyweds; Nicholas was stationed there as an anthropologist, studying native Aboriginal people. They lived on a remote ranch belonging to the Trevor family. Nicholas was remote and unfeeling; Stella was mentally unstable. Perdita's education was provided by Stella, and centered almost exclusively on the works of Shakespeare. Perdita's only friends were the Trevor's deaf-mute son, Billy, and a teenage Aboriginal housekeeper named Mary. After the tragedy, Mary confessed to murder and was sent away to a reform school in Perth. Nicholas' murder was never discussed. Perdita repressed all memories, developed a stutter, and lost herself in books:
Because we were stranded together and because I stuttered, we read. there is no refuge so private, no asylum more sane. There is no facility of voices captured elsewhere so entire and so marvellous. My tongue was lumpish and fixed, but in reading, silent reading, there was a release, a flight, a wheeling off into the blue spaces of exclamatory experience, diffuse and improbable, gloriously homeless. All that was solid melted into air, all that was air reshaped, and gained plausibility. (p. 43)
In the years that followed, Stella was in and out of hospital for psychiatric treatment. The Trevors cared for Perdita, until events of World War II forced evacuation to Perth and the families separated. Stella and Perdita were forced to live on their own for the first time, and Perdita found herself an outcast in the local school. Slowly, and with the help of kind souls who shall go nameless so as to avoid spoilers, Perdita begins the process of piecing together her past and rebuilding her life.
The story itself is a compellingly good read. And it operates on a deeper level as well. In an author's note, Jones writes, "The word 'sorry' has dense and complicated meanings in Australia.' " She describes the historical context of Sorry Day and the Stolen Generation, in which indigenous Aboriginal children were removed from their families. Jones touched on issues of prejudice, separation and assimilation, and when she addressed the need for apology this novel suddenly struck me as hugely allegorical. This book combines rich characterizations with deep emotional impact -- always a winning combination for me. This is a beautiful, moving book. (
)I love swapping books with other readers. This week's goodies came from Terri at Reading, Writing and Retirement. The two of us pretty much keep the postal service in business just winging books to each other, across the US. Thanks Terri for these great books!
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What landed in your mailbox this week? Visit Marcia at The Printed Page to find out what others have received ...
What landed in your mailbox this week? Visit Marcia at The Printed Page to find out what others have received ...
Time for another monthly wrap-up. I read fewer total pages (prior to this month, I was reading nearly 2000 pages per month), and I'm even kind of cheating by claiming six books since I'm in a race against the clock to finish my current read before June rolls in. I think my slower pace was partly due to a weekend getaway, and I just had a lot of other things going on during evenings throughout the month. Then again, book quality may have been a factor. The books I've finished so far were all 3-stars, or 3.5 stars. These are OK reads, and I'd even recommend them, but in most cases I had higher expectations that weren't realized. And it's tough to get motivated about reading when the books are only so-so. So is this pace a blip, or a trend? Only time will tell ... here are the stats:During May, I read (update: errors corrected 6/1/09):
- 6 books (33 YTD)
- 1662 pages (9,429 YTD)
- 4 written by women
- 1 from the "1001 Books you Must Read Before you Die" list
- 1 Booker Prize winner
- 1 Pulitzer Prize winner
- 1 Orange Prize shortlist
- 1 Virago Modern Classic
And the books, in the order I read them:
- Laughing Boy - review ( )
- The Garden Party and Other Stories - review ( )
- The Siege of Krishnapur - review ( )
- Letter to my Daughter - review ( )
- The Lacquer Lady - review ( )
- Sorry - review & rating coming soon!
Fortunately, I'm leaving my reading funk behind as I conclude the month of May with Gail Jones' Sorry. As of yesterday I didn't expect to count it in my May stats, but it really pulled me in and I just kept reading. This powerful book was shortlisted for the Orange Prize, and is the story of a young girl living in Australia's outback during World War II. Her parents are dysfunctional in the extreme, and she finds friendship in a deaf boy and an Aboriginal girl. They are witness to an horrific event with lasting, tragic consequences. I've read some really fabulous reviews from bloggers I respect (including Jill at The Magic Lasso), and Sorry is living up to its promise. Whew, I needed a book like this one !! I'm looking forward to some interesting reading in June, including Elizabeth Gaskell's super-chunkster, Wives and Daughters. I'll be back next week with some thoughts on that one ...
Where has your reading taken you in May? Did you have a favorite book?
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Join The Sunday Salon here.
The Lacquer LadyFanny was aware of what people were like ... she had a sensitiveness, within her limitations, to human beings, that amounted to a talent, whenever her judgment was not obscured by her personal wishes. She was aware that she knew what the three men in the room were like far better than did Agatha, who had been seeing them for several days past. She didn't think consciously about them, for her interest in human beings began and ended with her own relationships with them ... (p. 61)
Fanny Moroni, half Burmese and half European, was educated in England and returned to Burma as a young woman c.1880. These were the last years of the Konbaung Dynasty, just prior to British rule. Fanny befriended a young princess, Supayalat, and found herself a regular guest at the palace. When the reigning king died, leaving no successor, Supayalat and her mother engineered the ascension of a minor prince,Thibaw, to the throne. Supayalat became his queen and Fanny was appointed the European Maid of Honour at court. Thibaw's rule was filled with violence and subterfuge, but Fanny was oblivious to all of this. She was too caught up in beautiful clothing and lavish parties. The political events swirling around her were understood only insofar as they affected her social life and luxuries.
Fanny's character was not unlike Becky Sharp in Vanity Fair: attractive, witty, and completely self-centered. And the more she immersed herself in court life, the more she lost touch with her European heritage and the French, British, and Italian friends living outside the castle walls. She even took action to benefit her personally, which brought disastrous consequences to others. A few years later she found herself alone, and getting older:
Fanny Moroni, half Burmese and half European, was educated in England and returned to Burma as a young woman c.1880. These were the last years of the Konbaung Dynasty, just prior to British rule. Fanny befriended a young princess, Supayalat, and found herself a regular guest at the palace. When the reigning king died, leaving no successor, Supayalat and her mother engineered the ascension of a minor prince,Thibaw, to the throne. Supayalat became his queen and Fanny was appointed the European Maid of Honour at court. Thibaw's rule was filled with violence and subterfuge, but Fanny was oblivious to all of this. She was too caught up in beautiful clothing and lavish parties. The political events swirling around her were understood only insofar as they affected her social life and luxuries.
Fanny's character was not unlike Becky Sharp in Vanity Fair: attractive, witty, and completely self-centered. And the more she immersed herself in court life, the more she lost touch with her European heritage and the French, British, and Italian friends living outside the castle walls. She even took action to benefit her personally, which brought disastrous consequences to others. A few years later she found herself alone, and getting older:
What had happened to her? I can't be old, not at twenty-six, though Fanny desperately, unaware that the swift doom of her Eastern and Latin blood was upon her. She only knew that somehow she had grown used to seeing herself in the pretty concealing Burmese dress, that this event of trying on a Paris frock for hte first time in two or three years had suddenly made her see herself with new eyes. Without her having noticed it, the glow and life which had been her chief charms were gone, and gone too was the suppleness that had been her chief beauty. (p. 287)
This was a sad state of affairs for Fanny, but I couldn't find much sympathy. I enjoyed the action and drama as political events unfolded, but the book didn't hold my interest as much as it would have with a more likeable protagonist. (
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Such is the plight of Lily Bart, the tragic heroine of The House of Mirth. At twenty-nine, Lily finds herself unmarried and, upon her mother's death, left without visible means of support. She realizes a husband would provide much-needed security, not to mention the income required to maintain her lavish lifestyle. Yet Lily is so self-absorbed, she unknowingly ruins just about every marriage opportunity presented to her. Lily is terribly naive about the effects of her behavior on others. When she slights a potential suitor, she brushes it off as a matter of little consequence. She is both surprised and hurt when the gentleman abruptly leaves the party. Lily is also completely ignorant of financial matters. After losing a large sum of money at bridge, she allows a friend's husband to invest what was left of her money in the stock market. The investments are profitable, but Lily's appetite for luxury still exceeds the available funds. And, to make matters worse, the investor has definite ideas as to how Lily should "repay" him. Lily has only a couple true friends, notably a young man named Lawrence Selden. Selden's love for Lily is obvious to the reader, but not to the characters. Lily treats him more like a big brother, dismissing thoughts of marrying Selden and setting her sights on wealthier prospects.
In the second half of the novel Lily's relationship and financial difficulties only get worse, and while Lily has a vague idea that things are not as they should be, she prefers to keep her head in the sand. This made for difficult reading; many times I wanted to take Lily by the shoulders and shake some sense into her. Then, about 50 pages from the end there was a juicy bit of foreshadowing. The rest of the book was like watching a horror film with partially-covered eyes. Was Wharton really going to do what I thought she'd do? Well, I won't say any more on that ... I'll just say that the ending was fitting.
Edith Wharton is known for her portrayal of New York society at the turn of the 20th century. Much of her work also addresses the rights of women, and in particular the impact of divorce. In House of Mirth, Wharton echoes Virginia Woolf's message that a woman must have "a room of her own and 500 pounds." Lily lacked both, making her extremely vulnerable. And, she had virtually no ability to change her circumstances. Add to that a frivolous attitude, and you have a cautionary tale indeed. (