The Golden Gate - Vikram Seth (Faber & Faber, 1986)
It's a novel. Composed of sonnets. 300 pages of sonnets. All of the ababccddeffegg rhyme scheme, although he fudges some rhymes. Oh, and at the end, we see "pain" over and over again. But we also have rhymes for words like Dinkelspiel (hey Dink!) so I can be in a forgiving and still admiring mood.
Here's the thing. This book languished on my shelf for years because I am bad at reading poetry. I get bored, I meander. But when I finally picked it up, I was shocked at how quickly I got into the rhythm of reading it. Occasionally I'd have to stop to admire the construction, or I'd trip over some perceived awkwardness of meter, but the story is so compelling.
I kept saying it was like "Eugene Onegin meets a CW show," but in fairness, Onegin itself is like a great big soap opera. (Seth takes a moment to ask the reader's forgiveness for presuming to follow in Pushkin's footsteps.) My fiance quickly gave up as I tried to get through the interweaving story lines (this guy is dating this chick and his friend is with her brother except then there's a cat and also... etc.) which was disappointing, because I wanted someone to join me in fascination of the train wreck of these people's lives.
People, by the way, who weren't all that different from me. It's the early 80s, so the economic and political climate is a little different, sure, but you're still dealing with highly educated men and women in their late 20s, trying to figure out their place in the world, often colliding together and breaking apart.
So as not to ruin the fun of the plot for anyone who might actually pick up the book one day, I'll leave it there. But I found it shockingly moving. And also quite funny. Much of a chapter concerns the battle between boyfriend John and the grumpy cat who first laid claim to Liz, years earlier. (Made me glad my two boys love each other.) And you can pretty much guess who's going to win that one.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Friday, January 17, 2014
You bear the unbearable because you have no other choice
The Book Thief - Markus Zusak (Alfred A. Knopf, 2005)
You have to know this book is setting you up to carry a heavy weight. The setting: Nazi Germany. The narrator: Death. That's all you really need to know, yes?
Liesel steals her first book at her brother's graveside. Her brother, who died beside her on a train as her mother accompanied them to a new foster home. Her father? A Communist, so who knows where he was. Liesel gets new parents, a harridan of a mother and a gentle musician father. And a new life. She learns to read, makes friends, all against the backdrop of a gathering storm, that breaks out in Poland, and then everywhere.
And then... her new Papa owes his survival in the First World War to a comrade who lost his life. He vowed to the widow that he would be there to repay the debt. And so the family finds itself sheltering a young Jewish man in the basement.
Because it's Nazi Germany, even the glimmers of joy are against a background of dread, destruction, and death. Speaking of death, the narrator helpfully softens the blow by foreshadowing much that befalls them. And yet, each time the dagger falls, it cuts. Reading this book is a devastating experience.
And yet, there are those glimmers of joy and beauty. For one, you discover that beneath the carping facade of Liesel's foster mother is a loving, giving, and strong woman. Zusak offers a plausible depiction of a town where many of the people (with a capital P if you like) do not subscribe to the policies and beliefs of the Nazis, and perform their own small acts of rebellion. Everyone was culpable, but maybe some did all they could.
You have to know this book is setting you up to carry a heavy weight. The setting: Nazi Germany. The narrator: Death. That's all you really need to know, yes?
Liesel steals her first book at her brother's graveside. Her brother, who died beside her on a train as her mother accompanied them to a new foster home. Her father? A Communist, so who knows where he was. Liesel gets new parents, a harridan of a mother and a gentle musician father. And a new life. She learns to read, makes friends, all against the backdrop of a gathering storm, that breaks out in Poland, and then everywhere.
And then... her new Papa owes his survival in the First World War to a comrade who lost his life. He vowed to the widow that he would be there to repay the debt. And so the family finds itself sheltering a young Jewish man in the basement.
Because it's Nazi Germany, even the glimmers of joy are against a background of dread, destruction, and death. Speaking of death, the narrator helpfully softens the blow by foreshadowing much that befalls them. And yet, each time the dagger falls, it cuts. Reading this book is a devastating experience.
And yet, there are those glimmers of joy and beauty. For one, you discover that beneath the carping facade of Liesel's foster mother is a loving, giving, and strong woman. Zusak offers a plausible depiction of a town where many of the people (with a capital P if you like) do not subscribe to the policies and beliefs of the Nazis, and perform their own small acts of rebellion. Everyone was culpable, but maybe some did all they could.
Fake marriages, there were none
The Duke is Mine - Eloisa James (Avon, 2012)
Rescue Me - Rachel Gibson (Avon, 2012)
So here's the thing. I always thought I preferred contemporary romance, and maybe I do, but I'm starting to get the appeal of the period romances. Nineteenth-century England is an exciting place.
As I mentioned, no fake marriages, although marriage is a driving force in the plot. A wedding brings Sadie back to Texas, where she meets ex-Navy SEAL Vince, in town to see his aunt. Since their stays are both temporary, they figure they would be good company for one another. And you know where this is going, except you might be surprised at how much time they spend apart, each battling their own demons.
Olivia is betrothed, not a situation she particularly craves. But that's not the marriage in question here. The real involved Tarquin [really?] who has allowed his mother to pretty much select his bride and who thus finds himself playing host to two eligible ladies, one of whom is Olivia's sister. And Olivia is along for the ride too. Just go with it. And there is much banter and adorableness. So much banter. Why aren't romance novels all banter?
Rescue Me - Rachel Gibson (Avon, 2012)
So here's the thing. I always thought I preferred contemporary romance, and maybe I do, but I'm starting to get the appeal of the period romances. Nineteenth-century England is an exciting place.
As I mentioned, no fake marriages, although marriage is a driving force in the plot. A wedding brings Sadie back to Texas, where she meets ex-Navy SEAL Vince, in town to see his aunt. Since their stays are both temporary, they figure they would be good company for one another. And you know where this is going, except you might be surprised at how much time they spend apart, each battling their own demons.
Olivia is betrothed, not a situation she particularly craves. But that's not the marriage in question here. The real involved Tarquin [really?] who has allowed his mother to pretty much select his bride and who thus finds himself playing host to two eligible ladies, one of whom is Olivia's sister. And Olivia is along for the ride too. Just go with it. And there is much banter and adorableness. So much banter. Why aren't romance novels all banter?
2013 Year in Review
Time to quickly look back at 2013, before I mention that I've already read 3 books in 2014. So here goes:
Books read: 47 (decent)
Of those, how many were:
*Romance novels: 9, let's say
*Owned by me: 15 (down a little from last year, but still respectable)
*YA: 9 (mostly trilogies)
*Written by female authors: 28 (60%, down from 70% last year. Additionally, if you take out the YA trilogies and the romance novels, we're down to 11 of 30. Hmm.)
Books read: 47 (decent)
Of those, how many were:
*Romance novels: 9, let's say
*Owned by me: 15 (down a little from last year, but still respectable)
*YA: 9 (mostly trilogies)
*Written by female authors: 28 (60%, down from 70% last year. Additionally, if you take out the YA trilogies and the romance novels, we're down to 11 of 30. Hmm.)
*Non-fiction: 9. Plus 4 were histories! Good work
Favorites:
Was one of those a clear "best read of the year"? I don't think so. But each of them not only compelled me to keep reading and reading, but they also raised questions that kept me thinking well after the book was over.
Goals for 2014? None yet. This is going to be a busy year - good heavens wedding planning is a project - but I want to keep carving out reading time. I'm trusting myself to follow my instincts on what I should be reading. Hopefully that will mean continuing to whittle down that big "to-read" shelf a bit too.
Goals for 2014? None yet. This is going to be a busy year - good heavens wedding planning is a project - but I want to keep carving out reading time. I'm trusting myself to follow my instincts on what I should be reading. Hopefully that will mean continuing to whittle down that big "to-read" shelf a bit too.
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