Teaser Tuesday – Plato’s Republic

This week my quotation comes from Plato’s Republic, which I am reading for a book group. I have to admit that I’m a bit daunted by all the philosophising, but I’m curious to give it a go and read the ideas. As I am only on the introduction right now, this quotation is completely random:

“It turns out, then,  that people to whom intelligence and goodness are unfamiliar, whose only interest is self-indulgence and so on, spend their lives moving aimlessly to and fro between the bottom and the halfway point, which is as far as they reach. But they never travel any further towards the true heights: they’ve never even looked up there, let alone gone there; they aren’t really satisfied by anything real; they don’t experience steady, pure pleasure.”

Page 335, Plato, Republic (Oxford World’s Classics).

Have you read any philosophical writing? What do you think of the point made here?

The Stepford Wives, Ira Levin

I picked up this little gem, on my first trip to a library that I’ve recently joined. Given that I have a TBR list a mile long I thought this would be the perfect book to dip into and I could also join in on Bibliofreak’s November Novella Challenge.

I don’t often read books that I’ve already seen as movies but I was intrigued to see what The Stepford Wives would be like in writing, because in film is so notorious now as to be clichéd. Reading Ira Levin’s book I felt that at the time it must have been quite a curious read – original and with strong opinions about what (some) men really want in a woman (whether they admit it or not).

At the beginning of the book, lead character Joanna Eberhart a liberal-minded photographer moves to Stepford with her husband and two children. Joanna is struck by how odd the behaviour of the women in Stepford is from the outset. She finds it hard to talk to them, and initially believes they are giving her the cold-shoulder, and it seems that they have no time for friendship because they have an obsession for cleaning and keeping home. She finds a close friend in another recent arrival – the gutsy Bobbie, but when she turns into just another ‘hausfrau’, her suspicions that something unsavoury is going on in Stepford are confirmed.

The first thing that I noticed about this novel was that it felt very modern. Levin’s writing sets the scene while being simple and to the point, and his lead character Joanna is a very believable female with a strong attitude. I immediately liked her and felt genuine concern about whether she would become a zombie-wife as well as the others. I think this is quite an achievement for a man writing in 1975. I suppose women’s lib was a hot topic at this time so this would undoubtably have influenced Levin but I still find it to be a strikingly deft commentary on women’s roles. According to the director’s note in the front of the book, there was feminist backlash against the book. I find this bizarre to say the least given that it is essentially a critique of the shampoo-ad American plastic-housewife role. It’s also worth noting that Levin opens the novel with a Simone de Beauvoir quotation.

After reading on the jacket that Levin wrote Rosemary’s Baby (of which I have only seen the film), I kept seeing similarities in the female characters, trapped by rather disturbing circumstances, and in the clever way in which Levin builds suspense with a dark-creeping certainly that something very bad is happening under the surface. Even if you’ve seen either of the Stepford Wives films, the book is definitely worth a read. It’s an engrossing story with brilliantly written characters which also has the added benefit of having a bit of a camp storyline.

Have library card, will borrow.

Wonderful Wimbledon Library, I have discovered you. I haven’t been a member of a public library for about 10 years, but Savidge Reads convinced me to join this one as I work nearby and I have to say it makes me feel like a kid again! I had to be restrained as I have lots of books at home stacked up that I haven’t read yet, so I just checked out two non-fiction, “how-to” type books that I can browse at leisure and a very short read, The Stepford Wives, by Ira Levin.

It’s a really excellent library with a huge selection of books and automatic check-out machines as well as plenty of comfy seats for when you fancy a bit of a quiet read. It has inspired me to make a concerted effort to borrow instead of buying this year (unless it’s a book I really want to keep) as I have very limited space at the moment. I think I’ve also found the perfect book to join the tail-end of Bibliofreak’s November Novella Challenge!

Are you a member of a library? Do you like to borrow or would you rather buy books to keep?

The Red House Mystery by A.A.Milne

I discovered the existence of this novel by accident while reading up on Winnie the Pooh (as you do) and decided I had to have a copy. So I got my mitts on a bargain from eBay and revelled in reading a real old-fashioned murder mystery on my daily commute.

The first thing that struck me as I opened my battered copy, was the lovely dedication to Milne’s father at the start of the book:

Like all really nice people, you have a weakness for detective stories, and feel that there are not enough of them. So after all that you have done for me, the least I can do for you is to write one. Here it is: with more gratitude and affection than I can well put down here.

A.A.M.

It reminded me of something I read about John Buchan’s Thirty-Nine Steps, where he said that there weren’t enough of a certain kind of adventure stories so he wrote one! And then I felt sad, as in my copy, a re-print it had a further note alluding to the fact that Milne’s father died before he was able to read it. It seems as if Milne enjoyed writing for people very much which makes me feel that his stories are quite special.

The story itself is a typical mystery with an English country house setting. The Red House, belongs to Mark Ablett, and it is the scene for the dramatic murder of his brother Robert, who is something of a black sheep and has just arrived from Australia to visit Mark. Robert is found dead in a locked room on the day that Tony Gillingham decides to visit his friend Bill who also lives at the house. Tony and Bill decide to investigate.

I really enjoyed reading The Red House Mystery. Tony and Bill make the perfect Holmes-Watson partnership unravelling the many clues, and it was great to just read something a bit fun. I enjoyed Milne’s writing and found that I could see echos of Pooh Bear about Bill. At times Tony is a little arch in his manner but that’s part of what makes the dialogue between the two characters so entertaining. Tony, an amateur detective with a photographic memory ponders;

“Of course it’s very hampering being a detective, when you don’t know anything about detecting, and when nobody knows that you’re doing detecting, and you can’t have people up to cross-examine them, and you neither have the energy or the means to make proper inquiries; and in short, when you’re doing the whole thing in a thoroughly amateur, haphazard way.”

It’s an entertaining journey trying to figure out has happened, and it’s possible to guess at least half of the situation from the clues while being kept in the dark enough to be surprised. What really makes it a joy to read though is Milne’s unique voice.

The Red House Mystery is the perfect book to snuggle up with on a cold night with a cup of mulled wine or hot tea.

Oh and you can read most of it for free on Google reader (although I think there are some missed pages), or get a taster to see if you want to buy a copy.

Have you read anything else by A.A.Milne?

Booking Through Thursday – Posterity

A weekly meme.

Q: Do you think any current author is of the same caliber as Dickens, Austen, Bronte, or any of the classic authors? If so, who, and why do you think so? If not, why not? What books from this era might be read 100 years from now?

Thinking about posterity while sitting on my posterior. The simple answer to this weeks question is yes. I’m sure that there are people writing now that will be remembered for their work just as much as Dickens, Austen and the like. Isn’t it a bit silly to imagine that they are in some kind of untouchable bubble of brilliant-ness?

I feel certain that Ian McEwan will be remembered for his beautiful prose as well as stories that can carry you away, particularly Atonement and Enduring Love. Surely Alan Bennett will be remembered for his distinctively human and funny writing style and perhaps Peter Carey too. Those would be my guesses and I’m looking forward to seeing what other people think too.

Which authors do you think will be remembered in years to come?

The Dud Avocado, by Elaine Dundy

I randomly picked up The Dud Avocado, by Elaine Dundy a few months ago because, although I’d never heard of the Author I liked the cover (a typical situation for me!). It’s very shallow behaviour but I find this often leads me to discover new books, so it’s not all bad. The copy that I found was an old orange Penguin Classic edition, although I have to say I kind of love this newer version too;

New York Review Edition

The Dud Avocado follows the adventures of Sally Jay Gorce, a young American girl and aspiring actress let loose on Paris. I would describe her a bit as a Holly Golightly type. Witty, smart and attractive but a bit all over the place! I think it is meant to be loosely based on the author herself and she’s the kind of character you’ll either love or hate – I personally loved her, even though I maybe wouldn’t choose her as a friend, if that makes sense!?

The story is told in the first-person so the reader plays Sally Jay’s confidante as she throws herself into 50’s Paris society and nightlife. We are party to Sally Jay’s experiences as a not-so-naive  party-girl, who falls into a string of relationships which she sees as an opportunity to expand her world view.

“I went back to Montparnasse and flung myself into a celebration which lasted two nights and from which it took me three days to recover.”

This novel must have been quite shocking at the time as she has sexual experiences with various characters, but the beauty is that it isn’t graphic, it is just frank and forthright. Her frankness was actually the most shocking thing to me, as she is totally honest about her emotions, even when they are quite cold or almost heartless. I admired this in Dundy’s writing and felt it was a brave way to write.

I couldn’t help but think of Voice Over and The Bell Jar when I was reading this, probably because of the distinct young female voice and the sense that she is quite lost at times, but in contrast to these novels, The Dud Avocado is more light-hearted, entertaining and a vivid picture of 1950’s Paris. There are many lines that made me giggle including her dramatic declaration about her hatred for champagne:

“I hate champagne more than anything in the world next to Seven-Up.”

Perhaps she just doesn’t like see-through bubbly drinks?

I have to admit to getting a bit lost in the middle as sometimes the switch between the situations she is in is confusing (just as I’m sure Sally Jay is confused!) and it’s a bit difficult to remember who everyone is that she meets, but overall it’s a quick and mainly lighthearted read with some dark undertones.

This is a story that could so easily have been simple ‘chick-lit’, but the quality of the writing (I picked a nice teaser here) as well as the refreshing originality of the character makes it an enjoyable and off-beat bit of literature.

Highly recommended!

Paper pickings: 100 Books that Defined a Decade and Enid Blyton

This afternoon I’m enjoying the little luxury that is a cup of hot chocolate in a cafe with the paper. Picking up (what I thought was) the Independent but was actually the Independent with a Telegraph Supplement inside it) I was delighted to discover some interesting bookish snippets in the review section. First off was the 100 books that defined a decade feature. I was amazed to see how many of these I had read in book groups and I can honestly say that I think it is a well thought through list. Notable ones for me were The Kite Runner at 18, Atonement at 9 and The God Delusion at 5 which whether you like it’s premise or not is a remarkable piece of writing.

At number one of course was J K Rowling’s Harry Potter series which I think is well picked. Again, whether you’re a fan or not it’s difficult to deny the impact it has had.

What is interesting about the list for me is how it reflects the events and moods of the time, whether it be 9/11, Obama’s Dreams From My Father or a children’s book about magic or a novel like Labyrinth reflecting our desire for escapism from the modern-day world.

There were also a couple that I now want to add to my TBR including David Starkey’s Elizabeth. Ever since watching The Young Victoria I’ve been wanting to read more about notable British queens.

On a separate note I also came across an article about a new BBC biopic of Enid Blyton. Starring none other than Helena Bonham Carter it looks set to paint quite a dark portrait of the author. I can’t wait!

Which books have defined the ‘noughties’ for you? Can anyone recommend a good book about Queen Victoria?

Tuesday Teaser

“Here was all laughter and confusion. Here beautiful women, their hair dyed gorgeous colours, squashed soft, pale furs into golden chairs, bright lipsticked cigarettes into their mouths, and exhaled a heady perfume, while high above them the crystal chandeliers sparkled and tinkled in accompaniment.”

Page 37, The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy.

Chris Cleave’s – The Other Hand

I finished The Other Hand, by Chris Cleave more than a week ago but what with presentations at work and reviews I didn’t feel like writing anything much, and barely even reading (shock-horror!). But I suppose that’s given me a bit of time to mull over it.

Quite a few people have commented on the book blurb for this one, and I can see why. Personally I felt that although I didn’t find it exactly misleading, I did find it a bit silly:

We don’t want to tell you too much about this book. It is a truly special story and we don’t want to spoil it. Nevertheless, you need to know something, so we will just say this:

It is extremely funny, but the African beach scene is horrific.

The story starts there, but the book doesn’t.

And it’s what happens afterwards that is most important.

Once you have read it, you’ll want to tell everyone about it. When you do, please don’t tell them what happens either. The magic is in how it unfolds.

I felt that the blurb was intended to spark curiosity, which I suppose it did – but left me thinking – really?! Also, when I’d finished it I felt that it could  have been summarised without giving away the key plot features (WARNING I’m about to do this in the next sentence so read at your peril!). Whoever wrote the blurb perhaps felt that people wouldn’t have wanted to read a book with this content – (a Nigerian girl’s experiences of UK immigration and how she re-enters the world of a British couple she’s met before in a crucial point of all of their lives) – and would need to be tricked into discovering how good it is.

Also telling me that I’m going to want to “tell everyone about it” and that it’s “extremely funny”, makes me instantly want to find it un-funny and not tell anyone about it (I think I might have mentioned this issue in a BTT)- but then I am quite contrary. Anyway, I’ll stop ranting and get on with what I did like about the actual book.

I liked a lot of things about The Other Hand. I fell in love with the character of Little Bee at the beginning and really could hear her ‘voice’ through Cleave’s writing. I thought the issues with immigration in the UK it addressed at the beginning were thought provoking and something that I haven’t come across in fiction so far – original and topical. I thought that the other ‘voice’ of Sarah was also very authentic. Although I didn’t like her so much I felt that she was very realistic. Human, fallible and a product of her environment just as much as Little Bee but also tough in her own way.

The Other Hand is also a very readable and enjoyable book – I wanted to find out what had happened, what was bringing the characters together and how it would affect them. The only thing I was a bit dubious about was that although I liked Little Bee’s voice, I wondered how authentic it really was. Can a white male writer truly get into the head of a young Nigerian woman and speak for her? I’d like to say yes and I can tell that it was researched, but I felt that it didn’t quite sit right with me. But casting that aside, I think perhaps this westernised perspective really helped me (as a white middle-class British female) to enjoy and relate to a novel which addresses some very serious issues.

I definitely recommend The Other Hand. While it didn’t have the same impact on me as Lloyd Jones’ Mister Pip which I feel has some similar themes (book review here) I found it original and thought-provoking as well as being impressed with how well Cleave made a moving story so enjoyable to read.

I would love to hear what others thought of this novel!

A Year’s Worth of Great Book Group Choices

Last night I went along to my regular book group at the South Bank and I have to say that the choice – George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four went down a storm. For me and a couple of others it was a re-read and for other people it was one of those that they always meant to read but never got around too and I think it’s fair to say they were glad they finally did!

I’m not going to review it here, as I will just waffle on and Savidge Reads has done an excellent synopsis and review, but I will say that reading it again I really appreciated the language and imagery because I wasn’t struggling to get to grips with the new world and ideas in the book. What it did get me thinking about though was what makes for a good ‘book group’ choice. I think that Nineteen Eighty-Four contains the key elements that for me make a great choice. I think these are;

1. Challenges what you think you know / encourages you to think differently
2. High standard of writing but;
3. Is accessible (not too obscure or confusing)

It’s difficult to judge whether a book will be enjoyable, with so many different tastes in a group but I think if you fulfil these 3 criteria then you have the good basis for a debate and a feeling of satisfaction that you’ve read something worthwhile.

My 12 favourite books that I’ve read and enjoyed as part of a book group are:

Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell

Kafka on the Shore, Haruki Murakami

True History of the Kelly Gang – Peter Carey

Atonement– Ian McEwan

The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath

Animal’s People – Indra Sinha

Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golding

The Handmaid’s Tale (Contemporary classics) – Margaret Atwood

On Chesil Beach – Ian McEwan

To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee

A Thousand Splendid Suns – Khaled Hosseini

In Cold Blood – Truman Capote

 

What book group choices have you enjoyed and why?