Last Orders, Graham Swift

I really liked this, it is unassuming and isn't dramatic, even though the subject matter means you're half expecting some big revelation. Last Orders is about a group of men who go to Margate to carry out their friend Jack's last wish of having his ashes scattered into the sea from Margate pier. The friends don't really understand why he wants to be scattered there (or at all) but do it anyway. Along the way we learn about Jack and the group of friends.

I feel the lack of a big revelation or drama is the novel's strength though. It describes ordinary lives, parts of which are quite remarkable though they are generally quite drab. It's written in very distinctive voices, you get a sense of personalities through actions and other character's opinions, not descriptions.
Perhaps because of this there is a feeling always of something beneath the surface - like interacting with people in reality, not everything is explained.

It's a little still, and not uplifting, but I really enjoyed it and it's no worse for not being glittery. Next I'm reading the controversial A Death in the Family by Karl Ove Knausgaard

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Rachel Joyce

This is a really readable, lovely novel. It got a lot of attention while I was working in Waterstones, I wasn't blown away by The Unlikely Pilgrimage... but I did enjoy it and it has some beautiful moments.

We follow Harold Fry, a retiree as he walks from one end of the country to the other in the hope of saving a friend. It is a very touching story and describes the therapeutic nature of walking. As Harold walks he remembers, and starts to make sense of his life and the things he regrets. The walk takes Harold out of himself and allows him and his family the space to look back.

My only criticism of this book was that it was a little twee, however it did remind me of one of the reasons why I love to read. The Unlikely Pilgrimage.. really has a sense of putting you in someone else's shoes and understanding a different sort of life. It deserves a read. 

Next is Last Orders by Graham Swift.

The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco

I really loved this book! It was quite strange - seeming like two different books smashed together, but it works really well and is pretty original.

For the most part (there is a short introduction which sets the scene) we follow a young German monk, Adso, who is apprenticed to Brother William of Baskerville, an Englishman. Brother William is sent to a Franciscan monastery in Italy to investigate heresy and partake in political talks. When he gets there he finds a young monk has died in mysterious circumstances, and investigates over the next seven days.

It is this which makes the novel such an odd one, the setting is in a monastery in 1327 but is at it's core a murder mystery. The subjects are monks, so the narrative is peppered with theological discussions and explorations of the political and religious landscapes of the time. It is hugely interesting and surprising. Eco has written a novel which is a prefect balance between a compelling story which drives you on to see what happens next, and a thoughtful exploration of a certain time and lifestyle. It is beautifully done, comes across as very well researched and is really readable, I highly recommend it.

Next I'm reading 'The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry' by Rachel Joyce. It was really popular when I worked in Waterstones but I didn't manage to get hold of a proof, I was happy to find this copy in a charity shop at the weekend.

Noon, Aatish Taseer

I am unsure what I think of Noon - it lost me somewhere in the middle, though may be it was because I didn't concentrate as much as I should have.

It is a novel in five distinct parts which describe different points in Rehan Tabassum's life. The novel is about a man split between two worlds, struggling to rceoncile himself with the violence of his homeland. The first two chapters I enjoyed, but I wasn't so sure of the others. Rehan seems distant, he disengages from the country he is in, and from the reader which makes it difficult to stay interested.

Now half way through The Name Of The Rose by Umberto Echo, which is a sort of literary whodunnit, really liking the first half! 

Moll Flanders, Daniel Defoe

The 

Fortunes

and 

Misfortunes

Of The Famous

Moll Flanders, &c.

*

Who was Born in Newgate.

and during a Life of continu'd Variety for

Threescore Years, besides her Childhood,

Was Twelve Year a Whore, five times a Wife

(whereof once to her own Brother) Twelve Year a Theif,

Eight Year a Transported Felon in Virginia,

at last grew Rich, liv'd Honest,

and died a Penitent,

Written from her own Memorandums

So reads the first page in the novel. It is a pretty good summary, if a little dated. I really enjoyed this, it was good to read something written in such a noticable style and which sticks with a charachter throughout their life. 

Apart from being an eventful story (see above!) Moll Flanders is really of it's time. In this book 'whore' just means anyone (actually it means a woman, but we'll not go there) not married to the person they are living/sleeping with. The book highlights the options for a woman in the 1700s, they either need to be rich or married, and moll spends her whole life trying to be both. It's hard to say weather or not she is likeable, she is interesting and understandable but definitely becomes hardened, and an accomplished liar. 

It's enjoyable and a bit of a history lesson so worth a read. I'm reading 'Noon' by Aatish Taseer now, not sure what I think of it so far (I'm possibly not paying enough attention).

The Lighthouse, Alison Moore

 

I absolutely didn't enjoy this book, it is populated by irritating and mostly pathetic, tepid characters. Futh, the protagonist, is a deeply pathetic and irritating man, he has just split up from his wife and is going on a walking holiday in Germany, in the hope that it will help him 'recover'. He is neurotic and has no ideas or thoughts of his own (his father went on a walking holiday when Futh's mother left him, so that's what Futh decides to do) and is terrifically needy. Moore does give reasons for his personality flaws - his mother left him and his dad is an alcoholic. But the upshot of having such a dislikable charachter is that I couldn't give a monkeys what happens to him, or doesn't happen to him. There is not one likeable character in this book. It is obviously a purposeful decision on the author's part, but the result is a complete disengagement on my part. The novel is also full of repetition, forced symbolism and unartful coincidences. Not for me.

Next I'm reading Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe, which has to be better! 

Under the Net, Iris Murdoch

This one was a surprise, for some reason I expected it to be much more serious than it is. It is a very enjoyable, haphazard story, the kind which seemingly has no beginning, middle or end but is a series of connected events.

The whole is glued together by the personality of Jake Donaghue. He is a young, philosophical writer with a wry sense of humour. We meet him as he has been kicked out of his flat and he jumbles his way from one situation and encounter to another, involving a famous actress, the woman he loves, a canine filmstar an old friend (who may be an enemy) and Mrs Tinckham's shop. It is funny and light hearted, but also has an underlying seriousness which stops the story ever becoming too silly. Dry and highly enjoyable I would recommend it.

The Old Ways, Robert Macfarlane

I bought this book when I left Waterstone's over a year ago. I had been looking forward to reading it so much that I have been saving it. 

The thing which struck me most was how generous Macfarlane is, the corner of my copy is swollen with the amount of pages I have turned over, of things I want to read again or look up later. He is incredibly interesting, and the whole book has the feel of the author chatting in your ear. He talks to you as if you are beside him, in the landscape seeing the same things he is.

The Old Ways is about following ancient pathways - paths and routes on land and sea which have been followed for generations. One of the triggers of the book is Edward Thomas, and he features heavily in the book, in terms of poetry and his life story and thought processes. It is interesting, refreshing and brilliant that when trying to explain and investigate these old routes Macfarlane turns, not to historians and archeologists, but artists, writers and poets. It is a book with a lot of integrity and is fascinating. It makes you want to be in the wild and to be more attune to the past and present around you in those wild, old landscapes.

A Passage to India, E. M Forster

This as an odd one. It is set in India at the height of colonialism and mostly follows an Indian doctor, Dr Aziz; an English woman who is visiting the man she may or may not marry, Miss Quested; and an English headmaster of the local college, Mr Fielding. The book starts and ends with the question of weather or not, in a colonial context, English and Indians can be friends. Forster explores this thoughout the novel, looking at and satirising the behaviour of both nationalities.

It was an interesting read, but wasn't particularly compelling, and seemed quite cold. Although maybe this was in contrast to The Well of Loneliness, which was incredibly heartfelt. It is made more interesting however by the dedication: To Sayed Ross Masood and to the seventeen years of our friendship.

I am now on The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot by Robert Macfarlane, who is following ancient pathways. It's fascinating so far.

The Well of Loneliness, Radclyffe Hall

What struck me most about The Well of Loneliness was it's depth of feeling. It is a deep, heartbroken, guttural scream from Radclyffe Hall for understanding and acceptance. The book was written in 1923 by Hall who was an 'invert' as she puts it, she was gay, as is the protagonist, and the book was banned. 

We follow a girl who is named Stephen (her parents were sure they were having a boy) from birth until she is around 40, through her childhood, first affair, leaving the home she adores, a war and then life in Paris. There are enough similarities between the author and Stephen that I assume she is, at least partly, a self-portrait.

 

Throughout Hall is trying to reconcile the natural and joyful feeling of being in love with another woman, with the view of a world who finds her and 'her kind' abhorrent, and doesn't allow any kind of expression or acknowledgement of that relationship or feeling. The book gets darker and darker as Stephen sees what the world does to those around her.

The Well of Loneliness is not particularly well written, but it is powerful in its desperation, and hugely moving. It leaves you with a vast amount of love and sympathy for Raycliffe Hall, for trying to reconcile a world which was against her.

Just started reading A Passage to India by E.M Forster, so far so good though maybe it's a little dated.

The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories, Angela Carter

Carter has re-imagined familiar fairy stories to create the tales in The Bloody Chamber. In some the starting points are very recognisable and/or are pointed out in the title and for some I didn't recognise the original tale. There are a few stories which are similar; a couple take Little Red Riding Hood as a starting point, and it is interesting the way these have been curated, invariably the similar ones sit next to each other, which definitely affects your reading of them.

The stories are fascinating, some are graphic, dark and deep, others are lighter and funnier, but still with a dark undercurrent. All are compelling and beautifully written. Puss-in-Boots was my favourite, one of the lighter ones and a vibrant fairy-tale. Puss is imagined as a crude street cat who is valet to a young man, all is well until the man falls in love and adventure ensues. The title story is very dark and quite haunting and this is the story in which the language is most noticable. Carter's prose is visceral and she seems to have a huge passion for the crafting of scentences which are more than the sum of their parts.

I'm reading The Well of Loneliess by Radclyffe Hall now, the quality of prose is alot different to Carter's, but after reading short stories and collecting only fragments of a whole it's good to read this, which is following Stephen as she grows up and discovers life.

Her Brilliant Career, Rachel Cooke

This was super-interesting, it is factual, an account of 'ten extraordinary women of the fifties'. The women are; Patience Gray, cookery writer; Nancy Spain, writer and personality; Joan Werner Laurie, magazine editor; Sheila Van Damm, rally-car driver and theatre manager; Alison Smithson, architect; Margery Fish, gardener; Muriel Box, director and Betty Box, producer; Jaquetta Hawkes, archaeologist and Rose Helibron, QC. 

 

The occupations, personalities and personal lives of these women are hugely varied. It is obviously interesting figuring out who these people were but the main fascination I found was in 'how things worked out'. My mum likes reading obituaries because she likes to know what people did with their lives,  and that is what is compelling about this book. It is mostly quite sad, the chapter on Nancy Spain, Joan Werner and Sheila Van Damm is heartbreaking but the chapter on Margery Fish I found life affirming. 

There is a book by Daniel Miller called The Comfort of Things which is incredible (I urge you to read it if you have any interest in people). I think it is in the foreword to this where he, or someone else, says that the book reveals 'the sadness of lives and the comfort of things' which is a quote that has stuck with me. Her Brilliant Career reveals the sadness of lives and the comfort of work.

The Pearl, John Steinbeck

This is a beautiful, sad and loaded story. Its a short book, only 95 pages but is heavy and full of feeling. 

The book follows Kino, a pearl fisherman just before and just after he finds a huge pearl: 'Perfect as the moon, the great pearl turned Kino the fisherman into every man's enemy. The dreams he conjured from its shining surface were to bring sorrow and death.'

 

Very short so there's not a great deal to say without giving away the tale - though it is mostly concerned with the contentment of having nothing, the fear and lack of control ignorance causes and the fear of losing wealth.  Definitely read it if you get chance.

I'm now reading Her Brilliant Career by Rachel Cooke - telling the stories of ten inspirational (and little known) women of the fifties. 

The Maze Runner, James Dashner

I read this one for work, its a teen book (soon-to-be film) and dubbed as 'the next Hunger Games'.

A group of boys live in the centre of a maze and are trying to find a way out. Some have been there 2 years, but another boy is delivered (with no memory) each month or so. This is until our man Thomas arrives, who turns out to be the last delivery except for a comatose girl who triggers 'the ending'. The boys are shut in the centre of maze at night to protect them from 'Grievers' who patrol the maze corridors - the descriptions of the Grievers are good, they seem to be part machine and part slug. No-one ever survives a night out in the maze (except of course our man Thomas...)

Its hard to judge teen book I think as most of them are written a) so everything is spelt out for you, nothing is assumed and b) very angsty - usually the protagonist is constantly whining and asking 'why me, I didn't ask to be special and amazing at everything...' (you know you've got a good teen book when it does neither of these things)
SO ignoring the above The Maze Runner is pretty good, original (as far as I know) and has a good amount of peril and intrigue.

Also just finished reading The Pearl by John Steinbeck, which is brilliant.

M.C. Beaton, Death of an Outsider

I read this over the course of a weekend and loved it. It is pure entertainment - soft and cushiony and very enjoyable. The protagonist is Hamish Macbeth, a policeman in Lochdubh - a little village in the highlabds of Scotland. In Death of an Outsider he is filling in for a policeman in neighbouring Cnothan when the most hated man in the village is murdered. It is exactly what you would expect, lots of gossip, an overbearing and brutish superiour, a love interest, descriptions of the Scottish landscape... lovely!

Next is Her Brilliant Career by Rachel Cooke - non-fiction for a change.  

Graham Greene, Travels With My Aunt

I thoroughly enjoyed this! Having read (and not enjoyed) Brighton Rock recently I wasn't sure what to expect from Travels with My Aunt, it was a very pleasant surprise, funny, silly and completely engaging.
It is narrated by Henry Pulling - a retired bank manager who has led a very quiet, very sheltered life. he meets his aunt at (what he believes to be) his mother's funeral and a short while later finds himself travelling on the Orient Express with her. His Aunt Agatha is the polar opposite of Henry and is full of improbable stories of her long, eventful and risque life.

Henry is a perfect narrator - he is a boring but endearing man, and reminds me a little of Mr Hastings in Poirot novels, slower and more innocent than the reader but he works well coupled with the other characters and the plot. The novel has something to say as well as being funny and silly. Greene is showing a man who has coasted through life and not experienced anything, never travelled, never married. Pulling gradually loosens up and starts to enjoy himself (though is just as stoic) so the novel seems a sort of warning - though is never overt or preachy - to never avoid adventure, or to seek it out.

I have also just finished Death of an Outsider by M.C. Beaton (guilty pleasure!)

Dracula, Bram Stoker

Dracula is brilliant! It is written through a series of diary entries by a group of people who are brought together by the discovery of who, and what the Count is. It is very elegantly written - both believable (to a degree!) and suspensful. It is also worth noting that the book is not at all cliche'd, garlic and stakes through the heart are instrumental - but feel necessary and again oddly believable!

The book starts with the diary of Jonathon Harker, who is sent by his employer to Count Dracula's castle in Transylvania. Dracula then makes the journey to Whitby and from there to London. Most of the action takes place in London before a 'thrilling chase' back to Transylvania!

 

It is, as you would expect, a little dated. In particular with the treament of Mina - Jonathon Harker's fiancee.  The men are all in love with her because she somehow is not always fainting. They seem to expect her to be in a puddle on the floor continuously and are completely in awe when she isn't. I think one of the guys actually describes her as having the brain of a man at one point. 

It is also quite religious - fears for the souls of the Undead and for other souls which may become Undead drive the protagonists. It is however unfair to judge the novel on standards from over 100 years after it was written, and these two flaws do not at all detract from the brilliantly enjoyable story.

Read it! Now on Travels with My Aunt by Graham Greene which looks to be a witty one.

The Waterproof Bible, Andrew Kaufman

 

This is an odd one! It is a strange mix of sci-fi characters set in what looks alarmingly like the real world. It is very enjoyable, a bit of light relief but also a comment on coming to terms with family, relationships and emotions. I felt like I was not quite getting all the nuances and metaphors, but it is also one of those books where you can take from it as much as you like, only skimming the surface is fun too.

Next up - Dracula!

The Art of Being a Woman, Patricia Volk

The Art of Being a Woman is, not surprisingly, non-fiction and is much less preachy than its title suggests. In it Volk tells of the two formative influences in her life; her mother Audrey Volk and the Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli. They are polar opposites, her mother is 'the most beautiful woman in the world' and very conservative (she believed every woman should have a ring and a mink), Schiaparelli was seen as ugly and was hugely provocative, 'Shocking Life' was the title of her autoboigraphy.

 

The thing which makes this book compelling is not only the stories of the two women and how their personalitites shaped their lives, it is Volk's relationship with her mother. Reading Schiap's autoboigraphy at 10 meant she saw there 'was more than one way to be a woman' - it brought her out from her mother's shadow and seems to have given Volk a thicker skin when taking criticism. I think the reason I enjoyed this book most was the insight into someone else's relationship with their mum. The idolising weighed up against the irrepressable need to critique, the desire for approval against the desire to live how you need to. Surprisingly I found the Art of Being a Woman comforting above all else.

Next will be The Waterproof Bible, by Andrew Kaufman.

Brave New World, Aldous Huxley

I was very pleasantly surprised by Brave New World. I find novels with such a high reputation rarely turn out to be entertaining, the ideas come before a readable story.  Brave New World is an exception though, it is compelling both because of the world Huxley has created - the ideas of happiness are fascinating and somehow repellant even though they certainly have a logic - and the characters are a good mix of outsiders and those perfectly 'conditioned' to this new world. 

The book is set in the future, when the 'world controllers' have created a world in which everyone is happy. Children are engineered in labs, born and brought up in a huge factory where they are conditioned for the lives they are to lead. Mothers and Fathers are repulsive concepts and citizens are taught to never develop real relationships but to never be alone, everyone is a perfect consumer. 

The novel follows Bernard Marx and Lenina Crowne. Bernard is dissatisfied with the society and is an outsider others are wary of, whereas Lenina is a model citizen and very likable. It is this duality which makes the book such a success I think - you see both sides. All in all well worth a read, it gets you thinking but is entertaining and very readable too. 

I am now reading The Art of Being a Woman by Patricia Volk, who is talking about the two main influences in her early life, her mother Audrey Volk and the fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli.