The Old Man and His Sons, Heðin Brú

This book caught my eye in a charity shop because of it's beautiful, wood cut-esque cover. The synopsis convinced me, it seemed set in a place I would like spending time in.

The story follows Ketil, a fiery and loveable 70 year old, who gets carried away in the aftermath of a whale hunt and bids for more meat than he can afford. The story examines the difference between Ketil and his sons; Ketil lives from the land. He and his wife fish, spin and knit wool into jumpers and forage for driftwood to get enough money together to pay the bill. It is apparent however that this isn't the way Ketil's sons do things. They work on boats and 'live from the shops' it is this contrast Brú explores. It's refreshing that Brú doesn't romanticise the old way of doing things too much. We get more of the old man's point of view, but flaws and apparent silliness is noted. It is worth saying that the book isn't at all depressing, we feel the weight of the debt but it isn't an unpleasant or uncomfortable read.

Very near the end of the novel I realised that Ketil's wife is never named. In fact none of the women are named, they are referred to as Ketil's wife, the daughter in law, Klavus' wife etc. All the men are named, even the obscure man who walks around spreading rumours. I hope this is because the book is 'a product of it's time' - Heðin Brú lived from 1901 - 1987 - though it still rankles.

The naming of the women shouldn't be held against it; The Old Man and His Sons is a great book, throwing up questions about ways of living in a gorgeous setting and through likeable, vivid characters. 

A Pennine Journey, Alfred Wainwright

Alfred Wrainwright is a bit of an odd-ball; he is opinionated and sour on occasion and sometimes is filled with a complete childish glee. It's pleasure to follow his journey from Settle to Hadrian's Wall and back again. It is such an enjoyable read partly because Wainwright is obviously writing for himself. He tells us that, for him, half the enjoyment of a walking holiday is planing it and looking forward to it, and then looking back, retracing his route and reminiscing. It's clear that the writing of the book sustained him through a winter in his dull home/work routine. It is honest and genuine.

The subtitle of the book is The Story of a Long Walk in 1938. The sense you get of England at that time is extraordinary. At the beginning of the book, in September 1938 the country is preparing for war and awaiting the result of Chamberlain's visit to Germany. The result comes back all clear - no war and everyone is relieved. Wainwright's last paragraph, as he sits down on the train home reads:

"My truancy was over. I was a deserter going back, with a feeling of guilt. But the great thing was that there was not going to be a war. I would not have to be a soldier, which I would have hated. Life would be normal again. I would return to the comfortable rut I had fashioned for myself. Good!"

It's quite odd to read this knowing what we know now. The other strange thing is the way Wainwright finds accommodation each night. He knocks on doors and asks to be taken in. He pays for his food and board, but there are no B&Bs, no signs. There is the occasional inn, but mostly he asks around in a village (often late at night after walking 20 miles or so) for a meal and a bed.

I thoroughly recommend this, it is a curiosity but Wainwright is a brilliant writer. His descriptions, sense of joy and character make it easy to see why his Lakeland books are so treasured.

White Dog Fell from the Sky, Eleanor Morse

There are two protagonists in White Dog Fell from the Sky (three if you're counting the dog). We meet Isaac as he is being pulled out of the bottom of a hearse and dumped in the street. He has been smuggled into Botswana, fleeing apartheid in South Africa. Alice is an American who has moved to Botswana with her husband and isn't living the life she imagined she would.

I loved this, the characters are really well drawn and the storyline could be a realistic portrayal of two lives in '70s Botswana. Taken as a whole it doesn't feel romanticised (though there are scenes which feel that way) and the characters, whilst they seem stereotypical at first, are so full and well crafted they are completely believable. It is powerful, compelling and a really enjoyable read.

The Promise of Happiness, Justin Cartwright

This novel revolves around the Judd family, a middle class british family based London before the parents retired to Cornwall. It opens on the day one of the daughters is released from prison. It deals with family relationships, and how they affect and are affected by individuals trying to carve out a way of life. The book is as much about ways of living, plans, decisions taken and mistakes made as it is about family, as well as the idea of healing or redemption. It flicks between the points of view of all the family members, so we get a pretty well-rounded view of all of them, as well as the disparity between the kids' view of life as in front of them and parents' view of life as lived.

The Promise of Happiness is mainly written in the third person, but Cartwright employs a slightly odd tactic; every now and then there is a paragraph, only a sentence or so, written in first person. This is a clear thought from whichever Judd we are hearing from at that moment, and I can see why it was done. However each time I read one of those sentences it was a bit of a jolt, and pulled me out of the story more than it pulled me in. Other than that I really enjoyed this, it kept me interested and the characters felt well rounded and well drawn, with differing concerns and places in the family. 

I have also just finished White Dog Fell from the Sky by Eleanor Morse; powerful.

A Burnt Out Case, Graham Greene

After reading Brighton Rock and Travels with My Aunt I decided not to read any more of Greene's 'serious' novels, and to stick to his comedies. This was Greene's last chance to prove to me that his literary ones are worth reading. 

A Burnt Out Case follows Querry, a famous architect fleeing from himself and his reputation. He ends up in the jungle at a leper colony run by an catholic missionaries and an atheist doctor. Querry tries to stay there without anyone finding out who he is and what he is running from.

I did enjoy it. There is a little too much discussion on pretty large, abstract themes for me, which slows it down a little. However the story is good, the characters are reasonably engaging and again Greene conveys an excellent sense of place and climate. The plot is slightly absurd and some of the charters are grotesques but just believable. In all I would choose a Greene comedy any day, but wouldn't completely vito another literary one.

The Stories of Eva Luna, Isabel Allende

I love Isabel Allende's work, I can really remember reading 'City of the Beasts' as a child; its vividness and mixing of reality and imagination. The Stories of Eva Luna were not a disappointment, they have the same blend of reality and fairytale and are much more passionate and sensual.

The stories I think are based in Allende's native Chile and seem to come from another time. Outlaws, rebels, illegitimate children and mistresses all feature in stories sometimes domestic and sometimes fantastic. 

I love the short story format as it often encourages authors to leave more up to the reader; we get snippets rather than beginnings, middles and endings. Not so with Allende, her stories read more like fables. We get a full life but told simply, pared down to the essential parts but still poetic and beautifully told. I loved reading them and would definitely recommend. 

Graham Greene's 'A Burnt-Out Case' next.

The Execution of Noa P. Singleton, Elizabeth L. Silver

I really enjoyed this. It is a definite page turner; you don't find out the 'truth' until the very end. It is very well written, and you feel that Silver has a lot of respect for the reader; allowing us to make up our own minds rather than spoon-feeding us a moral outcome.

The story follows Noa P. Singleton, when we meet her she is on death row and her execution date is in six months. Silver reveals the story to us in snippets and from Noa's point of view.

The thing I loved the most about this is the story, when we finally find out the whole of it, is not cut and dry. It is complicated and mixed together with bad decisions, mistakes and bad luck. You get the feeling Silver is making a point; in life there aren't goodies and badies, but situations people react to, one way or another. Silver opens the novel with the line 'In this world you are either good or evil' and then shows us how this is not true, how the world puts is into categories which then makes others' react to or think of us in a certain way and creates a sort of self fulfilling prophecy. The novel is complicated and intelligent, as well as being a gripping read.