Book summaries - 2012

THE BAD GIRL - Mario Vargas Llosa

SOLAR - Ian McEwan

from Margaret 15/12/2012 21:17

Most of our members had reservations about this book and expressed numberous criticisms, although Ian McEwan's writing skills and erudition were universally admired. Most members felt that the handling of a serious theme such as global warming and the development of alternative, non-polluting power sources, presented in the form of a work of fiction, did not quite come off. The main character, Professor Beard, was obnoxious that no-one felt any sympathy for him, even at the end when he meets his come-uppance.

Although the novel was marketed as "comic fiction" and "savagely funny", few of us found it amusing, except for the part about Beard's misadventures in the North Pole. Mostly, we found it pretty tragic and those of us who had direct experience of high level conferences on problems like global warming and the type of experts and speakers who attend them, confirmed that the portrait McEwan had drawn was accurate. Some members theorized that McEwan's real objective had been to expose the ineptitude and hypocrisy of scientists and environmental experts who are really only interested in self-advancement. If this is the case, McEwan can be forgiven his rather thin plot and caricatural characters and commended for what comes over as sincere concern for the fate of the planet. The level of research he obviously undertook to describe the scientific background that occupies many pages of the book can only be admired.

from Jill 14/12/2012 0831

The book was readable and interesting, especially the scientific aspects, obviously very well researched but still somewhat beyond my comprehension. There was very little to detract from the very disagreeable protagonist who dominates the novel. No other character was depicted fully enough to counter his ugliness. The comic aspects of the book were mildly entertaining but verged on the slapstick. Various parts of the story seemed to be rather conveniently contrived eg. the final pages, the carpet slip and consequent manoeuvres to blame the builder. The presentation which was to take place in New Mexico seemed excessive -  would there really be a military fly past for an experiment? I enjoyed reading the book but wouldn't hugely recommend it to friends.

LONE WOLF - Jodi Picoult

On  November 12 we met at my house for a simple lunch and a fun discussion of Lone Wolf. I had picked this book because I am interested in wolves and read that Ms. Picoult’s research on the subject was extensive. I have also always been interested in the arguments for and against euthanasia, so this seemed like an interesting juxtaposition of the two.

In general, though, we appreciated the book and Ms. Picoult’s book-a-year output concerning topical subjects, though more than one felt that her prose did not warrant a second reading. Still, it was fun to compare information on wolves, dogs and cats, and note the division in our group between fans of the animal world and those to whom it doesn’t much matter. The idea of ending someone’s (or our own) life also generated a great deal of interesting discussion and ended up a mini-lesson in what one ought to do to ensure, as much as possible, that our wishes would be followed should we not be able to exercise them. In all, a great discussion and a lovely afternoon (T)

from Rosemarie 12/11/2012 16:46
Confession: I did not finish reading the book, as opposed to: I have not finished the book yet! I know it’s the ultimate “book-club” crime, but, being an “out-of-towner”, I decided I would probably be forgiven. Another confession: I checked this out with Margie first who said I should write something anyway J       I tried hard to fight off my instant dislike of the narrative because I believe that one should not be too hasty with one’s judgement. I reached Part Two of the book, and after some pages I felt I had had enough. Even though the book consists of plenty of interesting topics which are touching everybody’s life and which could be food for thought and lively discussions, I had the impression I was following some knitting pattern which was rapidly “growing” into a boring garment. I have never read anything by the author before I tried “Lone Wolf” but I hope that this book was just an unfortunate mistake. We would have all been better of if Luke had been eaten up by the wolves because he had made the unforgivable mistake to believe that he had been accepted as a true member of the wolf pack. That would have been a more credible story than having two teenage youngsters fighting over pulling plugs out of life-support machines in a hospital. A promise: I will do my best to finish the next book that is on the agenda!

PS Wished I could have attended the discussion, though! Regards (RM)

I'M OFF THEN - Hape Kerkeling

On  October 17 we met at Eva’s house and ate a German harvest lunch under the grape arbor (ever so apropos!) to discuss I’m Off Then. Eva had chosen this book because she was intrigued by the juxtaposition of a German comedian (that she isn’t particularly fond of) writing something with no overt connection to comedy focusing on his spiritual development as he walked the Camino de Santiago. Having no acquaintance with this comic many of us imagined that the book was supposed to be funny and were disappointed when it turned out not to have solicited even a chuckle but during our discussion we realized that he had no comic intent and the words he wrote were to be taken at face value.

It was one of the few times when we were all in agreement that the translator did a good job. As the original is apparently written in a very modern, youthful German voice it was clear that the translator succeeded in evoking the very same kind of perspective in English so we didn’t feel that we got anything less from the book than the readers who had it in the original German. Once we were assured that there was no overt humor intended we also agreed that it was an interesting look at the feelings experienced by this man as he attempted to find himself and God.

While some of us were disappointed that there wasn’t much information of a more informative sort, in terms of the towns he went through and the things he saw, we agreed that it was interesting to follow his spiritual evolution and the various people (some truly particular) that he met along the way. Sometimes the characters were so unusual that they beggared belief but we could accept that walking thousands of kilometers is an out of the ordinary event and likely to bring one into contact with people who are out of the ordinary as well.

Though we did not think there was anything extraordinary in the writing or the overall impact of the book many of us did find pearls of wisdom or food for thought. There were instances in his realizations that mirrored ones that we have had or provided us a look into new ideas that resonated with our own life experience. Some of them had a powerful impact and many generated discussion about whether God exists and how He/it may be experienced, what kind of experiences we have personally had when grappling with these questions and how our cultures and upbringing colored our personal views and expectations.

Though Kerkeling is reticent when it comes to the truly personal impact of his eventual “meeting” with God and what that meeting gave him, it was interesting to chart his gradual transformation from a man who didn’t think much was inexplicable to someone who was ready to embrace a great deal he could not explain or prove – proof that faith is wholly unprovable but extremely powerful. The book generated lots of interesting discussion and we all agreed that it was interesting and well worth our time to have read.  (T)

from Margaret 22/10/2012 18:49
We had, as always, an enjoyable meeting. Eva's patio this time,under the pergola, the last of summer wine... and a harvest-inspired feast of German fare. Quite a lively discussion on metaphysics sprang from this month's reading about a journey to San Juan de Santiago. .... "I'm Off Then" - was more of a travel log than the a pilgrimage, I thought.
Very little spirituality came through and even when the writer finally announced he'd met God he withheld all details, which was aggravating. I suspect he was just pulling our legs. I would also have liked to have known more about these strange people he met, what was motivating them etc. WHAT MOTIVATES ANYONE TO GO ON A TREK LIKE THAT? It sounded horrific- tough terrain, horrible inns, deserted stretches for women on their own to get through.
However, if you take it as a travel book, it is enjoyable reading and I got quite caught up in it, after a slow beginning. A pity that language (and probably cultural) barriers didn't allow me to fully appreciate the writer's humour. I'm sure the book is much more stimulating in the original language and I lost a lot.
Saluti a tutti. (M)

THE OTHER HAND - Chris Cleave

On  September 26 we met at Gillian’s and enjoyed a delicious Middle Eastern dinner (no reference to the book but absolutely scrumptious) and discussed The Other Hand. Gillian had chosen this book because she thought it would be food for thought, considering how pervasive the immigrant “problem” has become in all countries of the developed world, and also an eye-opener regarding what immigrants who get to England experience. While nobody hated the book, its effectiveness and reach was not equally experienced.

Some of us did feel that reading it opened them to a new dimension when seeing the window washer on the corner or the knick-knack seller in front of the supermarket, their plight and possible stories taking on a sharper edge and a more realistic perspective. Because the stories of the immigrants in the book moved them, they were more likely to imagine similar stories for the people we see on a daily basis, making them less a nuisance and more a part of a huge, seemingly endless tragedy.

Others of us did not feel the book contributed to our perspective at all. We were of the idea that the plight of immigrants is already concrete for us; we know the names and stories of many of those we run into day-to-day and The Other Hand did not add to our empathy. Whether it was because of the writing or the stock characters or the unlikelihood of some of the literary conceits, the book did not move or engage us. While nobody had trouble finishing it there were those of us who did not think it was well worth our time.

Even those who liked the book found their positive outlook waning the more they read. For those of us who have lived in Africa, the sections taking place there did not ring true and were full of inconsistencies and outright falsehoods. For those expecting realism, the trite characterizations became tedious and some characters downright annoying. And yet, there were some beautifully written lines, some memorable passages, and nobody ever felt tempted to simply stop reading. We all wanted to see how the story turned out.

The Other Hand does not offer solutions or dole out criticism. It is mostly a look at a common problem and the way most people normally deal with it. Some of us felt that its aim is mainly to allow the reader to see herself in the most common reaction to immigrants, which is to put up a protective wall and choose not to see, in the hopes that knowing their stories and experiencing their pain will force us to lower our guard and see the problem for what it is – human beings trying to survive. Whether such knowledge, gleaned from reading the book or already present, can contribute in any way to alleviating the problem is unknown except in our own, small circle. Inasmuch as The Other Hand prodded us to do so it was successful. (T)

THE DIVING-BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY - Jean-Dominique Bauby

On  August 1 we met at the Quadri restaurant by Lago di Albano (as Margaret is still roughing it) to discuss The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly. It was a lovely summer evening on the lake, with a full moon rising (not officially but it looked full), and while it was a little hard to talk about the book in the midst of a noisy restaurant we were, in any case, overlooking the water and game for doing our best under the circumstances.

Margaret had chosen the book because though it had been recommended to her and she read it, worried that it may be too heavy a subject to impose on us, she decided that it was so beautifully written as to warrant reading no matter how sad. We all agreed. Despite the undeniably terrible predicament the author finds himself in – and there is no glossing over being totally paralyzed and horrible to behold – his thoughts are beautifully rendered, often funny, and always so lyrical and perceptive that his infirmity recedes and what we are left with is the glorious resilience and power of the human mind.

Many of us thought the same thing as we were reading, that it was like reading poetry – not a chronologically laid out story but sparsely worded, perfectly chosen vignettes that allowed you not only to piece together what had happened and how he dealt with it but managed to transcend that reality and take you to another level, made up of all the beauty and poignancy our lives consist of that we so often don’t even notice because we’re caught up in our daily affairs and forget to step back and think how fortunate we are.

So effective is the book that it was interesting to know that this poetic, ultimately uplifting story was told by a man who was apparently not a very nice person, at least before his stroke. There is even some discrepancy between the impression one gets from the book that his wife was with him whereas in reality they were already separated and it was his new partner that was there. These small things did give rise to some wonder as to whether he really did write every word by blinking his eye when his assistant got to the right letter or whether perhaps the assistant took liberties and wrote some parts of it instead.

These were the only digressions, and so minor, from our wholehearted enjoyment of the book and appreciation of its lyrical beauty, regardless of how painstaking its writing was. With obviously extremely carefully chosen words he  expressed the anger, whimsy and sadness of his condition, using remembered tastes, events and places to soar unfettered and take us with him. Not only is this a wonderful literary experience but it is also a reminder to notice and hold close our many blessings as well as to remember that behind some broken, mangled body is a person who might be wishing we wouldn’t look away. (T)

THE WAY BY SWANN'S - Marcel Proust

On  June 30 we enjoyed a lovely evening out on Jill’s terrace overlooking the lake, and with good food and all the warmth generated by our getting together discussed the first of Proust’s famous oeuvre. Jill had chosen this book because she had come to wonder whether certain authors weren’t best appreciated later on in one’s life, with the time to read slow and contemplatively in a state of mind more conducive to the  complex literary style of past masters. Most of us had read (or, actually, attempted to read) Proust at some point in our lives and given up (except those who were forced to in school) so it was a good measure of whether age enables a person to read and actually enjoy a book such as this.

On a whole the answer is yes, with the caveat that not everybody finished it but wholly intend to. Though not all of us were captivated by the actual storyline we were all struck by the beauty of the language, the magnificent descriptions and the genial use of the language to convey states of mind and visual impact. Again we were faced with the issue of reading a translation (except for Francoise) only this time we had the benefit of a wonderful forward by the translators themselves, explaining their aims and choices, and this gave an additional dimension to our discussion as we attempted to get an idea of how different decisions by different translators affect the reading of the same book – an easy example is the title, originally “Remembrance of Things Past” and now “In Search of Lost Time.” The latter is true to the original title in French but, in our opinion, lacks the literary quality of the former, sounding more like a movie title and resonating far less.

We discussed whether today’s readers can be bothered to read a book that requires true concentration and a willingness to anticipate nothing, to just go with the flow of the language and the settings without getting antsy and wondering where this is all going. Some of us felt that after a while it got too difficult, as in when a sentence lasts two pages, and had to put it down while others were able to wade in and let the current carry them without once feeling they were losing their way or missing some connection. There were lots of little tangents the discussion took us on – the neat coincidence of Swann being based on an Charles Ephrussi, the protagonist of “The Hare with the Amber Eyes”, which we read before this; Proust’s unusually open description of a lesbian relationship; the mores of the day, which inhibited people and made them rather neurotic.

There were passages we cited for their beauty, and comparisons we made with the French, so though we often did stray, as usual, from the book itself we all felt that it was a great evening for the club. Those who hadn’t finished said they would, others planned to make reading the entire collection a summer project and even those of us who doubt they are actually prepared to read another (too young, still, we figure!) were glad to have taken the time and adopted the necessary mindset to read this. (T)

THE HARE WITH AMBER EYES - Edmund De Waal

On  May 18 we met at Margie’s. I’m happy to report that by popular demand she went back to her most satisfying set menu and we greatly enjoyed it. Margie had chosen this book because it had been recommended by a trustworthy friend and she did it completely on faith, having no idea whatsoever as to the subject matter. We all agree that the recommendation was valid because we all liked this book.

The focus on the collection of netsuke as a means of telling the story of the author’s family and their involvement in the historic events of their times was effective in that it gave us a look into the personal affairs as they played out against the historical context – making it an interesting history lesson that we were drawn into because of the loving detail provided about the various members and their quotidian lives.        

As often happens when we all like a book, the discussion tended to veer away from the book itself and down various, related subjects such as anti-Semitism in various places and epochs, whether it was always wholly religious-based or linked possibly to other factors such as wealth and position, and the pathos of those who put all their stakes into their homes, communities and countries only to be turned upon when the situation changed.

A few of us found some of the detail to be tedious after a while and wouldn’t have minded were the book shorter, while others felt that the layer upon layer of every minute aspect of peoples’ home décor, fashion and schedule added to a complete portrait of a family over time and in different countries, giving an intimate perspective to global affairs and creating a sort of crescendo to the ultimate catastrophe that was WWII.

While some of the family members were more interesting than others (including people who were connected to the family, such as Anna, the servant) the effect of the book overall is to provide a close look and understanding of this family and how it grew and changed depending on the circumstances – making it a plausible expression of a certain milieu over the centuries that dictated and created the various fashions in art, literature and style making up a significant part of European history. It was decidedly well worth reading and gave us an enjoyable afternoon of discussion. (T)

EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED - Jonathan Safran Foer

On  April 24 we met at Laura’s, to be wined and dined like queens and, of course, to discuss the book she chose. Laura chose this book after seeing the movie. She enjoyed the movie so much she decided to have us all read the book, imagining that the two would be complementary. Like all of us, she was a bit taken aback by the book’s difficulty (complexity, really – muddleness, some of us would say); she was also at a disadvantage, reading the Italian translation, where the truly funny stuff was lost.

We all started out loving this book. We found it funny, sometimes absolutely genially so. We liked the characters and the pretext, even enjoyed the flights of fancy the story about the legendary Trachimbrod evoked, but the longer the story went on the less many of us liked it. Some of us felt the magic realism effect fell flat in this Eastern European version. Some found that story pretentious and annoying while others simply didn’t enjoy its telling. The parallel story, the one being told in present time, was more reader-friendly and, thus, enjoyable – mostly because of the wonderful way the protagonist uses the English language and it is thanks to this part of the book that we could all say we were glad to have read it.

There were a few who enjoyed the book beginning to end but no one felt it was flawless. The juxtaposition of what is real with what couldn’t be in the Trachimbrod story sapped its strength and made it less effective. Where that ploy was least evident was where the story was strongest and we agreed that the harrowing events leading up to the massacre of the townspeople were powerfully evoked. Mostly our discussion centered on the various aspects where we each felt shortchanged by the author; they weren’t always the same things but the end result was. We also talked quite a bit about the possibility of really translating a book like this. A few hold-outs were convinced that a superb translator could translate the wild prose and hysterical language usage by using entirely different words, creating totally different puns, to the same effect but most of us felt that it would require writing another book altogether and would not then, in the end, be a translation.

Seeing the movie after our discussion was a real treat. The liberties taken by the film did not lessen the effect of the story; to the contrary, it made things clearer and was, most of us felt, a reflection of the author’s true intention – not entirely satisfactorily realized in the book but perfectly conveyed in the movie. We agreed that while the book is not one we would recommend lightly the movie is and despite the book’s shortcomings, the vision it attempts to give is a worthy one and we look forward to another book by Foer.

P.S. Just to show you that we weren’t far off the mark, the following is an excerpt from the Web: “In a Huffington Post article titled "The 15 Most Overrated Contemporary American Writers," Anis Shivani sees the work as "harmless multiculturalism for the perennially bored" and claims that "a more pretentious 'magical realist' novel was never written." A reviewer from The Prague Post laments that the book misrepresents the history of Jews in Ukraine and that the factual history of the massacre at Trochenbrod "...stands in a sharp contrast to claims made in the book." He finds particularly objectionable the fact that, in the novel, Foer described the Ukrainian treatment of Jews as "almost as bad as the Nazis," when in fact some Ukrainians helped the escape of the few Jewish survivors from Trochenbrod, and suffered brutal retaliation themselves as a result. However, it can be assumed that Foer was alluding to the antisemitic sentiment in Ukraine at the time, as evidenced by the numerous pogroms and widespread collaboration with the Nazis. (T)

THE NEW YORK TRILOGY - Paul Auster

On  March 12 we met at Lena’s on a glorious spring day to eat some wonderful quiche and discuss The New York Trilogy. We also were happy to welcome into our midst our newest member, Minou (at least I hope she is still interested in being a member, even after seeing what an undisciplined bunch we are!). Lena had chosen this book because she had read another by Auster and liked his work; she’d been meaning to have the club read something by him for some time and even chose her last book (written by Auster’s wife) as a fallback, not having found the one by Auster that she wanted.

Overall, we liked the book. We thought the three stories intriguing, the writing style interesting and the elaboration of the various characters unique. And we all did, at one point or another, realize that the three stories were interlinked in some fashion but it was there that the consensus came apart. Basically, none of us really got it. Some believed they understood some connections and others thought they saw others but we all put the book down convinced we’d missed the point.

While for some this led to frustration and even a little bit of anger (I mean, if you’re going to write for an audience should you not make an effort to reach said audience?) and for others it was a source of a little embarrassment (am I the only one who doesn’t get it?) our collective inability to fully understand the trilogy engendered some interesting discussion. Each one of us shared what she was able to put together and, like connecting different puzzle pieces we each held, slowly our group was able to get a fuller idea of how the stories were linked and who the various characters in each sub-story were vis-à-vis the next.

We remained fairly certain, even after we’d exhausted all the possibilities, that the complete picture still lacked some of its parts but the discussion was fun and interesting because it gave all of us a better view than we’d gotten on our own. This notwithstanding, many of us still felt that an author’s main goal (if he/she is writing for readers other than him/herself) should be to reach the readers – either by sharing an interesting story or by shedding light on some new subject or even just illuminating elements of the human condition but, either way, being understood. Others thought that Auster’s trilogy was more like a game, a new way of engaging the audience whereby the act of reading was like living – you experience life but you don’t always understand it.

Whether you were in one camp or the other, the outcome was an engaging discussion. Some of us felt motivated to read more by Auster, others weren’t, but we all agreed it had been an excellent choice for our club. (T)

THE BAD GIRL - Mario Vargas Llosa

On January 23 we met at Francoise’s and enjoyed an inviting fireplace and a delicious Tuscan meal to discuss The Bad Girl. Francoise had chosen the book because our club had never read anything by Vargas Llosa before and, seeing as he is a Nobel prize winner for literature, she thought this a lacuna that needed to be corrected. She expected a work that would shed some light on Peru in a given historical context and was quite disappointed to have most of the novel taking place in Paris. In fact, most of us did not think this book to be worth the time it took to read it and must believe that his Nobel is based on his earlier work since very few of us had much that was positive to say about The Bad Girl.  

For most, the antipathy to this work was based on both a sense of it being an unbelievable literary construct and an uninspiring literary style. That a person could become so enamored of someone for more than 40 years who causes him only hurt and treats him with the utmost cruelty seemed entirely unlikely. Such was the masochistic appearance of the protagonist that we ceased to care about him. Anybody who could continue to genuinely love somebody who inflicted only pain just didn’t seem worth our while and the few concessions that Llosa makes to give the object of his devotion some semblance of goodness (such as her being the one to get the mute boy to speak) were too little too late. She was odious throughout and when she came upon bad luck and hard times they seemed entirely earned. 

At the same time, there were passages in the book that seemed aimed exclusively to shock. As part of a series of bad situations Lily gets herself into, the graphic descriptions of her exploitation by her Japanese lover jump into the obscene and seem gratuitously inflicted on the reader who already feels she’s getting everything she deserves and many of us were simply totally put off by the descriptions rather than engaged in any significant way in Lily’s travails. So voyeuristic were these passages that some of us felt they were written by a dirty old man. 

There was a lone voice of dissension, who liked the book, who thought that it was an accurate portrayal of those bad relationships that exist in reality and found the characters to be accurate renditions of textbook psychological characterizations of people involved in S&M type relationships. She liked the descriptions of fifties life in Peru, considered the portrayal of civil service work in the United Nations true to life and did not feel put off either by the style or by the author’s eye to detail.