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Book summaries - 2014
MASTER AND COMMANDER - Patrick O'Brian LOOKING FOR MRS LIVINGSTONE - Julie Davidson THE MADONNAS OF LENINGRAD - Debra Dean THE LOST CHILD OF PHILOMENA LEE - Martin Sixsmith AMERICANAH - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie THE LONG SHIPS - Frans G. Bengtsson PEOPLE OF THE BOOK - Geraldine Brooks
MASTER AND COMMANDER - Patrick O'Brian from Margie 22/11/2014Unfortunately I won’t be at the book club meeting....once again. I am really beginning to miss you all and hope we will get together before the new year. Anyway I wanted to make a few comments on this month’s book. I certainly feel that “a picture is worth a thousand words” might be relevant in this case, and am sorry that I will miss the movie as I think I would understand a bit more. I don’t know who, while reporting the name of the book to me, said Tatiana had said not to worry about the nautical references while reading the book. But Tatiana how could you have said that? It was all nautical references! I kept waiting for some kind of parallel story but it never seemed to appear. I thought that the relationship between Dillon and the doctor and Ireland would lead some place but it never did. Also the relationship between Jack and the doctor. I must admit I never really understood why teamed up as, if I remember correctly, they really didn’t get along too well at the first meeting. I notice however that this is the start of a long relationship involving many books so I apparently missed something there. All the above said, I didn’t mind reading the book. It did give a picture of shipboard life and relationships between the various people aboard (difficult to follow because they were often referred to by their role rather than name ...and to understand the role and keep it in my head I would have had to understand what they did). I see that this series has been very successful but all in all maybe it is a man’s book. I can’t really see reading another episode. Will be curious to hear what was said by everyone and if the movie was edifying. And by the way Happy Thanksgiving! P.S. I didn’t even understand who was the Master and who was the Commander or if they were one and the same! (MF) from Tatiana 30/11/2014 Talk about being evenly divided – of those of us who read the book, two loved it, two appreciated parts of it and two disliked it (one rather intensely), and it all had to do with the fact that the language and 18th century nautical terminology either put you off or didn’t. For the two of us who loved it, the rhythm and lyrical flow was captivating and though we could not understand large portions dealing with maneuvers at sea or naval war, somehow the cadence and striking moments amidst all the technical jargon carried us along. We loved the relationship drawn between Aubry and Maturin, the little lines dropped without fanfare here and there that were brilliant, and the sometimes gorgeous poetry, as when describing the sun up against the sails, making them shine like pearls. For those who got frustrated with the nautical terms but found much to like in the general storyline and characters, it was an interesting experience but not one they are likely to repeat, despite the fact that O’Brian has written 20 books more in the series. And for those that wished I’d never chosen it… well, it is clear why. The old English got really old really fast. We had rather the same response to the movie, too. Those who totally disliked the book found the movie much what they expected it to be while those who like it enjoyed seeing the scenes we’d only partially been able to imagine. An experiment, at worst, and an interesting experience at best. All giving an enjoyable discussion, which is, in the end, the whole point is it not? (T) from Margaret 03/12/2014 Unfortunately our numbers were somewhat depleted for our discussion on Tatiana's book - O'Brian's classic "Master and Commander". Half of our members couldn't make it. However, the book was well received by all present, with judgements ranging from "like" to unreserved enthusiasm. Some found the nautical terms off-putting and there were objections concerning loose ends in the plot and some difficulties in following the confusing battle scenes. However, I loved this book, mainly for the poetry of the language and the writer's rhythm. I read every word. I felt I didn't want to miss a single phrase, even those I did not understand!. It is rare for a book to affect me this way and my admiration for Mr. O'Brian's talents as a story teller is unbounded. Brava Tatiana! (M)
LOOKING FOR MRS LIVINGSTONE - Julie Davidson from Margie 25/10/2014Ok I guess I have to bite the bullet and give my opinion on “Looking for Mrs. Livingstone” As I suppose transpired from second hand reports, I wasn’t too enthusiastic about the book....to put it mildly. I’m sorry but I really did not enjoy it, in fact suffered throughout, though I did finish it. So why? Well, first of all, though Livingstone must be a very important figure in Scotland and all of GB generally, I had hardly heard of him other than the famous “Dr. Livingstone, I presume” quote. This is surely my ignorance but in fact I would have been a bit more interested to know something about him since he is so clearly a” famous person”...but of course this was not the aim of the book. As far as Mary, who of course is the aim of the book, is concerned, my only reaction was “who cares?” She herself wasn’t interested in being well known and though she admittedly did go through a lot as his wife so do millions of other people as more or less anonymous wives . It seemed to me that both the author and one or two of the other people in the book were simply trying to drum up a means of making a living for themselves through her and her story. I know a lot of the book club people were enthusiastic because they could identify with the people and the places (though since it all happened so long ago I wonder if they really were able to identify with what the author said or simply were taken over by their love of Africa). I can’t say that anything that she described made me the least bit interested in seeing or exploring Africa. She didn’t seem to add anything except the most commonplace observations. The one thing that did strike me, but certainly no one we know has ever experienced anything like this, was the lady who had to take her piano along with her on her boat trip from wherever to wherever else. As far as the author’s efforts go I felt she did a lot of research and a lot of putting together observations from other sources and added almost nothing of her own to it. So what can I say in summing up. I was sorry to have to missed the meeting since often a discussion will sway one’s opinion but as it now stands I have to put it down to being one of the boring reads I’ve ever had. Onwards and upwards! (Margie) from Tatiana 26/10/2014 Reading a book by a Scottish author about a Scottish woman chosen by another Scotswoman and enjoying a genuine Scottish lunch – it was truly a full immersion afternoon and we enjoyed this meeting immensely. Looking for Mrs. Livingstone evoked different things in us but overall we all liked the book. It resonated most with those who have lived in Africa, bringing back memories and touching off longings for people and landscapes and states of mind that, once you fall in love with Africa, never fully recede. For those of us who had never lived there, the book was interesting on a more down-to-earth level as a look into a time and a place we know little about but all of us appreciated learning about a woman whose famous husband eclipsed her life and achievements nearly completely. It was astounding to find out (most of us had no idea) that the Livingstones were missionaries, and that Mrs. Livingstone is still well remembered in Africa for it was she who truly lived the missionary ideal while her husband played at being an explorer. His near total disregard for the welfare of his wife and children was a revealing counterbalance to his heralded discoveries and while we none consider missionaries kindly we could only appreciate her total dedication. Some of us felt that the book could have been shorter, that the long, detailed descriptions of the author's trip were there to make up for the paucity of real data on Mrs. Livingstone considering that the (probably most interesting) letters from her "fall from grace" in Scotland had been destroyed. Others felt that the author engaged in too much speculation about Mrs. Livingstone's feelings and motives, making some fairly big deductive leaps based on things said or written by others but on the whole it was an educational read that we are glad to have had. (T)
from Tatiana 11/09/2014 How wonderful to meet again after several months of not getting together! I think it wouldn’t have mattered at all what book we discussed but Deaf Sentence simply added to a lovely afternoon because for most of us it was a wonderful read. David Lodge (half of us had never heard of him) writes beautifully and stylistically his book pleased us all because he succeeds with a superb use of language in conveying the despair and hope of old age – made worse in his case because of early onset deafness. In fact, he was so on the spot that for some of us it actually became uncomfortable – “too close to home”. We were entertained while, at the same time, made to think about our own mortality and our group unanimously agreed to read more of his work in the future. There was some disagreement as to the effectiveness of the various threads in the story (Alex, mainly; some thought she was an unnecessary distraction) but others felt that everything worked together to realistically (and often very funnily) convey one ageing man’s state of mind. Naturally, as many of us are getting into the later years (I am trying to be neutrally euphemistic here) the various situations in the book resonated and we even drew comparisons between the mishaps due to deafness and those connected with speaking a foreign language. There were many sections of the book that stayed with us, such as his rapport with his old father and certain social gatherings, and gave the inevitable sadness the touch of laughter that does seem to always be there, if you look for it. I think the whole group would recommend this book to anyone. Our monthly Book Club meetings get better and better! (T)
THE MADONNAS OF LENINGRAD - Debra Dean from Margaret 19/06/2014 Our monthly Book Club meetings get better and better! This time we braved ominous black clouds to sit on Jill's terrace overlooking Lake Albano where we were able to enjoy half of our delicious meal before we were forced to take refuge indoors and get down to the serious business of discussing the above book. Opinions were almost universally favourable. For my part, I loved it and read it from start to finish practically without a break. I enjoyed the descriptions of the Hermitage and the works of art and I could almost see them through the descriptions of the heroine, Marina. This was the part of the book that most of us enjoyed most and Margie's efforts to research the works mentioned and put them online was a great idea and deserved more attention. Some of us had reservations about the portrayal of the effects of Alzheimer's. Virtually it is impossible to know what is going on inside the head of a sufferer and the author had to use a lot of writer's licence here though she did quite a convincing job. We complained there were annoying gaps in the story. Marina and Dmitri's meeting and reunion after the War was glossed over, we didn't know how Marina coped with a baby under the seige, what the last year of the War was like, how she survived, how the couple got to the Usa etc. So we were very interested to hear that Tatiana had not been aware of any lapses as she had been able to identifiy with episodes in the story that were close to her own family history. On the whole, however, this was a beautiful story, poetically told and a very enjoyable read. (M)
THE LOST CHILD OF PHILOMENA LEE - Martin Sixsmith from Tatiana 23/05/2014 This was surely one of the most memorable meetings of our venerable book club due exclusively to Laura’s gracious hospitality, perfect organization and glorious weather – the last not of her doing, of course, but it just seemed like she thought of everything. We enjoyed some superb excursions, the photos of which will only partially capture the beauty and pleasure these places inspired, ate Laura’s fabulous food and discovered a restaurant by the river that was simply icing on the cake our last day. While none of us were overly impressed with Martin Sixsmith’s The Lost Child of Philomena Lee for a variety of reasons, including rather plain journalistic prose, excessive length, unappealing protagonist (since the book focused on Philomena’s son as opposed to her), once we watched the movie (which, on the contrary, focused on the mother) the book turned out to have been an excellent – I would go so far as to say necessary – adjunct to the story as a whole. Having both gave us a complete experience that neither, on its own, could. (T) from Margaret 24/05/2014 Our May book, chosen by Laura, was a disappointment for those of us who had seen the film “Philomena”, supposedly based on the book. In actual fact, the film version had little to do with the book theme, which recounted the life of Michael Hess, leading Washington lawyer and a Republican official during the Reagan and Bush governments. Whereas the film concentrated on the figure of the mother, Philomena, whose child had been forcibly taken from her by the Irish nuns and virtually sold to adoptive parents in America, the book concentrated on Anthony/Michael's childhood with his new family and his subsequent career, his homosexuality and tragic death by AIDS. Personally, I hadn't seen the film, which I thought was an advantage as I had no reserves when I started the book. I found the first half enthralling – the dreadful experiences in the convents of the “fallen women”, the pathetic story of two little children thrown into an entirely new world. But as the book wore on, I got increasing bored with the stories of Michael's love affairs and the ins and outs of American politics. Michael was also revealed as an entirely unlovable character – insecure, selfish, a political social climber and with kinky tendencies to boot. I wasn't too sure what point the writer was trying to make: was it the scandal of the sale of Irish babies, the problems of gay men, the corruption in American politics, or the AIDS drama? I think if he had concentrated on one only of these themes, the book would have been more incisive. This said, I really enjoyed the film and Judi Dench's immaculate and moving portrayal of the grieving mother, which Laura showed us at her home in Pescolanciano. (M)
AMERICANAH - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie from Tatiana 18/04/2014 We met the 16th at Margie’s, enjoyed the traditional Margie lunch, and discussed Americanah – a book we all mostly enjoyed though did not believe was quite up to the caliber of the previous novel of hers we had read, Half of a Yellow Sun. Despite some predictability, however, it was an interesting look at a world none of us knows anything about or has ever experienced – being black in America. Perhaps what we liked best about it was precisely that look into a reality only those who live it fully comprehend, and her being African, and not an American black, gave the descriptions the authenticity of observation one step removed – the slights lacking sting in the same way that the passion to right them found her almost indifferent. It was an interesting and instructive look at race relations in the U.S, a subject far from passé, unfortunately, alongside a recounting of one woman’s ambivalent relationship with her own country and past. The tangents our conversations took were many, including insights into Nigeria and its sloppy evolution; the life of expatriates, whatever their nationality; the harried and hounded life of immigrants – again, regardless of nationality – and while the book didn’t strike most of us as being written gorgeously the author had many an insight that was a perfect jewel. Definitely a good book for our discussions. (T)
THE LONG SHIPS - Frans G. Bengtsson from Margaret 28/03/2014 We met at Lena's to discuss this month's book. Appropriately, Lena had chosen a theme close to her origins – a rousing Viking saga. Almost all of us enjoyed this rollicking tale of Norse heroes and their exploits, recounted in the typical style of ancient ballads and legends. The writer, a celebrated historian, did not fall into the trap of introducing moral issues that would have seemed natural to modern readers but which were totally inconceivable to his characters, who mirrored a society that was virtually Neolithic in structure. The leaders were the strongest men of the tribe. They lived by plunder. They accepted the risks as part of the adventure. They had no compunctions about killing anyone who got in their way or whom they perceived as an enemy. The slaves they captured were simply merchandise. They were sub-human commodities, without face, history or feelings and when Orm and Toke themselves became slaves, they accepted their lot as an inevitable twist of fate. Fate, which they called “Luck” featured large in their vision of the world, where risk and danger were constants and they had no control over events like weather, sickness and the unknown. Although they were virtually one-dimension men, we did manage to admire their courage in exploring vast tracts of unknown rivers and seas and it is not hard to understand how a people of this calibre had, during the Dark Ages, conquered and settled much of Europe. The great civilization of the Normans, especially in Sicily, was to come later, as a natural development when they had leisure to use their intellect and initiative in the peaceful pursuit of knowledge and culture. Some of our group objected to the writer's use of language, which seemed bare and basic, with no use of similes, metaphors or other figures of speech commonly used by more modern writers. There were also few descriptions of places and customs in the foreign lands they visited. No Marco Polo here! The reader's curiosity remained unsatisfied in this respect. Another objections was to the length. The stories seemed endless, like a succession of books strung together, a bit like a soap opera of myth and legend. The subject of religion also came up. According to the book, the Vikings had little or no religion. Unlike the Ancient Greeks, their gods were rarely invoked. They did not seem to pray or hold religious ceremonies. The conversion to Christianity was a matter of convenience, when they thought that the Christian god was more powerful than the others and would give them more “luck”. The Christian missionaries who ventured into these savage lands were much to be admired for their courage, although in this book they are mainly portrayed as slightly ineffectual and almost comical figures – in total contrast to the stalwart and warlike heroes they try (usually unsuccessfully) to convert. There is the faintest hint of the quality of mercy being introduced with Christianity, where Orm allows captives to go free instead of killing them but the writer (wisely I think) does not go any deeper into this theory. (M)
from Tatiana 06/04/2014 So what can I add to Margaret’s good summary? Well, not only was the book culturally appropriate for Lena but we got to enjoy a culturally appropriate lunch – including herring and stout ale. Delicious. We all basically found the book to be an enjoyable read, very much reminiscent of the bard style of story-telling – perfect for whiling away the long, winter hours in front of a fire. Reading the whole thing wasn’t a plus as it begs to be told a little at a time, but it was fun to learn of the cultural context and historic underpinnings of the characters in the book. Some of the tangents our discussion took us on was how curious it is that from these none too ideal beginnings the Scandinavian nations have turned out to be the most gender equal in the world (as opposed to the heavy backward steps Italy took, after women being far advanced in ancient Roman society, before heading up again); what’s to be said about a pragmatic approach to religion, as opposed to blind faith-based, and how that may have contributed to the Nordic societies’ greater advancement socially; how people appear to have regressed in terms of physical strength from the days of men actually lugging their ships ashore to get past shallow waters; and how interesting it would be to have a female historian delving into this past (did it really only take a pretty trinket to have a woman get over her dead husband and happily go with his murderer?). In all, an interesting discussion and a fun book. (T)
from Tatiana 19/02/2014 The following are my comments on Together Tea: First off, I really liked the book – probably because I can relate to most of the characters. I know my parents (and grandparents) were particularly attached to Russian traditions precisely because they weren’t in Russia. So I celebrated Christmas the 7th of January, and Easter about a week or two after regular Easter, ate Russian food and spoke Russian at home. My cousin, who grew up in Russia, didn’t give a whit about Christmas and his mother was constantly experimenting with “foreign” cusine. My grandfather taught me how to read and write in Russian before I started school and it really seemed, especially before my parents divorced, that I lived in two different countries. Thus I could really connect to the difference our protagonist saw between her upbringing and that of her best childhood friend, who was so “free” in her own home she was practically wild. I remember an old boss of mine, whom I’d call a “moderate” Muslim, once told me that having to wear a burqa wasn’t “that big a deal” because at home or friends’ homes they wore skimpy outfits and tons of makeup – obviously totally missing the point. I do have faith, in any case, considering the high level of education in Iran of girls and young women, that things will change from within the country, by the women themselves. I also relate to the feeling of not “being at home” anyplace anymore. When I go back to the States I feel like an anthropologist – seeing and noting and analyzing things because I no longer feel a part of them – while, at the same time, not feeling Italian in any real sense either. Many expats feel this displacement and I guess it comes with the territory. And while I’m here, thinking about expats, allow me to express a pet peeve. It really gets my goat to hear expats moaning and complaining about how awful things are in Italy. I mean, really, we chose to live here and we could live elsewhere, not like the people who are born here and have a nearly genetic tie to the place despite how angry certain things might make them. And since no place in the world is perfect, and there are different problems connected to any place you choose to live, I really wish I had to the guts to tell these people to stop whining and go the fuck home (or some other country where they think they’ll be happier). Also a word about arranged marriage. I know the argument for it cites the parents’ intimate knowledge of their children and good sense in choosing people of the same socio-economic and cultural background (along with, nobody will deny it, an eye for how much money a prospective husband may make) but as I’ve watched Sasha fall in and out of love with guys over the years I have come to the conclusion that I haven’t the foggiest idea what kind of man would be good for her, also because the problems that come up later in a relationship are connected to things that are absolutely impossible for a parent to know about (nor would the other parent ever share), from things such as small psychological quirks to downright laziness or (the biggie for Sasha) an inability (or unwillingness) to CONNECT emotionally. There’s no way you can know this about anybody until you’ve known them for a long time so I truly don’t believe an arranged marriage has any greater chance of surviving than the un-arranged kind. The difference, of course, is that when a woman is in an arranged marriage, even if she ends up totally not liking her husband there’s nothing she can do about it – so of course they last. Were women in arranged marriages able to divorce their spouses I’m sure the rate would be the same as those who “fall in love” with their husbands. In all, I enjoyed the writing and felt the characters’ lives and feelings were believable. I would definitely recommend this book to others. (T)
from Margaret 26/02/2014 This month’s Book Club meeting gave us an interesting “full immersion” experience in Iranian culture at Minu’s home, where she prepared a delicious Iranian meal, thus introducing us to some of the intriguing dishes we had read about in the book. Almost all our members were present and most of us were in agreement – with some reservations – that we had enjoyed the book. There were a few complaints that the story was a bit too much in the style of the “romantic novelette” of the ‘50s-‘60s for modern tastes (ie. no sex, violence or psychological anguish and hand-wringing). I personally found this refreshing after many of the “best sellers” we have been reading lately! The most interesting aspects of the book were the descriptions of everyday life in Iran – ordinary family life and the close ties with the extended family, the homes and gardens, street vendors, music preferences, social life, food (already mentioned), as we have such a vague notion of actual conditions in a modern and relatively moderate Islamic country. We sympathized with the plight of the emigrant, forced to start a new life in America (but it could be Europe), the perennial homesickness and the eternal tug of the old country. Mina commented that she felt like the hyphen in “Iranian-American” – never fully belonging in either society. As most of us are not native Italians, we sympathized with these sentiments. Minu asked us what we thought about arranged marriages. The answer must have surprised her as so many of us said we thought it maybe wasn’t such a bad idea. This might make a good discussion on another occasion……. (M)
PEOPLE OF THE BOOK - Geraldine Brooks from Jill 26/01/2014 Almost from the first page I enjoyed reading Geraldine Brooks novel. I had never heard of a hagaddah, but soon got drawn into the miraculous history of the Sarajevo Hagaddah. I loved the interweaving of Hannah’s findings and descriptions of the book, and the author’s highly imaginative background stories to the insect wing, the wind stains, the white hair etc., none of which did I find implausible. I also liked the theme of Hannah’s modest love and family story which brings us firmly back each time to the present, gathering up the strands of the narrative and providing a backdrop to the story of the book, so that she kind of becomes one more “person of the book”. I found her descriptions of the various character’s daily lives both past and present, whether Lola in Sarajevo, the doctor in Vienna, David in Tarragona and the slave girl in Seville set the local scene for me with life and colour for each of the experiences of the book. I have to admit to surprise on reading reviews from both the NY Times and the Guardian, both of which were somewhat lukewarm and pernickety about clunky style and implausible solutions. “Little sensitivity to local colour of thought and emotion”. Well, I totally disagreed and found that for me anyway she brought the past very much to life. The illuminations found on Google which I had specially printed for the meeting are indeed absolutely gorgeous and worth a look. So sorry I couldn’t make it to the meeting in the end and many apologies to Francoise who had apparently made a really lovely lunch as always. (J)
from Margaret 01/02/2014 Our numbers were somewhat reduced at this meeting at Francoise’s home. This was unfortunate because the two members who said they didn’t enjoy the book were absent. If they had been present, our discussion would probably been more stimulating! As it was, those present were all in agreement. We had all enjoyed the book, with a few reservations, such as the feeling that the “contorno” (Hannah’s personal life) was not really convincing or necessary. The saga of the Sarajevo Haggadah would have been gripping enough on its own, without the companion tale of Hannah, the restorer, and her family troubles and romances, which, we thought, did not enhance the main story. I personally had not realized that the Sarajevo Haggadah was a real codex. If I had taken the trouble to look it up on Wikipedia, like our more web-wise members, I would have read the book in an entirely different spirit because the parts that interested me most were the historical/factual elements that the author skillfully recounted. She had obviously researched her subject thoroughly to give the story such an authentic ring as she blended fact with fiction. (M) |
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