Castelli Book Club

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Book summaries - 2018 

 

A GOD IN RUINS - Kate Atkinson

WINTER'S TALES - Isak Dinesen

A WALK IN THE WOODS - Bill Bryson

SAPIENS - Yuval Noah Harari

THE AGE OF INNOCENCE - Edith Wharton

EXIT WEST - Mohsin Hamid

AN ARTIST OF THE FLOATING WORLD - Kazuo Ishiguro

THE AMAZING STORY of the man who cycled from India to Europe for love - Per J. Andersson

THE BURIED GIANT - Kazuo Ishiguro

 

A GOD IN RUINS - Kate Atkinson

from Margaret 2/12/2018

Complete Harmony! Perhaps the atmosphere helped, with a log fire burning in the corner of Tatiana's "den" and a plate of warm soup with homemade bread. Whatever, we were for once in complete agreement regarding this book.

We admired the writer's style and the depth and breadth of her research on the flying conditions of bomber pilots during the last war. She even got all the complicated technical terms right (we assumed that such a scrupulous writer would not have made mistakes).

Only some chapters of the novel, however, dealt with the war. Mostly it was about Ted and his family. The beginning I found a little confusing. It took me a few chapters to work out who everyone was, thanks to Atkinson's tendency to leap from one period of time to another, backwards and forwards.

I personally did not like her "sliding doors" ending. Did Ted die of old Age or did he die years earlier when his plane crashed into the sea? Did Nancy die of brain cancer early on in their married life, or did she survive to place flowers on his monument? Take your pick! But I would have preferred that the author do that for me and have the story sewn up neatly.

Apart from that little niggle (not shared by others) I really enjoyed this book. I especially appreciated her original descriptive passages, like "stalwart affection",  "a cascade of past times", poor sick Nancy's  "head full of bees" and "truffling primroses". I also greatly enjoyed Ted's Nature notes under his pen name "Agrestis". The book was engrossing without a dull moment and the characters were well drawn, even if Ted seemed a bit too good to be true and his daughter Viola unbelievably horrible in her treatment of him.

We may well return to this author sometime in the future.

from Tatiana 5/12/2018

I had chosen A God in Ruins because I like Kate Atkinson’s books in general and, as it turned out, this is probably my favorite. In fact, we all felt that her descriptive abilities are top notch in this story, creating characters so vivid they feel like real people. We also agreed that she managed, while ostensibly focusing on the life and times of her main character, to perfectly evoke not only his time and place but also write an anti-war novel in simple (rather than lurid or preachy) prose. Only one member thought perhaps the basic pretext for the novel was trite (a view everybody else attempted to dissuade her from) and we were unanimous in our view that it is a wonderfully written book. The only question about the book has to do with the ending. It is so abrupt a departure from everything one has read so far that many of us went back more than once to figure out what on earth just happened (it is also the main reason behind my choosing this book. as I’d read it once and thought I’d missed something). Indeed, none of our conjectures are entirely convincing – other than perhaps that one life lost comprises, in truth, the many lives that would have existed had the initial one survived into the future.

 

WINTER'S TALES - Isak Dinesen

from Tatiana 26/10/2018

Though our discussion of Winter’s Tales was a bit hurried due to different time constraints, it seemed that the one shared sentiment had to do with Dinesen’s lyrical, evocative language. Eva chose this book mostly for this reason, for the author’s ability to beautifully describe a Nordic landscape one could practically see, and on that count we were all in agreement. Those who know that part of the world agreed she did justice to it, and those of us who do not now feel like we do. There, however, the consensus ended for the fairy tale nature of these stories transported some quite nicely while leaving others cold. And it didn’t even matter, to those who slipped easily into her dream-like world, that the meaning of the stories wasn’t always clear while those who found the fairy tale style slightly annoying were further disgruntled by the fact that we quite often had no idea what they meant. Those who have read her most famous book insist that this is not the style in which Out of Africa was written so we wondered whether being back in her home land had this moody, rather gothic effect on her. In any case, while it is not a book we would all recommend it is, if you agree to go where she takes you without asking why, an interesting journey.

from Margaret 3/11/2018

An early meeting this time. After a hearty breakfast/brunch provided by Eva, we settled down to discuss this book. Unfortunately, my copy had not yet arrived and I had only managed a quick dip into the Kindle Jill kindly lent me, so I had only had a very superficial read through some of the stories and I had certainly missed all the symbolism and hidden meanings several of us alluded to. I had found some of the stories quite baffling. "The Young Man with the Carnation", for instance, was so obscure that I thought maybe the Kindle had missed out a few pages.

Not all of these reservations have been overcome with a second reading (when the printed book finally reached me). I still don't understand why Alkmene wanted to watch the public execution. All references to the Greek Alcmene in Wikipedia failed to shed a light. Nor do I understand what the two sisters were hoping to achieve at the spa ("The Invincible Slave Owners"). It would be logical to think they were hoping to catch a rich husband to save them from their impoverished state - since Mizzi, at least, was so beautiful and charming and surrounded by admirers, she might easily have found one besotted enough to overlook their penniless condition. Refusing to contemplate this possibility seemed illogical and pushing pride too far.  I could not see what Axel's dressing up as a servant could achieve, unless it was an attempt to win her confidence and her heart, but this possibility seemed to fizzle out, leaving no conclusion.

These were hide-and-seek stories, where Karen Blixen seems to amuse herself tantalizing readers with oblique references and ambiguous situations. The symbolism in these stories was so personal and obscure as to be often incomprehensible (at least to a reader from a different background….maybe a Scandinavian upbringing would make them clearer!).

I was interested to hear that she had written the stories both in Danish and in English. This might explain her rather odd punctuation and sentence composition, eg. "He could not, he said, on his own find sufficient reason for doing a thing, ever to do it, but the fact that he was being asked or told so by somebody else was to him quite a plausible reason for taking it on."

However, the stories are certainly haunting and original, part fairytale, part gothic legend. They linger on in the mind while they remain indecipherable. 

 

A WALK IN THE WOODS - Bill Bryson

from Jill 20/09/2018

I have loved all of the Bill Bryson books which I have read, and I was really pleased to have the chance to read another which I hadn’t read.  I can sympathise with his desire to do the 2,100 mile long Appalachian trail which is obviously something pretty special, especially after coming back from little England where there surely is nothing quite like that.  I enjoyed the description of the preparations and his horror at the vast cost of all the apparatus, also his  accounts of his experiences with Stephen.  As they meet up with some odd trail companions, Chicken John and the Boy Scouts,  he can be very amusing, if slightly superior, in his descriptions.  He wasn’t afraid to admit when things didn’t go that well and they decide to cut it short.  I would have done too!

I have to admit I found parts of the book a little over informative, and even slightly boring.   There are constant complaints about the Parks Service  -  it would appear that everybody has done everything wrong  -  again a slight sense of superiority creeping through.

I definitely enjoyed reading it, but would recommend more enthusiastically “Notes from a Small Island”,  “Notes from a Big Country”  and “Down Under”.

from Margaret 21/09/2018

You have to take your hat off to Bill Bryson. Only a writer of his talent could make this boring subject sound interesting! Bill treks up and down endless mountains and forest paths. Nothing really happens - not even one bear puts in an appearance. However, he still manages to capture the reader's attention and make this account an entertaining read.

This book has little of the sparkle and laugh-out-loud humour of some of his other books, like the ones about Britain ("the Small Island") and his descriptions of journeys in the USA, but it is quietly amusing and he manages to pack in a lot of interesting research along the way, like the formation of the Appalachians and the early explorations of the American wilderness.

I was horrified by his description of the Centralia community, burning underground for nearly a century. Don't Americans worry about what they are doing to their environment? I was also rather horrified by the diet these hikers seemed to follow. They only seemed to eat noodles and snicker bars (whatever they are). When they get to the service stations it's no better - only fast food and sodas and cokes to drink. Is it possible that no healthy food is available in these places or is Bryson so Americanized that he thinks this is natural food? He is a highly educated man and has lived a large part of his life in Britain (he has even researched Shakespeare, for goodness sake) so I would have expected him to know better and take this chance to spread the message about proper nutrition!

I happened to be speaking to a group of American hikers from New Mexico here in Italy on a walking tour. They were quite disparaging about the book. They thought he had made most of it up and were also convinced that his travelling companion Katz was a fictitious figure. I can't judge the facts, only the writing, and I think that was entertaining enough to justify it as a pleasant passatempo……

from Laura 27/09/2018

I chose this book because it’s about hiking in the wilderness, which I find myself doing quite often now in Molise.

Bill Bryson  was unknown to me, so I researched on-line and found that he writes about non-fiction subjects, especially travel, science and the english language, all subjects I find interesting. Most of all I like his wit, he is never boring, although he gives a lot of information about classification and  statistics. The first part of the book is exhilarating, when he describes purchasing all kind of equipment he needed for his journey (I was reading the book while running on the treadmill in the gymn and laughing out loud by myself, and people were staring at me like I was crazy or something!).

It’s true that people are so fussy and competitive about what is the best kind of sport clothing or equipment, and they are so unreasonably expensive, I entered this universe since I started practicing sport and hiking on a dedicated level. The amount of money I spent is ridiculous and there is always someone eyeing me critically, frowning in disapproval and saying “Big Mistake ! You didn’t go for the best quality and you’ll regret it !”

I have experienced some of the situations and feelings he describes, hiking up several mountains, more than 2000 meters high, although I just took one day trips. There are bears, wolves, deers, wild boars, birds of prey, etc. here too, and sometimes people get lost or die for the stupidest reasons. You have to be very careful out there, particularly in winter with snow or ice

Of course this book is specifically about the U.S, and some parts were not familiar to me because I don’t know about american history, or some of the people he mentions. He complains a lot about the Park Services, whether right or wrong I don’t know, but money or the lack thereof seems to be the real issue there, same as here.

So it was a good read, and we got to see the movie, starring Robert Redford, Nick Nolte and Emma Thompson, which was really entertaining and complemented the book beautifully.

from Tatiana 28/09/2018

What to say about our yearly pilgrimage to Laura’s in Molise when she hosts our meeting, not to mention wines and dines us and puts us up for the night?! The week-end is always a joy for those who are able to make it and once back home we are left with the loveliest sense of having enhanced and further solidified our friendships along with enjoying a wonderful two days. We had our own walk in the woods, relished her marvelous cooking and got to know some nearly ignored archeological history of the Middle Ages. There was a delightful aperitivo overlooking a lake, all-hands-on-deck to help cook and clean and, naturally, an enjoyable book discussion. Laura had chosen this book mostly thanks to the title, for she has been embarking on her own treks and was curious about Bryson’s, not knowing much of anything about the Appalachian Trail or, indeed, Bryson himself.  We all agreed that it was a fairly pleasant book, though not his funniest (many of us have read other books by Bryson) and for some a bit too packed with miscellanea about the history of the Trail. Still, it was enjoyable in parts and we have definitely learned about a place none of us knew much about. The movie, on the other hand, was truly entertaining. Freed from the book’s historical underpinnings it focused on the relationship between Bryson and his travelling companion, Katz – two old friends who alternately adore and despise each other but, ultimately, know that they’ve got each other’s backs come what may. It was funny and while it did have to invent a few scenes to liven up a story in which nothing actually happens it hewed close to the heart of a relationship between two men who know they are facing their declining years but yearn for one last adventure to prove otherwise.

 

SAPIENS - Yuval Noah Harari

from Tatiana 15/07/2018

Jill didn’t actually choose Sapiens. She found the book and, on a whim, started to read it, discovering that she was finding it to be fascinating and that it would be an interesting book to share with our club. Unfortunately, only one other member present at our wonderful lunch felt as she did. The reasons for our general discontent with this highly informative book were many. First and foremost, his tone is too strident and authoritative all the while lacking in undisputable scientific fact. While most scientists studying the evolution of man preface even the most revelatory discoveries in maybes and perhaps, Harari uses language that give his suppositions the flavor of truth and has no qualms describing the “happiness” or lack thereof of farmers and hunter/gatherers – something that could never be proven one way or another. Many of us have already read much of what he writes in other books, newspapers and magazine articles or even seen in documentaries so any facts he cites (and there are many) are not new. What’s new (and not appreciated, by us anyway) is the conclusions he comes to – highly speculative but, again, stated as fact. As stated by noted anthropologist C.R. Hallpike, “we should not judge Sapiens as a serious contribution to knowledge but as 'infotainment', a publishing event to titillate its readers by a wild intellectual ride across the  landscape of history, dotted with sensational displays of speculation, and ending with blood-curdling predictions about human destiny. By these criteria it is a most successful book.” Just not for most of us.

from Margaret 21/07/2018

Our members had contrasting opinions about this book. Feelings, in fact, ran quite high and there was quite a clash between the majority who did not like it AT ALL and the minority who staunchly defended it.

Criticisms included objections to the author's tendency to state as a fact things that were not historically or scientifically proven such as the extermination of the Neanderthal or the better diet of the hunter gatherer as opposed to the farmer, as well as Harari's neat tendency to insert catchy chapter titles. Some of our members had found the book too long and boring and hadn't managed to finish it. Comparisons were made with "Sofies Verden" by Jostein Gaareder, which our Book Club had read some years ago and which was now held up as better - "delightful" and "more readable".

Strangely, Harari's humour was not much appreciated, nor his ability to encapsulate complex theorems in a few simple sentences, which were two of the qualities that I had admired most.

I had found the book quite absorbing and not at all heavy going, despite its tome-like length. I thought his text approachable and readable throughout and laced with subtle irony. I was captivated from the first page where he niftily explains "physics", "chemistry" and "history" in three short and simple sentences. I was specially struck by his explanation about modern banking practices (P.342) where he gives a basic lecture suitable for ignoramuses like myself on how banks run on virtual money….(I more or less knew this, of course, but it was nice to see it spelled out so clearly). Obviously, this is a book written for the wider public and not for specialists, which explains the style as well as the catchy chapter headings, so I don't think it should be taken too literally.

I was moved by the description of how badly we treat farm animals. Again, this is something we know about (vaguely at least) but he spells it out very clearly. It is obviously a subject he feels deeply about.

If I have to nit-pick I would say I was a little surprised at the two thousand year gap between early Greek history and the scientific age, which he seems to gloss over. In pages 289-90 he declares: "Here and there people did develop new technologies, but these were usually created by uneducated craftsmen using trial and error, not by scholars pursuing systematic scientific research." He totally ignored the Pre-socratics (who were scientists more than philosophers), Pythagoras and Archimedes, as well as renaissance giants like Copernicus and Leonardo da Vinci, not to mention the many early Islamic and Chinese scientists. He more or less takes a great leap from the agricultural revolution and the formation of the first empires to Newton and Franklin. Did he think these things were irrelevant?

The last chapters, where he predicts the end of Sapiens make chilling reading. Do we really want to be immortal? Do we really want to dialogue with machines that can read our thoughts? Most important of all - will we learn to use all this power that we have created and not destroy ourselves?

 

THE AGE OF INNOCENCE - Edith Wharton

from Tatiana 1/06/2018

When Margaret chose The Age of Innocence as her book I thought it was going to be another frustrating foray into old fashioned mores and unrequited passions. Instead, Edith Wharton managed to turn a decidedly jaundiced eye towards the etiquette of her day and with such descriptive language that I was captivated by her style and felt quite at home with her views. Most of us appreciated her ability to render a scene, an emotion or mindset with language that was both lyrical and spot on, though some of us got a bit tired of the endless descriptions of dress, place and character. Some also had trouble sorting out all the various inhabitants of this novel and kept having to go back in order to remember who was being referred to but overall, we liked the book and, with a few exceptions, enjoyed reading it. The most interesting part of our discussion for me was how several of us experienced first hand the type of upbringing and attention to “what people think” that Wharton skewers in this book and weighing what we have lost in terms of civil discourse, understatement and modesty against what we have gained in our freer, more individualistic era led to a thoughtful discussion. My first, and truly delicious, gazpacho was also a highlight!

from Laura 3/06/2018

Wharton was the first woman to win the Pulitzer prize in 1921 with this book, I wonder if the jurors realized she was giving a strong statement against the upper classes of Old New York at the end of the 19th century, that followed ridiculously strict Victorian rules in their organisation and behaviour.

The main character Newland Archer, an idealistic young man with modern beliefs, struggles with the impossible choice between his bethroted May, a sweet conventional girl, educated according the old society's code and his desperate love for the disgraced Countess Olenska, an indipendent and passionate woman, different from the other ladies of that time, an era when women were not really allowed to have opinions least of all have a say in important decisions, and their ultimate goal in life was to get married and be the mistress of the house, living in their husband's shadow.
 Archer questions society's roles and standards, but hasn't got the courage to live by his beliefs, as he would be rejected by his peers, so he does what society demands of him.

The book is beautifully written, rich in detailed descriptions of costumes and styles, although the subject may seem a little ancient, the language is quite modern in my opinion and stands against the decadence of time.

from Margaret 4/06/2018

My turn to host. This book met with everyone's approval, despite its rather dated theme. We all appreciated Ms. Wharton's gift of language, her original metaphors and the wealth of meticulous description, which never became boring.

The love story – if it could be called that, as it never materialized into anything really concrete - was made up of furtive glances, pregnant silences, fugacious meetings, hands touching and one (or was it two?) kisses. The title, we agreed, was deceptive. The age described was not so innocent but ruled rather by rigid codes of form and behaviour and anyone who ventured outside this code was excluded without mercy. May, the young wife, who seemed so faultless and naive, was in fact fully aware of the attraction between her husband and Ellen. Without ever openly approaching the subject, she succeeded in separating them and manipulating him into giving up his dream of a new life in Europe.

The most interesting aspect of the book, we agreed, was the minute description and penetrating analysis of the way of life among the wealthy of New York at the beginning of last century – a lost world with values and taboos virtually unknown to us today.

 

EXIT WEST - Mohsin Hamid

from Tatiana 3/05/2018

When we get together for an anniversary book club celebration it is truly an occasion to remember. Not only is it a great deal of fun to do things together we don’t usually have a chance to experience as a group but the unfettered time to discuss the book, share meals and just shoot the breeze without worrying about having to be somewhere gives the week-end a leisurely, holiday feel and I, for one, come home refreshed and galvanized and feeling as though I just spent a week away from my daily routine. Paestum was a resounding success. Lena’s organization was perfect, the weather was superb, the hotel lovely and the mix of sightseeing, eating, relaxing and discussing was just right. Margie’s book, too, was an excellent choice. Topical “come non mai” yet unique; the author, Mohsin Hamid, focused more on those elements that pertain to the individuals involved in the story than the exodus and terrors we all read about. Moving country to country and place to place was done through “doors,” and the characters were not limited to one group or nationality. It was an interesting sleight of hand and we all liked the book because of that and because of the layers he succeeded in revealing in a story that is so very often evoked in just one way. Our discussion meandered from specific places in the book that we found touching or interesting to the immigration issue as a whole and our experience of it, either personally or through the media, and had we not had to get our bags ready and do some last-minute shopping before our bus came to take us to the train station, we may have sat there hours more. We considered the possibility of having an anniversary week-end every two years instead of five and that certainly has my vote, and if we can have past members participate like Rosemary and Helle did this time, it would be grand.

from Laura 7/05/2018

I really liked the book. It's a kind of surreal, political fiction but still reflects what's really happening in the world. All these people escaping the horrors of their home countries, migrating wherever they can, and our countries invaded by them as if we could solve all the problems of those in need. The doors were a nice touch, although reality is much harder and ugly.

It was really interesting to read the point of view of those who actually live the tragedy of war everyday. Trying to continue their activities in such a destabilized and insecure environment "...It might seem odd that in cities teetering at the edge of the abyss young people still go to class - in this case an evening class on corporate identity and product branding - but that is the way of things, with cities as with life, for one moment we are pottering about our errands as usual and the next we are dying and our eternally impending ending does not put a stop to our transient beginnings and middles until the instant when it does". Corporate identity and product branding seems such a futile subject when you are risking your life every minute, doesn't it?

He could have written a dramatic book, with dreadful details of horrific deaths, but the style he chose is much more effective in my opinion, we are used to seeing such horrors in the newspapers or on the TV news and it's like we are vaccinated against it, we are sorry yes, but it's all too much and we manage to digest it all automatically and go on with our life. No. His style is more subtle, it's the absurdity of it all that he conveys, and it hits right in your heart.

An unusual book, but such a good read.

from Margaret 8/05/2018

This was a real occasion! All piling into our reserved seats on the Intercity to Paestum. Excitement running high but damped down by the news that Laura had taken unexpectedly ill and couldn't be with us. Consoled (a little) by Margie producing the first treat – her inimitable strawberry cake we all look forward to when it is her turn to host. Minibus to pick us up at charming rural Paestum station, full of poppies and birdsong (what splendid organization – thank you Lena). All impressed with the hotel – country house with a garden and more than one sitting-room and the perimeter walls of the archaeological site right outside the door – a five-kilometre hike that our very energetic ex-member apparently undertook at the crack of dawn. Fantastic guide to take us round the Greek temples – awesome constructions of towering columns and difficult-to-manoeuvre steps (speaking for myself). Impressed by the fact that the site is immaculately kept (wake up Roma!!). Fascinating Museum (could have got lost there quite easily all weekend). Improved my store of useless general knowledge by learning that honey lasts forever and the funny scaffolding on the right hand side of the famous picture on the Diver's Tomb is actually an ancient artists' impression of the Pillars of Hercules. Pleasant dinner round the corner from the hotel, where we sampled yellow tomato sauce and then most of us went for a moonlight stroll to see the Temples floodlit.

Next day Marathon Book Discussion – three hours of it. We all had lots to say, including our two very welcome ex-members. Almost all appreciative of the writer, though I personally took some time to get used to his rather odd sentence construction. I liked his gentle and sensitive approach to a harsh reality. We were spared the gruesome details of horrors and suffering. I personally was rather sorry that the couple split up in the end, after all they had gone through and all that they had meant to each other. There was no happy ending. They were both still labouring at manual jobs and living in a hovel, with an uncertain future. Being dim and old-fashioned, the fact that Nadia turned out to be lesbian totally escaped me until the very last page. Anyway, I was rooting for Saaed, who sounded SUCH A NICE BOY. We only had time to rush out and buy local mozzarella and visit the beautiful early Christian Church that luckily has been stripped of all its brash baroque décor and restored to its original simplicity, then our minibus came to take us to the station. Driver, passionate like all Italians about his home territory, kindly gave us a detour to see the nearby seaside resort and the beach – looked lovely.

And then home....and so to dream.....A great good time was had by all and we all greatly appreciated all the hard work involved in the organization. Get well soon, Laura! We missed you....

AN ARTIST OF THE FLOATING WORLD - Kazuo Ishiguro

from Margaret 25/3/2018

It is always disappointing when a book one enjoys is not well received by others and this is what happened to Ishiguro's “An Artist of the Floating World”, which I had suggested.

This book sits on my “favourites shelf” among the books I read over again, from time to time, sometimes at an interval of years.

Of course, tastes vary and this is one of the elements that makes our Book Club so stimulating, but I did not expect this book to get such a totally negative reception from over half of our members.

At this point, my “review” takes the form of an apologia in the literal Italian meaning of the word, that is, an explanation, rather than an apology in the English sense. Ishiguro's understated and economical approach to emotional issues, which I appreciated, was interpreted by others as “flat and unfeeling”, “boring” and “confusing”.

This is a book full of unsaid things and a study in self-deception. During the first half of the book, the artist Ono has successfully blanked out of his mind the part he played in the Japanese pre-War propaganda machine, which caused the death of so many young men, including his own son. Eventually he is forced to examine his past in order to help his daughter's marriage negotiations. As I see it, the transformation of the Floating World pleasure district, which is gradually and irrevocably being demolished and modernized, should be interpreted as a metaphor for the drastic transformation of Japanese culture and traditions after WW2.

Ono is a rare character in traditional Japanese culture as he is a rebel. He rebels against his parents, choosing to become an artist, and he rebels against both the masters he goes to work for, whose teachings no longer satisfy him. Whereas this would be fairly nomal in Western society, where everyone is encouraged to be individualist, in traditional Japan where loyalty and obedience were (and still are, to a certain extent) cardinal virtues, it was the equivalent of a crime. Ono is a proud man, but out of love for his daughter, he humbles himself to go and ask favours from former colleagues and acquaintances who regard him with hostility. The fact that he keeps his efforts (and his humiliating receptions) hidden from his daughter so as not to trouble her is an indication of his unexpressed affection. His daughter, being unaware of his secret overtures on her behalf, treats him with a certain insolence (within, naturally, the limits of filial respect ingrained in the Japanese) and is astonished when he makes his unexpected “confession of error” to her suitor's family.

The book ends with Ono at peace with himself. He has been forced to adjure his past for convenience sake, but he has no real regrets. In his own words he has known the happiness of those who “risk everything in the endeavour to rise above the mediocre”.

from Tatiana 25/3/2018

We met at Francoise’s in March, enjoyed a marvelous brunch and discussed An Artist of the Floating World. Francoise chose this book because it was recommended to her by Margaret, who, quite disappointed with Ishiguro’s most recent book (as we all were), suggested one she thought quite special. It was an interesting exchange because we were basically divided in half: those who really liked the book and those who did not. Each side had its nuances, however. The “pro” camp was itself divided between those who thought it quite an important literary work (to the point of having read it three times!), those who wouldn’t go that far but did find it enjoyable and often beautifully written, and those who felt it was a nice enough pastime for a rainy afternoon. The “con” camp, too, went from those who would not recommend it to anybody but did find points of interest as regards Japanese society after WWII, those who had to pretty much force themselves to read it and those who categorically refuse to read another book by Ishiguro ever again. This naturally led to a very vivacious discussion that branched out into whether an author like Ishiguro, who stresses his “Englishness,” can write convincingly about Japanese society, the evolution of societies in general and how much or little Japanese culture has actually changed. We all felt there to be a sort of uncertainty as to what the characters were actually feeling or meaning to say because the conversations of that period were stilted and formal to a fault so that nobody ever came right out and got to the point (which set us off in another direction concerning the dichotomy between accepting cultural differences and seeing them in a negative light). It was an entertaining, enjoyable meeting though I think it goes without saying that Ishiguro won’t likely be on our reading list any time soon.

THE AMAZING STORY of the man who cycled India to Europe for love - Per J. Andersson

from Margaret 22/2/2018

This must be the book with the longest title that we have had in our Book Club! I enjoyed the book. Although it had no pretenses as a literary masterpiece, it was an engrossing story, especially because it was true.

Maybe the writer/chronicler could have made more of the differences between the two worlds of the Indian untouchable PK and Swedish Lotta, whereas the emphasis – and most of the book – dwelt on PK's experiences. The relationship with Lotta and her family and their reactions (there must have been some!) were largely glossed over. We only get a sketchy picture of Lotta herself and can only deduce that she must have been exceptionally broad-minded and adaptable.

However, the most fascinating part for we dwellers of the so-called First World was undoubtably the description of PK's difficult childhood, the environment he grew up in and his astonishing rise from mud to glory as an artist. His achievements were really remarkable.

His journey (only partly by bicycle, despite the title) across Asia and Europe to reach Lotta was interesting. There again, I thought it could have been expanded. The glorious era of the Hippies (Western world kids from comfortable backgrounds looking for adventure) would arouse nostalgia in my generation (I only got as far as Italy on my world tour and that was exotic enough at the time and difficult enough to adapt to).

All in all, a good read and not too intellectually taxing. Quite a bit of light relief after some of our past books....

from Tatiana 4/3/2018

Our meeting in February to discuss The Amazing Story of the Man Who Cycled from India to Europe for Love, was an enjoyable brunch at Lena’s. Lena chose this book for our group as it had been recommended to her and thought it might be a fun read. While we all agreed that this was no literary masterpiece (as many noted, it was written by a journalist as a ‘told-to’ story) it was interesting from a human interest point of view and provided some new insight into the points of view of the “losers” of society – in this case the untouchables. We concurred that history and thus our knowledge of events is written by the “winners”, thus skewing our perception not only of what actually happened but how it was perceived (here, British colonial rule, which the untouchables were happy with and very sorry when it was over). The most interesting part of our conversation, however, had to do with how “true” true stories are. Some of the events described in this book beggar the imagination, from the precise prophecy guiding Pradyumna Kumar’s life to his hobnobbing with the rich and famous thanks entirely to his ability as an artist. While many of us are willing to trust that oftentimes truth is stranger than fiction and there are many aspects of life we cannot understand or entirely explain, others found themselves doubting the story altogether. It was only the photographs at the end that fully proved at least some of his many exploits. Thus our group ended up recounting “unbelievable” stories from our own lives and experiences that served to show us how immense and unknowable human experience truly is and helped us reconcile ourselves to this basically sweet story of love overcoming all (helped along by the stars, naturally!).

THE BURIED GIANT - Kazuo Ishiguro

from Tatiana 16/1/2018

2018 certainly started off wonderfully for the Castelli Book Club as we met at Grazia’s, all present and accounted for, to toast the New Year and enjoy, once again, belonging to this marvelous group. It seemed like ages since we’d been together and the noise level of our festive catching up could probably be heard throughout the building but once we had eaten the delicious lunch Grazia prepared and settled down to discuss the book, we were able to focus on that and the discussion was very stimulating.

Grazia had chosen The Buried Giant because Kazuo Ishiguro had just won the Noble prize for Literature and she figured his new work would certainly be worthwhile. She, and others, were disappointed – some because they dislike fantasy stories, others because the writing was not noteworthy, others because the story simply did not resonate. “It could have been better,” many thought of this reading experience. There were those, however, who enjoyed the book and admired Ishiguro’s desire (and ability) to change genres but what made the discussion so enjoyable was the way different people interpreted the aim of the book: who (or what) was the “buried giant?” Who was the man who ferried people across the river? And if the boat trip was death, how come it was mostly women who were left on the shore? We all agreed the story was an allegory but the symbolism was different for different people, though even those with a fairly clear idea could not answer all the questions we came up with. This led to an interesting discussion that was a delightful way to begin the New Year. All Hail the Castelli Book Club!!!

from Margaret 21/1/2018

This was a particularly satisfactory meeting. All nine of us were present and we all had plenty to say about this book. I was very impressed by some of the analyses and comments from our members who had made a real effort to get under the skin of this rather obscure and ambiguous tale.

Ishiguro had adopted a fairytale-like formula, set in Britain in some undefined dark pre-medieval age, with an evil dragon (but was it really evil?), a couple of knights, an elderly husband and wife who had lost their memory and weren't too sure where they were going and the buried giant of the title, who never really put in an appearance. We all agreed that the book was a metaphor, though we weren't in agreement about what it represented or the message it was trying to put over. We discussed at length our various ideas regarding the obscure and ambiguous ending.

I personally did not think this was Ishiguro's best book, though it was a pleasant and intriguing read. I appreciated his delicate handling of violence and unpleasant subject matter. However, I did not perceive any message that could be received at an international level and I remain a little puzzled as to why he was awarded the Nobel Prize.

from Laura 22/1/2018

When I started reading and realized this was a kind of fantasy novel, I got a little frustrated: although I enjoyed Tolkien’s the Lord of the Rings in my youth, I find my tastes have changed with age, and now I don’t have much patience with stories of dragons and ogres. I was a little put off but kept on reading like it was my job.

The first two sections introduce the main characters: Beatrice and Axl (an elderly couple), master Wistan (the warrior), Edwin (the boy) sir Gawain (the knight), and outline their stories and interactions, but the whole picture is shrouded in mist, so details are lost.

In the last two parts things get more interesting, while the mist slowly dissipates the plot really thickens and the characters reveal their true nature and finally gain some depth, giving us a sense there’s more to them than meets the eye.

At the end of course we realize that it’s probably just a metaphor about the relevance of memories in our life, although I find it a bit too simplistic and far-fetched.