RebeccaM
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LAST LETTER FROM INSTANBUL – Lucy Foley
NO SPOILERS
Last night over dinner, I found myself retelling small incidents and observations from this book to my husband, so clearly, in spite of my initial reservations and prejudged dislike, Last Letter from Istanbul has made an impression on me.
During the first world war, Istanbul is occupied by allied forces. Nur, an Ottoman woman, has taken into her care an orphaned Armenian boy and when he becomes dangerously ill she takes him to the military hospital. The hospital is in her former family home, where George, an English doctor treats him for malaria. And of course, as with all good tales they reluctantly fall in love…but their people are enemies.
That is enough plot outline as any more will become a spoiler but there is plenty in the back stories of the characters to provide more insight and interest. It is a tale of gradual respect which grows to become a love that cannot be, but is not a soppy romance. It touches a little on the horrors of war and the damage caused to people and the reasons why the love affair is impossible.
The author’s writing style takes a little getting used to. A large amount of very short chapters, each from a specific character’s perspective, skipping back and forth in time and place. A vast amount of incredibly short sentences, some only four or five words long and the most prolific use of the colon I have ever come across! At times it reads like a play, with stage direction and the setting of scenes but once you overlook the awkward, erratic punctuation there are moments of absolute beauty and the use of the present tense is, as always, very evocative. Pomegranate sales will soar!
Why Lucy Foley chose this setting, this city in particular, I do not know. The book displays no personal affection nor knowledge of the city and its depiction lacks intimacy. As a reader, I did not feel I was there and I did not feel any sense of shared experience. I would have liked more journalistic detail about the culture and more about how the occupation impacted on the citizens on a personal level and the country as a whole; I like to learn as I read and this book did not tell me anything I did not already know…but then that would be a whole different book. There is just enough here to make sense of the plot, and if that is all you seek, then this book will please and possibly delight you. There are a couple of “Heart in mouth”, “Hold your breath” and “Quick, quick turn the page…” moments.
One big problem for me is the cover and the prejudice it elicited in me. I would never normally pick up a book with such a jacket picture and had already decided I would not enjoy it and I think this clouded my opinion for the first half; I believe I looked for reasons to dislike it. I did think, in these days of marketing genius, that we really can judge a book by its cover. I was wrong.
Whilst it is not a book I would have chosen for myself, I am glad to have read it. I love The Boy and the man he becomes in spite of or because of the situation. It is not the last letter which remains me but his last act.
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On 12/06/2018 at 8:47 AM, Athena said:
Great reviews!
There are a few others on this forum who've read and enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. The book is on my TBR, I'll read it some time. Thanks for your impression of what the book is like
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Thank you
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"I'm writing a history of the world," she says.
Moon Tiger - Penelope Lively
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ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE – Gail Honeyman
NO SPOILERS
Eleanor Oliphant is not just completely fine…Eleanor Oliphant is completely absorbing.
A dependable office worker, reliable and mostly inconspicuous, Eleanor spends her evenings and weekends sticking to a strict diet of pasta and vodka, reading, listening to the radio…and taking a weekly telephone call from Mummy. And, of course, there is a dark secret and she is far from fine. But there is so much more to this book.
Eleanor is markedly lacking in social skills, taking everything at its literal meaning, which made me wonder why the rest of us tend not to and how much simpler life would be if we did. It is, after all, others who disrupt and complicate her routine. But through a burgeoning friendship at work and a misguided love she begins to acquire an understanding of and liking for human interaction. She approaches social occasions as projects to be researched, learnt and successfully accomplished, discovering as she does so that some aspects are actually enjoyable…try not to smile next time you hear The Village People. She slowly realises that there could be more to life than accounts payable, even for Eleanor, no matter what Mummy says and her acceptance that change is possible and empathy not beyond her, leads to…well, no spoilers here!
I generally like quite “high brow” reading, something which requires a good deal of thought but now and then I like an easier read, although I am usually put off because often, an easy read is too easy and too simply written. This is neither but nevertheless this is a brilliant, easy read.
Throughout the book the voice and language are Eleanor’s, the perception is Eleanor’s. All are a little quirky, pedantic and painfully precise, displaying a naïveté which I found charming and an awkwardness which is awkward only to others. The correctness of phrase, Eleanor’s own words, does not hamper the flow of reading, but presents her as the somewhat reserved, inhibited, faltering woman that she is when out of her familiar and regimented comfort zone. I liked the style but then I liked Eleanor, very much.
There are quite a few laugh out loud moments and many moments of gentle, often dark (though not to Eleanor) humour and many, many moments of pathos.
This book requires some thought and involvement and belief so will satisfy those who like to think as they read. It’s not soppy, it’s not florid and it’s not predictable. It is funny, it is moving and it will perhaps make you see others differently, especially those who don’t fit in so readily. Everybody has a story, we all have something not visible at first glance and we are all moulded by something which has gone before…but moulds can be broken.
This is Gail Honeyman’s first novel and for me, what makes it so great is not the plot, which frankly is nothing new, but her creation of Eleanor, who is so believable that I am convinced she is the real author. Whilst I look forward to the next book, it is really Eleanor’s voice I look forward to hearing again, such was my fascination with this unfortunate, likeable soul and such is my hope of once again sharing a cheese scone with her.
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A GRAND OLD TIME – Judy Leigh
NO SPOILERS
Since losing her husband, Jim, seventy-five year old Evie Gallagher has lived at Sheldon Lodge, a care home for the elderly. After a routine, excruciating visit from her son and his wife, she walks out, re-invents herself and rediscovers her joy for living, but then, because the tag line on the cover suggests this is “Brilliantly funny, emotional and uplifting!” you wouldn’t expect anything else, would you? So, whilst this is not my preferred genre, I was hoping for some humour, if not the laugh out loud type then at least a little chortle or two, perhaps some dry wit and, of course, a happy ending.
After a handful of chapters it occurred to me that this book is written in the style of a short story which one might read in a magazine in the dentist’s waiting room, something quick and easy, not too deep, just a little character insight and no author observation. It is simply a chronologically written story in the “then it was now” style. After a couple more chapters I read the blurb about the author, Judy Leigh, and discovered she has indeed written several stories for magazines and this is her first novel. So, as an easy going, not too taxing, extended magazine story to pack for a holiday, this will please many. You can pick it up and put it down between sips of something cool by the pool and never lose the thread. The chapters are short which always helps when needing a break to attract the waiter! (I also learnt she is a fellow vegan and will be looking up her vegan blog online.)
As much as possible, I try, always, to look at things from all points of view. Just because something is not to my taste, does not mean it’s not good and others will not love it. Wagner sets my teeth on edge but I do marvel at his skill and I know people who cannot get through the day without hearing his work. But for me, Judy Leigh is no Wagner and a grand old time I did not have.
I could never put together enough sentences to produce a novel which is why I don’t write and I admire anyone who has the patience to do so. But I do read so I feel I have some qualification in expressing an opinion and this book is just not for me. I found it dull and predictable, without enough humour or style to compensate. At the beginning of each chapter I knew exactly where it was leading. I can honestly say there was not a single surprise in the entire book. The improbability of the story (somehow it doesn’t seem complex enough to be a plot) was too ridiculous for me…not so much the getting from the start to the finish, but the “lucky that happened” moments on the way.
For some, as a feel good distraction it could work and if you do like this genre, don’t dismiss it. For me, I kept thinking I was wasting valuable reading time but as I say, not my preferred genre and it has not converted me.
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On 05/06/2016 at 11:17 AM, bobblybear said:
Beatrice and Virgil - Yann Martel
This is a very odd book, and when I borrowed it I was hoping for something like Life of Pi, which I loved.
Until the last chapter, the book was heading for a 2/6, but the last chapter pushed it to a 4.5/6.
4.5/6
I love Yann Martel's Life of Pi, Self and The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios. I've just read Beatrice and Virgil in one sitting I really have no words to express how it has made me feel. Stunned is the closest. Stunned in a good way. Speechless though. My husband noticed I didn't do my usual thing of talking non-stop for half an hour about the book I've just finished.
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Hello and welcome
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I'm assuming your making notes on your computer; if so, can you not have two windows open side by side? (I use two monitors for this) Or make your notes on paper with the text on your screen?
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14 hours ago, Hayley said:
Great pictures! I would love to see a bear with her cubs!
I can never take a good picture of the birds in my garden. I only have my phone and it just doesn't focus quickly enough. We have had some lovely birds in the last few days though. My favourites are the robins, blue tits and goldfinches
I have a little mystery that it might be worth mentioning here, in case anybody has an idea. A couple of weeks ago I went to the Cotswolds with my boyfriend and a friend of ours. The wildlife there was amazing, we saw a whole herd of deer and a little muntjac deer, I'm not knowledgeable enough to identify all the birds we saw but there were a lot! But we were walking in a forest when my friend stopped and motioned for us to look up a tree. I just saw something dart up the other side of it as I looked but, although we stood watching for quite a while, nothing appeared again. So I asked my friend what we were looking for and he said it looked like a squirrel, but it was black and white! Specifically, he's absolutely sure it had a white section on its tail. He thought it might be some kind of escaped exotic pet, but there was an obvious squirrel nest further up that tree (which is where I assume it disappeared to) so I do think it was a squirrel. I googled black and white squirrel, on the off chance that whatever the thing was might show up and, weirdly, found a story on the mail online about a woman who had seen both a very rare white squirrel and a black squirrel in the same tree, in the Cotswolds! It could be unrelated, but it seemed an odd coincidence. I also wondered if it could be a varied stage of albino. I know this can happen in birds because I remembered seeing a display of blackbirds with varying levels of albinism in the natural history museum on a school trip, some only had patches of white feathers but were otherwise black. So, does anybody have any suggestions on what the 'black and white squirrel' was?
A piebald squirrel! Not unheard of but not very common. How lovely to see one. Apparently they are more common in urban areas.
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All I can say is in my mind’s eye, unless specifically stated, the major character/object is always on the left. A window in a room is always on the right.
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I first discovered Matt Haig when I read Shadow Forest and The Runaway Troll to my stepson. He loved them so much he woud ask for an early bedtime. On the strength of these I read The Humans, which I really enjoyed and A Boy Called Christmas which I thought was dreadful.
I like the sound of How to Stop Time so that's on my ever growing TBR list.
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I hadn't thought of self published that way and you guys are right, it is published, no matter by whom. I stand corrected.
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I've always been potty about wildlife, especially foxes and rabbits but I'm fairly new to birding. We have a very small paved, suburban garden and last year I hung over twenty feeders and I love love love sitting in the kitchen watching all the birds. I had to add a bird section to my blog so my mother can see them!
I try to encourage more people to appreciate wildlife, both flora and fauna, telling them "Once you open your eyes you see so much." -
On 14/05/2018 at 1:49 PM, Onion Budgie said:
It's National Vegetarian Week this week! I know we have quite a few vegetarians here at the forum, which is lovely.
After two years as an ovo-veggie, last month I finally took the plunge and went vegan. I'm not missing eggs at all, which baffles me.
I hope everyone is off to a good start with their week. I'm trying to get a few quotes together so I can have some much needed work done on my central heating. This process is taking forever and is a nightmare!
I've been vegan for 25 years and vegetarian for 15 before that. These days I wonder what I ever did with an egg!
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My heating has come on again. It's May tomorrow. What is happening?!
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I sometimes re-read a book I love, but with a gap of a few years, or if I feel I've read it too quickly and may have missed things!
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For me, the debut is the first published book, no matter what genre. But does that include self published? I think not.
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On 04/04/2018 at 3:02 PM, willoyd said:
Just read first four chapters this morning - blown away. Sooo frustrated at having to put it down!
H is for Hawk is indeed superb. I found it hard to put down, too.
This month I read my first Iain Banks - The Wasp Factory, which I loved.. though I think a re-read might make it even better.
On recommendation I started Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows, which I abandonded. It was a Reece Witherspoon book club choice...who knew there was such a thing, huh? Anyway, I thougth it was dreadful.
Next I read Educated - Tara Westover and I'm in two minds about it. Having checked out reviews it seems I'm not alone in wondering if it's fact or fiction. Either way, I enjoyed it.
I then read A Grand Old Time - Judy Leigh, which I was sent to review. I felt it was a waste of precious reading time and writing the review was a challenge.
I'm now reading Snow Falling on Cedars - David Guterson and i'm finding it wonderful.
In the background I'm reading Deren Brown's Happy, as my husband came across it on Amazon for 99p for the kindle and well, you have to, don't you? It's actually rather good, nothing new or enlightnening (yet) but I do keep nudging Mr M and saying "Listen to this bit..."
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oops...deleted because I posted in the wrong thread! Sorry.
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At the weekend I finished that book and I really didn't like it but had been asked to review it so I will. But oh dear, I hadn't realised how difficult it is to write a good review of a bad book! I think I've now had so much caffine that my judgement is impaired
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Drag files here to attach, or choose files...
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Drag files here to attach, or choose files...
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On 26/09/2016 at 12:58 AM, J. A. Haag said:
I own this book but I'm really nervous to read it because of the mixed reviews I keep seeing of it. It's like if I choose not to try it out, I can still imagine that it will be great. Plus, I have the big soft cover so it looks really intimidating.
As a newcomer I'm late to this thread but did you read it? I love this book so much.
It rekindled my interest in history and the BBC adaptation made me fall a little bit in love with Cromwell the way Mark Rylance played him! Yet I know he was not a terribly nice chap...I have the Tracy Borman biography, it's excellent. Bring up the Bodies was also superb and I'm looking forward to the third, though not to Cromwell's demise. (Note to self: Mark Rylance is just an actor...)
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I'm 56 and have to be reminded of this as in my head I'm still 23.
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A beautiful sunny day here in Lincolnshire, let's see if we can have two in a row!
I received a book today to review and dear lord it's just not my type of thing at all. But this can be a good thing, no? "Perhaps I'll like it and seek out more of the same", I thought as I settled down with coffee and the dog. So far...no., really, no. But I shall read it to the very last word; there will surely be some moments of joy within!
Your Book Activity - December 2021
in Past Book Logs
Posted
I’ve just finished Young Mungo - Douglas Stuart and I’m scanning my lists to select my next read.