Readwine
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Posts posted by Readwine
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This has been one of my most favourite books. So original and as you say Sirinrob a very enjoyable story.
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It has only been recently that I have assuaged my guilt of book-quiting (and it was a strong one). There are just so many books out there to enjoy.
I may pick up these again when in the proper mood
:Birdsong
The Dante Club
The Interpretation of Murder
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
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I am a psychiatrist/painter doing all I can for an artist/patient obsessed with a dead person
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Cloudstreet by Tim Winton
After being a bit disappointed in Winton's Breath, I was a little wary of reading Cloudstreet, said to be Winton's masterpiece and a great Australian novel. I can happily report that it is a great Australian novel, if not the great Australian novel.
The story follows the lives of two rural families who are thrown together in an Australian city to cope after various family tragedies. The novel is epic in scope, traversing several decades from the Depression on, and this alone was bound to win me over because I appreciate and love novels that show such great character development over a period of time.
Winton's writing style is beautiful. He captures the Australian spirit and language wonderfully (he was almost in danger of using every slang phrase ever known, but he managed to stop just short of going overboard).
It's quite humorous in some places, and heartbreaking in many others. These families did it so tough, but they still managed to hold their heads up and soldier on, using the typical Aussie humour and mateship to get through it all. Very highly recommended.
10/10
Great review. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. Sounds just up my alley.
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Finished TOBG last week. I don't think I've read a 600+ page book as fast as this one. It was my first introduction to Gregory and now I am hooked. She really brings her characters to life and makes the reader really engage with them. I could actually feels Anne's exhaustion and Mary's defeatist personality - she had no choice really than to please everyone.
How lucky we women are today!
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Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
Blurb from Publisher
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Blurb from Publisher’s Weekly:
Lehane's new novel, his first since the highly praised and bestselling Mystic River, carries an ending so shocking yet so faithful to what has come before, that it will go down as one of the most aesthetically right resolutions ever written. But as anyone who has read him knows, Lehane, despite his mastery of the mechanics of suspense, is about much more than twists; here, he's in pursuit of the nature of self-knowledge and self-deception, and the ways in which both can be warped by violence and evil. In summer 1954, two U.S. marshals, protagonist Teddy Daniels and his new partner, Chuck Aule, arrive on Shutter Island, not far from Boston, to investigate the disappearance of patient Rachel Solando from the prison/hospital for the criminally insane that dominates the island. The marshals' digging gets them nowhere fast as they learn of Rachel's apparently miraculous escape past locked doors and myriad guards, and as they encounter roadblocks and lies strewn across their path-most notably by the hospital's chief physician, the enigmatic J. Cawley-and pick up hints of illegal brain surgery performed at the hospital. Then, as a major hurricane bears down on the island, inciting a riot among the insane and cutting off all access to the mainland, they begin to fear for their lives. All of the characters-particularly Teddy, haunted by the tragic death of his wife-are wonderful creations, but no more wonderful than the spot-on dialogue with which Lehane brings them to life and the marvelous prose that enriches the narrative. There are mysteries within mysteries in this novel, some as obvious as the numerical codes that the missing patient leaves behind and which Teddy, a code breaker in WWII, must solve; some as deep as the most profound fears of the human heart. There is no mystery, however, about how good this book is; like Mystic River, it's a tour de force.
I do not agree with Publisher’s Weekly that this book is “a tour de force.” This is my first novel by Lehane and I must admit I was not all that impressed.
The setting is very original – maximum security mental institution – which allows for good fodder for character development. Add to this a hurricane and the tension ripens fairly well in the book. Lehane’s protagonist grows on you, as does his partner (great humor). Unfortunately, the constant referral to the death of Teddy’s wife was a little tedious (“we get it already” I kept thinking). There are twists in the novel, but the main one was really no surprise to me as I sort of figured it out. Perhaps I just got lucky.
I have not seen the film but I have a sneaking suspicion the story will work much better in the film than the book.
I give it a 6/10
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Simon Montefiore
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Home is a Wounded Heart - Neil Diamond
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Kjell Eriksson
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Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes - Stephen Jay Gould
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Poppyshake, I really hope you enjoy the Pie book as much as I did. I just thought it was delightful and a welcomed change after reading "heavy subject" books. I always hate giving a weak review to a book as I am always afraid that it will discourage people, but that is why I love the BCF as one can get a real sense from other people's opinions.
I am not sure how Wolf Hall would pan out in the audiobook format as Mantel's use of the word "he" is so misguiding especially in her dialogues: for example, in a conversation scenario:
Wolsey says "bla bla bla"
Thomas More says "bla bla bla"
He says "bla bla bla"
The reader then has to figure out if it is More continuing to speak or maybe Wolsey and by the end of paragraph you figure out that Cromwell is actually in the conversation. Ugggh.
In an audiobook, I think you would have to constantly rewind.
At any rate, enough of that. Hope you really enjoy Pie. Sweet!
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Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Blurb from Publisher
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Blurb from Publisher
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Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden
Blurb from Amazon:
A haunting novel about identity, love, andloss. Will Bird is a legendary Cree bush pilot, now lying in a coma in a hospital in his hometown of Moose Factory, Ontario. His niece Annie Bird, beautiful and self-reliant, has returned from her own perilous journey to sit beside his bed. Broken in different ways, the two take silent communion in their unspoken kinship, and the story that unfolds is rife with heartbreak, fierce love, ancient blood feuds, mysterious disappearances, fires, plane crashes, murders, and the bonds that hold a family, and a people, together. As Will and Annie reveal their secrets—the tragic betrayal that cost Will his family, Annie’s desperate search for her missing sister, the famous model Suzanne—a remarkable saga of resilience and destiny takes shape. From the dangerous bush country of upper Canada to the drug-fueled glamour of the Manhattan club scene, Joseph Boyden tracks his characters with a keen eye for the telling detail and a rare empathy for the empty places concealed within the heart. Sure to appeal to readers of Louise Erdrich and Jim Harrison, Through Black Spruce establishes Boyden as a writer of startling originality and uncommon power.
This was my first introduction to Joseph Boyden as well as to the Cree Native North Americans: the largest group of First Nations of Canada. The novel is set primarily in Moosonee, a small town on the southern end of James Bay in northern Ontario. Boyden’s descriptions of the landscape, the cold, and the dangers faced by the inhabitants of this area are very successful in creating a feeling of isolation and bleakness, yet they underline its certain raw beauty.
At the beginning, I found the pace of the novel a little slow but I soon realized that it really worked with the story, especially its aboriginal characters. As hunters and trappers, people of the earth, the slow speech, moments of silence between the characters, the full descriptions of the natural surroundings really brought about a sense of the Cree culture; its need to live in the moment but reflect on the past. Of course, this serves even better when it is juxtaposed against the erratic and frantic lifestyle of New York City; the nightly parties of New York models and the constant dangers of drug dealers. Further, in these two worlds, Boyden does a fabulous job in examining the blood ties of family as they heal and accompany and the drug ties of strangers as they destroy and isolate. Very, very interesting.
The story unfolds through the narration of the two main characters: Will, alcohol-abusing bush pilot who at the beginning of the novel is in a coma, and by Annie, his niece, who sits at his bedside speaking to him, hoping he is listening. This strategy actually works very well with the two storylines finally intersecting at the end.
Boyden actually won the Giller Prize 2008 for this novel; Canada's highest book award.
I really enjoyed this novel and the final peace it creates (warts and all).
I give it a 9/10
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Blurb from Amazon:
A haunting novel about identity, love, and loss. Will Bird is a legendary Cree bush pilot, now lying in a coma in a hospital in his hometown of Moose Factory, Ontario. His niece Annie Bird, beautiful and self-reliant, has returned from her own perilous journey to sit beside his bed. Broken in different ways, the two take silent communion in their unspoken kinship, and the story that unfolds is rife with heartbreak, fierce love, ancient blood feuds, mysterious disappearances, fires, plane crashes, murders, and the bonds that hold a family, and a people, together. As Will and Annie reveal their secrets
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Peacefield. Thank you for the review of The Swan Thieves. I have been really hesitating about buying this book as the reviews I've read were so, so. I love books about art and artists as well, so I think I shall give it a go.
I have not read The Historian so I am not familiar with Kostova. Maybe it is time I was
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The White Tiger by Avarind Adiga
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You may be thinking about: Downhill All the Way: Walking with Donkeys on the Stevenson Trail by Hilary Makaskill and Molly Wood
In 1878, Robert Louis Stevenson and his donkey, Modestine, spent twelve days walking in the Cevennes mountains in France, as he recounted in Travels with a Donkey. His book became an instant hit and the route he took is now the Stevenson Trail, along the GR70 long-distance footpath. Over a period of four years, Hilary Macaskill and Molly Wood attempted to retrace his steps. In the course of several trips they negotiated the entire 212 kilometres of the Stevenson Trail, accompanied by Whiskey the dog and a variety of donkeys. This hilarious account tells of the ups and downs of handling donkeys, getting lost, encounters with some odd people and some particularly memorable meals.
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Longitude by Dava Sobel comes to mind. It was very interesting
The thorniest scientific problem of the eighteenth century was how to determine longitude. Many thousands of lives had been lost at sea over the centuries due to the inability to determine an east-west position. This is the engrossing story of the clockmaker, John "Longitude" Harrison, who solved the problem that Newton and Galileo had failed to conquer, yet claimed only half the promised rich reward
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Perfect. One of my favourite movies. Sorry for the late response. Your turn
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Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin
Blurb from Amazon:
Starred Review. Benjamin draws on one of the most enduring relationships in children's literature in her excellent debut, spinning out the heartbreaking story of Alice from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Her research into the lives of Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) and the family of Alice Liddell is apparent as she takes circumstances shrouded in mystery and colors in the spaces to reveal a vibrant and passionate Alice. Born into a Victorian family of privilege, free-spirited Alice catches the attention of family friend Dodgson and serves as the muse for both his photography and writing. Their bond, however, is misunderstood by Alice's family, and though she is forced to sever their friendship, she is forever haunted by their connection as her life becomes something of a chain of heartbreaks. As an adult, Alice tries to escape her past, but it is only when she finally embraces it that she truly finds the happiness that eluded her. Focusing on three eras in Alice's life, Benjamin offers a finely wrought portrait of Alice that seamlessly blends fact with fiction. This is book club gold.
This was quite an interesting read as I knew next to nothing about the real Alice Liddell and Lewis Carroll. It is primarily set during the second half of the nineteenth century and stylistically it reflects this period. The language is lovely and it harbours great sentimentality and detail of emotion. I had a little trouble believing the emotional maturity of a seven to ten year old child as described by Benjamin, but soon took it for what it is and enjoyed the development of Alice’s character. After all, young children of the 19th century were certainly different than today’s children (especially those brought up amidst the intellectual circles of Oxford I would imagine).
I know little about Lewis Carroll so his portrayal in the novel as a weak and sad man was catching. There are undertones throughout the book of his pedophilic tendencies, which are not entirely resolved and left me a little disturbed.
Though Alice in Wonderland is obviously central to the story, not much is discussed about the book itself. I did learn, however, that the white rabbit who is terminally late may have been a reference to Alice’s father, Dean of Christ Church College at Oxford, as this don was apparently always running late. The Queen of Hearts may have been a reference to Alice’s mother, a formidable lady who ran the household with an iron fist.
Also, of interest, was the relationship between Prince Leopold (Queen Victoria’s youngest son) and Alice Liddell - perhaps a little fictionalized, perhaps not. The fact that one of Alice’s son’s was named Leopold and Leopold’s daughter was named Alice may give credence to the relationship.
At any rate, worth a read. I give it a 8.5/10
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Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin
Blurb from Amazon:
Starred Review. Benjamin draws on one of the most enduring relationships in children's literature in her excellent debut, spinning out the heartbreaking story of Alice from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Her research into the lives of Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) and the family of Alice Liddell is apparent as she takes circumstances shrouded in mystery and colors in the spaces to reveal a vibrant and passionate Alice. Born into a Victorian family of privilege, free-spirited Alice catches the attention of family friend Dodgson and serves as the muse for both his photography and writing. Their bond, however, is misunderstood by Alice's family, and though she is forced to sever their friendship, she is forever haunted by their connection as her life becomes something of a chain of heartbreaks. As an adult, Alice tries to escape her past, but it is only when she finally embraces it that she truly finds the happiness that eluded her. Focusing on three eras in Alice's life, Benjamin offers a finely wrought portrait of Alice that seamlessly blends fact with fiction. This is book club gold.
This was quite an interesting read as I knew next to nothing about the real Alice Liddell and Lewis Carroll. It is primarily set during the second half of the nineteenth century and stylistically it reflects this period. The language is lovely and it harbours great sentimentality and detail of emotion. I had a little trouble believing the emotional maturity of a seven to ten year old child as described by Benjamin, but soon took it for what it is and enjoyed the development of Alice
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One of my favorite movies (easy)
First, you've got that bloody old fortress on top of that bloody cliff. Then you've got the bloody cliff overhang. You can't even see the bloody cave, let alone the bloody guns. And anyway, we haven't got a bloody bomb big enough to smash that bloody rock. And that's the bloody truth, sir.
The 'Find That Picture' Game
in Quiz Room / Thread Games Jokes etc
Posted
Too sweet!
Retired racing greyhound doing a silly dance