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I have finished William Hague's autobiography of William Pitt and here are my thoughts;

A good solid political biography. It couldn't be much else given Pitt's almost total devotion to politics for most of his life. I have always been more of a fan of the father rather than the son. The book is comprehensive and well researched. However I would have liked more analysis of the policies leading to the political repression in the 1790s. Pitt's focus on power and its maintenance is also not analysed closely enough until the last chapter. He could have pushed through the abolition of slavery, given his longstanding support for it; it took his death to precipitate its abolition and probably could have been done up to 10 years earlier. The economic case was clealry there. For Pitt it wasn't something he wished to go out on a limb for. It could also be argued that given the strength of his position and the weakness of the opposition, it wouldn't have been so much of a limb.

Nevertheless it is an interesting and readable book.

6 out of 10

 

I am starting Maharanis by Lucy Moore

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I have finished The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey. Here are my thoughts;

An undemanding read and a clever mystery novel. It portrays Britain in the 1940s and its idiosyncrasies very well. The dilemmas of the more impoverished middle classes who could not now afford servants are documented without judgement.

The story concerns a mother and her middle aged daughter who are accused of kidnapping and beating a 16 year old girl with a view to forcing her to work as a maid. They are defended by a country solicitor who takes up their cause. They are pilloried by the tabloid press and the liberal left and the cause looks lost.

The ending has some loose ends, which I did not expect as I thought that all the plot lines would be tied up tight. I liked the book the better for that. I was uncomfortable with the characterisation of the young girl as having absolutely no redeeming features; the court case scene was too contrived.

If you ilke mystery/howdunnit books; then you might enjoy this.

6 and a half out of ten

I have decided to read Zuleika Dobson by Max Beerbohm

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Doris Lessing; Briefing for a descent into Hell.

This was a bit of a struggle at first as my naturally ordered mind desires chapters and parts of this are stream of consciousness and hard work. The tale of a man found wandering in London having lost is memory. The first part of the book seems to be about about what is going on in his mind and is about the wanderings of a man in a fantastical world.

The roles of the two doctors and the nursing staff are interesting and they follow the psychological theories of the time.

We learn the man is an academic who teaches amongst other things Greek mythology and this illuminates the earlier part of the book (The influence of The Odyssey is strong).

In the second part of the book we meet his wife and various other friends and colleagues and learn something of his past.

Trying not to give too much away the man has a choice (via treatment) as to whether to retrieve his memory or to stay with his new reality, which is the only one he knows. Both choices are shown to involve loss.

What is it about? There are many layers of meaning; but madness is clearly seen as a social construct and sanity isn't all it's made out to be!

It is worth the work and does pull together at the end.

7 and a half out of ten.

I am starting Moravagine by Blaise Cendrars

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I have finished "Even the Dogs" by Jon McGregor; here are my thoughts

This is not an easy book. It concerns a man found dead in his flat and the circle of friends/ acquaintances who surround him. It has elements of stream of consciousness and can be disjointed. In former times it would have been called gritty and "real". It is about the underbelly of our society; alcoholics and drug addicts; the abandoned and hopeless who can be found in every town and city in this land. Some of the characters in the book are ex-military who cope with post traumatic stress by substance abuse and violence; some never had a chance. We see the lead up to the death and the perspectives of those who knew Robert, all are self absorbed and utterly lost.

These people exist and die on our streets every day; I know I come across them in my work. They are mostly unreachable and always uncomfortable to be with. McGregor paints an accurate portrait of the underclass who are expendable. And hey; guess what? These are the very people whose services are being cut by local councils and who will soon have even less contact with help and assistance they desperately need. So much for the Big Society!!! This is a chilling account of the desperation all too evident in the human beings we ignore on the streets because the are uncomfortable and dangerous. An excellent book. Sorry for the rant but seeing what is happening to services so badly needed reminds me why I am a socialist.

9 out of 10. Read it; it's true

 

Starting Breakfast at Tifffanys

Edited by Books do furnish a room
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Breakfast at Tiffany's didn't take long; hospital waiting rooms are wonderful places for reading!

I have always loved the film and have put off reading the novella as I realised that it would be very different, and it was! Audrey Hepburn manages to make Holly quirky and likeable. Capote portrays her as damaged and damaging. The restlessness of youth and the fear of being "caged" is clear and will be recalled by many of us. Holly's solutions leave her pursued by many but understood by few. The book and film do not detract from each other because they are so different. The film is for the romantic; the book is more thought provoking and even today Holly is shocking in her nihilism (slightly stretching the meaning of the word).

8 out of 10

Staying in America for the next one; Anthem by Ayn Rand

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What a great review on Even the Dogs! I happened to notice this title in the library this week, and because I thought it was about dogs I picked it up with keen interest, read the blurb and was disappointed and figured it's not what I expected. Having now read your review, I think I'll definitely add it to my wishlist (aka I'll borrow it from the library), it seems like the kind of book people need to read every now and then to remember how well off most people really are and how easy it is to lose everything, it can really happen to pretty much everyone. Thanks Paul!

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Thanks Frankie; that is much appreciated; Jon Mcgregor is doing the rounds of Waterstones bookshops at present.

I have finished Anthem by Ayn Rand;

As far as dysopian literature goes; this does not convince. We do not just uninvent technology; Orwell and Huxley understood that; Rand obviously did not. The collecivist future just does not convince because human beings are not like that and would not conform in the way described. Men and women do not behave in the way the characters in the book present themselves.

Complete bilge; 1 out of 10. I must stop sitting on the fence; write 100 times!!!

I have started Spies of the Balkans by Alan Furst

Edited by Books do furnish a room
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Doris Lessing; Briefing for a descent into Hell.

This was a bit of a struggle at first as my naturally ordered mind desires chapters and parts of this are stream of consciousness and hard work. The tale of a man found wandering in London having lost is memory. The first part of the book seems to be about about what is going on in his mind and is about the wanderings of a man in a fantastical world.

The roles of the two doctors and the nursing staff are interesting and they follow the psychological theories of the time.

We learn the man is an academic who teaches amongst other things Greek mythology and this illuminates the earlier part of the book (The influence of The Odyssey is strong).

In the second part of the book we meet his wife and various other friends and colleagues and learn something of his past.

Trying not to give too much away the man has a choice (via treatment) as to whether to retrieve his memory or to stay with his new reality, which is the only one he knows. Both choices are shown to involve loss.

What is it about? There are many layers of meaning; but madness is clearly seen as a social construct and sanity isn't all it's made out to be!

It is worth the work and does pull together at the end.

7 and a half out of ten.

 

I was reading Cult Fiction - A Reader's Guide last night and this one was one of the titles in the book that I added to my wishlist. What a coincidence that you've just read it, I eagerly read your review on it. The first thing that caught my attention is that this is a work of fiction, I thought it would be an autobiographical account, which to me came as a bit of a disappointment. It seems like worth a read though, definitely. Thanks again Paul :D

 

Edit: I can't help but notice that you read an awful lot of interesting books, a few of which I've read but mostly ones I've been thinking about reading. I'll have to keep a closer eye on your blog from here on out :cool:

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Thanks Frankie; I do try to vary my reading diet as much as possible and have always enjoyed the odd, unusual and especially the challenging. I read for lots of reasons as we all do; comfort, challenge, to learn, to be entertained and to argue with.

I have finished Spies of the Balkans by Alan Furst;

This is the first of Alan Furst's spy novels I have read. A good spy story, well researched and executed with believeable characters. If you enjoy this genre then this is a good example. there is no unpleasant violence or gung ho action and the tension is built up well. I think this would make a good film noir because of its atmospheric nature. It is set mainly in Salonika with brief forays to a few other European cities in 1940/1941 and involves a Greek police detective and how he works against the Nazis. A good read.

7 out of 10

I am about to start Black Dirt by Nell Leyshon

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I have finished Black Dirt by Nell Leyshon;

An unusual book with a strong sense of place (the Somerset Levels) and the myths of English history; Jesus and Joseph of Arimathea visiting Glastonbury, Arthur and Merlin, Alfred and the cakes, the dissolution of the monasteries. These myths are woven into the thoughts of a dying man as he remembers his own father and childhood and tries to retain his hold on the present and his own grown children. He gradually begins to recall a terrible family secret.

An easy-paced thoughtful book which is an interesting and thought provoking reflection on the nature of myth and memory.A short book and worth a read, 7 and a half out of 10.

Next on the list is The Devil in the Flesh by Raymond Radiguet

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I have finished The Night Watch by Sarah Waters

It took me a while to decide whether I liked the way the book was written; introducing the main characters in 1947 and then going back to 1944 and 1941. So you know how it is going to end. However the characters work well and the atmosphere of wartime London is well drawn. The relationships feel real and I certainly cared about the characters. The ending, especially the last sentence, is wonderful and puts some of the rest of the book in perspective. This is the first Sarah Waters I have read and it may not be representative, if the TV adaptions are representative. I will certainly read more. This is about normal people coping with abnormal circumstances. I felt especially drawn to Kay and I wonder whether others who have read it felt the same. Lovely book and worth reading.

8 out of 10

I have started Human Traces by Sebastian Faulks

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I have read The Devil in the Flesh by Raymond Radiguet.

Very brief novel about teenage love, The protagonists are 16 (he) and 19 (she). She is married to a soldier at the front (set in WW1). Captures wonderfully the angst, passion, selfishness, obsession of teenage love. The boy is sometimes like a toddler having a tantrum and yet the subjects are much more serious. It is a looking back novel and he continues to wonder how selfish and stupid he has been and how little he understood. Yet this was written by a teenage boy. Radiguet wrote 2 novels, was a protege of Cocteau and was dead by the time he was 20. A remarkable achievement, this novel, for one so young. Worth tracking the book down, and for those of us of more mature years a chance to look back and ask if it was really like!!

8 out of 10

I am starting The Guide by R K Narayan

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Oooh, lots of interesting books!

 

I read The Franchise Affair last year, and would probably give it 6/10 like you; I liked the way it really brought that era to life for me, even if some of its attitudes seem uncomfortable now. I was interested in the fact that it was based on a true story, too.

 

Breakfast at Tiffany's has been sitting on my shelf now, and looks like I would enjoy it - I'm glad to know how different it is to the film, though, as that will affect when I decide to read it.

 

I really like Doris Lessing as a writer, and Briefing for a Descent into Hell sounds good. Like you, I find stream of consciousness a bit hard going though, so I would need to wait until I am feeling suitably strong to tackle it!

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I have finished The Night Watch by Sarah Waters

It took me a while to decide whether I liked the way the book was written; introducing the main characters in 1947 and then going back to 1944 and 1941. So you know how it is going to end. However the characters work well and the atmosphere of wartime London is well drawn. The relationships feel real and I certainly cared about the characters. The ending, especially the last sentence, is wonderful and puts some of the rest of the book in perspective. This is the first Sarah Waters I have read and it may not be representative, if the TV adaptions are representative. I will certainly read more. This is about normal people coping with abnormal circumstances. I felt especially drawn to Kay and I wonder whether others who have read it felt the same. Lovely book and worth reading.

8 out of 10

I have started Human Traces by Sebastian Faulks

 

I'm enjoying reading your reviews, so many interesting books :) 'Night Watch' is one that I've got on my shelf and I'm glad to see that you liked it, I've read and enjoyed her 'The Little Stranger' and definitely want to read more.

I don't know if this will be good news to you or not but I've just read that there is to be a BBC TV adaptation this year of 'Night Watch' starring the absolutely sublime Anna Maxwell Martin as Kay. I love her in everything I've seen her in (Bleak House, White Girl, South Riding and .... the drama of the book that inspired my user name ... Poppy Shakespeare :) ) I do hope she lives up to your expectations of the character ... and that the adaptation is a good one. Claire Foy who was so brilliant in Little Dorrit is also in it. I think it will be aired this Spring.

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the drama of the book that inspired my user name ... Poppy Shakespeare :)

 

Ooh, I had no idea where your user name came from! I've never heard of this book before, but I assume that you would recommend it seeing as you got your user name from it?

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Ooh, I had no idea where your user name came from! I've never heard of this book before, but I assume that you would recommend it seeing as you got your user name from it?

 

Ha .. yes I would recommend it .. but it's a bit off the wall and may be not to everyone's taste .. the language is a bit ripe for a start and there's lots of slang (it's a satire of Britains mental healthcare system) I can't really describe what it's like so I'll point you towards the Guardians review of it. It was the book I was reading and enjoying when I joined the forum :D (oh happy day!!)

Poppy Shakespeare - Guardian review

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I have finished Maharanis by Lucy Moore.

An interesting account of Indian aristocracy/royalty through the life stories of 4 remarkable women. A journey from the Raj of the late nineteenth century through the struggle for independence to almost the present day. It is a remarkable tale but can be a little confusing and I found some of the relationships difficult to follow. It is very much the story of rich upper class women and there is little of the grinding poverty of much of the rest of Indian society.

I think I understand more the power and influence the Maharajahs and Maharanis had and some of their allure, but htere was a hollowness at its centre. I never did realise how many of the male members of the families died of alcoholism. It was interesting to read of the struggles against purdah that some of the maharanis championed. On the whole a mixed bag. The privilege left a bad taste in the mouth.

6 and a half out of ten.

 

Poppy; I look forward to the TV adaptation of The Night Watch; I do hope they don't mess with it too much!

 

I am now starting My Lives by Edmund White

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I've finished The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I was aware of the hype about this book and tried not to let it influence me. It was an easy read and the story held the attention. It is the story of a group of women in the deep south; black maids and their white mistresses at the time when the civil rights movement was developing; the early 1960s. One of the white women and some of the maids collaborate to produce a book about the experiences of the maids.

The characters are engaging and likeable and I can see why it has been such a hit; there is a warmth and humanity there. However I had some qualms. The language did not ring true and the white women seemed to speak good english with little trace of dialect. The ending was a let down; white girl made good and got out. There was a very limited sense of danger about the process, which I feel was probably not the case at the time. It was written by a white women; I know it is possible to write outside one's culture and experience, but I'm not sure this quite pulled it off. But I still enjoyed it.

6 and a half out of 10

Fancy a ghost story next; so I've started Dark Matter by Michele Paver

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I've finished Zuleika Dobson by Max Beerbohm

This is an oddity. It was Beerbohm's only novel and is a satire of university life at Oxford in the very early twentieth century. There is no need to worry about spoilers, the book does that for you very near the beginning. Most of the characters are as shallow as puddles. There are bursts of magic realism occasional ghosts, Greek gods and lots of style with no depth.

The story is about a young woman who is very beautiful; she has a successful conjuring act (although she is not very good at it). She visits her grandfather who is warden of an Oxford college. All the undergraduates fall in love with her, except one. She obviously falls in love with him. When he returns her love she quite obviously falls out of love with him. He despairs and declares he will dies for her. Eventually the whole undergraduate population (all male of course) commit mass suicide for her in the river after the rowing. The Oxford colleges don't notice they are missing and carry on. Zuleika heads off to Cambridge at the end of the book.

Completely mad and very funny in parts with lots of classical references; wonderfully satirical account of romantic love. This is a particular type of humour and is an acquired taste, I can understand why some people might hate it or find it boring.

7 and a half out of 10

I'm starting Count Bellasarius by Robert Graves

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I've finished Dark Matter by Michele Paver

Atmospheric ghost story about a fictional expedition to the arctic in 1937. The main part of the book is the journal of one of the men on the expedition. Five men plan to go to the arctic to monitor weather, wildlife, geology. Two are forced to drop out before they arrive and the other two have to leave temporarily following an accident. Jack is left with the huskies as the winter draws in and permanent night sets in.

In the darkness he realises he is not alone. Has some similarities to M R James. The landscape is at the centre and is well described and there is a good build up of tension. It is not a substantial book and the very beginning does not work well for me. However, that said I enjoyed it and read it in three sittings. A good account of our fear of isolation and the dark combined cleverly together.

Any fans of a good ghost story will enjoy this.

7 and a half out of 10.

Starting The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes by our old friend Anon.

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At last! Finished War and Peace.

What to say about War and Peace. Epic and massive are words that spring to mind. Is it the greatest novel of all time? Not for me, but I enjoyed reading it; in a "because it's there", sort of way. I disliked the epilogue; way to preachy. I wish the novel had ended in 1812 and not taken us so briefly over the next few years so we could see where they had all ended up. Tolstoy is also very repetitive at times.

Having said all that the scale of the novel is impressive and Tolstoy describes the "fog of war" very well. The relationships and romances which intertwine the events draw the reader in and there are some genuinely touching and funny moments. I vaguely remember one of the film versions where I seem to remember Audrey Hepburn played Natasha, which strikes me as good casting; it's a long while since I've seen it though.

I wouldn't read it again and I don't rank it with my all time favourites like The Magic Mountain, The Brothers Karamazov or Far From the Madding Crowd.

This has been on my tbr pile for many years; now it's finally gone!!

7 out of 10

I'm a glutton for punishment so I'm starting Ulysses by James Joyce.

Edited by Books do furnish a room
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I read War and Peace about 25 years ago, and am only now feeling I could face it again! I did enjoy it, but it was so very, very, very long... Ulysses has been on my shelf for about 20 years, so I look forward to reading what you think of it. I enjoyed Buddenbrooks very much, but so far have only got about a third of the way into The Magic Mountain, despite starting the book twice. I'm sure I will finish it eventually, and can't quite remember for the moment just why it didn't capture my attention. :)

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I've finished The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes

I loved this book. Written in the 1550s in Spain before Don Quixote it is a classic picaresque novel and satire. It is anonymous and there is no doubt much scholarly debate about who wrote it.

It is about a boy, Lazaro who is abandoned and has to find work with a series of masters. He is abused and ill-treated and learns to adapt, beg and steal to survive. It is a very clever satire on those in authority, especially the church. The book reminded me of Erasmus and his attack on simony and indulgences in "Praise of Folly". Only it is a lot funnier, bawdy and much more entertaining.

Initially I felt the later part of the book was weaker, but on reflection I think this is maybe meant to reflect Lazaro growing up and becoming what he satirised. Having learnt to live by his wits, to steal and cheat when he has to and to trust no one, he decides his best career is in government. As he says "nobody really thrives except those who have positions of that nature". He learns to be a rogue and so goes into his natural home, politics. No lessons to be learned there then!!!!

This is a classic and deserves to be better known than it is.

8 and a half out of 10

Just begun A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

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Just begun A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

I'm interested to hear what you make of it, it's a book that I've heard a lot of stuff about .. all of it good so far.

 

Well done for tackling and conquering War and Peace ... I've got to do the same with Crime and Punishment and though I think I'll enjoy it (have heard an abridged version before) the size of it daunts me. You're right Audrey did play Natasha .. and very adorable she was too but I never could quite take to Henry Fonda as Pierre. Audrey's real life husband (at the time) Mel Ferrer played Prince Andrei.

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Poppy; I really can't imagine Henry Fonda as Pierre!!

 

I've read Moravagine by Blaise Cendrars; written in 1926.

What to say about this. I know it is highly rated as a modernist classic; and make no mistake it is very inventive with some fantastical scenes and stories. Many reviews I have seen rave about it and compare it to Burroughs' Naked Lunch. Even Henry Miller loved it. I can understand all that and I know it careers through the early twentieth century taking apart many sacred cows and exposing much hypocrisy.

However I did not like it. The title sets the tone; Moravagine means Death to (or by) vagina and the books tone is mercilessly misogynistic. It is about a young psychiatrist when discovers a prisoner in an institution (Moravagine) who has various deformities who is there because he murdered his fiancee. He decides it would be a good idea to let him free so they could have adventures together because the fellow is interesting (and a son of the King of Hungary). They then travel together for the rest of the book moving through Europe, Russia (where they attempt to organise a revolution in 1905 as part of what appears to be an anarchist grouping), the US, South America and back to Europe. The novel concludes in the First World War.

Periodically during their travels Moravagine rapes and murders women (no vivid descriptions, it is all very matter of fact and part of his condition) and the female characters are treated abominably. The author appears to have no opinion on this aspect of his character. Maybe he is making a point, maybe there is a deeper meaning which I am missing. Actually it is just unpleasant and pointless. It is as though the victims (mostly unamed and undescribed) have no importance or significance; they do not matter. Moravagine is portrayed as the next stage in human evolution and is above normal considerations (I've heard that sort of superiority argument before; Master Race!!).

I know it is only a novel and I am not as a rule squeamish about what I read, but there is such a deep level of unpleasantness here, especially towards women that, for me there was just no point ot it.

Rant over.

3 out of 10

 

I'm starting In a Free State by V S Naipaul

Edited by Books do furnish a room
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