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A Book Blog by Books Do Furnish a Room 2012


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The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall

A bit oversold, but certainly creative at times with a sprinkling of novel ideas which for me, almost worked; but not quite.

At heart this is a simple love story, which I didn't mind as I quite like simple love stories, being an old romantic at heart. That the love story was between a man whose memories had been eaten by a conceptual shark (see later) and a woman who he may have loved in his pre memory loss existance who is now dead (but not a ghost - nothing supernatural here) matters not a jot.

There are homages all over the book and references to films and books. Lots to Casablanca and of course Jaws; the last part of the film is played out at the end of the book.

There are quite a few oddities. A character we never meet called Mycroft Ward decides in the mid 19th century that he really does not want to die. Hw studies hypnotism and finds a younger suggestive subject and hypnotically gives him great detail about his own life and becomes him. He continues to do this creating a number of versions of himself. He eventually becomes an internet database.

Now the fish. The novel depends on the idea that there exist conceptual fish that feed on ... well, concepts and ideas. The Ludovician is a large conceptual shark that feeds on memories and seems have have developed a liking for Eric, the main character in the book. Eric recieves messages from his previous self in the mail and from other sources telling him how to protect himself.

There is also unspace; the empty spaces in our modern urban world, behind shops, empty factories and warehouses, railway sidings.

The whole thing reaches a climax in the conceptual world, which becomes real to the protagomists.

There are some quite clever ideas and it has cult classic written all over it; I also suspect it is designed to be filmed; although quite how they're going to manage conceptual fish! The ending is a bit of a cop out and the first part of the bookdeserves better.

It is entertaining, but on closer examination rather flimsy. Apparently for each chapter in the book there is a negative (or unchapter) out in the world somewhere; on line, in other editions of the book or yet to be discovered. Am I bothered enough to seek them out; nope. That may tell you all you need to know

I did like Ian the cat and had every sympathy with him being dragged around Eric's rather mad adventures.

6 and a half out of 10

Starting the Feast of July by H E Bates

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I think the film rights to The Raw Shark Texts has been sold!

Dolly by Susan Hill

Another sinister offering from Susan Hill; I'm rather partial to a ghost story, but this one didn't quite do it, unlike some of her other offerings. I think it suffered from being a novella and may have worked either as a short story or a longer novel.

The setting was gothic enough, an old house in the fens; an area of the country I know, which can indeed be bleak and rather creepy. The cast was good and the idea ok; vengeful doll (has been done before though). The working out just didn't work well enough. The setting and structure was pure M R James (still the master); the problem was the content.

6 out of 10

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Now all roads lead to France by Matthew Hollis

Not quite a biography, but a very good analysis of Thomas and his poetry and also his friendship with Robert Frost. Hollis's style does not lead to a light touch, but his analysis of the poetry is excellent. Thomas was a complex character, who came late to poetry, having been a prose writer, reviewer and critic. It was his friendship with Frost that really stimulated his poetic endeavours.

Thomas does not come across as a particularly likeable character, but Hollis analyses and explains his attitude to his wife and children (I wonder, sometimes, why so many intelligent and creative men treat their families so appallingly). He often appeared to drift into situations; the army being a case in point, he probably had diabetes and a decent medical would have meant a non combat role.

I have never been passionate about Thomas as a poet, preferring Sassoon and Owen as war poets and Clare as a nature poet; but some of his poetry is moving; here is a snatch on In Memoriam;

 

The flowers left thick at nightfall in the wood

This Eastertide call into mind the men,

Now far from home, who, with their sweethearts, should

Have gathered them and will do never again.

 

The development of Frost as a poet is also well treated, especially the analysis of "The Road not Taken" which Frost wrote during his friendship with Thomas.

Thomas's relationship with the Georgian poets and the Dymock group, who are mostly now forgotten (who remembers Lascelles Abercrombie or Wilfred Gibson), but Hollis brings them to life. Other luminaries flit through the pages; Robert Graves and Rupert Brooke. Ezra Pound is also involved in the story and comes across as quite a difficult character, but the effect of the war on all of them was earth shattering. Pound was especially horrified by the way britain had sent her young men to be slaughtered; "For an old bitch gone in the teeth, for a botched civilization".

Hollis also looks at Thomas's friendships with eleanor Farjeon and Edna Clarke Hall and his long lasting effects on their lives.

All in all this is a good study of an interesting poetand was worth taking the time and effort over. I'm still not as enamoured of Thomas's poetry, but I will probably go back to Frost, who came across as an interesting and decent chap.

8 out of 10

Starting Carrington; A life of Dora Carrington by Gretchen Gerzina

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