Brian's 2013 Book Log

[Brian.]

I just realised that The Andromeda Strain was my 50th book read this year. I had originally set my target at 40, then 50 and then 70. At this rate I could possibly hit 100

[dex]

It must be something in the water , because I'm going to read more books this year aswell. It's not just down to the readathon either.

[bobblybear]

I've had The Andromeda Strain on my TBR pile for ages. I really must read it some time. I have a vague feeling that I have watched the movie, but I could easily be confusing it with something similar.

[Brian.]

It must be something in the water , because I'm going to read more books this year aswell. It's not just down to the readathon either.

 

You might just be right, I hit a bit of a flat spot a few months ago but since then I have been reading at a rate I've never read at before.

 

I've had The Andromeda Strain on my TBR pile for ages. I really must read it some time. I have a vague feeling that I have watched the movie, but I could easily be confusing it with something similar.

 

I remember it being a regular late night TV movie for a while and I believe there was a TV mini series not so long ago.

 

I took a large pile of read books to my local Oxfam charity shop this morning and they were delighted. They told me that donations of all kinds have hit a slump this year for some reason. After dropping off the 30 or so books I decided to have a quick browse and ended up buying 4 books. It was a particularly wise decision because they had a copy of a book (Q by Luther Blissett/ Wu Ming) that I have been after for a while. It's not available on Kindle and the paperback is £6.75. My copy cost £2 so my decision to stop buying brand new books has started to pay off already.

 

The books I came away with were:

 

Dirty Havana Trilogy by Pedro Juan Gutierrez

The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway

Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

Q by Luther Blissett

[Brian.]

Racing Through The Dark by David Millar

 

Synopsis

By his 18th birthday David Millar was living and racing in France, sleeping in rented rooms, tipped to be the next English-speaking Tour winner. A year later he'd realised the dream and signed a professional contract. He perhaps lived the high life a little too enthusiastically - he broke his heel in a fall from a roof after too much drink, and before long the pressure to succeed had tipped over into doping. Here, in a full and frank autobiography, David Millar recounts the story from the inside: he doped because 'cycling's drug culture was like white noise', and because of peer pressure. 'I doped for money and glory in order to guarantee the continuation of my status.' Five years on from
his arrest, Millar is clean and reflective, and holds nothing back in this account of his dark years.

(taken from Amazon)

 

 

My Thoughts

I am a big sports fan but I don't read many sporting biographies because in general they tend to be dull. The ones I do read I choose because the either the person has achieved something that really interests me or they have a story to tell. I recently read The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton and thought it was fantastic but I wanted to know more about the drug fueled era of pro-cycling. For this reason I opted for David Millar's book, his is a story that hasn't gained much coverage but he does seem to be a reformed character.

 

I don't like it when sporting biographies spend a long time describing a childhood, there usually isn't anything of particular interest and it feels like padding. In this book however there is an interesting childhood which is covered in just the right amount of detail. Being brought up in Hong Kong and the UK obviously shaped Millar a great deal and he also gives insights into how the transition from amateur to professional happens. It never occurred to me that young cyclists slum in on the European amateur scene trying to get picked up by a pro outfit.

 

There is a real human element to this book, Millar spends a long time talking about the isolation felt by many pro cyclists. They are often based somewhere away from their team and spend long amounts of time training alone. Centralised team bases and organised team training is something that has come about only fairly recently. Millar also explains in depth how doping was an ever present from the moment he turned pro. There was always an understanding that the teams knew and encouraged their riders to dope but would cast them aside if caught. It's made evidently clear that he didn't want to dope but there was no protection for young riders. Ultimately Millar accepts that is was his decision to dope and he should have been punished. It's also clear to see however that there is some bitterness that riders are punished but teams are not.

 

The latter chapters of the book cover his redemption and rehabilitation after his doping ban. Due to being naive and poorly advised he had an astronomic tax bill and lost everything. This in turn changed him from being, at his own admission 'a bit of a dick', to a more settled, reflective person. The story of his comeback is a really good read and shows that cycling hadn't learned from the doping of the past. He made it clear that he wanted to be on a non doping free team but this wasn't really supported by the team management. He also took the steps to report a team mate to his bosses and then the UCI for doping and nothing was done about it.

 

The book is mostly about him and his career but there are a few mentions of other rides who he met and worked with along the way. Of particular interest was his relationship with Bradley Wiggins which was fairly strained. Some of the character traits of Wiggins that he mentions have been seen this year with his results in the Giro and his pulling out of the Tour de France. The book was written before the whole Lance Armstrong saga but you can tell that he wasn't sure about Lance. He doesn't say that he thought Lance is doping, probably fearing a law suit, but the implication is that something wasn't right.

 

This is a fantastic heart felt book, Millar lets it all out and reveals everyting. I have read that he wrote most of the book himself and knowing how eloquent he is in interviews I can believe it.

 

5/5 (It was amazing).

[Alexi]

I have this on my shelf Brian (similarly, I read and loved The Secret Race and bought this book following that!) but haven't really read any reviews. Good to see such a positive review from you - I will bump it up the pile a bit!

[Brian.]

I have this on my shelf Brian (similarly, I read and loved The Secret Race and bought this book following that!) but haven't really read any reviews. Good to see such a positive review from you - I will bump it up the pile a bit!

 

I think you'll love it when you get to it and its very interesting to see the European approach taken to the pro circuit.

[Brian.]

The Tunnel by Ernesto Sabato

 

 

Synopsis

Infamous for the murder of Maria Iribarne, the artist Juan Pablo Castel is now writing a detailed account of his relationship with the victim from his prison cell: obsessed from the first moment he saw her examining one of his
paintings, Castel had become fixated on her over the next months and fantasized over how they might meet again. When he happened upon her one day, a relationship was formed which swiftly convinced him of their mutual love. But Castel's growing paranoia would lead him to destroy the one thing he truly cared about...

Sabato's first novel El Túnel (translated as The Outsider or The Tunnel), written in 1948, is framed as the confession of the painter Juan Pablo Castel, who has murdered the only woman capable of understanding him. Sabato's novels were praised by authors such as Albert Camus and Graham Greene.
(taken from Goodreads)

 

 

My Thoughts

For my next book I decided to tick a country off of my 'World Challenge' so where better to start than at the start of the alphabet with Argentina. For this I reserved a copy of The Tunnel by Ernesto Sabato at my local library. This book gets pretty good reviews and the synopsis sounds like the kind of twisted book I would like.

 

It is only a short book (140 pages) and after only about 15 pages I started to think that I would struggle to get through it. The writing style was easy to get through but there was just something about it that I didn't get on with. I put the book down for half an hour and when I came back to it the problem seemed to have largely gone. There are sections of prose that I really liked but others which I found a bit turgid.

 

I like dark nasty stories and this has to be up there with the nastiest of them. I found myself at times rooting for Castel and then 2 pages later being disgusted by him. I couldn't help but feel as though some of the book passed me by and I think that it would benefit from a reread in a year or so. It's certainly got my mind going in much the same way as Crime & Punishment did after I had finished it.
 

I give this 3/5 with the caveat that a reread later may increase that rating.

 

3/5 (It was ok).

[Athena]

Nice reviews ! I'm glad you liked The Andromeda Strain. I have a Dutch copy, might look into buying it in English sometime.

[willoyd]

I'm a bit like you when it comes to sporting biographies - and have Racing Through the Dark lined up to read soon (well, actually, I'll be borrowing OH's copy; she raved about it too) - but you might enjoy the biography of the other cycling Millar: In Search of Robert Millar by Richard Moore.  One of the best modern (as opposed to historical) biographies I've read in a long time. 

[Brian.]

I'm a bit like you when it comes to sporting biographies - and have Racing Through the Dark lined up to read soon (well, actually, I'll be borrowing OH's copy; she raved about it too) - but you might enjoy the biography of the other cycling Millar: In Search of Robert Millar by Richard Moore.  One of the best modern (as opposed to historical) biographies I've read in a long time. 

 

Thanks, I'll have to see if my local library has it so I can reserve it.

[Brian.]

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig

 

Synopsis

Acclaimed as one of the most exciting books in the history of American letters, this modern epic became an instant bestseller upon publication in 1974, transforming a generation and continuing to inspire millions. A narration of a summer motorcycle trip undertaken by a father and his son, the book becomes a personal and philosophical odyssey into fundamental questions of how to live. Resonant with the confusions of existence, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a touching and transcendent book of life.

(taken from Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts

I have had a copy of this on my TBR for a few years now and I have no idea where my copy came from. Talking about books in general inspired one of my work mates to read it towards the end of last year but he struggled to really summarise the book for me. I picked this up to read the other day completely on a whim, I had no idea what the book was about except to say that it is considered a classic.

 

The book is actually three stories/parts all rolled together in a mash of ideas about life. The anchor story is one of a cross country journey on motorcycle of a father, his young son and 2 friends. This is a bit of a travelogue in a similar vein to On The Road as they camp and stick to small roads along the way. The second story evolves into how a person loses their mind and ends up in a mental institute, this person is given the name Phaedrus. The final aspect to the book is the author's explanation and insight into the philosophy of quality. I'll look at the 3 stories/parts separately.

 

The road story was my favourite part of the book and I would have been happy to read that on it's own in a novella. It is clearly written with some really affection for both his son, Chris and the way American still was at the time in small towns. His avoidance of freeways and favouring small mom and pop diners rather than large garish chain affairs is something that resonates. The characters were fine and I started to really like their travel companions.

 

The story of Phaedrus started with so much promise and I was really looking forward to find out more once I had established who Phaedrus was. This story was good in places and bad in others. The conflict university staff was good and his back story was interesting but it was very haphazard in the presentation. Phaedrus is obviously meant to be smarter than everyone else, it's just than no one else can see this.

 

The final part is the thing which really spoiled my enjoyment of the book. If Pirsig wanted to make sure that certain readers felt stupid then he achieved that with me. A few parts of this really struck a chord with me, these mainly involving engineering. The rest of it was largely rambling about philosophy which was way above my head and I suspect above the head's of many who have read or attempted to read this book. There are a handful of zen references thrown in along the way but again these will probably only grasped by scholars. I can see why this level of thinking would send someone into mental meltdown.

 

After I had read the book I read a few articles on Pirsig and these reveal that he had an IQ of 170 at a young age. I suspect that you would require a love of philosophy (and major in it) or a huge IQ to really appreciate this book. I have neither. The final rating is mainly down to the travelogue and engineering references in it.

 

2/5 (It was ok).

[frankie]

Great review on the Zen, Brian! This is a book I've come across with many times, not very surprisingly... I'm happy I read your review and now know how the book's laid out. I have a feeling I would enjoy the first part of the book, just like you, and kinda of somewhat like the second part, but the third part... Not very convincing! I rarely like to be made a fool of...

 

I wonder why this book was such a huge topic in the last decade, it having been out since the 1970s...

[pontalba]

Mafia State by Luke Harding

 

 

Synopsis

In 2007 Luke Harding arrived in Moscow to take up a new job as a correspondent for the British newspaper the Guardian. Within months, mysterious agents from Russia's Federal Security Service - the successor to the KGB - had broken into his flat. He found himself tailed by men in cheap leather jackets, bugged, and even summoned to

Lefortovo, the KGB's notorious prison.

 

The break-in was the beginning of an extraordinary psychological war against the journalist and his family. Vladimir Putin's spies used tactics developed by the KGB and perfected in the 1970s by the Stasi, East Germany's sinister secret police. This clandestine campaign burst into the open in 2011 when the Kremlin expelled Harding from Moscow - the first western reporter to be deported from Russia since the days of the Cold War.

 

My Thoughts

I picked this books up at a bookshop as I have an interest in Russian history, both classical and more modern. I was intrigued by the spiel on the back which highlighted that Harding had been targeted by the FSB due to his articles about what is going on in Russia.

 

From the start some of the techniques used against Harding are straight out of Cold War folklore and it's pretty strange to think that they are still being used today. Harding is keen to point out that the aim of the FSB is not to remain hidden but to disrupt the life of those individuals being targeted. This ranges from the silly, like leaving the phone off the hook to the sinister, deleting a family picture being used as a wallpaper on a laptop. The fact that embassy staff were familiar with these tactics just goes to show how widespread it must be.

 

The book is very critical of the way Putin and other oligarchs now control Russia for huge financial gains. Vast areas of the country live in poverty and dissenters are swiftly dealt with. Although I have no reason to believe this is wrong I couldn't help but feel that this book is written from one point of view only. It isn't a neutral presentation of modern day Russia, it is written by someone who clearly has an axe to grind with Putin and his pals.

 

There is a lot of good information in the book and this means that I didn't find it a quick read. It's not a hard book to read and each chapter deals with a different topic. There are some really good topics about the death of Litvinenko and the military stand off in Georgia.

 

I couldn't help but think that Harding brought some of what happened to him on himself. He knew that he was baiting the Russian authorities and that they wouldn't take kindly to his articles. At the same time he is probably right in saying that a lot of foreign journalists in Russia toe the line so as not upset Putin and that they lack guts.

 

This was an interesting read.

 

 

3/5 (I liked it).

 

Excellent review, looks very interesting. Thanks.

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

 

 

Synopsis

Five prominent biophysicists have set up the Wildfire Project, to investigate the frightening possibilities of a biological emergency. They send an urgent warning to the President of the United States, that sterilisation procedures for returning space probes may not be adequate to guarantee uncontaminated re-entry to the atmosphere.

 

Two years later, Project Scoop sends seventeen satellites into the fringes of outerspace to 'collect organisms and dust for study'. But the real aim of the mission is kept secret - they have been sent to discover new biological weapons of war.

 

Then in the middle of the night, one of the probe satellites from Project Scoop crashes onto the tiny town of Piedmont, in northeastern Arizona. Soon after, all but two of the inhabitants are found dead from a strange disease that dried the very blood in their veins and caused death in minutes...

The Andromeda Strain.

 

Time is running out for the scientists...they must discover the biological link between the two survivors and trace what is causing the horrifying virus. For they know it is only a matter of time before it will spread through their country, killing millions, and only they have the knowledge to stop it from doing so..

(taken from goodreads)

 

My Thoughts

I have a distance memory of this book on my parents bookshelf when I was a young 'un. Even though I hadn't graduated to reading proper books at the time I was captivated by the cover. At some point the book disappeared and it didn't cross my mind again until I saw the 1971 movie on the TV late on night about 20 years ago. I saw a copy of it while doing one of my regular charity shop sweeps and I just had to buy it and see what the book was like.

 

The book is laid out as a factual recollection at a hearing of events that occur due to the crash landing of a satellite. Along with the details of what happened we discover the mistakes and discoveries made by the team of scientists sent to solve the disease which has killed many people. This all comes together to make an interesting book which is based on more than just ratcheting up the tension.

 

There is a lot of scientific detail and its clear that there was a lot of research that went into the book before it was written. There is also a quite interesting aspect looking into artificial intelligence and what happens when machines we rely on fail and it goes un-noticed. Although the plot may look a bit far fetched to readers today I imagine that in the 60's when it was published these were real fears that many people had.

 

The book is well written and well paced so I found myself picking it up to read whenever I had a spare 5 minutes.

 

4/5 (I really liked it).

 

Good review, I'd read this many years ago, and enjoyed it.  I should reread to refresh my memory of the details. 

[Brian.]

Religion For Atheists by Alain de Botton

 

Synopsis

"What if religions are neither all true nor all nonsense? "Alain de Botton's bold and provocative book argues that we can benefit from the wisdom and power of religion--without having to believe in any of it. He suggests that rather than mocking religion, agnostics and atheists should instead steal from it--because the world's religions are packed with good ideas on how we might live and arrange our societies. De Botton looks to religion for insights into how to build a sense of community, make relationships last, overcome feelings of envy and inadequacy, inspire travel, get more out of art, and reconnect with the natural world. For too long non-believers have faced a stark choice between swallowing lots of peculiar doctrines or doing away with a range of consoling and beautiful rituals and ideas. "Religion for Atheists" offers a far more interesting and truly helpful alternative.

(taken from Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts

Although I am not a religious person I do not class myself as an atheist, I would say I am more an agnostic with Buddhist leanings. For this reason I have always been very interested in religions and from time to time I will read about various world religions. I have also in the past read books on atheism, including The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. I picked up this book because the title implied that it mixed an atheists outlook with an appreciation of religion, a viewpoint that I hadn't read about before.
 

Alain de Botton looks at ten different things and how, as the modern world has developed into a more secular society they have been adversely affected. These ten things are wisdom, community, kindness, education, tenderness, pessimism, perspective, art, architecture and institutions. He then goes onto explain how, in his opinion, we can take lessons from religions to improve these aspects of our lives and remain a secular society. This is something that I broadly would agree with. For example we can all stand to be more compassionate and although religion is often a source of conflict it does create some very compassionate individuals.

 

Sadly this book just didn't work for me and although it did raise a few good points, too often his solutions were very badly thought out. For just one example, he states that modern restaurants are set up in such a way which prevents everyone mingling together and talking. His solution is to change our restaurants so that this can happen as there are no places where we can mingle and talk in a social setting. I would counter this by saying that pubs and coffee shops fulfill this need perfectly fine. The reasons why we tend not to interact with strangers in the street is not down to lack of communal seating in restaurants.

 

The book is well written and yet somehow I really trudged through some chapters and I was looking forward to finishing it. I did learn some new things about religion in the book, in particular about the Jewish faith but not enough to redeem it in my eyes.

2/5 (It was ok).

Edited August 5, 2013 by Brian.

[Brian.]

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

 

 

Synopsis

A young woman in love with a man torn between his love for her and his incorrigible womanizing; one of his mistresses and her humbly faithful lover -- these are the two couples whose story is told in this masterful novel. In a world in which lives are shaped by irrevocable choices and by fortuitous events, a world in which everything occurs but once, existence seems to lose its substance, its weight. Hence, we feel "the unbearable lightness of being" not only as the consequence of our pristine actions but also in the public sphere, and the two inevitably intertwine.
(taken from goodreads)

 

My Thoughts

I reserved this book recently at my local library along with The Tunnel (see above for review). It cost me £1.20 to reserve it but it unavailable on the Kindle and a paperback copy would have cost me £5. It looks like I am finally getting the hang of this 'saving money' malarkey where books are involved. Anyway, my main reason for reading this book is to tick another country off the list and also because I think it features in the '1001 books' list.

 

I came into the book with no knowledge about it or the author, Milan Kundera. In the first few chapters, they are rather short, I wasn't sure that I was going to get on with it. There isn't a lot of character development and each chapter presents a thought on Kundera's outlook on life and the things in it. The short chapters work really well here because they allow you to digest what has just been presented before jumping onto a different thing. The plot jumps about a bit and I would probably go so far as to call it a bit scatty in places. It doesn't get so bad that you lose what is going on but it does serve to make sure you are paying attention.

 

I liked aspects of all the characters while at the same time disliking some bits about them. I will use Tomas as an example. I disliked his womanizing when he is in a relationship with Tereza. However he is honest about it with her which I found kind of admirable in a strange way. She knows exactly what he is like and yet continues to remain with him. I think it is important to make a distinction between not liking a character and a badly written character. All the characters in this book fall into the first category. You know that there are complex things going on in their heads but we are not privy to all the information.

 

I have so much more to say on the book but I am struggling to form it into some cohesive so I will leave this review as it is for the present time. I may come back to it and expand on it later when I have had more time to digest it all. I definitely think that this is a book I will pick up again in the years to come.

 

Even though I finished the book last night it is still going round my head and I suspect that will be the case for some time to come.
 

4/5 (I really liked it).

Edited August 5, 2013 by Brian.

[frankie]

I know absolutely nothing about Kundera, either, and eventhough I know of the book, I had no idea what it was about until I read the synopsis in your review. So thanks! And well done for saving money

 

Seems like a book that is not easy to digest, and may improve in ratings the more time has elapsed from actually reading it? One of those that will stick in your mind?

[Devi]

Re your interest in Buddhism, my mum is actually a Tibetan Buddhist Nun.

 

Kind of a useless fact i thought i would mention, I can ask her about any books she can recommend you on the subject etc if you wanted.

[Kylie]

I know absolutely nothing about Kundera, either

Yes you do. You know that he spoke at Rory Gilmore's Yale graduation and that (I think) Richard thought he was a bore.

 

It's a shame you didn't enjoy Zen... and Religion for Atheists, Brian. I have both on my TBR pile. I'm getting more and more put off by Zen, as I've heard other opinions that are similar to yours, and I have a feeling I won't get on well with it. I still look forward to reading Religion for Atheists, though. Hopefully I'll enjoy that more than you did!

[Brian.]

I know absolutely nothing about Kundera, either, and eventhough I know of the book, I had no idea what it was about until I read the synopsis in your review. So thanks! And well done for saving money

 

Seems like a book that is not easy to digest, and may improve in ratings the more time has elapsed from actually reading it? One of those that will stick in your mind?

 

I think repeated readings will almost certainly improve it. It may also have helped a little if I had taken more time over reading it. I rushed it a little because I knew I had to return it to the library.

 

 

Re your interest in Buddhism, my mum is actually a Tibetan Buddhist Nun.

 

Kind of a useless fact i thought i would mention, I can ask her about any books she can recommend you on the subject etc if you wanted.

 

I would really appreciate that because most of the books I have read have been recommended by British websites, another viewpoint always helps.

 

Yes you do. You know that he spoke at Rory Gilmore's Yale graduation and that (I think) Richard thought he was a bore.

 

It's a shame you didn't enjoy Zen... and Religion for Atheists, Brian. I have both on my TBR pile. I'm getting more and more put off by Zen, as I've heard other opinions that are similar to yours, and I have a feeling I won't get on well with it. I still look forward to reading Religion for Atheists, though. Hopefully I'll enjoy that more than you did!

 

I think that Religion for Atheists just didn't work for me, I'm sure you will have a better time with it.

[Brian.]

From Russia With Love by Ian Fleming

 

 

 

Synopsis

Name: Bond, James. Height: 183 cm, weight: 76 kg; slim build; eyes: blue; hair: black; scar down right cheek & on left shoulder; all-round athlete; expert pistol shot, boxer, knife-thrower; does not use disguises. Languages: French and German. Smokes heavily (NB: special cigarettes with three gold bands); vices: drink, but not to excess, and women.

Every major foreign government organization has a file on British secret agent James Bond. Now, Russia's lethal SMERSH organization has targeted him for elimination. SMERSH has the perfect bait in the irresistible Tatiana
Romanova, who lures 007 to Istanbul promising the top-secret Spektor cipher machine. But when Bond walks willingly into the trap, a game of cross and double-cross ensues, with Bond both the stakes and the prize.
(taken from goodreads)

 

My Thoughts

This is the last of the Bond books that I have at home and I decided to read it now as I needed something entertaining. I picked it, and the previous books up at a charity shop so I will now have to be on the lookout for the next ones in the series. I was very happy to discover that the film and book follow the same story. Some of the previous books have completely different story lines to the movies and From Russia With Love is one of my favourite movies.

 

Unusually, Bond doesn't actually make an appearance until about a third of the way into the book and we see inside the murky world of SMERSH. Although there is an element of cold war cliche to the descriptions it is a great start to the book. The main players are introduced and we see a little into their respective background's. We are also treated to the feelings of suspicion that everyone in SMERSH falls under from each other.

 

From the moment Bond comes into the picture the story flies along at a tremendous pace. It really is the best of what makes the Bond books so good. There is the beautiful girl, Tatiana Romanova, who falls head over heels in love with him. There intelligent foreign spies, assisted by the muscled needed to try an defeat Bond. There is the glamorous travel and fine dining which is superbly described by Fleming.
 

This is a great book and even though I know the story well I still found it very entertaining. It is as good, perhaps even better than Casino Royale.

5/5 (It was amazing).

[Devi]

I haven't forgotten about the recommendations on buddhism books! Will get to asking her about the list once i get back from holidays.

[Brian.]

I haven't forgotten about the recommendations on buddhism books! Will get to asking her about the list once i get back from holidays.

 

Thanks, there is no rush, I have plenty of books on my TBR to keep me occupied for a while.

[pontalba]

Great review of the Bond book, Brian. 

It's really annoying though, the new covers they keep coming out with!  I already have two sets of the Fleming/Bond books, you'd think that would be enough! 

[Brian.]

The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway

 

Synopsis

Standing at his window on May 27, 1992, the cellist has no idea what is about to happen. The mortar that falls in front of his apartment building kills 22 of his friends and neighbors as they wait in line for bread, and in a moment, his world is horribly diminished. In mute defiance of the danger of
doing so, he carries his instrument to the very place where the mortar exploded and plays. His intention is to play for 22 days -- one day for each person killed -- if he survives that long.

In Galloway's spare and haunting first novel, the cellist is just one of four distinct voices that serve as witnesses of the bloody siege of Sarajevo: a 28-year-old woman no longer identified as a daughter, sister, student, or lover but solely by her greatest and most deadly talent -- finding a target and hitting it; a young man preparing to leave the sanctity of his home to retrieve water for his family, a seemingly ordinary journey that forces him to weigh the cost of humanity against that of his own survival; another man en route to a bakery who happens upon an old friend and begins to reminisce.
(taken from goodreads)

 

My Thoughts

I bought this from a local Oxfam charity shop when it caught my eye. I had intended just to drop off a load of books but as usual I came away with a couple of books. I had no prior knowledge of the author or the book but the synopsis sounded like it would make a great read.

 

The book is loosely based around the real life event of a cellist playing regularly in the rubble of destroyed buildings during the siege of Sarajevo. Although he is the focal point of the book the cellist actually doesn't feature all that often and is used to link the three other characters.

 

Arrow is a young woman who is a very effective sniper who works in an independent way from inside the city to kill people she sees as a threat to the civilians trapped in the city. She is granted a degree of leeway from a military commander which allows her to only take out targets she deems appropriate. I really liked her character and having a female sniper really added an unusual angle to the story.

 

Keenan and Dragan are two male characters who have to make regular trips across the war torn city in order to survive. One has to fetch water for both his family and their elderly neighbour and the other has to get bread so that his family can eat. As they separately cross the city they come across various sniper traps and the devastation of war.

 

This is a really good book which is well written and moving at the same time. Galloway has made some decisions which really allow the book have an emotional effect. No one is ever given their nationalistic designation, there are no Serbs or Croats, just people. The only real separation is that the people holding the city to siege are referred to as the enemy on the hills.  The fact that the events in the book are based in fact makes it even more incredible.
 

The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars was that I was left wanting so much more. It is a short book (220 pages) and I really would have liked to invest some time in a longer version of this story. A short book works but I think a longer one would have been even better.

4/5 (I really liked it).

 

This book is up for swap if anyone is interested in it.