Poppyshake's Reading Year 2013

[Janet]

It sounds delightful, Kay.     I'm going to add it to my ever-growing wish list. 

[poppyshake]

It sounds delightful, Kay.     I'm going to add it to my ever-growing wish list. 

That's just what it was Janet  .. hope you like it too  

[Athena]

I'm glad you liked The Shadow of the Wind, though it's a shame you didn't love it.

x

The other problem I had was undoubtedly nature's fault .. in that I felt I would be enjoying it more if a boy .. this is such a minority view as to be called positively solitary but still, some of Daniel's teenage musings made me slightly uncomfortable (I didn't like it that breasts 'quivered' either .. breasts shouldn't quiver .. that just says cold jelly to me  .. however I do believe something may have been lost in translation .. I'm sure the Spanish word was much more the ticket.)

x

I think this would bother me too.

 

The book is on my wishlist, I might buy it at some point. It does sound interesting.

[Marie H]

 

Greenery Street by Denis Mackail

 

Synopsis: Greenery Street can be read on two levels – it is a touching description of a young couple's first year together in London, but it is also a homage – something rare in fiction - to happy married life. Ian and Felicity are shown as they arrive at 23 Greenery Street, an undisguised Walpole Street in Chelsea. Their uneventful but always interesting everyday life is the main subject of a novel that evokes the charmingly contented and timeless while managing to be both funny and profound about human relations.

 

Review: This was a Persephone read .. I've got a small number waiting on the shelves to be read (and I'm hoping they might grow up one day to be a big number ) and it's always a pleasure and a joy to read them because they're so uncomplicated and gentle (but usually .. as is the case here .. they're also full of razor sharp insight). This is probably where the germ of the idea for the Nov reading circle came from because the street, and in this case the house, plays an important part in the story. The sad thing about Greenery Street (or probably it's a good thing) is that the couples who fall in love with the houses only stay until the first pitter patter of tiny feet and then they find that, though they never thought it before, the hall's too poky and the stairs are too steep .. meaning that there is an almost constant turn around, but while they are there, the couples love living in Greenery Street.

 

I enjoyed your Greenery Street review poppyshake   

 

I'm a fan of Persephone Books too, both for their themes, and the look and feel of their books. I only buy them second-hand copies, and they are rare to find. It seems most people keep them after they have read then, but are reluctant to give them away - they are so beautiful! Saplings by Noel Streatfield was my first Persephone read, it's a wonderful book.

[poppyshake]

I'm glad you liked The Shadow of the Wind, though it's a shame you didn't love it.

xx

I think this would bother me too.

 

The book is on my wishlist, I might buy it at some point. It does sound interesting.

I'm sure you will love it Gaia .. most people do and I liked it a lot so don't let my ramblings put you off

I enjoyed your Greenery Street review poppyshake 

 

I'm a fan of Persephone Books too, both for their themes, and the look and feel of their books. I only buy them second-hand copies, and they are rare to find. It seems most people keep them after they have read then, but are reluctant to give them away - they are so beautiful! Saplings by Noel Streatfield was my first Persephone read, it's a wonderful book.

Thanks Marie

I have found a few second-hand too but, as you say, it's rare to see them. My neighbour has rows and rows of them .. I'm very envious  I think I read Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day first and enjoyed it lots but one of my favourites is Mariana by Monica Dickens. When I bought Greenery Street I was debating whether to get it or Saplings .. it's definitely on my Persephone wishlist

[poppyshake]

Amazon are driving me up the wall a bit (well further up I mean ) They keep presuming I'm a Kindle reader  (though I do have one ) and it's their default format of choice now. I've only ever bought about eight books on Kindle but somehow I'm on a one-click buying system (is that usual?) and I'm having to go very careful as I've nearly ended up purchasing a Kindle book when all I wanted to do was put a paperback in my basket and save it for later (which is a favourite thing to do .. though I do have a wishlist as well ) I can see it will happen before long and I'll be mightily annoyed  

I expect there is something technical I could do to prevent it from happening, possibly a spell (or curse ) I could utter but why do things have to change!!

Now it's like I'm searching for something from the Ark .. 'oh you want a book made of paper do you?' *sympathetic look* .. 'well I'm sure we have some here somewhere .. let me just see if anyone still has the key to the crypt'      

 

Other than that I'm having a good day  Hope you are too xx 

[Athena]

That's annoying! I don't like the one-click system, I much prefer to go through the usual fill in your address, your card details etc. For a while it did it the long way, then for some reason it switched to one click and now it's back to the old way (gladly ). Since I don't live in the UK, Amazon.co.uk doesn't allow me to buy Kindle books so I don't have this problem. I buy my Kindle books from Amazon.com and whenever I view them Amazon.com asks if this is my preferred way of viewing books. I can click on yes and I presume it'll then show you mainly Kindle books, I haven't done so yet though since I do prefer paperbooks but I don't buy them off Amazon.com but .co.uk.. Has it ever asked you anything like that? Anyway.. I just wanted to express some symphathy . Be very careful, you don't want to buy a Kindle book by mistake! Though I think if you don't download it you can return it just after you bought it but I'm not sure how that works.

[poppyshake]

Thanks Gaia  I'm just letting off steam. I hate change!! (luddite ) I'm sure if I go ferreting around in my settings I can probably change it but I didn't ask for it to change in the first place. They haven't asked me my preferred way of viewing books .. I wish they would .. I wish we could have a civilised conversation about it over a cup of tea and I could tell them then that I only like looking at paperbacks .. and I don't mind doing a bit of extra work when looking for hardbacks/Kindle reads etc. It will sort itself out .. I'll have to adapt I suppose

Fast forward five years and it'll probably be impossible to buy paperbacks .. unless second-hand   

This must be what my nan felt like when the teabag was invented

[Athena]

I don't like change either!! But sometimes change can be good and sometimes we must adapt, even though it's difficult (I know I find it difficult).

 

I really hope they won't stop selling paperbacks , it really is your and my preferred way of reading books.

[poppyshake]

But sometimes change can be good and sometimes we must adapt.

Oh  .. must I?  

I really hope they won't stop selling paperbacks , it really is your and my preferred way of reading books.

It's probably a way off yet .. but I've noticed a big change with Amazon's website this last year .. but then of course, it's in their interest to promote Kindle. Let's hope the remaining bookstores can keep the interest in actual books alive Would be tragic not to be able to browse (and buy of course ) books in a bookshop.

[poppyshake]

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Amazon Synopsis: 'It is the history of a revolution that went wrong-and of the excellent excuses that were forthcoming at every step for the perversion of the original doctrine,' wrote George Orwell for the first edition of ANIMAL FARM in 1945. His simple and tragic fable, telling of what happens when the animals drive out Mr Jones and attempt to run the farm themselves, has since become a world-famous classic of English prose.

Review: The story is so familiar to me, but I wasn't sure if I had actually read it, so it seemed like a good time to pick it up and find out. Well I'm pretty sure I haven't read it, certain parts of the story were new to me but what a shame to be reading such an extraordinary tale when you already know the outcome .. I would have loved to have been discovering it for the first time  Still, it's a cracking read and a chilling one. It has much to say about good intentions, corruption and betrayal. I cried all over again at Boxer .. all the more so as I could see the images clearly in my mind from the film (though Lord knows when I last saw it). George's writing has such impact .. he never uses a spare word .. there's nothing flowery or extravagant about it (hmmm .. how does he do it? ) He was deeply distrustful of Stalinism and wanted to expose it for the sham he thought it was, hence this allegorical tale.

I can't quite believe that pigs are evil though .. pigs are gorgeous and very lovable. They probably are lazy and inclined to be greedy (no more than me though  ) but I would still trust them to head a revolution.  Still, I know these were only allegorical pigs   4/5

 

[poppyshake]

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Amazon Synopsis: The Joy Luck Club was formed of four Chinese women recently moved to San Francisco who meet to eat dim sum, play mah-jong and to share stories. Forty years on they and their daughters tell wise and witty tales of hope, loss, family and history. Spanning pre-Revolutionary China to 1980s San Francisco, the women talk as secrets are spilled, mothers boast and despair and daughters struggle with tangled truths.

Review: I really enjoyed this story, the only problem I had with it was keeping up with who was who and which daughter belonged to which mother (though there is a handy guide at the front of most editions) as their tales are told separately. The mother's stories are steeped in ritual and tradition (which makes them more fascinating) .. the daughter's are more modern and familiar (which makes them easier to read.) I found that by the end it was all becoming clearer and it would've benefitted from an immediate re-read but I very rarely do that ... it's a luxury I can't really afford with 200 plus books waiting to be read  Sadly if read in the future (like in two weeks time ) I would probably be back to square one.
More thoughts can be found on the September Reading Circle thread but, as always, spoilers abound so keep one eye closed 4/5

[poppyshake]

My Father as I Recall Him by Mamie Dickens
 
Amazon Synopsis: Mary 'Mamie' Dickens (6 March 1838 – 23 July 1896) was the oldest daughter of English novelist Charles Dickens and his wife Catherine. After her parents separated in 1858 Mary became the official hostess at Gads Hill Place in Kent, Dickens's country home, staying with her father for the rest of his life. She wrote a book of reminiscences about her father, and, with her aunt Georgina Hogarth, edited the first collection of his letters.

Review: This is one of the few .. that is one of two  .. books that I've read on Kindle (it's been five months and I'm still trying to get the hang ).. and, mainly what they had going for them is .. they were short  This particular little book of recollections came along with the Kindle complete works of Charles Dickens and it interested me immediately because I've always been led to believe that .. as far as his family life was concerned .. Charles was a bit of a ... *thinks of polite word* ... cad  Mamie doesn't give that impression at all though and so I've had to re-adjust my ideas somewhat. Her little biography gets criticised a lot .. some say it's a sanitized version but who are we to judge and anyway it wasn't the done thing then to write a warts and all exposé. Mamie may well have beefed it up a bit more if she'd been on the OK magazine's payroll. The one thing I did find a little odd was her account of Charles' train accident. It was known that he was sharing the carriage with Ellen Ternan (his .. I won't say mistress .. but young female companion ) and her mother but Mamie talks as if they were strangers to him .. and yet I think it is pretty well recorded that the family knew. Maybe it would have been seen as crass to reveal it in a book but then I think his other daughter Kate did do just that at a later date.

 

It would seem though that he was just the sort of father that you'd expect him to be, full of stories, play acting and laughter .. their Christmases and Twelfth Night celebrations sounded absolutely magical. She does also reveal though that his expectations as regards punctuality and tidiness were absolutely formidable .. he was extremely fastidious and intolerant as far as that was concerned. He would inspect every room in the house once a day and woe betide if there was a crumb on the floor  He wouldn't have noticed if there had been crumbs on my teenage bedroom floor .. you couldn't see the floor  4/5

[julie]

Ooh Cool Pops !

I need to go on a search for this book. I never knew Dickens had any family members that wrote about their life with "dad " . Interesting, I'm sure .

 

I knew he was married and had quite a large family with that lady, but STEPPED OUT on her with another lady frequently. Maybe they even lived together ? Not sure about that part .

 

As for his woman troubles, I guess it'd be hard to judge .It makes him sound like a bad guy and I firmly believe that if a person isn't content in their marriage then they need to legally get out of it and move on once it is over ,but I also have to look at the time they were alive and remember that divorce wasn't quite as simple ( or accepted)  as it is today . One of our kids once said to us that we were the only 2 parents still married out of all his friend's parents ,so we must be Oddballs by today's standards .

 

I guess another thing we don't know is what Mrs' Dickens was like . She may have been The Dickens to live with ,so maybe he decided to find someone easier to get along with .

 

Also, I'm wondering if they may have both been satisfied with the situation ? Maybe she didn't like him very much on her end either ?

 

Would it have been a thing like some of the famous people now in certain careers ,whose reputations would have been greatly affected by being divorced ?

 

Not sure, it's all just a pile of guesses on my part . I need to find that book .

[Kylie]

So glad you enjoyed Animal Farm. I also remember being struck by how Orwell never wasted a word in his writing. It's quite remarkable! I haven't seen the movie yet (are you talking about the animated one?) but I have it on my TBW pile (to steal the term from someone else on here).

 

And I agree with Julie. I must find the Dickens book!

[Athena]

I'm glad you enjoyed Animal Farm. I don't know how it ends or what happens in the story, it's a shame you did, it's not nice to be spoiled in my opinion (most of the time, at least). I'm glad you enjoyed the book even though you knew some things about it already. Nice review !

[julie]

So glad you enjoyed Animal Farm. I also remember being struck by how Orwell never wasted a word in his writing. It's quite remarkable! I haven't seen the movie yet (are you talking about the animated one?) but I have it on my TBW pile (to steal the term from someone else on here).

 

And I agree with Julie. I must find the Dickens book!

 

Kylie

I found the Dickens book for Kindle for free last night on Amazon !

[poppyshake]

Ooh Cool Pops !

I need to go on a search for this book. I never knew Dickens had any family members that wrote about their life with "dad " . Interesting, I'm sure .

You can get it for zilch on Kindle Julie .. here's the link   His daughter Kate also contributed to a book about him that was written by Gladys Storey and taken from conversations the two of them (Gladys and Kate) had together. It's called Dickens and Daughter but it's not widely available .. I haven't found a copy of it yet

I knew he was married and had quite a large family with that lady, but STEPPED OUT on her with another lady frequently. Maybe they even lived together ? Not sure about that part .

There is a lot of speculation about his relationship with Ellen. These were Victorian times so discretion was everything (especially for someone with a reputation to protect) but he was quite old fashioned and moral so possibly they were only ever companions  Clearly if any shennanigans did go on it was never observed by anybody but he did support Ellen and her mother financially and set them up in a home etc.

As for his woman troubles, I guess it'd be hard to judge .It makes him sound like a bad guy and I firmly believe that if a person isn't content in their marriage then they need to legally get out of it and move on once it is over ,but I also have to look at the time they were alive and remember that divorce wasn't quite as simple ( or accepted)  as it is today . One of our kids once said to us that we were the only 2 parents still married out of all his friend's parents ,so we must be Oddballs by today's standards .

Yes divorce was considered fairly scandalous back then. Charles' first move was to have a wall erected in their bedroom which separated them  but, I think I'm right in saying, that Catherine was asked to move out and she was set up in a fairly small (considering what she was used to) apartment. Charles issued a statement in his own newspaper and it was printed by several others including The Times.

It makes for an embarrassing read actually, Catherine was grossly misrepresented in it for she had no wish at all to separate from either her husband or children

I guess another thing we don't know is what Mrs' Dickens was like . She may have been The Dickens to live with ,so maybe he decided to find someone easier to get along with .

She was placid to a fault. The sad truth is that she'd had ten children (and Charles blamed her for having so many ) had post natal depression practically continually (twelve pregnancies .. two were miscarried .. in sixteen years ) became fairly inactive and grew very stout. Her easy going nature, which had attracted him in the first place, exasperated him in later life. He was a very brisk active person and Catherine liked sitting at home and giving tea parties (to local children etc when her own were grown.)

Also, I'm wondering if they may have both been satisfied with the situation ? Maybe she didn't like him very much on her end either ?

No sadly she was very cut up about it all. She was used to being amid all the hubbub of a noisy family and was a great admirer of her husband's novels. After they separated she bought her own copies of any new novels and always wrote letters to Charles praising them. He hardly ever corresponded with her .. except when it was absolutely necessary. 

She famously left his love letters to her to the British Museum 'that the world may know he loved me once'

Would it have been a thing like some of the famous people now in certain careers ,whose reputations would have been greatly affected by being divorced ?

Yes .. the one thing Charles was scrupulous about was his reputation.

Not sure, it's all just a pile of guesses on my part . I need to find that book .

Mamie won't enlighten you much .. she is remembering the happy times mostly but there is at least one good biography on Catherine (Hogarth) Dickens (The Other Dickens .. which is hard to get hold of and expensive unfortunately) and a more recent one on Ellen called The Invisible Woman by Claire Tomalin I am keeping my eyes peeled for either of them. 

[poppyshake]

Kylie

I found the Dickens book for Kindle for free last night on Amazon !

Oh .. I am too late .. I was too busy rabbiting  

[poppyshake]

So glad you enjoyed Animal Farm. I also remember being struck by how Orwell never wasted a word in his writing. It's quite remarkable! I haven't seen the movie yet (are you talking about the animated one?) but I have it on my TBW pile (to steal the term from someone else on here).

Yes the animated one, from what I can recall it was extremely well done .. I want to get a copy of it 

And I agree with Julie. I must find the Dickens book!

You haven't a Kindle have you Kylie? (I know mum has one ) The great Book Depository has a number of copies but they are quite expensive considering it's such a small book .. perhaps you will see it on your travels

I'm glad you enjoyed Animal Farm. I don't know how it ends or what happens in the story, it's a shame you did, it's not nice to be spoiled in my opinion (most of the time, at least). I'm glad you enjoyed the book even though you knew some things about it already. Nice review !

Thanks Athena It's my fault for not reading it sooner  .. and for watching the film (several times) before reading the book  

[Devi]

You can get the kindle program on pc for free, i used to use it to read ebooks on my pc and ipad before i got an actual kindle.

[Kylie]

Thanks Julie and Poppyshake. Like Devi, I have the Kindle app on my iPad, so I will be able to download the book. Yay!

[julie]

Wow, that was quite interesting , Poppy ..

 

Hard to figure this one out . For one, I guess when you marry a person , you are both different people in the beginning than you are as time goes on . Things change and so do people. We are all products of our experiences in life and how we handle them, so to think that Mrs. Dickens had changed after having so many kids isn't too hard to believe. And most people who have several kids do tend to get more meat on their bones as time goes by . All ladies tend to do that at a certain age I think .

 

Putting up a wall in the bedroom was quite odd. Wonder what that was all about ? Really a strange situation. Maybe he didn't find her attractive after having so many kids ? It sounds very sad for her ,that her life didn't go as she had wished ,so it sounds like she was very lonely. I wonder how the kids dealt with it all , like did they side with one or the other parent, or try to stay neutral ?

 

Anyhow, I guess no one will ever know the whole story now ,will they ? If it were going on in today's world, it'd be plastered all over the news ,but sadly ,authors really don't get the celebrity status that they had during his times I don't think . Many are well known and have lots of fans, but as far as their personal lives, I don't hear much about any personal lives of any currently famous authors . Do you over that way ?

 

They'll on occasion have one on the morning news show if it's a really big name author ,and interview them about their newest book . It drives me bonkers when the interviewer hasn't read the book. Makes for a very disjointed conversation ,for both parties . The authors usually seem ticked off, as they have a right to be. If someone is going to interview them about their book, they should have read it so they know what questions to ask .

 

Anyhow, poor old Charles. I might be sticking up for the wrong side here . I guess I'll just say that he is still a wonderful author, but his private life sounds like it was pretty messed up .

[Kylie]

I just looked on Project Gutenberg to see whether they had the hard-to-find Catherine Dickens books. Unfortunately they don't, but I did find three volumes of Dickens' letters edited by Mamie Dickens. They have Kindle editions available for download (all free, of course) if you're interested in reading them.

[julie]

Thanks Kylie - got them too last night when I found the other. I also got one called The Life of Charles Dickens ,by Frank Thomas Marzials . All free . Gotta stop buying books and start reading a few .

 

 

DARN

 

Why did I go back to Amazon to look some more ?  Crap .

 

Here are a few others that sound tantalizingly fascinating.

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Charles-Dickens-Favorite-Daughter-Perugini-ebook/dp/B00DW0I3CC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1382183116&sr=1-1&keywords=dickens+and+daughter

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Expectations-Daughters-Charles-Dickens-ebook/dp/B008MWL9IK/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1382183157&sr=1-2&keywords=dickens+and+daughter

 

http://www.amazon.com/The-Invisible-Woman-Charles-Dickens-ebook/dp/B008WONU62/ref=pd_sim_kstore_2

 

http://www.amazon.com/The-Great-Charles-Dickens-Scandal-ebook/dp/B00942HRII/ref=pd_sim_kstore_3

 

http://www.amazon.com/The-Other-Dickens-Catherine-Hogarth-ebook/dp/B0084I6LGM/ref=pd_sim_kstore_22

 

 

I think at least one or two of these will end up being SOLD ,to the old lady still in her PJ's .

Edited October 19, 2013 by julie