Ruth - 2013

[Ruth]

Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen, by Fay Weldon

 

 

 

A series of letters to a fictional niece, who is struggling to read Jane Austen, is the hook on which Fay Weldon hangs this collection of fifteen essays (for want of a better word) about Jane Austen, her life, her novels, and the era in which she lived.  This subject is the basis for thoughts about writing, what it means to be an author, and how people approach the art of writing a book; and how readers consider and enjoy books.  The author also offers snippets of advice about life and love to her 18 year old niece.

 

I enjoyed this book a lot.  It’s very eloquently written, and easy to take in.  I learned about aspects of Jane Austen’s life, and discovered new perspectives from which to read her books.  It is certainly not necessary to like – or even to have read – Jane Austen to enjoy this book, but I would imagine that if you have never picked up an Austen novel, this would make you want to.

 

As you might expect, Weldon is forthright, honest and intelligent.  She is also often amusing, and made me think – and also made me want to reread Emma very soon!

 

I would certainly recommend this enjoyable collection of letters, whether or not you are a fan of Jane Austen.

[Ruth]

The Madonna of the Almonds, by Marina Fiorato

 

 

 

In 1525, Simonetta di Saronno is a young widow who has lost her husband Lorenzo to the Italian wars.  After his death, she discovers that Lorenzo has spent all their money, and she must find a way to make more if she wants to keep hold of her grand home.

 

Bernardino Luini is a highly talented apprentice of Leonardo da Vinci, who is hired to decorate a church, and offers to pay Simonetta if she will be his model for the Madonna.  Although they initially feel hostility towards one another, they soon end up falling in love,  but their love brings disgrace upon them, as people feel that she has disrespected the memory of her husband.

 

In a further bid to save her home, Simonetta enlists the help of Manodorata, a Jewish money lender, who helps her to create a drink from the almond trees that grow on her estate.

 

Will Simonetta and Bernardino ever find happiness together, and will Simonetta manage to save her home?  And what effect can a mute, almost dead soldier have on Simonetta’s future?

 

I was not sure what to make of this book.  Initially I thought I was going to struggle with it, but I did start to enjoy it.  However, I never felt that the characters were particularly well drawn, and I was not able to connect on any level with them.  The story was interesting enough to hold my attention, but I did guess the twist very early on.

 

The most interesting and shocking part of the story was the ill-treatment of Jews by the Christians at the time.  Although this was something that I was aware of, it is portrayed very strongly in this book, and for me, this was far more effective than the romantic aspect.

 

I think most fans of historical fiction would probably enjoy this book, and although I wasn’t as captivated by it as I might have hoped, I would probably read more by this author.

Edited February 21, 2013 by Ruth

[Ruth]

The Lost Years, by Mary Higgins Clark

 

 

 

Biblical Professor Jonathan Lyons has discovered a parchment which he believes to be a letter written from Jesus to Joseph of Arimathea.  However, before he can return to the parchment to the Vatican Library, he is murdered – shot dead in his own study.  The Police believe that his wife Kathleen, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease is responsible, as it was known that she was jealous about his affair with another woman.  However, the couple’s daughter Mariah refuses to believe that this could be the case and sets out to find out the truth.  Who would really want to kill Professor Lyons, and why?  And where is the mysterious document that he talked about to his friends?

 

This is the first book I have read by Mary Higgins Clark, and will almost certainly be my last.  It may not have been a good choice of hers to read (I have read reviews by fans of Higgins Clark, who have said that this is not one of her best), but it has pretty much put me off venturing further with her novels.

 

Don’t get me wrong – I actually quite enjoyed parts of it, and it’s certainly a book that doesn’t require too much thinking, but even while reading it, I found myself shaking my head and thinking what a load of hokum.

There was very little characterisation – there was nothing particularly distinctive about any of Richard’s close circle of friends, around whom much of the story revolves.  The only characters who were quite distinctive were Mariah’s friends Alvirah and Willy – and frankly, Alvirah was a complete nightmare.  I would imagine that she would be a neighbour from hell, going around recording people’s conversations on a brooch that was really a microphone, and sticking in her nose everywhere.  (I can’t imagine that this was even remotely realistic; I am sure that the Police would have told her to stop interfering with their investigation, as she seemed to be doing more enquiry and investigation work than they were!)  I am told that these characters have appeared in previous novels by this author, which is another reason no to read them.

 

So overall, while this was not a book I hated, I certainly couldn’t say that it was a good or believable read – I was unable to care about any of the characters, even remotely!  Higgins Clark is a hugely popular author, and certainly doesn’t need my recommendation, which is fortunate, because I am not able to give it.

[frankie]

Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen, by Fay Weldon

 

 

This sounds great, I'm adding this to my wishlist! I like it that it's not just a biography of Austen, but there's also insight to the novels, and writers/writing in general, among other things. Thanks!

 

Edit: Eventhough I knew there wouldn't be a copy of this at the library, I decided to check, and was pleasantly surprised. No, astounded! There's a copy and in English, too!

[Kidsmum]

I'm adding the Fay Weldon to my wishlist as well. I read quite a few of her books when i was younger , Puffball & The Lifes & Loves Of A She Devil spring to mind, but nothing of hers for years so thanks for the review Ruth 

[Ruth]

I'm adding the Fay Weldon to my wishlist as well. I read quite a few of her books when i was younger , Puffball & The Lifes & Loves Of A She Devil spring to mind, but nothing of hers for years so thanks for the review Ruth 

 

You're very welcome.  I liked this book a lot (as you can tell!)  I don't know why, but I kind of expected Fay Weldon to be somewhat dismissive of Jane Austen, but she was the opposite, and it was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Ruth]

My Judy Garland Life, by Susie Boyt

 

 

 

Susie Boyt has been a fan of the legendary Judy Garland – who died five months after Boyt was born – for as long as she can remember. In this book, she talks about her own life (although this is not an autobiography) and how her love of Garland has affected her.

 

WARNING: This review is probably going to become a rant!

 

I expected to like this book. I wanted to like it, I really did. But I couldn’t. Not only did I dislike the book, I actually got annoyed and irritated with it. I had expected an amusing memoir about fan-worship of a star, with a metaphorical rolling of the eyes by the author at the lengths she would go to in the name of that fan-worship. What I actually read was a lot of self-indulgent, over analytical wittering. (Perhaps I should partly blame myself for not realising beforehand what type of book this was.)

 

Lets make no bones about this – the author is not just a fan of Judy Garland, she is obsessed (something which she herself acknowledges). Baking a pie? She instantly thinks of a speech from a Garland film where Garland likens herself to a pie, and recites the speech over and over in her head, desperately making sure she has the words right. Washing up? Remember that scene where Judy Garland washed up? And it’s not enough to just remember the scene – Boyt analyses the scene and breaks it down – what did it mean? What was Judy conveying? Boyt mentions kind words spoken by characters played by Judy Garland and attributes them to Garland herself, seemingly unable to distinguish between Garland and the character.

 

She also divides Garland’s fans into bad fans (apparently those who dare to make a point about Garland’s drug use or other personal problems), good fans (those who only focus on the positive aspects of Judy Garland’s life) and crazy-good fans. She mentions one ‘crazy-good fan’ who wrote to Grace Kelly’s family shortly after Grace died tragically young and unexpectedly, and demanded that Grace’s Oscar which she won for The Country Girl, be sent to the Garland family where it truly belonged (Kelly and Garland were both nominated for the Oscar and Kelly, controversially, won). Is that a good fan? Not to me – crazy maybe; rude, spiteful, downright insensitive, definitely.

 

The author acknowledges her own obsession with Garland, and also acknowledges that other people may have different obsessions. On which subject she says, “It is possible that the object of your obsession is unequal to your heroic feelings, as mine will never be and that you are a tiny bit (and I whisper this) misguided in your choice, but your feelings are good and true, I see that.” Blimey! Patronising much? I recognise that Boyt was perhaps saying that to the obsessive, nobody else’s obsession can ever match up, but all the same, this was the point where I almost abandoned this book. (Later on, she describes doing ‘Judy-work’ in a library and looking round at the other patrons, who are doing their own work. They are swiftly dismissed with “it’s clear they just don’t love their work as I do….”)

 

Boyt also met with Garland’s daughter, Liza Minelli, to whom she complained that people were only ever interested in her father (Boyt’s father is the late artist, Lucien Freud). Minelli said that she understood exactly how that felt, in an obvious reference to people only being interested in Judy Garland. “But, but, but….” I thought, “Isn’t that exactly what Susie Boyt is doing? She is only interested in Liza Minelli because of who her mother is, and yet she complains about that behaviour in other people.”

 

Everything was taken so personally in this book; after Garland’s death, her friend Mickey Rooney said that if people had taken her to their hearts a bit earlier, she might still be alive. Boyt says that she takes this as a personal reproach, although she acknowledges that she was just five months old when Judy Garland died.

 

Boyt hates it that people exploited Judy Garland, but yet this whole book felt slightly exploitative. Garland is used an excuse for Boyt to wax lyrical about her own thoughts. Garland’s addiction to drugs is the basis for Boyt writing about sympathy, the nature of sympathy, when sympathy should be given and who by, and what form it should take (what is bad sympathy and what is good sympathy). This confused me – doesn’t the giving of sympathy depend on a lot of things? What kind of person the sympathiser is; what kind of person they are sympathising with is, what has happened to elicit sympathy, the relationship between the two people, etc. etc.

 

This is not the book to read if you want to find out more about Judy Garland – I would recommend you find a good biography instead, if that is your aim. There are aspects of Garland’s life contained within, but it seems to be written for people who are already very familiar with her life.

 

Sorry for the rant. We all have books we like and don’t like, but it’s rare for a book to actually annoy me to this extent. I never give up on a book once I’ve started it, so I did see this one through to the bitter end, but unfortunately I don’t feel able to recommend it to anyone else.

Edited March 20, 2013 by Ruth

[Athena]

Sorry to hear you didn't like it, I hope your next read will be more enjoyable.

[julie]

Ruth

 Although you didn't enjoy the Judy Garlnd book, I would have probably bought it myself,due to the cover -- it looks like such a good book,judging by that alone.

I don't know much about Judy Garland myself, other than she was in the Wizard of Oz and died due to a drug overdose (and didnt she commit suicide) ? I know they found drugs in her system,but was she the one who jumped from the hotel room window ?

Anyhow, you wrote a good review on the book,even though you didnt like it, you explained in great detail why . It definitely sounds as if the author was obsessed with her ,almost to a WEIRD level .

Sadly, so many stars have gotten into drugs and many have committed suicide. That life isn't glamorous,  it's rough. Everything you do,people are watching and writing about you.You have no privacy ,some people who hit it big become rich so quickly that they are clueless of how to control their spending so they dont become broke .LOTS of them kill themselves or kinda crash and burn . It'd be a very hard life to live I think .

So it's very sad that Judy was among those who couldn't handle it . They also have problems if they reach the top of the charts, then can't find another job that is at the same level .

She really was a talented person ,but sadlty, her talent was the beginning of the end for her . Thanks for the review-- very interesting .

 

** I admire you for being able to stick with a book, even though you don't like it.    I'm not able to do that myself.

[Kidsmum]

You're very welcome.  I liked this book a lot (as you can tell!)  I don't know why, but I kind of expected Fay Weldon to be somewhat dismissive of Jane Austen, but she was the opposite, and it was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

 

I'm halfway through it at the moment & enjoying it very much 

[Ruth]

Sorry to hear you didn't like it, I hope your next read will be more enjoyable.

 

 

Ruth

 Although you didn't enjoy the Judy Garlnd book, I would have probably bought it myself,due to the cover -- it looks like such a good book,judging by that alone.

I don't know much about Judy Garland myself, other than she was in the Wizard of Oz and died due to a drug overdose (and didnt she commit suicide) ? I know they found drugs in her system,but was she the one who jumped from the hotel room window ?

Anyhow, you wrote a good review on the book,even though you didnt like it, you explained in great detail why . It definitely sounds as if the author was obsessed with her ,almost to a WEIRD level .

Sadly, so many stars have gotten into drugs and many have committed suicide. That life isn't glamorous,  it's rough. Everything you do,people are watching and writing about you.You have no privacy ,some people who hit it big become rich so quickly that they are clueless of how to control their spending so they dont become broke .LOTS of them kill themselves or kinda crash and burn . It'd be a very hard life to live I think .

So it's very sad that Judy was among those who couldn't handle it . They also have problems if they reach the top of the charts, then can't find another job that is at the same level .

She really was a talented person ,but sadlty, her talent was the beginning of the end for her . Thanks for the review-- very interesting .

 

** I admire you for being able to stick with a book, even though you don't like it.    I'm not able to do that myself.

 

Thank you both.  I had serious misgivings about posting what could be seen as an unkind review (rather than just a negative one), but honestly this book really wound me up.  We all have books that we like or don't like, but rarely do they actually anger me.

 

Julie, I do think that Judy Garland was talented - immensely talented really - but she was also a complete nightmare to work with sometimes, by all accounts.  I feel sorry for her - she was pushed onto the stage at a very young age, and was probably over-worked, which led to her excessive drug use, and her acting out on set.  I do love most of her movies, and can understand Susie Boyt's admiring her, but it felt like a very unhealthy obsession to me.  

 

Judy did die of a drug overdose, but it was accidental; 'incautious' was the word the coroner used.  It's a shame to admit that if she wasn't talented, she might have been a lot more happy, living a normal life (whatever normal means).

 

I have never been able to leave a book unfinished once I've started it.  I'm not sure that that's a good thing sometimes; I've had to really grit my teeth to carry on sometimes, so I would admire you for recognising when a book isn't for you, and not wasting more time on it

 

I'm halfway through it at the moment & enjoying it very much 

 

That's great to hear

[julie]

Ruth

 I've also heard that when Judy was given the role in Wizard of Oz that they were constantly on her about her weight,and wanted her to look younger than she actually was,so she didn't quite fit into the mold . Not sure why they didn't choose someone else if she wasn't exactly what they were searching for. I've heard of lots of stars( mostly female) that have severe eating disorders because of their inability to look "perfect" weight-sized .

I'd also heard that she was extremely moody and difficult ,as iis her daughter Liza apparently . The same rumors have been said regarding her ,so it must be in the genes .

 

I'd hate being a famous person . You'd never have privacy, you'd constantly have people telling you that you were too fat,too thin, wrong hair, etc ... Never just right or ok . Too much stress .

 

Maybe all of that made her a little more difficult than she normally would have been. Must be hard to make it big as a star,but constantly being told you're never good enough .

 

**And nothing wrong with voicing your opinion about not liking a book. I dont think you were too negative at all .

[~Andrea~]

I really enjoyed your review of the Susie Boyt book. I think it would have annoyed me too. And rant away - it's your reward for persevering!

[Kylie]

Wow, it really does sound as though Boyt has an unhealthy obsession. Scary! You've got to be able to acknowledge the flaws in your idols as well as their positive aspects.

[chaliepud]

Judy Garland and other child actors of the time were given amphetamines and sleeping pills by the film crews in order that they would always be alert and ready when the cameras rolled, this began her slide into addiction, very sad and unfortunately very acceptable at the time..

[Ruth]

That is very true about the amphetamines and the constant nagging about her weight. Dreadful really. I really like Judy Garland, but I really disliked this book. Boyt's obsession seemed really unhealthy; she refers to her Judy-friends, her Judy-work and so on, and sends out questionnaires to other Judy-fans around the world, asking them things like what have they learned from Judy, what would they have done to help Judy, what characteristics do they share with Judy, what would they tell her if they could, etc etc. I also thought that the fan who wrote to Grace Kelly's family (mentioned in my review) was beyond rude and would have thought that Boyt - or most people in fact - would have thought so too. (Excuse lack of paragraphs - I'm typing on my phone.)

 

EDIT: I should mention that my dislike of the book in no way reflects my opinion of Judy Garland herself, who I agree was immensely talented and unfortunately exploited to a great degree. It's not surprising that she developed an addiction and could be (very) difficult to handle, but I think as Kylie says, you have to acknowledge the flaws of your idols as well as what you admire about them. Refusing to do so just creates an image that's surely even harder for them to live up to.

Edited March 19, 2013 by Ruth

[Ruth]

This sounds great, I'm adding this to my wishlist! I like it that it's not just a biography of Austen, but there's also insight to the novels, and writers/writing in general, among other things. Thanks!

 

Edit: Eventhough I knew there wouldn't be a copy of this at the library, I decided to check, and was pleasantly surprised. No, astounded! There's a copy and in English, too!

Only just spotted your post Frankie. Glad you managed to find a copy - it's a great book, whether or not you're a fan of Jane Austen.

[Ruth]

Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn

 

 

 

 

On the morning of Nick and Amy’s fifth wedding anniversary, Amy disappears and foul play is suspected.  As the police investigate, fingers are pointed straight at Nick; all the evidence suggests that he has hurt Amy (or worse), and as he protests his innocence, nobody, including the reader, is sure who to believe.

 

There is a split narrative, with Nick describing events on the day of and the days following the disappearance, and also talking about his marriage to Amy, and through Amy’s diary entries leading up to their fifth wedding anniversary.  Through their two voices, a tale is told of two people who meet, fall in love and get married, and seem to have it all – until they don’t.  Until job losses, financial worries and parental problems threaten their happiness, and slowly but surely, the truth is revealed.

 

It’s really hard to review this book, because I think it is absolutely essential that there are no spoilers for anyone reading it.  However, I will say that I really really liked the first part, where it was never quite clear what had happened.  Then comes a twist, and a change of pace, which I initially was quite disappointed by, and I thought that the book would suffer because of it – but I was wrong.  The level of tension was kept up, and I found the book hard to put down.

 

I thought the characters were really well written, even if I didn’t particularly like some of them.  (Nick was not that likeable, and Amy’s parents were vomit inducing!)

 

My only gripe with this book was the ending, which, while well written, and which was actually very clever when I look back at it, didn’t satisfy me,  but I can’t say why without giving away important plot points.  Overall though, this book was a terrific read, and I will be seeking out Gillian Flynn’s other works.

[bobblybear]

Great review of Gone Girl. I'm waiting for this one at my library. I know it has received some rave reviews, but a few people haven't liked it, so I thought I'd borrow it first.

[Ruth]

Great review of Gone Girl. I'm waiting for this one at my library. I know it has received some rave reviews, but a few people haven't liked it, so I thought I'd borrow it first.

 

Thanks  It did have very mixed reviews in our book group, but those who liked it really liked it.  I hope you do too.

 

 

The Hypnotist, by Lars Kepler

 

 

 

This book – one of many to emerge out of the Scandinavian crime genre – is the first in a series featuring Detective Joona Linna.  Linna is investigating the brutal murder of a man, his wife and their daughter.  The family’s son, Josef,  has also been extremely badly injured, but the police need to speak with him to find out what happened, and possibly to prevent more bloodshed.  Josef however, is in no condition to talk, and Linna decides to bring in Erik Maria Bark, a former hypnotist who, ten years earlier, swore that he would never practice hypnosis again.  He reluctantly agrees to hypnotise Josef, but his decision leads to disaster, placing Erik and his family in danger.

 

I’m not really sure what to think about this book.  On the positive side, it was an easy read, with a sense of tension throughout.  I did find myself changing my mind about what had happened, and it was only towards the end when things finally came together.  I also really liked the Joona Linna character; he had a nice amount of heroism, balanced with a weariness brought on by the things he has witnessed in his career.

 

However, I was somewhat surprised when the perpetrator of the initial murder as mentioned above, was revealed early on, and it became apparent that that murder was not in fact the focus of the story, but more the catalyst for the events that followed.  There also seemed to be an unnecessary subplot, which muddied things slightly, and I felt that it could quite easily have been edited out, which might have tightened up the narrative somewhat.  The story is all a bit fantastical as well – I always think that the best thrillers and mysteries are the ones which you could actually imagine happening, whereas this one stretched the boundaries of credibility quite often.

 

I was quite surprised to find that the main character in the series was in fact Joona Linna, because for the most part of this book, he seemed a secondary character to Erik.  (I actually felt quite ambivalent towards Erik (and his wife Simone.)  However, maybe this explains why even though Erik featured more prominently than Joona, I didn’t feel as though his character was well developed.

 

All in all, something of a mixed bag.  I won’t be rushing out to buy the next book in the series, but because I liked the Linna character, I may well read further books at some point.

[Ruth]

Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell

 

 

This book was published in 1949, and set in 1984, in a nightmarish dystopian world.  Our ‘hero’ – and I use the word loosely, as Winston Smith is in many ways the complete opposite of a hero – works for the Ministry of Truth, where his job is to rewrite the past in order to support the governing body, Big Brother’s, version of the past.  London is now part of Oceania, which is turn is one of the three superpowers in the world, the others being Eurasia and Eastasia.  In Oceania, conformity is essential, not only in behaviour, but also in thoughts.

 

 

Outwardly, Winston is compliant and obedient, but inside, he rebels against the world he lives in, and when he starts a relationship with fellow citizen Julia, both of them are risking their lives.

 

I am in two minds about this book.  Dystopian fiction is a favourite genre of mine, and I loved Animal Farm, also by Orwell, so I expected to thoroughly enjoy this.  However, while it undoubtedly raised some scary but important issues, and certainly provided food for thought, I found myself plodding through it, and not always enjoying it.  The third part in particular left me quite cold.  That said, I would almost certainly recommend this book to others, because the points it raises, while exaggerated to a very extreme and unrealistic degree, are still matters which should concern us.

 

Overall, it was a worthwhile read, but I would personally recommend a book such as The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood as a better novel in the genre.

[willoyd]

Glad to see that I'm not alone in not being overwhelmed by 1984, even if you are rather more positive about it than I was.  Like you I enjoyed Animal Farm, but this one left me cold and really struggling to finish - in fact I never actually did in spite of several attempts.  One of those books where I thought I ought to like it, but just couldn't!

 

Can't agree with you on Gone Girl though - this was one I disliked intensely, and threw in the charity box after a hundred pages or so with some satisfaction! (I do like quite a lot of books - honest!!).

Edited April 16, 2013 by willoyd

[Ruth]

Glad to see that I'm not alone in not being overwhelmed by 1984, even if you are rather more positive about it than I was.  Like you I enjoyed Animal Farm, but this one left me cold and really struggling to finish - in fact I never actually did in spite of several attempts.  One of those books where I thought I ought to like it, but just couldn't!

 

Can't agree with you on Gone Girl though - this was one I disliked intensely, and threw in the charity box after a hundred pages or so with some satisfaction! (I do like quite a lot of books - honest!!).

 

It's funny really...I did thoroughly enjoy Gone Girl while I was reading it, but looking back on it now, it does seem like a lot of nonsense!

[Ruth]

Death at Wentwater Court, by Carola Dunn

 

 

 

In the first book in this series, set in the 1920s, the Honourable Daisy Dalrymple, junior reporter for Town and Country Magazine, is sent to Wentwater Court, for the first in her series of articles about stately homes.  However, her visit turns into a murder investigation when a guest at the Court, Lord Stephen Astwick, is found drowned.  Just about every member of the Wentwater family had reason to want Lord Stephen dead, and Daisy finds herself helping Detective Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher, as he tries to work out what happened.

 

Fans of cozy English mysteries should thoroughly enjoy this book – I found it delightful from beginning to end.  Daisy herself is a loveable character; her tendency to stick her nose into matters could become annoying, were she not also extremely endearing.  The rest of the characters consist of the Wentwater family and some of their staff, and DCI Fletcher and his two assisting Officers.  They were all distinctive and the DCI was especially lovely – a fact not lost on Daisy herself!

 

I had fun trying to work out who was responsible for Lord Stephen’s death, and there were enough twists to keep me guessing.  The aristocratic way of life of the Wentwater family was well depicted, although there were a few turns of speech that struck me as a little contrived.  This book was just so damn likeable though, that any little niggles paled into obscurity.

 

This is not a dark or gritty story (despite the subject matter), and not really a book to be taken seriously, but I definitely enjoyed meeting Daisy, and look forward to reading further books in this series.

[chesilbeach]

I love the sound of Death at Wentwater Court, Ruth - added to my wish list!