Talisman Posted May 11, 2014 Author Posted May 11, 2014 (edited) Panama City to Rio de Janeiro - Travels through South America: Jason Smart From the grime of Asuncion to the tango houses of Buenos Aires, Jason Smart and his wife travel through the vast continent of South America on an eye-opening adventure. Beginning in Panama City and ending in Rio de Janeiro, they try to see as much as they can without succumbing to altitude sickness or over indulging in prime steak.The pair seek out a sloth amid the skyscrapers of Panama City, then head to Machu Picchu to see the Lost City of the Incas. Travelling by bus to Lake Titicaca, they cross the border into Bolivia, where they witness a strange spectacle known as the Blessing of the Automobiles. Next, they head to La Paz to see llama foetuses for sale in the Witches' Market.Panama City to Rio de Janeiro is a travelogue covering seven countries in South America. Join Jason Smart in Panama, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. This may not be the best or the most detailed travel book I have read, but along with author Jason Smart's other works, this presented an excellent opportunity to cover 5 more countries from the Around the World Reading Challenge in a short space of time. Like the first book I read about his travels through the Balkans, this presented a whistle stop tour around some of South America's gems with Smart and his wife spending in most cases no more than 2 days in the countries they visited. This is not the way I would choose to travel, and neither could I afford the hotels that they stayed in, for in order to get a true picture of a foreign country one must immerse oneself in its culture and you can only do this by staying with the locals in guest houses and hostels. Each though to their own, and good luck to those who can afford this. As with the first book, Smart and his wife embark on a multitude of adventures, experiencing snippets of the countries they visit - highlights include Machu Pichu, Lake Titicaca and the aforementioned Witches Market. Lowlights (for me) were the preponderance of beef (South America is not veggie friendly), Paraguay and well, altitude sickness. What more can I say. As a short read, this is a great introduction to travel writing and the countries visited, but don't expect to come away knowing these places inside out. I would probably give this 3 stars. Edited May 11, 2014 by Talisman Quote
Talisman Posted May 11, 2014 Author Posted May 11, 2014 The Baby Laundry for Unmarried Mothers - Angela Patrick In 1963, London was on the brink of becoming one of the world's most vibrant cities. Angela Patrick was 19 years old, enjoying her first job working in the City when her life turned upside down. A brief fling with a charismatic charmer left her pregnant, unmarried and facing a stark future. Being under 21, she was still under the governance of her parents, strict Catholics who insisted she have the baby in secret and then put it up for adoption. Shunned by her family and forced to leave her job, Angela was sent to an imposing-looking convent for unmarried mothers in north-east London. Run like a Victorian workhouse, conditions in the convent were decidedly Spartan. Vilified and degraded by the nuns for her 'wickedness', her only comfort came from the other pregnant girls, all knowing they too would have to give up their babies. After a terrifying labour with no pain relief, Angela gave birth to a beautiful son, Paul, with whom she fell instantly in love. At eight weeks he was taken from her and forcibly put up for adoption, leaving Angela bereft and heartbroken. Not a day went by without Angela thinking about him. Then, thirty years later, she received a letter. It was from Paul, and a reunion was arranged. This vital slice of social history is a shocking reminder of how cultural mores have changed around the issue of single motherhood since the early 1960s. It is also an honest, heartfelt memoir that explores the closest of human bonds. This was in some ways a familiar tale of a young pregnant girl forced by evil nuns to give up her child for adoption - it goes without saying that both the girl and the nuns were Catholic. The difference was that rather being set in Ireland, which I expected from the authors surname (her married name, she has since married and had other children), this happened in leafy southern England. Despite the hardship that this girl and countless others endured (doing hard manual work for upwards of 12 hours a day) the author eventually delivered a healthy baby, although the delivery itself was not without complications - the author almost died in childbirth, not that she was told about this until afterwards in her semi delirious state. There is a semi happy ending in that she was reunited with her son, although contact has since been sporadic. It never hurts though to be reminded of our past and how far society has come, for it is only by remembering that we can make sure we do not repeat the same mistakes - I am sure there are those of more religious persuasion even today that would see a return to these sorts of conditions if they could. The book itself was a relatively quick and easy read which will no doubt appeal more to women than men. I would give this an average of 3 stars. Quote
Talisman Posted May 11, 2014 Author Posted May 11, 2014 (edited) The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden - Jonas Jonasson As delightfully wry and witty as his bestselling debut, ‘The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared’, this is a tale of how one woman’s attempt to change her future ended up changing everything. Nombeko Mayeki is on the run from the world’s most ruthless secret service – with three Chinese sisters, twins who are officially one person and an elderly potato farmer. Oh, and the fate of the King of Sweden – and the world – rests on her shoulders. Born in a Soweto shack in 1961, Nombeko was destined for a short, hard life. When she was run over by a drunken engineer her luck changed. Alive, but blamed for the accident, she was made to work for the engineer – who happened to be in charge of a project vital to South Africa’s security. Nombeko was good at cleaning, but brilliant at understanding numbers. The drunk engineer wasn’t – and made a big mistake. And now only Nombeko knows about it … The 100 Year Old Man was always going to be a hard act to follow, but Jonasson has done it again with this uproariously funny tale that somehow manages to poke fun at well, almost everyone. The first book covered many different nations - North Korea, China and Russia among others while this one covers mainly Israel and South Africa. One has to wonder which nations will be the butt of Jonasson's humour next - a dry humour which I have to say if not unlike my own, or so I have been told. Maybe this is why Jonasson's books seem to have such universal appeal, for all we like to take the wee out of those in control, and he writes very much like many of us speak - straight to the point with no punches pulled. The book starts very much as it means to go on with the young Nombeko, a sh&t carrier by trade, who soon progressed through the ranks to be in charge of all the other sh*t carriers - well I guess, someone has to do it. When she is run over by a drunken fool masquerading as a nuclear engineer, she has a stroke of luck that ultimately (depending on how you look at it) destines her for greater things. Forced to work as cleaner for this man she is transported to his home to live out what can only be described as her sentence. There she meets a trio of Chinese girls, who like Nombeko herself have been forced to work for said engineer to pay off their own debts to him - for selling him fake antique geese. Nombeko who unsurprisingly has more sense that her drunken boss soon realises that this is a nuclear facility where they are building bombs - officially six, although there is a seventh one that it not listed. She decides that she has to somehow get rid of this extraneous bomb and so begins her journey to exile in Sweden where she meets a pair of identical twins one of whom like the bomb and Nombeko herself (by now an illegal immigrant) doesn't exist, an elderly potato farmer and a very angry young woman. Add to the mix 2 Mosad agents and an American potter who thinks the CIA are out to get him and you get one extremely strange, but extremely funny farce. It all comes out in the wash, as all good tales do and they settle down and live happily ever after, but not before more than a few outrageous gags at well, pretty much everyone's expense. This book took a bit longer to get going than the first and the humour was perhaps more hidden, but in writing it Jonasson has reaffirmed his place as one of Europe's funniest writers in a long while. One wonders what he will come up with next. This would most definitely for me be 5 stars. If you like a good laugh and have even a passing interest in political satire, you must read this book. In one fell swoop it manages to tackle the serious subjects of racism, illegal immigrants and political corruption and make them funny. Edited May 11, 2014 by Talisman Quote
Talisman Posted May 11, 2014 Author Posted May 11, 2014 (edited) The Silence of the Sea - Yrsa Sigurdardottir An unmanned luxury yacht crashes into the harbour wall in Reykjavík. What happened to the crew, and to the young family who were on board when it left Lisbon? Thóra Gudmundsdóttir is hired by the father’s parents to investigate. What should she make of the rumours saying that the vessel was cursed? Where is Karítas, the glamorous wife of the yacht's former owner? And whose is the body that has washed up further along the shore? I have read all of Yrsa's books, who is rapidly becoming my favourite Icelandic author and each has been better than the last. Most feature the lawyer Thora Gudmundsdottir an Icelandic woman who lives with her German partner and two children from her previous marriage in downtown Reykjavik and is a partner in a small law firm which takes on some unusual cases. In common with Icelandic literature in general, one has to know and understand the country a little to really get to grips with these books, not least the characters names and the places described. At the start of the book I got the feeling that like its predecessor, I Remember You, this would be a ghost story, but as the story began to unfold it became clear that this was more of a mystery. When an unmanned yacht crashes into Reykjavik harbour Thora is approached by the parents of a couple who were travelling on the yacht with their 2 young daughters bringing it back to Iceland to be sold as a repossession to help them ascertain what happened. We learn that the yacht belonged to a bankrupt businessman and his Icelandic socialite wife, but when a body is washed up off the coast of Iceland and another is found on board the yacht the plot thickens. The tension is palpable as the story unfolds - this is a book of two halves told in alternating chapters from the perspective of both those on board and Thora herself as the investigation unfolds and we gradually learn the identity of the bad guy and his motives. The two skilfully move slowly together in an orchestrated dance, first towards each other and then further apart as they gradually come together. The action is well paced but never drawn out with just the right amount of humour woven in to at times lighten the load - this is one of the things I like best about Yrsa's work how she manages to bring the mundane into some very exciting and sinister reads. Although not as good as her previous work I Remember You, which inspired me to visit the remote village in which it is set, this is a pretty close second, that I would give 4 1/2 stars. Edited May 11, 2014 by Talisman Quote
Devi Posted May 12, 2014 Posted May 12, 2014 The Baby Laundry for Unmarried Mothers - Angela Patrick In 1963, London was on the brink of becoming one of the world's most vibrant cities. Angela Patrick was 19 years old, enjoying her first job working in the City when her life turned upside down. A brief fling with a charismatic charmer left her pregnant, unmarried and facing a stark future. Being under 21, she was still under the governance of her parents, strict Catholics who insisted she have the baby in secret and then put it up for adoption. Shunned by her family and forced to leave her job, Angela was sent to an imposing-looking convent for unmarried mothers in north-east London. Run like a Victorian workhouse, conditions in the convent were decidedly Spartan. Vilified and degraded by the nuns for her 'wickedness', her only comfort came from the other pregnant girls, all knowing they too would have to give up their babies. After a terrifying labour with no pain relief, Angela gave birth to a beautiful son, Paul, with whom she fell instantly in love. At eight weeks he was taken from her and forcibly put up for adoption, leaving Angela bereft and heartbroken. Not a day went by without Angela thinking about him. Then, thirty years later, she received a letter. It was from Paul, and a reunion was arranged. This vital slice of social history is a shocking reminder of how cultural mores have changed around the issue of single motherhood since the early 1960s. It is also an honest, heartfelt memoir that explores the closest of human bonds. This was in some ways a familiar tale of a young pregnant girl forced by evil nuns to give up her child for adoption - it goes without saying that both the girl and the nuns were Catholic. The difference was that rather being set in Ireland, which I expected from the authors surname (her married name, she has since married and had other children), this happened in leafy southern England. Despite the hardship that this girl and countless others endured (doing hard manual work for upwards of 12 hours a day) the author eventually delivered a healthy baby, although the delivery itself was not without complications - the author almost died in childbirth, not that she was told about this until afterwards in her semi delirious state. There is a semi happy ending in that she was reunited with her son, although contact has since been sporadic. It never hurts though to be reminded of our past and how far society has come, for it is only by remembering that we can make sure we do not repeat the same mistakes - I am sure there are those of more religious persuasion even today that would see a return to these sorts of conditions if they could. The book itself was a relatively quick and easy read which will no doubt appeal more to women than men. I would give this an average of 3 stars. A similar thing happened here in Australia for awhile, my mother was also made to give up her baby when she fell pregnant at a young age. A combination of nuns and hospital staff, they didn't even let her look at the baby when she was born. She got into contact with my mum about ten years ago, but its also sporadic. She is half sister by blood, but I still call her my sister. Quote
Athena Posted May 12, 2014 Posted May 12, 2014 Great reviews, June . The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden sounds quite interesting. I have his other book on my wishlist. Quote
Talisman Posted May 12, 2014 Author Posted May 12, 2014 It's not quite as good as the first, but then again that was always going to be a hard one to follow - still worth getting though and still a good laugh. Quote
Talisman Posted June 8, 2014 Author Posted June 8, 2014 (edited) My Name is Salma - Fadia Faqir In her village of Hima in the Levant, Salma has violated the honour code of her Bedouin tribe. The village decides to kill her to cleanse their honour and restore order. Salma's days as the village gathered are severed completely. She can no longer play the pipe for her goats or swim in the spring. She ends up in prison for her own protection and separated from her new baby. She seems fated to a lifetime in protective custody, but when the men of the tribe have seemingly stopped their chase, Salma flees to a monastery on the shores of the Mediterranean then is helped to England to seek asylum. Salma's journey out of Hima and through England, rippling with alienation, fear and humour, reflects my preoccupation with the fractured lives of exiles and immigrants caught up in a painful yet exhilarating cross-cultural encounter. From a rural life in Hima, to a monastery in Lebanon, to boarding a ship with a nun, to a British detention centre, to Branscombe in the house of a Quaker, to a hostel for asylum seekers in Exeter, to living with her landlady Elizabeth, a child of the British empire, to her own property in King Edward street, then back to Hima to look for her long lost daughter. Away from the colours and smells of her Bedouin village, Salma finds herself culturally dispossessed in the middle of the most English of towns, Exeter. `Now Salma the dark black iris of Hima must try to turn into a Sally, an English rose, white, confident, with an elegant English accent, and a pony.' It is with her ancient landlady that she learns the mannered ways of the English. She attempts a social life at the local pub, but refuses to drink alcohol, and forms a friendship with a feisty young Pakistani girl, Parvin, who is also running away - from an arranged marriage. Salma's escapes from strict morality of her village and ends up in a western society with few restrictions. If penalties are in place for sex out of wedlock in the Levant it is encouraged in the UK and without it she might not experience any intimacy or human contact. She is constantly drawn to her idyllic/cruel rural past in the old country, and is trying to grapple with an alien, indifferent, but liberal society in the new country. Salma is torn and is always trying to negotiate a new path. She ends up in England with a new composite identity, but with the same old, torn heart. It tugs her back to Hima, to her daughter.A fugitive Salma, Sal, Sally, watches other Muslims practicing their religion and is unable to reconcile herself with the innocent shepherdess she once was. Has she managed to break away from the social and religious structures of her old country? Or by running away and moving further from the self has she moved even closer to herself and her old culture? Living by her Immigrant Survival Guide, Salma settles down and falls in love with an English man. But deep in her heart she can still hear the cries of pain and the Bedouin keen and drums. One day, Salma decides to go back to her village to find her daughter. It is a journey that will change everything. This beautiful written and finely crafted work details the life of Salma, a Bedouin woman born into an extreme patriarchal society, where honour killings are the norm. When she commits the crime of not only falling in love, but also becoming pregnant outside of wedlock the man walks away scot free while she is forced to flee, initially to prison, the only real place of safety in order to have her child. Once she is born, her daughter is immediately taken from her. Salma though stays in prison for her own safety, eventually being forced again for her safety across the border to Lebanon and later to the UK, where she finds safety in a hostel for other women fleeing for various reasons.There she befriends Parvin, a Pakistani woman fleeing for different and yet similar reasons, for both are borne from the idea that men can do with women as they please - in Parvin's case, the threat of an arranged marriage. The two women forge an immediate bond as Parvin helps Salma to find her feet in this alien new land, so different to what she has known.The sense of guilt and conflict though never goes away - Salma believes on some deep level that she is a damaged woman who has brought her troubles on herself and attempts to prove this to herself by sleeping with a myriad of strange men. She also attempts to rectify her wickedness by helping her alcoholic landlady, refusing to press charges even when she is drunkenly attacked and needs stitches in her arm.Although she does eventually find happiness with her University Professor and the birth of their own son, Salma is haunted by dreams of her lost daughter and desperate to go back. Against the advice of all her friends and abandoning her husband and baby son she attempts to make peace with not only herself but also with her family, only to be killed anyway. This serves as a reminder that no matter how far and how fast you run, you can never completely erase your past. It also though emphasises that your actions affect others, in the shattered lives of all of those left behind - her husband and baby son, and least of all perhaps her mother, who risked all to protect her illegitimate daughter against the wishes of the male members of her community.This is a remarkable piece of writing that I suspect will stay with me for quite a while and undoubtedly one of the best books I have read this year. I would give this 4 1/2 stars, it would have been five were it not for the blurb giving the ending away. Edited June 8, 2014 by Talisman Quote
Talisman Posted January 1, 2015 Author Posted January 1, 2015 I started last year with good intentions of reviewing or last writing a little, of each book that I read, but halfway through the year came to a screaming halt. I am not sure why that happened - life I suppose, but am not going to beat myself up over it, for what matters is the reading itself. It was then a quieter year than the previous one - I completed 90 books in 2013, but 74 in 2014. There are a few reasons for this - much of my reading is done when on holiday and since I had a touring rather than relaxing holiday, there were less opportunities to do this. Of course there was also the small matter of a wedding to plan. Towards the end of the year my reading changed as I started to re-write my own book. My reading for the coming year will no doubt reflect this change, as more esoteric and non fiction books will come into the fray. At the end of the day though, it's all good. I read books in order to learn about not only myself, but also the world around me. Life for me is a continuous process of doing this. I have done plenty of both this past year and I am sure it will continue, even if the learning is a slightly different theme ... Quote
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