Ruth's reading in 2012

[Ruth]

Hmm, it is odd, but while I was writing my previous post I was trying to think what a more appropriate cover would look like and I can't think of one. A 'serious' cover wouldn't suit the book either, despite the subject matter. Who knows - maybe the author/publisher spent months trying to decide on a cover, and chose the chick-lit one because a serious one didn't fit either.

 

Yes, possibly, because now you mention it, it is difficult to think what a more appropriate cover could be I'm glad you enjoyed it though (as I saw on the other thread!)

 

 

Under the Dragon's Tail, by Maureen Jennings

 

 

This is the second book in the Murdoch Mysteries series, set in Toronto in the late 1800s, and featuring Detective William Murdoch. The series spawned three movie length television films, and a five (so far) season television show. The television show is one of my favourite programmes, and I was eager to read the books. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in the series, and this one is no disappointment either.

 

In this installment of the Murdoch Mysteries, a woman named Dolly Merishaw is found murdered in her home. Murdoch discovers that she was a former midwife, who provided a place for unwed mothers to have their children, as well as providing drugs to aid abortion, but that her mean and greedy nature caused a lot of anger and resentment among the women whom she ‘helped’. He quickly discovers that she is the victim of murder, and there are no shortage of suspects. However, when one of her young foster sons is also discovered dead a week later, he has no idea whether he is looking for one murderer or two. His investigation takes him to some surprising places, and he realises that a lot of people have secrets which they wish to remain hidden.

 

As with the first book, the story is pacey, and kept me guessing throughout. (There were clues to point the reader in the right direction, but Maureen Jenning is capable of throwing in some surprises as well!) I really like the character of Murdoch, although he is quite different from the Murdoch of the tv series. As portrayed in the book, he comes across as less sensitive and somewhat coarser. His faithful sidekick Constable Crabtree is as amiable and likeable as viewers of the show know him to be, although in the book, his physical description is very different, and he has a wife, whereas in the tv show, he is a bachelor. Brackenreid barely appears in the book, and is not a very likeable character when he does(!). This book gives the first mention of Doctor Julia Ogden – a main character in the tv show.

 

This particular book takes Murdoch through the upper and lower classes of Toronto, and I thought the portrayal of the city in the late 1800s was particularly evocative and enjoyable. Clearly, the author has researched her subject extensively.

 

Overall, I found this to be a very enjoyable read, and would definitely recommend it, especially to fans of crime and/or historical fiction.

[Ruth]

Flappers and Philosophers: The Collected Short Stories, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

 

 

This book consists of several collections of short stories by Fitzgerald, namely ‘Flappers and Philosophers’ (1920), ‘Tales of the Jazz Age’ (1922), ‘All the Sad Young Men’ (1926), ‘Taps at Reveille’ (1935) and uncollected stories.

 

As with all short stories, some are hugely enjoyable and others less so. All of the stories however seem to have a melancholy, or an air of regret about them. Fitzgerald often wrote about disillusion and disappointment, but he did it so eloquently and beautifully that they were a pleasure to read even while you are commiserating with the protagonist.

 

My favourite stories were ‘Bernice Bobs Her Hair’, ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ (which I have read before, but which I read again as part of this book, and again enjoyed greatly), ‘The Rough Crossing’ and the various Pat Hobby tales, which feature among the uncollected stories.

 

The only issue I have with short stories (any short stories, not just these) is that they tend to end rather abruptly; that is the case with some of the stories here, but the writing is so lovely to read that it really doesn’t matter. I prefer novels, where I can really get to know a character, but as short story writers go, Fitzgerald is up there with the best of them.

Edited November 29, 2012 by Ruth

[Brian.]

Flappers and Philosophers looks like just the kind of collection of short stories that I like, thanks for the review.

[Ruth]

Thanks I hope you enjoy it.

[vodkafan]

I always get Ella Fitzgerald and F. Scott Fitzegerald mixed up. Thanks for the review, might look this one out.

[Kylie]

I always get Ella Fitzgerald and F. Scott Fitzegerald mixed up.

 

 

(There is also Zelda Fitzgerald, who was F Scott's wife and a writer in her own right.)

[Ruth]

The Misinterpretation of Tara Jupp, by Eva Rice

 

 

 

This book – set in the 1950s and 1960s, is a charming coming-of-age story. It tells the story of (and is narrated by) Tara Jupp, a young girl who grows up in the shadow of her older sister Lucy’s beauty. However, Tara has one thing that Lucy doesn’t have, and that is a fabulous singing voice. When she is discovered by the record making husband of an old friend, Tara is spirited from her home in Cornwall, to the bright lights of London, where she is transformed into Cherry Merrywell, the city’s latest singing sensation. Tara attends glamorous parties, meets exciting men (falling in love with two of them), and experiences the effect of fame…but will she be able to keep hold of who she really is, or will Tara Jupp be lost forever to Cherry Merrywell?

 

I was looking forward to reading this book, as I had thoroughly enjoyed Eva Rice’s previous novel, The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets. In fact, some of the characters from that book are also in this one (but this novel is not a sequel, and you do not have to have read the previous book prior to reading this one). I was glad that I read it – I enjoyed the story a lot.

 

Tara was an endearing and loveable narrator, and I felt that the author really captured all the pain, pleasure and confusion of being a teenager. I also liked the frustrating but impossible-not-to-like Lucy; and Clover, Tara’s mentor in London.

 

The feel of the 1960s came through well, and there was a lovely nod to the Rolling Stones, who of course broke onto the scene in spectacular fashion in 1962.

 

The story flowed beautifully, and although the book came in at over 500 pages, it did not feel like a particularly long novel (and there was no sense of ploughing through it, which I sometimes get with books of that length, if they don’t hold my attention). There were a couple of places where I felt it could have done with a bit of editing – Tara’s age in relation to Lucy seemed to jump about a bit (unless it was me getting confused), and at one point a character was telling a story from his childhood which he said happened when he was three, but in the very next paragraph, it was happening when he was five! However, I should perhaps mention that my copy of the book was a proof copy, and it may well be that these slight errors are not in the finished copy.

 

Overall, this was a delightful and sweet story of a young girl’s adolescence, lived in extraordinary circumstances. I would recommend it, and I look forward to reading more of Eva Rice’s novels in the future.

[Ruth]

The Man In The Picture, by Susan Hill

 

 

 

This is an interesting novella, which left me with mixed – but generally positive – feelings about it. Cambridge alumnus Oliver visits his former tutor, the elderly Theo Parmitter, and Theo starts to tell him the story of a painting hanging on his wall, which depicts a carnival scene in Venice. Overall, there are three narrators – Oliver, Theo and a Countess who used to own the painting before it came into Theo’s possession. Between them, they reveal the secret of the painting – or not so much, because it wasn’t really a secret – after about a third of the book, I guessed pretty much what was going to happen.

 

In less than 150 pages, Susan Hill has certainly crafted an interesting story, with plenty of atmosphere. It was very easy to read (and could easily be read in one sitting) and enjoyable overall, but the ending was no surprise, which may be why at the end of it, I was slightly bemused. Maybe I was hoping for some kind of shock denouement.

 

This is definitely a story where the pleasure is in the journey, not the destination. Worth reading; satisfying, but not spectacular.

[Ruth]

An A-Z of Hellraisers: A Comprehensive Compendium of Outrageous Insobriety, by Robert Sellers

 

 

 

Basically a book of mini-biographies laced with anecdotes about some of the most famous – or infamous drunks. With entries from as far back as Alexander the Great, most entries are about people from the 19th and 20th centuries – a few of whom are still with us.

 

The usual suspects are all here – Richard Burton, Richard Harris, Frank Sinatra, Robert Mitchum, Ozzy Osbourne, Francis Bacon, Tallulah Bankhead, Calamity Jane – the list goes on.

 

There are tales of harmless drunks, downright nasty drunks (there seemed very little to like about George C Scott, who became frighteningly violent to both men and women when drunk), fighting drunks – Sinatra and Mitchum, and drunks who threw away their career for the bottle – the tale of John Barrymore was ultimately pathetic and sad – and tragic drunks – Edgar Allen Poe, who died young and in mysterious circumstances, and Frances Farmer, a promising actress whose addiction led to horrific treatment in an asylum, are two examples.

 

And then there are the reformed drunks – Alice Cooper and Ozzy Osbourne to name just a couple.

 

I enjoyed the book – it’s certainly not taxing, and as each entry is between 3 – 7 pages long, it’s easy to skip through it quite quickly. I would doubt the veracity of some of the tales contained within the pages – and I never realised just how many slang terms there were for the word ‘drunk’, but I’m sure they’re all in the this book! Overall, a quick and enjoyable read.

[Ooshie]

Thanks for the review of The Man in the Picture, Ruth; I have enjoyed all the Susan Hill books I have read, and will look out for this one

[Ruth]

The Drought, by Steven Scaffardi

 

 

 

Dan Hilles has a problem. Since splitting up with his girlfriend Stacey, he just can’t seem to get any….you know what. Yes, as the days turn into weeks, he realises he is experiencing a sexual drought. Fortunately, he has his three best friends, Rob, Ollie and Jack, to help him find the girl who will finally end the dry spell. But try as they might, Dan just can’t seem to seal the deal, and he finds himself in all manner of embarrassing, dangerous, and (for the reader anyway) hilarious situations. So will he find the girl he’s looking for – I mean, just how long can a drought last?!

 

This book is described as lad-lit, but that shouldn’t put off female readers. I chuckled my way through it from beginning to end, and it did make me laugh out loud on occasion, which is something that doesn’t happen very often!

 

The writing flowed well, as Dan lurched from one unfortunate situation to another. I also liked the main characters. The book is narrated by Dan – a regular guy who likes hanging out with his mates – and through his eyes, we really get to know his friends and colleagues. The only character I wasn’t keen on was Jack, but he still provided some comical moments.

 

Admittedly, I guessed fairly early on where the story was heading (although the ending still had a nice subtle twist to it), but that didn’t really matter, because the journey to get there was so much fun. An enjoyable read, that I would definitely recommend.

 

(Thanks to Steven Scaffardi for sending me a copy of this book to review. This in NO way affected my opinion or review of the book.)