A romance novel with some smarts. Hetty and her true love Allenham bond over their love of reading, especially Goethe. When Allenham suddenly and myst...moreA romance novel with some smarts. Hetty and her true love Allenham bond over their love of reading, especially Goethe. When Allenham suddenly and mysteriously disappears, Hetty survives in the demi-monde world of Georgian London. The book starts off a bit slow--country manors and society events in Bath--but by the end we've had carriage races, Vauxhall drunkenness, and hints that the French Revolution will be a big part of book two in the series.
This is historical fiction on the lighter side, but it's not silly. Hetty is very likable, the women look out for each other, and the secondary characters are all real people from the time. It's nice to read something entertaining and light, a romance without emotionally abusive vampires. I'm looking forward to the next one.(less)
I enjoyed the voice--a 19-year-old boy, a little jaded about his hometown, but trying hard to parent his little brother. This would be on the same she...moreI enjoyed the voice--a 19-year-old boy, a little jaded about his hometown, but trying hard to parent his little brother. This would be on the same shelf as Nick Hornby "About a Boy" or Matt Haig's books.(less)
Eddie Feathers is a famous lawyer, now retired in the English countryside. Other lawyers at the clubs and Inns still talk about him, always concluding...moreEddie Feathers is a famous lawyer, now retired in the English countryside. Other lawyers at the clubs and Inns still talk about him, always concluding that he played life rather safe and nothing ever happened to Old Filth ("Failed in London Try Hong Kong").
What they don't know is that Feathers still carries the scars of having been a "Raj orphan." He was born in colonial Malaysia/Malaya and sent back to England at age 6 or so to be brought up in foster homes and boarding schools. His younger years are full of abuse and rejection, and yet Feathers turned out to be successful, upstanding, really more like a caricature of a certain class of Englishman from a certain generation.
Along the way, we have WWII stories of Feathers surviving a dramatic sea voyage and later guarding Mary, the Queen Mother, when she was evacuated to Badminton. So, lots of things happened to Old Filth. I kept waiting to hear more about his wife, or about Hong Kong, but I enjoyed the writing.(less)
This is like "Shameless" without the humor. Marnie and Nelly have been neglected and disappointed and betrayed by everyone close to them. It's hard to...moreThis is like "Shameless" without the humor. Marnie and Nelly have been neglected and disappointed and betrayed by everyone close to them. It's hard to read about all their pain. Good voices, though--Marnie sounding tough, Nelly hiding in some weird Austen-era language. This will be a movie someday, with the little girl from "The New Normal" playing Nelly, Clint Eastwood as crazy Gramps, maybe Richard Dreyfus as Lennie the neighbor.(less)
Cozy, quirky, a send-up of upper-class Victorians with all their fads and funny manners. As mysteries go, there's not much here. But the historical ti...moreCozy, quirky, a send-up of upper-class Victorians with all their fads and funny manners. As mysteries go, there's not much here. But the historical tidbits are a treat.
Hampton Court Palace is a great setting for the "grace and favour" residents and their servants. There's an inquest, a costume ball, a maze, a butterman, a mysterious monkey, too many ferns, and a sweet bachelor physician who keeps embarrassing himself in front of the princess he loves. With characters named William Sheepshanks, Mrs. Nettleship, and Silas Sparrowgrass, this is a fun escape, like a comedy-of-manners movie from the 1930s or 40s.
Nice writing--I'll read more from this author. So, 3.5 stars.(less)
The Queen is feeling blue. She thinks maybe a visit to the old royal yacht will help because of all her happy memories of trips and parties there. Wit...moreThe Queen is feeling blue. She thinks maybe a visit to the old royal yacht will help because of all her happy memories of trips and parties there. Without any planning, she slips away from the horse stables one rainy afternoon and makes her way to Edinburgh.
Six other characters go about finding her themselves, instead of bringing in MI5, to save the Queen embarrassment. The backstories of these characters include the Iraq war, fox-hunting protests, and prejudice against people of South Asian descent.
This is a light, charming read, exactly what I expected. It's a very sympathetic treatment of the Queen. In this book, she's plucky, smart, no-nonsense, and unfailingly kind. She misses her mother, she's pained by all the monarchy's missteps in the '90s, and she's coming to terms with the fact that everything she's done her whole life really just amounts to decoration. She feels useless.
At times I couldn't believe I was supposed to feel sorry for a woman because she no longer has a yacht, a plane, and a private train all at her disposal and at taxpayer expense. But the story was too cute and fluffy to think much about it.
The six other characters kept things mostly at the level of an old-fashioned movie, like a zany comedy with Cary Grant. For example, a few scenes from Iraq turned on cultural differences between U.S. soldiers and the Grenadier Guards. Deeper issues about PTSD, etc. are handled rather awkwardly in monologues by a lady-in-waiting. But okay, this is not a book about deeper issues. There are some interesting snippets of history and how things work in royal life. Overall, a feel-good, pick-me-up read. (less)
I'll try this again someday. Slow slow slow start. All these villagers running around, and apparently I was supposed to know who was good and who was...moreI'll try this again someday. Slow slow slow start. All these villagers running around, and apparently I was supposed to know who was good and who was bad, but I couldn't keep track. It all seemed like too much set-up for what I was looking forward to more--chef/foodie stuff. (less)
This is a book to assign in an intro course on theology, like "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" and Herman Hesse's "Siddhartha." It's about...moreThis is a book to assign in an intro course on theology, like "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" and Herman Hesse's "Siddhartha." It's about faith and atonement, about spirituality as both an individual and communal experience. Sure, you can see that coming with "pilgrimage" in the title. Some of the most interesting parts of the book are when Harold has become a national curiosity, with a large group of followers (disciples) who don't understand him and co-opt his journey.
Three questions move the plot along. Will Queenie hang on long enough for Harold to reach her? What did she do for him in the past that he feels he must thank her for? And where is Harold and Maureen's son?
All the questions are answered in the very last two or three chapters. The answers aren't easy, and these chapters are intensely sad. For most of the book, Harold potters along through England, nattering on about the plants he sees along the roadside, listening to strangers' stories, rambling through his own memories. Mostly cozy stuff.
But the last bit of the book is not pleasant pottering. It's about anguish, suffering, grief, mortality. The cold hard landscape represents the world's indifference to whether Harold finds peace or not, or whether he even exists. Deep stuff, worth reflecting on, but not a gentle read on Christmas Day.(less)
I'm a huge fan of books about cities--what makes each city unique, what makes each city a character. And I love books that undermine stereotypes about...moreI'm a huge fan of books about cities--what makes each city unique, what makes each city a character. And I love books that undermine stereotypes about cities (Paris is not all macarons, L.A. is not all noir and drive-thru restaurants, London has changed since Dickens was around). But it's hard to find a fresh approach.
This book is a collection of interviews with a range of ordinary, not famous people. It isn't the kind of book you get to plan a trip or to study the history of a city. This is the kind of book you read when you miss a city, when you crave being there, and you want to read anything that reminds you of what it feels like to be on the ground there.
I like the book's approach and wish someone would do the same for other cities (Paris, Rome). I especially like that it includes people's criticisms, even bitterness, about London. A nice counterweight to all the gushy travel memoirs out these days. I love those too, but something about London seems to require a more grounded approach, nostalgia even for the annoying things. All those books about Paris (I moved to Paris, and met the Right One, and lost 30 pounds while eating sweets all day, and now I have perfectly behaved French babies, etc.) just would look silly in London.
The fragments in Londoners were a bit short, even for the extremely short attention span I've had these days, so I set it aside for now.
At best, baffling. This is the reading equivalent of painkillers slowly wearing off after some medical procedure--a fog of time and people with an occ...moreAt best, baffling. This is the reading equivalent of painkillers slowly wearing off after some medical procedure--a fog of time and people with an occasional clear thought that you want to remember but you get numb again before you can mark it down.
I love Zadie Smith's other books. I expect a slow build-up and characters I don't connect with at first. If I give other books 50 pages to see if I've latched on, I give Zadie Smith 100 pages.
At 100 pages, I found this unreadable. Top reasons:
--Did the plot really require a cute little dog to be killed? Cheap device.
--There were entire chapters in which I had no idea who was talking. A dreamlike state is one thing. I could even adjust to the narrator floating in and out of dialog, b/c she can't seem to pay attention. But this was disorienting, frustrating.
--I also didn't see the point of the complete free-form approach to punctuation and page layout. Again, some playfulness, some rule-bending is fun and engaging. This was not. I felt like I was reading a foreign language. Why would an author want to make reading such a struggle?
I wanted to love this. I love books where a neighborhood or city comes alive. I love what Zadie Smith does with dialogue. I love her not-so-subtle commentary about class differences. But this was a massive disappointment.(less)
Year by year snippets of life, sometimes very funny. This is really two books spliced together. Four stars for the first part, about growing up as "th...moreYear by year snippets of life, sometimes very funny. This is really two books spliced together. Four stars for the first part, about growing up as "the other." Three stars for the second part, about examining one's faith.
Imran's childhood stories about being Pakistani in 1960s & 1970s London were pitched just right. I really felt his confusion, felt his struggle to rise above all the micro-aggressions, and the more open racism. I really felt his dread of having to explain, year after year, that he didn't get Christmas presents, really felt his family wondering if poor service at a restaurant was just poor service or a comment on their skin color.
One of Imran's strategies is to out-English the English, becoming the perfect gentleman in his careful dress and high-class accent. This makes him a little out of step with his age group. Mildly annoying, but endearing.
The second part of the book starts with Imran going off to college. He spends most of his time in theological debate with evangelist Christians who try to convert him. I happen to enjoy this sort of thing, but it won't appeal to everyone (likely to upset both devout Christians and devout Muslims). (less)
Imagine "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" if it had been written by Borges, with occasional paragraphs to set the atmosphere of 1970s England dropped in by...moreImagine "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" if it had been written by Borges, with occasional paragraphs to set the atmosphere of 1970s England dropped in by Jonathan Coe. This is a book about the relationship between writer and reader. It also has some interesting stuff about how the West used writers as propagandists.
But it ends with a trick play, one that made me roll my eyes. A whole book full of lots of clever things, and yet it ends with what feels like a weak pun. This is my least favorite McEwan book. (less)
A great read for this political season. Cromwell is the ultimate adviser, strategist. He's still sharp and drops some very funny lines. For example, w...moreA great read for this political season. Cromwell is the ultimate adviser, strategist. He's still sharp and drops some very funny lines. For example, when someone asks him what Henry VIII think of Jane Seymour, Cromwell says, "He thinks she's stupid. He finds that restful."
But Cromwell is farther along in middle age now. Mentoring, and dealing with his memories. His personal life isn't as robust as in "Wolf Hall." He seems more detached, and at the same time, more vulnerable.
This book feels very much like the middle of a series, even though it has the dramatic (and obviously expected) ending. I wouldn't recommend anyone skip "Wolf Hall" and start with this one. I also can't wait for the next installation.(less)
"Downton Abbey" meets "Raiders of the Lost Ark." I enjoyed the spies running around in the desert. I have to give Donnelly credit for having strong wo...more"Downton Abbey" meets "Raiders of the Lost Ark." I enjoyed the spies running around in the desert. I have to give Donnelly credit for having strong women characters: Willa is physically indestructible. And again, the short chaptering moves the story along fast.
Downsides: the drama became a bit silly (think 1970s-era daytime soap operas), and the writing became a bit schmaltzy. Those features would be even worse for a reader who hadn't read "Winter Rose" first. This is not a stand-alone book.
But this is fun, absorbing, non-challenging reading. Also, nice perfume reference to Caron's Narcisse Noir. (less)
Halfway through, I'm both pleased and bugged by the paranormal angle to this book.
Let's say that I lived in new-agey Sedona, hanging out with a group...moreHalfway through, I'm both pleased and bugged by the paranormal angle to this book.
Let's say that I lived in new-agey Sedona, hanging out with a group of extremely well educated professional types, and one of my dearest friends suddenly claimed he was channeling the spirit of Paul Bunyan and was "automatic writing" Bunyan's untold story. Here's how I would *not* respond:
"Cool! I wonder if Bunyan's trying to tell us about some ancient chant that's been lost!"
"Hm, I wonder if Bunyan picked you because you're one of his long lost descendants...."
No. Fail. Neither of the above. I'd start thinking pharmacology. I'd start looking into places where my friend could get round-the-clock care. I wouldn't just buy into it.
But in this book, everyone does. Jack starts channeling a 12th century monk, and even his detective cousin just accepts that it really is the monk. Without hesitation. Really?
I'm sticking with the book to see if Jack gets some help.
On the plus side: the Glastonbury setting and the group of characters remind me of classic Agatha Christie novels. Old school, comforting.(less)
Stuart's voice is captured well. A unique character, at times very funny. He suggests the author set up this book as a mystery--figure out who killed...moreStuart's voice is captured well. A unique character, at times very funny. He suggests the author set up this book as a mystery--figure out who killed the boy I once was.
I expected a lot of unpleasantness in this book, but the drug abuse and child molestation made everything seem too hopeless, too sad. Setting aside for now.(less)
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