The Humbling is the story of Simon Axler, a reknown actor, who wakes up one morning having lost his ability to act. Everything comes crashing down on...moreThe Humbling is the story of Simon Axler, a reknown actor, who wakes up one morning having lost his ability to act. Everything comes crashing down on him - he loses his career, his wife, his self-esteem and his will to live in a short span of time.
Roth strikes at a deep fear - the fear of losing your sense of self when you grow old, when your hands and body can no longer do what you have made yourself into over the length of your years. What would you do then? Axler finds solace in the embrace of a woman, no longer young, uncertain as to her sexuality, and for a while they revel in it. He finds a new purpose - to remake this confused lesbian into a hot-blooded heterosexual woman, at her own request.
I liked the book, because it spoke strongly to me; because I understand the allure of the stage, because I act, and because I know the pain when you just fail so miserably. And it's not always under your control. I liked the simplicity of the writing and the reality (realism?) in it, the dirt under the fingernails, the crushing depression, the ignominy that we try to ignore in our lives on a daily basis. I understand its sad ending because sometimes things crush us so much that we cannot find a way to lift our heads up anymore.
But I didn't like where it went in the middle, as if everything in the world can be solved by having sex, as if all your life's problems can be somehow solved, or at least halted, once you find the right person in your life. Even though it was disproved at the end. Ha. I don't know where I'm headed with this.
I'm still a prude at heart, I suppose. There are things that need not be written and published, though I have to admit it served its point and it was not gratuitous. So, it was a well-written story, compelling and heart-wrenching.
I'm rather ambivalent about this book. I'd rate it somewhere between "it's ok" and "I liked it". There were some outstanding gems, such as Brian Gomez...moreI'm rather ambivalent about this book. I'd rate it somewhere between "it's ok" and "I liked it". There were some outstanding gems, such as Brian Gomez's "a/p", Jade-Yi Lo's "The girl with the ruby red shoes" and Rafil Elyas' "Progress report", and some pretty good pieces, such as Dina Zaman's "How to stay married", Clarissa Tan's "The visit" and Janet Tay's "The airport" but the overall feel of the book was an underwhelming meh.
The second anthology, Readings 2 is a much better read and it was a good thing I picked that one up first. If I had started with this I would most likely have given that one a miss.(less)
I'd recently watched Oz the Great and Powerful and saw this sitting in my bookshelf so I decided to get round to reading it.
It's amazing that one sim...moreI'd recently watched Oz the Great and Powerful and saw this sitting in my bookshelf so I decided to get round to reading it.
It's amazing that one simple, children's book has spawned so many movies (from different versions of the same show, to spin offs, prequels, sequels?), musicals and books. I suppose it's because whilst Frank Baum has created a wonderful land that's exciting and enticing, he hasn't included that much back story (at least in this book), which actually lends itself to other writers expanding on it as a much loved story.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a good read, really, but not quite what I was expecting it to be from all the "fanfare" around it. It's simplistic in its nature (which is what a kid's book should be), and lovely writing, but not nothing terribly exciting or wonderful about it. I suppose if I'd read it at a younger age, I would have liked it much better. (less)
This was a re-read after I'd gotten the book back from lending it to a friend. I didn't mean to read the whole book again, but since I did I'm adding i...moreThis was a re-read after I'd gotten the book back from lending it to a friend. I didn't mean to read the whole book again, but since I did I'm adding it to my list of 2013 reads. I'm not a major major fan of romance type stories, but this was a good one. (less)
For a historical novel, it's ok. As a kid's book, it's ok. Nothing very spectacular or particularly intriguing. I picked it up mainly because it was c...moreFor a historical novel, it's ok. As a kid's book, it's ok. Nothing very spectacular or particularly intriguing. I picked it up mainly because it was cheap and because I'd already read half of it at a bookstore previously while waiting for someone so I wanted to know how it would end. I'll probably not be picking up the sequel though. It seems rather predictable. Also, if the teaser at the end of the book is any indication, the author decides to mangle his story by changing the name of the girl that Marcus saves and her relationship to Julius Caesar.(less)
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