|
August 26
|
|
Nancy
gave
 
to:
Jane and Prudence (Paperback)
by Barbara Pym
bookshelves:
20th-century-classics
|
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
|
| |
read in August, 2008
Nancy said:
"Barbara Pym's mid-Century novels are great character studies of well-educated British women looking for their "appropriate" place in the world. These novels of manners gently satirize both the quest for romance and upper middle class value...more
Barbara Pym's mid-Century novels are great character studies of well-educated British women looking for their "appropriate" place in the world. These novels of manners gently satirize both the quest for romance and upper middle class values.
Jane and Prudence follows the themes Pym introduces in other books---poking fun at beautiful, well-groomed women and their preoccupations, but also presenting her male characters as rather simple, child-like creatures.
I don't mean to diminish the appeal of Pym's novels---I am mad about them, but they are very definitely period pieces and I enjoy them for the way they crystalize the social structure and work environment women faced in the 1940's and 50's....less
"
|
|
August 18
|
|
Nancy
gave
to:
A Glass of Blessings (Paperback)
by Barbara Pym
bookshelves:
classics
|
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
|
| |
read in August, 2008
Nancy said:
"Barbara Pym has been referred to as "the most under-rated author of the 20th Century" and a modern Jane Austen. Like Austen, Pym was a single woman who appeared to spend a considerable amount of time and energy ruminating on the character f...more
Barbara Pym has been referred to as "the most under-rated author of the 20th Century" and a modern Jane Austen. Like Austen, Pym was a single woman who appeared to spend a considerable amount of time and energy ruminating on the character flaws of others and romanticizing the nature of love.
A Glass of Blessings is one of Pym's post-War novels that attracted a new generation of readers in the 1980's. For me, her books were subtle enough that I had to read two or three before I developed a taste for them. And now they are favorites. The magic---if you find it---is her talent for crafting an entire book around characters that are inordinately inactive by today's standards. Some of the other reviewers negatively commented that "nothing really happens" in the books---very true, but that is the reflection of life as Pym saw it for her characters.
I enjoyed the ironic romantic twist in this book and visualized the rather plain Barbara Pym casting herself as the "excellent woman" who gets the man. Highly recommended for readers who like character study over plot....less
"
|
|
August 14
|
|
Nancy
gave
to:
In a Summer Season (Virago Modern Classics)
by Elizabeth Taylor
|
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
|
| |
recommended to Nancy by:
Gerry
Nancy said:
"This quietly provocative book has sat in my "to read" pile for several months and avoided because of the jacket's summary of the novel. The plot summary doesn't do justice to this interesting character study of a prosperous, but unsettled, ...more
This quietly provocative book has sat in my "to read" pile for several months and avoided because of the jacket's summary of the novel. The plot summary doesn't do justice to this interesting character study of a prosperous, but unsettled, British family.
All of the characters are mildly dissatisfied with something in their life and that creates the interest, or tension, in the novel. In A Summer Season reminds me a bit of Evan S. Connell's book, Mrs. Bridge:portraits of prosperous, well-respected Post-War wives that can't shake their ennui.
Instead of finding the book dreary, I enjoyed the peek into the hum-drum lives of this compelling, oh-so-ordinary family....less
"
|
|
August 11
|
|
Nancy
gave
to:
The Lemur: A Novel (Paperback)
by Benjamin Black
|
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
|
| |
recommended to Nancy by:
Karen
read in August, 2008
Nancy said:
"This well-written novella is a perfect tonic for an airport lay-over or a rainy afternoon. The protagonist is an interesting personality facing both personal and professional challenges. As the other reviewers have stated---it is a "goodread.&qu
"
|
|
August 10
|
|
Nancy
gave
to:
Brideshead Revisited (Paperback)
by Evelyn Waugh
bookshelves:
20th-century-classics
|
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
|
| |
Nancy said:
"The release of the new Brideshead film led me to re-read this novel. I've read most of Evelyn Waugh and this was the only one of his books that I really connected with.
The few comments or bits of literary criticism I've read on Waugh seem to sepa...more
The release of the new Brideshead film led me to re-read this novel. I've read most of Evelyn Waugh and this was the only one of his books that I really connected with.
The few comments or bits of literary criticism I've read on Waugh seem to separate Brideshead from the other novels---and for good reason. The studied cleverness of Vile Bodies or Scoop is avoided here; it is replaced by an intimacy I don't think I've ever felt as a reader. To me, it really feels like the narrator is sitting in s quiet room with me (and many martinis) and sharing his personal story.
Some books lose something after their initial introduction--I found this one to be richer, more interesting and much more satisfying. I'll definitely return to it again....less
"
|
|
July 30
|
|
Nancy
gave
to:
Slim: Memories of a Rich and Imperfect Life (Hardcover)
by Slim Keith
|
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
|
| |
Nancy said:
"The subject of this memoir is often considered the real-life model for the smart-mouthed, sophisticated beauty often played on screen by Lauren Bacall. Slim Keith tells her glamorous life story candidly and with a refreshing perspective.
Prior to...more
The subject of this memoir is often considered the real-life model for the smart-mouthed, sophisticated beauty often played on screen by Lauren Bacall. Slim Keith tells her glamorous life story candidly and with a refreshing perspective.
Prior to her death I frequently saw her photo (as an anything-but-glamorous older woman) in fashion-oriented society columns and was curious. What was it about this woman that she was always in the "right place," with all the beautiful people, and being photographed to boot. This book answers that question....less
"
|
|
July 19
|
|
Nancy
gave
to:
Phineas Redux (Paperback)
by Anthony Trollope
bookshelves:
classics
|
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
|
| |
read in July, 2008
Nancy said:
"I definitely think contemporary readers have to approach Victorian novels with the right mindset---particularly Dickens or Trollope. These books were serials, and entertained their readers much like The Sopranos or All My Children do today.
If yo...more
I definitely think contemporary readers have to approach Victorian novels with the right mindset---particularly Dickens or Trollope. These books were serials, and entertained their readers much like The Sopranos or All My Children do today.
If you accept that premise, the characters in Phineas Finn and Phineas Redux would be the hot topical conversation around our office coffee pots every Monday morning. I've read the Phineas books several times and with each reading I am more impressed with the character of Madame Max Goesler. She is one of the all-time great literary heroines and it is fascinating to think that a dutiful civil servant like Trollope could conceive of such a strong, liberated woman in the late 1800's.
But, on the other side of the coin, after three readings, I lost my zest for Phineas Finn----he lacks the nobility of the best of Trollope's women. Nonetheless, these books are a great summer read if you have plenty of quiet time and an interest in the social politics of Victorian England....less
"
|
|
July 05
|
|
Nancy
gave
to:
Little Miss Evil: A Nick Hoffman Mystery (Hardcover)
by Lev Raphael
bookshelves:
mysteries
|
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
|
| |
Nancy said:
"This book probably doesn't deserve three stars but I am a sucker for novels with an academic setting AND it takes place at a state University in my home--Michigan.
The book is rather self-consciously gay--but uses the protagonists relationship to...more
This book probably doesn't deserve three stars but I am a sucker for novels with an academic setting AND it takes place at a state University in my home--Michigan.
The book is rather self-consciously gay--but uses the protagonists relationship to paint a very warm domestic setting that adds to any appeal the book has. What I liked about the (very unimportant mystery) plot was the snarky, back-biting portraits of the University administration and faculty. I only hope the characters weren't drawn from the author's personal experience....less
"
|
|
July 02
|
|
Nancy
gave
to:
Pronto (Mass Market Paperback)
by Elmore Leonard
|
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
|
| |
Nancy said:
""Don't sit under the apple tree with anyone else but me" ---- Dutch Leonard, that is. What a great summer read.
"
|
|
June 29
|
|
Nancy
gave
to:
Desert Wives (Lena Jones Mysteries (Paperback))
by Betty Webb
bookshelves:
mysteries
|
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
|
| |
Nancy said:
"A perfect weekend read. This Scottsdale-centered mystery (Desert Noir) introduces an interesting female detective with a cast of great friends and co-workers.
There's a touch of Tony Hillerman through the frequent allusions to native-American spir...more
A perfect weekend read. This Scottsdale-centered mystery (Desert Noir) introduces an interesting female detective with a cast of great friends and co-workers.
There's a touch of Tony Hillerman through the frequent allusions to native-American spiritual beliefs but the book is not really derivative. It also presents a native's perspective on the population explosion in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area and the toll it has taken. This is all done in an expository way that's factual but not preachy.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book which introduces Lena Jones as a detective and will definitely read more in this series.
Note: I clicked the wrong Goodreads book and this review is for Desert Noir, not Desert Wives)...less
"
|
