Emma read and liked The other John's review of Credo:

"One finds treasure in the strangest places. Take the small English library here on our small campus in the sticks of Yunnan. Compared to many libraries, it's a pitiful thing. It holds maybe two hundred books, mostly classics abridged or rewritten for...more One finds treasure in the strangest places. Take the small English library here on our small campus in the sticks of Yunnan. Compared to many libraries, it's a pitiful thing. It holds maybe two hundred books, mostly classics abridged or rewritten for foreign language students and children's books. For an adult native English speaker, it's quite boring. There are, however, a handful of grown-up books here. My wife, in her desperation for reading material has perused them. For the most part, she was unimpressed. This book, however, she enjoyed and recommended. Credo is a tale set in 7th Century England. It's essentially the story of a couple, Bega and Padric. As the story opens, Padric is a guest in the hall of Cathal, a king in Ireland. Padric himself is a prince of the kingdom of Rheged in Britain. Bega is Cathal's daughter and, at the start of the tale, Padric's pupil. Both Padric and Bega are strong, intelligent and idealistic; capable warriors and pious Christians. There's a budding romance between the two, but neither one of them has the maturity to realize it. The dawning realization of their mutual attraction permeates the background of the first section of the book, like the beginning overture of a symphony. the following book is a work of art. There's a gripping plot, compelling characters and a milieu that feels genuine. For me, the biggest appeal of the book is that Mr. Bragg captures what it's like to be a Christian. Every soul in the book, whether pious or impious, struggles with their faith. The good characters have their sinful side and the evil ones worry about facing the throne of God. Of course, as a Lutheran, sometimes I wished I could give these good Catholics a lecture on grace, but overall I identified with these characters. Credo is a great book. It's biggest flaw is that it belongs to the English library. I regret that I have to put it back on their shelf rather than my own. Ah, well, that's what bookstores are for.(less) "

Emma read and liked Cecily's review of Love in the Time of Cholera:

"More realism than magical and negligible politics etc. Poignant, earthy tale of loves lost and missed opportunities at the cusp of the 19th/20th centuries. Not as shocking as it should be (except re America at the end). Florentino is an increasingly ...more More realism than magical and negligible politics etc. Poignant, earthy tale of loves lost and missed opportunities at the cusp of the 19th/20th centuries. Not as shocking as it should be (except re America at the end). Florentino is an increasingly unsympathetic character, but you still want to know what happens to him.

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Emma read and liked Cecily's review of The Handmaid's Tale (Contemporary Classics):

"I read this many years ago and gave it 4 stars. I've just reread it for my Goodreads bookgroup's February read and upgraded it to 5 stars.

A wonderful hybrid: a book that is eminently readable, but packed with fascinating and thought-provo...more I read this many years ago and gave it 4 stars. I've just reread it for my Goodreads bookgroup's February read and upgraded it to 5 stars.

A wonderful hybrid: a book that is eminently readable, but packed with fascinating and thought-provoking ideas and symbolism.

It's set in the near future in a dystopian totalitarian state where pollution has rendered many infertile, so there has been a backlash against permissiveness and women are subjugated to the point where they are not even allowed to read (even shop signs are just icons).

Offred tells the story of how she became a handmaid, assigned to one of the elite, purely for breeding purposes.

**** SPOLIERS BELOW ****

All the many and varied restrictions, practicise, divisions and penalties imposed by the regime have really been applied somewhere in the world, albeit not all at the same time and place. One of the things that stops the book being gloomy is the resilience of the human spirit: there is a resistance movement among the lower classes and even amongst the elite, illicit things go on. The fear of being caught creates a good sense of tension.

Faith and ritual are important, both to the regime as a means of control and to individuals as a way of making life bearable.

The symbolism is rich, especially tulips and the colour red. The handmaids' sole purpose is procreation, their cycles are closely monitored, everything they wear is red and other important red items (such as a path) are pointed out. Whilst the shape of tulip flowers clearly echoes genitalia, they are also likened to a wound and teeth, and they and other flowers are described in different ways to indicated fertility or sterility. Serena Joy's knitting is a compulsive form of reproduction with sinister echoes of Dickens' Madame Defarge.

The big questions are around ownership of oneself and one's body. The state is patriarchal, but an army of matriarchal "aunts" enforce rituals and build a hive mentality to support each other and hence the regime. Are the handmaids prostitutes (is Nick too)? They sell their bodies (though not for cash), but the aim is procreation, not anyone's pleasure (the wife is always present), and it is for the survival of them as individuals and of the human race. Do the ends justify the means, and should the handmaids accept some responsibility for going along with it? And if "context is all", what is truth? I suspect you could read this several times and never come up with exactly the same answer.


Rereading Fahrenheit 451 is a good follow-on... (less) "