Alice Poon's Blog, page 13

Book Review - "Wolf Hall" by Hilary Mantel

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I’ve been agonizing over how to rate this novel. I think I’ll give it 3.5 stars. Before reading the novel I had seen the BBC Wolf Hall series and would say that I enjoyed the TV show more than the book.

Mantel does a great job in convincing readers (me included) that historians probably didn’t do Thomas Cromwell justice in painting him in a dark villainous light. She tells a believable story about Cromwell’s love-starved childhood that is caused by his abusive, alcoholic father, and how he, in spite of it, forges a life of success and fame for himself and manages to rise from strength to strength in his political career, first as a an aide to Cardinal Wolsey during his last days of glory and then as a favorite courtier of Henry VIII’s. His childhood scars are a blessing in disguise and transforms him into a strong-willed, self-sufficient and goal-oriented go-getter. It is a totally plausible rags-to-riches life story.

What bothers me is that in her narrative, Cromwell’s character is drawn as being the opposite (or superior) to that of Thomas More, who is portrayed as vain, hypocritical and cold-hearted. I find it hard to stomach that Cromwell, whose opportunistic drive to climb to the top is borne out by his calculating and self-serving schemes, can be such a whole lot different from (better than) More, as Mantel tries to make him out to be. If those traits of Thomas More carry any grain of truth, then Cromwell, who is just as subservient and sycophantic to the despotic King Henry, cannot possibly claim any moral high ground. It can be said though, that they are both victims of the times, when lives are expendable at a monarch’s whim, but at least More has the gall and dignity to die for his principles.

In the Afterword, Mantel implies that her inspiration for the novel came from George Cavendish’s (Wolsey’s gentleman usher) memoir about Wolsey. Mantel’s meticulous research does shine through the novel. One gets good insight into the rancorous power contention between monarchial and ecclesiastical hierarchies in Europe, as well as the religion-related intolerance and thought-oppressive violence of the times.

As for the writing, I admit that at times I had to go back a few lines to decide who “he” is. I had the feeling that I had to constantly solve riddles. At some places, the disjointedness threw me off. But there’s also no lack of beautiful prose, though it sometimes gets a bit cumbersome. Here are a few samples of delightful lines:-

“He will remember his first sight of the open sea: a grey wrinkled vastness, like the residue of a dream.”

“He never lives in a single reality, but in a shifting shadow-mesh of diplomatic possibilities.”

“….she must have teased from her silver saints some flicker of grace, or perceived some deflection in their glinting rectitude…..”

“You can have a silence full of words. A lute retains, in its bowl, the notes it has played. The viol, in its strings, holds a concord. A shriveled petal can hold its scent, a prayer can rattle with curses; an empty house, when the owners have gone out, can still be loud with ghosts.”





View all my reviews

Book Review - Wolf of the Plains (Genghis: Birth of an Empire)

Wolf Of The Plains by Conn Iggulden

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I started reading this novel with a strange curiosity about the early life of Genghis Khan, having already read three non-fiction titles about his life-time conquests and those of his offspring. I ended up being deeply touched by the skilful crafting of a poignant coming-of-age tale portraying the young and fearless tribal leader. His unbeatable will to survive as a precocious male child of an ostracized and fatherless family in the harshest of environments is destined to make him a formidable tribal head and chart the winning course of his inimitable adult life. Still a young teen, he had to face the sudden loss of a father, heartless betrayals, constant cold and hunger, homelessness, deadly traps and all kinds of brutal life threats. It is hard not to believe that there is some truth in fiction in this case, as it can probably be surmised that what happens to a person in his/her early formative years is most likely to give shape to his/her character.

The novel is sprinkled with occasional gory scenes and graphic details, but also does not lack sentimental episodes. Overall, it is a gripping read.

The author explains in a note that his chief source of historical details largely comes from Arthur Waley’s translation of a Chinese version of “The Secret History of the Mongols”, the original Mongolian text of which was written in the 13th century, after the death of Genghis Khan.

Late last year I read The History And The Life Of Chinggis Khan: The Secret History Of The Mongols, which is the Mongolian scholar Urgunge Onon’s translation of the original 13th century text, and early this year I read Jack Weatherford’s two non-fiction titles: Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World and The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire. These three books together gave me a pretty good picture of the times and lives of Genghis Khan and his successors.





View all my reviews

Book Review - All Quiet on the Western Front

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This book was first published in 1929, and by the time the German Nazis came to power in 1933, it became a banned book and printed copies were burned (the excuse being that it was a betrayal of the German front-line soldier). The author subsequently went to live in Switzerland and in 1938 was stripped of his German citizenship.

The novel is a heartrending account of trench warfare during the First World War told in first-person from the perspective of the narrator, a nineteen-year old German soldier who had just been drafted into the army along with several of his schoolmates. Throughout the story, the reader is let in on the narrator's intimate thoughts and emotions about the horrors of death and bodily wounds, the necessity of hardening of the senses for the sake of survival and sanity, the dependence on solidarity as a means of escape from constant agony of terror, and the futility of war itself. I loved the author's generous sprinkling of imagery in his descriptive prose.

".....our bodies are like thin membranes stretched over barely repressed madness, holding in what would otherwise be an unrestrained outburst of endless screams."

"Because one thing has become clear to me: you can cope with all the horror as long as you simply duck thinking about it - but it will kill you if you try to come to terms with it."

"We didn't break; we adapted. The fact that we were only twenty helped us to do that, even though it made other things so difficult. But most important of all, we developed a firm, practical feeling of solidarity, which grew, on the battlefield, into the best thing that the war produced - comradeship in arms."

"How pointless all human thoughts, words and deeds must be, if things like this are possible! Everything must have been fraudulent and pointless if thousands of years of civilization weren't even able to prevent this river of blood, couldn't stop these torture chambers existing in their hundreds of thousands. Only a military hospital can really show you what war is."

When I closed the book, I couldn't help asking the question: do we ever learn from history?





View all my reviews

Book Review - The Odyssey

The Odyssey by Homer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



The version that I read was the Robert Fagles translation and I liked the simplicity and the music of the language. It was like a fantasy story told in the lyrics of a song. I enjoyed both the verse-like form and the roller-coaster narrative, some episodes of which incidentally called to mind similar scenes in the Chinese classical novel Journey to the West (for example, the episode about Nymph Calypso keeping Odysseus a captive is very similar to the scene where a lair of seductive spider spirits want to capture and enslave the monk Xuanzang).

I've always been intrigued by Greek mythology. The way the gods and goddesses of the heavens interact with each other and with the mortals strikes me as illogical and unreasonable sometimes, and at other times compassionate, egalitarian and fair. The odd message seems to be that even the powerful immortals are full of flaws much of the time, let alone helpless mortals. There is a distinct humbling quality to it.

This fundamental work in the Western canon of literature is a must-read for classics lovers as well as fantasy and mythology aficionados.







View all my reviews

Chinese History and Me

In my school days, Chinese History was my favorite subject, apart from Chinese Literature and English Literature. Over recent years, I've developed a passion for reading historical fiction set in different parts of the world. While doing research on Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang for my historical epic, which I've just finished writing, my passion for Chinese History was rekindled. For me as a writer, the distant past is a hidden treasure trove of countless riveting human stories, in particular China's dynastic past.

Several years ago I read Xiao Jiansheng's Chinese History Revisited (中 國文明的反思), which I found emotion-evoking as well as thought-provoking. I've just stumbled upon an English translation of the Foreword to the book and would like to share an excerpt of it:-

"In the 1980s, when I was writing the biography Xiong Xiling, Chinese Premier of the Republican Period, I started to systematically re-examine Chinese history. In those days just after China's reforms started, many continued to view history in terms of class struggle, forcing it into this straitjacket of revolutionary proletarian struggle even though it did not apply. Everyone was either a revolutionary or reactionary, even though these overly simplistic distinctions were clearly irrelevant. I reacted against this kind of analysis, and thought a more deeply thought analysis of Chinese history was needed.

Over the past twenty years, studies of Chinese history have improved much. But, on many major questions, the official versions of Chinese history have not made major improvements, and it could be said that they are even incoherent and inconsistent. Many Chinese are unwilling to take a hard look at Chinese history; this means that they do not have a clear understanding of our accomplishments, and are not able to learn from our own mistakes. There is not a clear consensus on what we should throw away, and what we should keep and preserve. As a result, what should have been discarded has been kept, and the core assets of our culture have been thrown away and treated as garbage.

For example, in ancient Chinese times, Laozi's (Lao-tzu) philosophy of respecting and following the ways of heaven, and governing without force; the Confucianists' philosophy of love for fellow humans and treating others as one would have them treat you; the Moists philosophy of universal love, equality and anti-violence were pushed aside as being overly idealistic and unrealistic. Instead violent authoritarianism and the way of the marshes (translators note: local powers which took over local responsibility for order when central authority was weak) were instead praised and prospered. Because the best parts of Chinese culture were not preserved, Chinese culture and civilization did not develop on a healthy path.

Every people needs to have a correct understanding of its own history and culture. Only through this understanding can it judge what is good and what is bad, setting it on a healthy path of development. It is very hard for a people which does not have a clear grasp of its past to have a bright future. If it does not have this understanding and consensus about its past, how can it face the future with confidence?

Even to this day, most Chinese view the Spring and Autumn Warring States period as a chaotic and dark period in Chinese history. If it was indeed such a dark period, then why was this a period where many competing schools of thought and philosophy competed in an open market of ideas? Why did so many philosophers, political and military theorists, scientists and writers flourish during this period? Why did Chinese society grow so much on the political, economic, and cultural levels all at the same time?

Even to this day, many view the Emperor Qinshihuangdi's political unification of China in the Qin Dynasty as a great political act, even though it was a violently totalitarian state. But these people fail to ask that if the Qin unification was such a great act, then why was it that China no longer produced such great political thinkers such as Laozi, Confucius and Mencius? Why has China been condemned to cycles of violent change which have repeated regularly for more than 2,000 years? Why did the Chinese live so miserably under the Qin Dynasty? And why did the Qin Dynasty have such a short life, and in the end, collapse so violently?

Even to this day, many view the Song Dynasty as authoritarian, corrupt, backward and weak, negating any of its contributions. But they forget to ask that if the Song Dynasty was so authoritarian, corrupt, backward and weak, why was it one of the leading cultures and civilizations of its time? Why did it produce gunpowder, the compass, movable type printing, just to name a few of its accomplishments? Why did Song political thought and its bureaucracy focus on worrying before the rest of the people, and celebrating after the rest of the people? Why did the Song produce the great concept of 人生自古誰無死，留取丹心照汗？

Even to this day, many praise the rules of the Qing emperors Kangxi and Qianlong as great periods of Chinese imperial history. But they forget to ask that if this was indeed such a great period in Chinese history, why was it that only 41 years later, China would come under attack from Britain, giving up Hong Kong to British rule, and having to recognize unequal treaties which humiliated China? Why did China become the sick man of Asia, with Chinese men wearing their hair in pigtails like idiots? Why did Gong Zizhen write 九州生氣持風雷，萬馬齊喑究可衰，我勸天公重抖擻，不拘一格降人才。

Now, many Chinese speak of a "revival of the great Chinese culture and civilization". But when they speak of this, have they really thought through what this great Chinese culture and civilization really is? Where has this greatness shone through? What are the parts of this civilization which they want to show? Who is really clear about this, and understands the real issues? If we are not even clear about what are the great parts of our own culture, then how can we even begin to talk about revival?"

Book Review - The Good Earth

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a quietly told story of a Chinese farmer's life in the pre-revolution days. My feeling is that I liked it a lot, but not enough to rate it a full 4 stars (the rating would be 3.7 stars).

It is a heartfelt account of life in the grassroots society of that era, with its own epoch-relevant values, superstitions, class distinction and sexist attitude, not any dissimilar to that depicted in other Chinese literary works relating to that era (Ba Jin's The Family, Autumn, Spring comes to mind). What sets this novel apart from those Chinese works is perhaps the absence of bitterness in the narrator's voice, which comes in a calm, surreal tone. Why could the author write in such a tone? It is because she was a foreign visitor living in China only for a temporary period of time. But as a story, it is superbly structured and told with credibly indigenous parlance.




View all my reviews

Book Review - The Woman in White

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I'm giving this novel 3.5 stars. The story started out very promising, but then towards the last one-third, especially the denouement, it got a bit drawn out and trying on my patience.

Overall, the plot is very intricate and saturated with well thought out details and the characters are vividly drawn. The writing style can be somewhat cumbersome though, but not unusual of authors of that time period. I do like the sensitivity and compassion towards women that Collins displays throughout his writing. There is also a subtle tint of humor in his description of the two Italian characters (the hearty Professor Pesca and the abominable Count Fosco) and the quirky and self-indulgent Mr. Frederick Fairlie.




View all my reviews

Book Review - Alias Grace

Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

My rating: 4 of 5 stars




This is an intriguing story that Margaret Atwood has creatively re-woven from a true murder case that took place in the 1800s in the suburbs of Toronto, Canada. It is written from the perspectives of the imprisoned murderess and of the mental illness physician who was hired, sixteen years after her conviction, by campaigners for her release, to study her mental state prevalent at the time of the perpetration of the crime.

Interlaced with the enthralling narrative is the author’s insight into the deep social conflict between the affluent and the underclass (consisting mostly of poor immigrants) of the time, and the convoluted men-and-women relationships and the tension they lend to their daily lives. That insight is sometimes tempered with a sense of dry humor.

Overall, the novel has great drawing power, and it leaves the reader pondering over the innocence or otherwise of the protagonist and whether or not to feel empathy with her.

The style of writing is fluid and evocative of a past era and its attendant moral attitudes.






View all my reviews

Book Review - The Hours

The Hours by Michael Cunningham

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Our lives are made up of years, of days, of hours. What happens around us on one particular day can make us take a blind, or even desperate, leap forward, or it can force us to look at life with patient gratitude. Each one of us would make different choices, according to our own personal system of values and beliefs, our sense of reasoning, our temperament and most importantly, our state of mind at the final hours of that particular day.

With lyrical prose, the author knits and weaves the events of one particular day in the lives of three women living in separate spaces and times. One of them is Virginia Woolf, who is recovering from her mental illness in a London suburb in 1923, while the other two are fictional variants of the leading character of her novel Mrs. Dalloway, one a modern-day bisexual (Clarissa Vaughan) living in New York in the late 90s and the other a bored suburban housewife (Laura Brown) living in post-WWII Los Angeles. The decision each of them makes at the end of their particular day has repercussions on their individual life.

I found this passage deeply touching:

“There’s just this for consolation: an hour here or there when our lives seem, against all odds and expectations, to burst open and give us everything we’ve ever imagined, though everyone but children (and perhaps even they) knows these hours will inevitably be followed by others, far darker and more difficult. Still we cherish the city, the morning; we hope, more than anything, for more.”





View all my reviews

Book Review - To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Many years ago I saw and loved the film adaptation starring Gregory Peck, but I never got to reading the book until a couple of weeks ago. Peck's impeccable portrayal of Atticus Finch has always stuck in my head. As I was reading the book, many scenes of that film kept coming back, but I already forgot how the story ends.

The story still moves me deeply, as the themes of human compassion, parenting, friendship, racial prejudices and class discrimination are evocatively explored. The voice of the narrator as a nine-year-old girl makes the story all the more endearing.

These quotes of Atticus's impress me most:

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

"They're certainly entitled to think that, and they're entitled to full respect for their opinions. But before I can live with other folks, I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience."

Perhaps this passage is the most striking in the whole book for its piercing poignancy:

(view spoiler)["Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed." (hide spoiler)]

However, what really gets to me is the ending, which was disquieting enough to make me take away one star. Heck Tate's (the sheriff's) decision (view spoiler)[to falsify Bob Ewell's cause of death in order to protect Boo (Arthur) Radley from being charged (hide spoiler)] is obviously based on a flawed reasoning. But Atticus's (view spoiler)[ultimate acquiescence to it (hide spoiler)] seems to overturn (view spoiler)[the very principles of honesty that he has been fighting so hard to uphold, both as a lawyer and as a parent (hide spoiler)]. To me, this is a disappointing ending to an otherwise brilliant novel.





["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>



View all my reviews