Sorry, you must be a member of this group to do that.
Barry Stewart Levy's Blog, page 11
June 27, 2018
Book Review #67
The Romantics
by Galt Niederhoffer
A very well written, clever, funny, insightful, intelligent and, yes, romantic novel that keeps you guessing until the very end.
by Galt Niederhoffer
A very well written, clever, funny, insightful, intelligent and, yes, romantic novel that keeps you guessing until the very end.
Book Review #66
Roman Poems
by Pier Paolo Pasolini
Having seen nearly all of Pasolini's films and having read one of his works of fiction, this book of poetry was a pleasant surprise. He recalls the sights and smells and sounds of city life, of poverty and of his youth. There is a lovely, heartfelt poem about his mother, a much longer one describing his emotions upon seeing paintings in Rome, and a brief poem foreshadowing his death. There are photographs of Pasolini as well as drawings by him. An added bonus in this edition is the translation from Italian on the left side to English on the right. Picking up snippets of Italian only added to my overall enjoyment of this book.
by Pier Paolo Pasolini
Having seen nearly all of Pasolini's films and having read one of his works of fiction, this book of poetry was a pleasant surprise. He recalls the sights and smells and sounds of city life, of poverty and of his youth. There is a lovely, heartfelt poem about his mother, a much longer one describing his emotions upon seeing paintings in Rome, and a brief poem foreshadowing his death. There are photographs of Pasolini as well as drawings by him. An added bonus in this edition is the translation from Italian on the left side to English on the right. Picking up snippets of Italian only added to my overall enjoyment of this book.
Book Review #65
The Quest
by Nelson DeMille
A damn good adventure novel. Although I found it plodding and repetitious at times and too long, I was hooked and kept right on reading because DeMille is such a fine writer.
by Nelson DeMille
A damn good adventure novel. Although I found it plodding and repetitious at times and too long, I was hooked and kept right on reading because DeMille is such a fine writer.
Book Review #64
The Private Lives of Trees
by Alejandro Zambra
Sometimes the writing of this novella is poetic, other times awkward. (I'll blame the translator for that.) The characters are flatly written. Virtually nothing happens. (I'll blame the author for that.) A real disappointment.
by Alejandro Zambra
Sometimes the writing of this novella is poetic, other times awkward. (I'll blame the translator for that.) The characters are flatly written. Virtually nothing happens. (I'll blame the author for that.) A real disappointment.
Book Review #63
The Portrait
by Iain Pears
For a brief book, a little over 200 pages, it comes across as tedious and twice its length. The language is stilted and long-winded. The characters, except for the narrator and his victim, are one-dimensional. There is a vague feeling of dread but no real suspense. And the ending, when it finally arrives, is anticlimactic.
by Iain Pears
For a brief book, a little over 200 pages, it comes across as tedious and twice its length. The language is stilted and long-winded. The characters, except for the narrator and his victim, are one-dimensional. There is a vague feeling of dread but no real suspense. And the ending, when it finally arrives, is anticlimactic.
Book Review #62
Picnic at Hanging Rock
by Joan Lindsay
This is a lovely, mysterious, unsettling tale of three schoolgirls and their governess who disappear one afternoon in Australia in the year 1900. The writing is highly descriptive: the boarding school the girls attend, the clothes they wear, and especially the scenes of nature in all its beauty and terror. As much as I liked the book (and the film, which I've seen twice), I wish the story were less leisurely paced and more tightly written, which would have created a more ominous mood, a greater sense of urgency and a heightened sensation of suspense. Nonetheless, Joan Lindsay skillfully captures a time, a place and a disturbing mystery that remains unsolved to this day.
by Joan Lindsay
This is a lovely, mysterious, unsettling tale of three schoolgirls and their governess who disappear one afternoon in Australia in the year 1900. The writing is highly descriptive: the boarding school the girls attend, the clothes they wear, and especially the scenes of nature in all its beauty and terror. As much as I liked the book (and the film, which I've seen twice), I wish the story were less leisurely paced and more tightly written, which would have created a more ominous mood, a greater sense of urgency and a heightened sensation of suspense. Nonetheless, Joan Lindsay skillfully captures a time, a place and a disturbing mystery that remains unsolved to this day.
Book Review #61
Paris Nocturne
by Patrick Modiano
The last book I finished, prior to reading this one, was Modiano's "After the Circus," which I found disappointing. Both novels are episodic and dreamlike, narrated by a young man who recalls the events years later as an adult, and deal with similar elements: a mysterious woman, tough guys, the streets of Paris, a distant father, a sense of danger, but, most importantly, memory, and are reminiscent of films by Alain Resnais such as "Muriel" and "Marienbad." A recurring phrase and motif in "Paris Nocturne" is "the eternal return," where characters and events from the past seemingly reappear and merge with those of the present. This is a much better written book than "After the Circus," where the language comes across as awkward and stilted, whereas in this novel the words seem natural and the sentences free-flowing. Obviously the reason is the superior translation from French to English by Phoebe Weston-Evans. I recommend this work of fiction to fans of Patrick Modiano and to those interested in French New Wave cinema and novels written by Alain Robbe-Grillet and Marguerite Duras.
by Patrick Modiano
The last book I finished, prior to reading this one, was Modiano's "After the Circus," which I found disappointing. Both novels are episodic and dreamlike, narrated by a young man who recalls the events years later as an adult, and deal with similar elements: a mysterious woman, tough guys, the streets of Paris, a distant father, a sense of danger, but, most importantly, memory, and are reminiscent of films by Alain Resnais such as "Muriel" and "Marienbad." A recurring phrase and motif in "Paris Nocturne" is "the eternal return," where characters and events from the past seemingly reappear and merge with those of the present. This is a much better written book than "After the Circus," where the language comes across as awkward and stilted, whereas in this novel the words seem natural and the sentences free-flowing. Obviously the reason is the superior translation from French to English by Phoebe Weston-Evans. I recommend this work of fiction to fans of Patrick Modiano and to those interested in French New Wave cinema and novels written by Alain Robbe-Grillet and Marguerite Duras.
Book Review #60
Out Stealing Horses
by Per Petterson,
This is a beautifully written book about ageing and coming of age, about loss and isolation, and about seeing the world through the eyes of an adolescent and as the sixty-seven-year-old man he becomes.
Prior to reading this book, I had read "Ashes in My Mouth, Sand in My Shoes," an earlier work of thematically related stories. Nothing in that book prepared me for the eloquence, beauty and detailed descriptions of nature and hard labor and the inner workings of the mind and heart in "Out Stealing Horses."
by Per Petterson,
This is a beautifully written book about ageing and coming of age, about loss and isolation, and about seeing the world through the eyes of an adolescent and as the sixty-seven-year-old man he becomes.
Prior to reading this book, I had read "Ashes in My Mouth, Sand in My Shoes," an earlier work of thematically related stories. Nothing in that book prepared me for the eloquence, beauty and detailed descriptions of nature and hard labor and the inner workings of the mind and heart in "Out Stealing Horses."
Giveaway Update
Well, my Goodreads Giveaway has officially ended. 229 readers entered the contest. 204 shelved my book as "Want to Read." And 100 winners received KIndle editions of my novella. Congrats to all!
June 11, 2018
Book Review #59
Nobody Is Ever Missing
Catherine Lacey
I must have read a review or two that intrigued me enough to read this book. But as soon as I started it, I knew it was not for me. I found it relentlessly depressing.
I take nothing away from Lacey. She writes very well. But except for those final chapters which I found very moving, this was not my cup of tea.
Catherine Lacey
I must have read a review or two that intrigued me enough to read this book. But as soon as I started it, I knew it was not for me. I found it relentlessly depressing.
I take nothing away from Lacey. She writes very well. But except for those final chapters which I found very moving, this was not my cup of tea.
