Bruce Beckham's Blog, page 6
December 2, 2014
My cup of tea
I’ve realised that John Updike is not everyone’s cup of tea. However, for me, he’s like Earl Grey, which I spend far too much of each day drinking. To date, I’m neither tea’d out, nor Updiked out.
To this end, I have just finished Marry Me: A Romance.
Marry Me is set in the mid-seventies, in a small coastal town somewhere outside of New York City. In a nutshell it is about two couples, Jerry & Ruth, and Richard & Sally. Jerry & Sally are having a heavy-duty affair; Ruth & Richard once had a lite version (unbeknown to their partners).
Most of the book (pp69-239) is given over to two chapters, in which first Ruth and then Richard ‘react’ to the revelation of Jerry & Sally’s relationship. Nothing much happens. But such is the skill of Updike that – if he’s your cup of tea – you just want to keep reading.
When I struggle to analyse a book I fall back on my triple criteria of subject-story-style. As I say, there isn’t much of a story – but Updike’s style – elegantly crafted prosaic poetry – makes what there is seem quite fascinating. I don’t know how he does it.
The subject, of course – the affairs – makes for voyeuristic reading, an experience perhaps vicarious, perhaps relived. He writes so convincingly, it makes me think he knows something about it.
Contrastingly, if there is a weakness, it is in relation to the couples’ children, and the impact their existence ought to have upon parental actions and agonies. In fact they are treated as chattels, and perhaps this reflects a gap in Updike’s know-how. (If I could get moving on his autobiography, I might find the answer to this.)
But an excellent read washed down with a few gallons of Earl Grey.
To this end, I have just finished Marry Me: A Romance.
Marry Me is set in the mid-seventies, in a small coastal town somewhere outside of New York City. In a nutshell it is about two couples, Jerry & Ruth, and Richard & Sally. Jerry & Sally are having a heavy-duty affair; Ruth & Richard once had a lite version (unbeknown to their partners).
Most of the book (pp69-239) is given over to two chapters, in which first Ruth and then Richard ‘react’ to the revelation of Jerry & Sally’s relationship. Nothing much happens. But such is the skill of Updike that – if he’s your cup of tea – you just want to keep reading.
When I struggle to analyse a book I fall back on my triple criteria of subject-story-style. As I say, there isn’t much of a story – but Updike’s style – elegantly crafted prosaic poetry – makes what there is seem quite fascinating. I don’t know how he does it.
The subject, of course – the affairs – makes for voyeuristic reading, an experience perhaps vicarious, perhaps relived. He writes so convincingly, it makes me think he knows something about it.
Contrastingly, if there is a weakness, it is in relation to the couples’ children, and the impact their existence ought to have upon parental actions and agonies. In fact they are treated as chattels, and perhaps this reflects a gap in Updike’s know-how. (If I could get moving on his autobiography, I might find the answer to this.)
But an excellent read washed down with a few gallons of Earl Grey.
November 18, 2014
Swallows and Amazons
I had no idea that Arthur Ransome's 'Swallows' and 'Amazons' were two families of children - so called because they sailed small boats of respectively the same names.
Reading a book that I ought to have read in the Sixties has been an interesting experience - but an enjoyable one nonetheless.
Swallows and Amazons is elegantly crafted, and conjures a marvellous sense of what life may have been like in 1920s Lakeland Britain.
Despite being a kids' book, there is a wealth of contextual detail - and everything you need to know about how to sail a small dinghy! - in other words, plenty to enjoy while the happy little adventure unfolds.
Sure, there could have been a couple more twists in the tale to build the tension at times - but I don't think this was the author's purpose. I understand he wrote it with a particular family in mind - and to please them. So who am I to question a man who played chess with Lenin!
Reading a book that I ought to have read in the Sixties has been an interesting experience - but an enjoyable one nonetheless.
Swallows and Amazons is elegantly crafted, and conjures a marvellous sense of what life may have been like in 1920s Lakeland Britain.
Despite being a kids' book, there is a wealth of contextual detail - and everything you need to know about how to sail a small dinghy! - in other words, plenty to enjoy while the happy little adventure unfolds.
Sure, there could have been a couple more twists in the tale to build the tension at times - but I don't think this was the author's purpose. I understand he wrote it with a particular family in mind - and to please them. So who am I to question a man who played chess with Lenin!
October 25, 2014
Eric Rambler
Last night (or, rather, this morning), suffering from jet lag, I finished my current Eric Ambler, Cause for Alarm.
Usually I only manage a handful of pages before I fall asleep, and I have found this series of 1930s espionage novels ideal bedtime reading.
There are generally few characters, a simple plot, and undemanding prose - so I can pick up where I dropped off the previous night, with little back-tracking.
I've been enjoying the insight these stories provide into pre-war Europe, at a time when movement across frontiers was still possible, if risky at times.
Ambler employs a recurring plot, in which a civilian protagonist finds himself embroiled - much to his annoyance - in some form of intelligence-related activity, and having to pit his wits against hardened professionals.
It's a clever device, and has kept me going through 4 books so far.
The latest is perhaps the weakest, a function of a promising first two-thirds that becomes a long and protracted attempt to escape from Italy, with the Fascisti in hot pursuit.
The hero takes refuge in the mountains with an insane mathematician who proceeds to ramble (over many pages!) on his theory of perpetual motion. Even then I could not sleep.
Quite what happened to Ambler when he was finishing this novel, I don't know, but I imagine with hindsight he would have liked to have revisited the last third.
However, I have just downloaded the next one, so no harm done as far as I'm concerned!
Usually I only manage a handful of pages before I fall asleep, and I have found this series of 1930s espionage novels ideal bedtime reading.
There are generally few characters, a simple plot, and undemanding prose - so I can pick up where I dropped off the previous night, with little back-tracking.
I've been enjoying the insight these stories provide into pre-war Europe, at a time when movement across frontiers was still possible, if risky at times.
Ambler employs a recurring plot, in which a civilian protagonist finds himself embroiled - much to his annoyance - in some form of intelligence-related activity, and having to pit his wits against hardened professionals.
It's a clever device, and has kept me going through 4 books so far.
The latest is perhaps the weakest, a function of a promising first two-thirds that becomes a long and protracted attempt to escape from Italy, with the Fascisti in hot pursuit.
The hero takes refuge in the mountains with an insane mathematician who proceeds to ramble (over many pages!) on his theory of perpetual motion. Even then I could not sleep.
Quite what happened to Ambler when he was finishing this novel, I don't know, but I imagine with hindsight he would have liked to have revisited the last third.
However, I have just downloaded the next one, so no harm done as far as I'm concerned!
October 8, 2014
Word of the day: bumfit
I've just been researching some local Cumbrian language (Cumbria being the larger geographical region that contains England's Lake District).
It seems that shepherds still count using the ancient Brittonic language that dates back to pre-Roman times, when the Britons spoke in something resembling modern-day Welsh.
And apparently different versions of this are used in many rural parts of the north of England to this day.
One-to-ten in Skelgill's stamping ground goes something like this:
1 yan, 2 tyan, 3 tethera, 4 methera, 5 pimp, 6 sethera, 7 lethera, 8 hovera, 9 dovera, 10 dick.
It seems that 15 is bumfit.
Needless to say, these will provide some entertainment in a forthcoming scene!
It seems that shepherds still count using the ancient Brittonic language that dates back to pre-Roman times, when the Britons spoke in something resembling modern-day Welsh.
And apparently different versions of this are used in many rural parts of the north of England to this day.
One-to-ten in Skelgill's stamping ground goes something like this:
1 yan, 2 tyan, 3 tethera, 4 methera, 5 pimp, 6 sethera, 7 lethera, 8 hovera, 9 dovera, 10 dick.
It seems that 15 is bumfit.
Needless to say, these will provide some entertainment in a forthcoming scene!
October 3, 2014
It makes a summer
Rather bizarrely, it may seem, I'm presently reading Swallows and Amazons for the first time.
I began this for research purposes - I felt it may have a bearing on my latest detective mystery, which is set on an imaginary Lakeland island.
However, what a beautifully written book!
It reads like the Famous Five with all the rough edges smoothed off. And quite a little adventure is developing.
There is an extraordinary attention to detail in the technical aspects of sailing - something I know next to nothing about. Yet, when viewed through the prism that is the perspective of the four children (competent sailors), this acquires an almost Zen-like elegance, if that makes sense.
I shall be interested to see what our ten-year-old makes of it when I pass it on!
I began this for research purposes - I felt it may have a bearing on my latest detective mystery, which is set on an imaginary Lakeland island.
However, what a beautifully written book!
It reads like the Famous Five with all the rough edges smoothed off. And quite a little adventure is developing.
There is an extraordinary attention to detail in the technical aspects of sailing - something I know next to nothing about. Yet, when viewed through the prism that is the perspective of the four children (competent sailors), this acquires an almost Zen-like elegance, if that makes sense.
I shall be interested to see what our ten-year-old makes of it when I pass it on!
September 18, 2014
Not quite Christie
I just completed Epitaph for a Spy by Eric Ambler.
This book is part of Ambler's informal 'amateur sleuth' series, and resembles an Agatha Christie whodunit, set in a hotel on France's Cote D'Azur. The protagonist - a stateless immigrant - finds himself press-ganged by the authorities to unmask a spy among the cast of residents.
I am enjoying the collection, but Ambler is no Agatha, and in this case the development of the various suspects felt somewhat superficial and random. I once heard Melvin Bragg comment that he imagined it would be simple to pen a Christie-like plot - but that when he tried he found it impossible.
Ambler's style is economical and easy to read, and the subject matter - mixed Europeans thrown together during the tense pre-War years - provides an informative insight into the times, and a credible backdrop against which the plot is acted out.
This book is part of Ambler's informal 'amateur sleuth' series, and resembles an Agatha Christie whodunit, set in a hotel on France's Cote D'Azur. The protagonist - a stateless immigrant - finds himself press-ganged by the authorities to unmask a spy among the cast of residents.
I am enjoying the collection, but Ambler is no Agatha, and in this case the development of the various suspects felt somewhat superficial and random. I once heard Melvin Bragg comment that he imagined it would be simple to pen a Christie-like plot - but that when he tried he found it impossible.
Ambler's style is economical and easy to read, and the subject matter - mixed Europeans thrown together during the tense pre-War years - provides an informative insight into the times, and a credible backdrop against which the plot is acted out.
September 9, 2014
Challenging and cheerless
The Ministry of Fear by Graham Greene is set against the backdrop of the London Blitz, with overtones of fifth columnists. As such, I found the book provided a fascinating - if perhaps unintended - insight into the wartime zeitgeist. This subject matter is certainly one of its strengths.
Greene's austere, melancholy style - though generally very readable - complements the setting, but also amplifies the somewhat depressing mood that pervades the novel.
The story itself has an amnesic protagonist (Arthur Rowe) - and the reader has to tolerate a correspondingly low level of understanding of just what is going on. At times I found myself skimming lengthy sections (for instance a 1000-word dream sequence in chapter 5), and by about halfway I was ready to give up as I began to find the reading becoming a chore. However, in the nick of time it exploded - in relative terms! - into action, and the plot began to unravel in a more satisfying manner.
Clearly a very good piece of work, though for me it would be about 3.5 stars.
Greene's austere, melancholy style - though generally very readable - complements the setting, but also amplifies the somewhat depressing mood that pervades the novel.
The story itself has an amnesic protagonist (Arthur Rowe) - and the reader has to tolerate a correspondingly low level of understanding of just what is going on. At times I found myself skimming lengthy sections (for instance a 1000-word dream sequence in chapter 5), and by about halfway I was ready to give up as I began to find the reading becoming a chore. However, in the nick of time it exploded - in relative terms! - into action, and the plot began to unravel in a more satisfying manner.
Clearly a very good piece of work, though for me it would be about 3.5 stars.
August 29, 2014
Whodunit?
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.
Firstly, I would like to include a trigger warning - as you will probably know the early editions of this book contained overtly racist language.
Originally published as Ten Little Niggers (I'll come to this shortly), it is a mystery about 10 largely unconnected people - each with a guilty secret - who are lured to an island off the Devon coast and who - as the narrative makes clear early on - are all going to die. But they are the only ones on the island!
As the corpses relentlessly pile up, tension builds among the dwindling survivors - meanwhile frustration grows for the reader, as the impossible seems to be happening!
It's a clever plot (all is revealed at the end), if a little far-fetched - but, hey - sometimes you have to give the author the benefit of the doubt in order to entertain!
In typical Christie fashion it is almost entirely plot-centric, and there is little of literary merit to get one's teeth into. In fact, technically, the writing isn't so hot. The setting is very stark (a 'modern' house), and so I also missed the usual nostalgia trip that goes with her novels. But it's all about the plot.
Regarding the former title, no such changes extend into the text of my edition, which sees the story unfold on Nigger Island (so named because it resembles the profile of a negro's head - one of the far-fetched aspects: that ancient Devonshire folk would invent such an appellation) and during which miniature statuettes and a nursery rhyme, both alluding to the original title, play an ongoing role. This aspect is more than a little unsettling.
Firstly, I would like to include a trigger warning - as you will probably know the early editions of this book contained overtly racist language.
Originally published as Ten Little Niggers (I'll come to this shortly), it is a mystery about 10 largely unconnected people - each with a guilty secret - who are lured to an island off the Devon coast and who - as the narrative makes clear early on - are all going to die. But they are the only ones on the island!
As the corpses relentlessly pile up, tension builds among the dwindling survivors - meanwhile frustration grows for the reader, as the impossible seems to be happening!
It's a clever plot (all is revealed at the end), if a little far-fetched - but, hey - sometimes you have to give the author the benefit of the doubt in order to entertain!
In typical Christie fashion it is almost entirely plot-centric, and there is little of literary merit to get one's teeth into. In fact, technically, the writing isn't so hot. The setting is very stark (a 'modern' house), and so I also missed the usual nostalgia trip that goes with her novels. But it's all about the plot.
Regarding the former title, no such changes extend into the text of my edition, which sees the story unfold on Nigger Island (so named because it resembles the profile of a negro's head - one of the far-fetched aspects: that ancient Devonshire folk would invent such an appellation) and during which miniature statuettes and a nursery rhyme, both alluding to the original title, play an ongoing role. This aspect is more than a little unsettling.
August 14, 2014
Short and sweet
Last night I finished Journey Into Fear by Eric Ambler.
Right from the beginning I was pleased each time I came back to this slow-paced thriller.
It is written in a plain style with relatively little use of literary techniques; nonetheless the atmosphere conveyed is powerful, and the title very apt.
Set in the run-up to WW2, it provides a fascinating insight into European/Middle Eastern relationships, at both a state and individual level.
In a nutshell the story follows a British arms expert who is trying to travel home from Turkey. Enemy powers would prefer him dead. He finds himself trapped aboard a ship with an uncooperative crew and sinister passengers… and a highly tempting femme fatale.
If I have a criticism, it is that the book finished before I was ready. While the core mystery is resolved, the overall conclusion is rather abrupt. Reading on a Kindle I wasn't paying particular attention to my % progress, and felt like I had another 30% or so to go.
Perhaps a good incentive to read the next one!
Right from the beginning I was pleased each time I came back to this slow-paced thriller.
It is written in a plain style with relatively little use of literary techniques; nonetheless the atmosphere conveyed is powerful, and the title very apt.
Set in the run-up to WW2, it provides a fascinating insight into European/Middle Eastern relationships, at both a state and individual level.
In a nutshell the story follows a British arms expert who is trying to travel home from Turkey. Enemy powers would prefer him dead. He finds himself trapped aboard a ship with an uncooperative crew and sinister passengers… and a highly tempting femme fatale.
If I have a criticism, it is that the book finished before I was ready. While the core mystery is resolved, the overall conclusion is rather abrupt. Reading on a Kindle I wasn't paying particular attention to my % progress, and felt like I had another 30% or so to go.
Perhaps a good incentive to read the next one!
August 7, 2014
Suits you, sir
I've just finished The Swimming-Pool Library by Alan Hollinghurst.
This traces a few months in the life of a young, gay, work-shy aristocrat living in central London in the 1980s.
If I comment according to my three S's - style, subject and story - it goes something like this:
Style. To keep up the alliteration, this book is stupendously well written, to a standard that one can only step back and admire. The pure craftsmanship of the language kept me going when the going got turgid, and I certainly learned a few new words - cunctatory being one (though its meaning turned out nowhere near as racy as I'd hoped).
Subject. I have swithered as to how to comment upon the subject matter - I guess for fear of offending anyone. However, the innocuous title gives no clue to the exploits that are reported at regular intervals, and so I think it is worth saying that, if explicit, intimate sex between men is something you don't want to read about, then avoid this novel.
Story. I found the plot - sadly - the weakest aspect of this book, and I would suggest it reads as more of a diary of the protagonist. I had hoped some great mystery would develop and unfold, but in fact the strand that showed the strongest potential in this regard rather withers from the narrative, while a second is left dangling.
Overall I enjoyed reading it - though I found it somewhat eye-watering* at times - a remarkable insight into a world I know little about; it is certainly a very high quality piece of literature.
This traces a few months in the life of a young, gay, work-shy aristocrat living in central London in the 1980s.
If I comment according to my three S's - style, subject and story - it goes something like this:
Style. To keep up the alliteration, this book is stupendously well written, to a standard that one can only step back and admire. The pure craftsmanship of the language kept me going when the going got turgid, and I certainly learned a few new words - cunctatory being one (though its meaning turned out nowhere near as racy as I'd hoped).
Subject. I have swithered as to how to comment upon the subject matter - I guess for fear of offending anyone. However, the innocuous title gives no clue to the exploits that are reported at regular intervals, and so I think it is worth saying that, if explicit, intimate sex between men is something you don't want to read about, then avoid this novel.
Story. I found the plot - sadly - the weakest aspect of this book, and I would suggest it reads as more of a diary of the protagonist. I had hoped some great mystery would develop and unfold, but in fact the strand that showed the strongest potential in this regard rather withers from the narrative, while a second is left dangling.
Overall I enjoyed reading it - though I found it somewhat eye-watering* at times - a remarkable insight into a world I know little about; it is certainly a very high quality piece of literature.
* This is a British euphemism for feeling vicarious pain!
