Doug Lewars's Blog, page 10

Love Everlasting

Love Everlasting: Love Letters From Famous Men by Various

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

The most positive thing I can say about this book is it's blessedly short. There is, however, a lesson to be learned from it. If you MUST write to the love of your life, write about the weather or perhaps what you had for supper the night before.



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Allan Quartermain

Allan Quartermain by H. Rider Haggard

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Before reading this book, I checked the reviews, and someone giving the book a '1' complained it contained "racist, paternalistic, misogynistic, and wealth-privileged themes". In short, all the good stuff. Well, with such a rave review I naturally had to read it and not only did it contain those but a good adventure story as well. If you're on the left of the political spectrum, you may want to pass this one by; however, if you're right of center, jump in and enjoy.



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Cold Comfort Farm

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This was not the laugh-riot it was made out to be. There were a few smiles but that was about it. The story was okay and kept moving but the satire didn't work particularly well. Perhaps if I was an English major specializing in late 19th century and early 20th century works, it might have had me rolling on the floor but most of the references went over my head even though I've read Hardy and Lawrence. It's not a long book so if you want a mildly interesting story about a well organized proper lady going into a rural mess and cleaning it up, you may enjoy it. The principle character reminded me a bit of Marry Poppins without the music or magic.



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The Last Chairlift

The Last Chairlift by John Irving

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I liked this book although I don't believe it is for everyone and I didn't like it as much as some of Irving's other work. To start with it is over 800 pages long and leaning in the direction of 900. It is not a page-turner. It is not the sort of book you find impossible to put down. It is, in fact, distressingly easy to put down. After two weeks I was only 79 pages into in and concluded I'd never finish it in the three weeks library loan period, not even if I renewed it the two times allowed. The solution was to abandon the print copy and switch to audio format. That way I could listen to it in the background while doing chores or having meals. It's quite pleasant that way.

About the book itself. There isn't a central conflict and therefore no a single plot. It's more anecdotal. For readers of a certain age, imagine when you were a kid and relatives came to visit. You're sitting around because you have to be polite but might prefer to be elsewhere. They start chatting about people you hardly know but some of the stories are sort of interesting. They're sort of along the lines of, 'Remember old Aunt Martha and the time she was looking after Uncle Albert when ..." and you perk up your ears because the tale is amusing and possibly intriguing. In addition it's comfortable sitting and listening. This book makes you feel much the same way. Some, not all, of the characters are interesting as are some of the anecdotes. It was enough to keep me listening.

There are some things about the book I didn't like. Some of the scenes are presented in the form of a movie script. I found that tedious and annoying. Yes, it conveyed the action in a succinct manner, but was lacking drama. Plus the script seemed to go on for ever and ever. I was glad to get back to having the story dramatized instead of merely reported. Another thing I didn't care for was the repetition. The author dwells on certain scenes over and over and over. By about the third time I found myself wincing. Also there was one scene, and I don't remember the exact quote, but it went something like, 'Tarzan looked as if he would have preferred to face a crocodile rather than hear more confessing". I felt the same.

The author did take a dig at other writers, among which I include myself when he referred to 'old-fashioned, plot-driven novels'. I think it breaks down about 60% of readers prefer character-driven work while 40% prefer plot-dominant books. I'm among the minority although Mr. Irving made this one sufficiently interesting I didn't abandon it.

There's a fair bit of politics in the book but the author doesn't preach so I found it tolerable. Near the end he becomes a bit unpleasant but by that time I figured I might just as well shrug and finish the book. If your politics are left of center I think you'll love this one. If you are to the right, you will likely find yourself wrinkling your nose in places but he doesn't overdo it to the point you might toss your tablet or reader across the room.

In general I think the book is worth while but I strongly recommend the audio format.



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The Darling Buds of May

The Darling Buds of May by H.E. Bates

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This wasn't a bad book but I had to DNF it. The characters from Inland Revenue was so utterly cringe I had to abandon the book. If, on the other hand, you can stomach that sort of thing the book might be well worth reading.

It's a satire, a very subtle one but a satire nonetheless. The chief target is conformity. Society in general is presented in the form of a tax collector his is thin, bland, easily influenced by a pretty face, and eats only eggs. This is contrasted with a family of totally free-spirited rule breakers. I can see how this wold work in the television series, perhaps something like Summer Wine, but in book form it was painful for me to read.

It happens Firefox provides a series of suggested links when I open a new page. I glanced over these 21. Two were ads and of the remaining 19, 11 were suggestions, basically of the form, 'what you SHOULD do to improve (this or that)'. This book pokes fun at proper nutrition, exercise, and keeping your weight down in order to be healthy. Here we have presented a family having a fine old time breaking all these 'should' rules and indulging themselves. In short, if you like satire and can tolerate the cringe portrayal of the man from Inland Revenue this book is for you, but if you hate cringe then stay away.



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Jeeves and the Wedding Bells

Jeeves and the Wedding Bells by Sebastian Faulks

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***
This is fan fiction which I normally don't read but finding Wodehouse books not yet read is becoming increasingly difficult so I thought I'd give this a try. It wasn't bad but not great either. Possibly part of the problem was the reader in the audio version. It might have been more appealing in print. By the time I reached the end of the book I was used to the voice but it was a bit jarring to begin with after the Wodehouse Jeeves readings.

There was nothing I cold put my finger on which was bad; however, while the author captured the flavour of the stories, he didn't achieve the humour. This book is okay if you need a bit of Jeeves and Wooster. Just don't expect too much. There isn't much there.



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Love Among the Chickens

Love Among the Chickens by P.G. Wodehouse

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Although not among P. G. Wodehouse's best works, this is still an entertaining story. He overlooked some of the best opportunities for farce with the chickens and concentrated more on the love story. An exception is the scene involving Aunt Elizabeth which was very well done. If you like Wodehouse I think this book is worth reading. Just don't expect quite as much from it as from some of the others.



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The Girl on the Boat

The Girl on the Boat by P.G. Wodehouse

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This is typical Wodehouse and very funny. I believe older readers would find this more entertaining than younger ones. I do, however, recommend it for any writing wishing to add humour to his story. Wodehouse provides a master class on the subject.



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The Valley of Fear

The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This is really two stories in one. The first is a murder Sherlock Holmes must solve although I can't say it was all that mysterious as even I figured it out and I almost never solve mystery stories. Still, it was well written, quick moving and held my interest. The second part is a story related by another individual altogether and one in which Holmes plays no part. It too came as a bit of a surprise and the reveal at the end was pretty good. For those who are true Sherlock Holmes aficionados, I'm not sure this is among the best but anyone who merely likes the Holmes story but isn't totally dedicated to them, I think this is a perfectly good one.



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This Charming Man

This Charming Man by C.K. McDonnell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

A nice combination of fantasy, adventure and humour with the emphasis on the latter. I this one there are a bunch of vampires running around creating problems and it's up to investigative reporting combined with police work to thwart them. Meanwhile the author is building up lots of bad guys for future books, always a wise thing to do. If you're looking for realism, this book isn't for you. Likewise a tiny bit of character building slipped in but for the most part those who like deep analytical insights into the inner depths of character should look elsewhere. Basically if you enjoy farce I think you'll like it.



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