Pam’s Comments (group member since Jul 12, 2018)

Pam’s comments from the Never too Late to Read Classics group.

I just started A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes. It was published in 1929 and there was a film adaptation in 1965. So far, so good but I’m only 50 pages into it.

Thank you John for the suggestion! I added it to my TBR. My library only has his books in Spanish. I’ll give it a try!

I’m reading James and the Giant Peach for the first time. It’s fun and I’m enjoying it! I’ve got to watch the movie after I finish it. Our city library is doing a Roald Dahl movie series this month, showing his movies at different library branches. I love this idea for kids. Last year I read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the Glass Elevator sequel. I read Skin and Other Stories several years ago but don’t remember anything about it. And, I love Matilda - the book and the movie! I read that there is a film adaptation (Dec 2022) of Matilda the Musical. I’ll have to check that out! Has anyone seen it?

I may have to pass on Earthlight. Sorry. I feel like I’ve over committed myself between Buddy reads, group reads, book club reads and my personal commitment to reading books I own. I do own 2001: Space Odyssey so I will commit to reading that one, for now.

This may or may not be classics related but for anyone interested - The podcast Strong Sense of Place, which features a different locale for each episode, to visit and discuss books, is featuring 2 Latin American countries in the current season 5. They are March 6: Jamaica and June 26: Argentina. I'm hoping they include some classics! If you like literature related podcasts, I highly recommend this one.

kubelot wrote: "Miguel Street - 4 stars
it was the first novel by V.S. Naipaul i've read, but for sure not the last one.

Reminded me strong of Bohumil Hrabal and his biog..."

Kubelot - I'm going to try to find that one! I've not read anything by V.S. Naipaul but that sounds like a good starting point. The GR description says that it has "Dickensian verve and Chekhovian compassion". I don't really know what that means but it sounds like something good! And, it's only 222 pages. I am struggling to finish long books so this is a good length for me.

Lorraine wrote: "Pam wrote: "Lorraine wrote: "I found Jacques Roumain book in French at the used book store... At the back it has a quote from one of our greatest writer who is from Haiti: Dany Leferrière saying th..."

Lorraine - I had mixed feelings on Dany Leferriere's book I am a Japanese Writer but I want to eventually read another book by him. Do you have any suggestions? Are any of his books set in Haiti? This book was very different (quirky is how I described it in my review) but it certainly kept me interested.

Dolphin Island 188
Masters of the Dew 180

Group Total to Date: 36,074

Lorraine wrote: "I found Jacques Roumain book in French at the used book store... At the back it has a quote from one of our greatest writer who is from Haiti: Dany Leferrière saying that anywhere in the world, if he is asked to recommend an haitian book, he suggests this one!. ..."

Lorraine - I recently read a book by Haitain-Canadian author Dany Leferriere and ironically the title was I am a Japanese Writer!

I started Masters of the Dew by Haitian author Jacques Roumain. When we first started talking about a Latin American buddy read, I was thinking it would be exclusively authors who wrote in Spanish or Portuguese. I didn't even think about French! The 2 official languages in Haiti are French and Haitian Creole. The French rule lasted from 1625-1804 and the Haitian Revolution, inspired by the French Revolution, covered the years 1791-1804.

From Wiki: Here's some background info on the author Jacques Roumain:

Roumain (1907-1944) was a Haitian writer, politician, and advocate of Marxism and considered one of the most prominent figures in Haitian literature. He was active in the struggle against the United States' occupation of Haiti (1915-1934) and founded the Haitian Communist Party in 1934. He was often arrested and finally exiled by then President Sténio Vincent. During his exile, Roumain worked with and befriended many prominent pan-African writers and poets of the time, including Langston Hughes. With a change in Haitian government, Roumain returned to Haiti. and founded the Office of Ethnology. In 1943, he was appointed chargé d'affaires in Mexico, where he completed two of his most influential books, the poetry collection Bois D'ébène (Ebony Wood) and the novel, Gouverneurs de la Rosée (Masters of the Dew). Much of his work expresses the frustration and rage of people who have been downtrodden for centuries.

Penelope wrote: "Is anyone else reading Three Trapped Tigers by Guillermo Cabrera Infante? I am listening to the audio narrated by Enrico Mario Santi. It is excellent, laugh out loud fu..."

Penelope - I am glad that you are enjoying it! I don't think my library has the English edition. I requested the Spanish edition but didn't even attempt it since it was 487 pages! I see that the author has some shorter novels which fall outside of the classic period. I may break down and buy the book. I've read that it has an experimental style and is rich in literary allusions and colloquial variations. I was afraid that I would struggle with the Spanish because of this style. I think I would enjoy the English, though, especially if there are footnotes.

Here's a little background info on the author Guillermo Cabrera Infante since the GR info is in Spanish. From Wiki:

Infante, 1929-2005, was a Cuban novelist, essayist, translator, screenwriter, and critic. He was a one-time supporter of the politics of Fidel Castro but after falling out of favor with the Castro regime, he served as a cultural attaché in Brussels, Belgium. During this time his sentiments turned against the Castro regime, and he went into exile in Madrid, and later London, in 1965. He is best known for the novel Tres tristes tigres, published in English as Three Trapped Tigers, which has been compared favorably to James Joyce's Ulysses. In 1997, Infante was awarded the Premio Cervantes Prize, honoring the lifetime achievement of an outstanding writer in the Spanish language.

Rosemarie - No, I don’t see the edition I’m reading. It’s the 1947 hardcover published by Reynal & Hitchcock. Thank you, though, for looking.

I just started Masters of the Dew by Haitian author Jacques Roumain. I’m reading the first edition published in English, with an introduction by Langston Hughes, but I don’t see it in Goodreads. Is there a way I can add it or request it be added. So far, I like it. It’s fairly short at 180 pages.

Mike - I like your idea Re: short stories. I always plan to do that but never do. I usually just comment on the ones I liked. My problem is I have a pre-printed journal with only one small page per book. There’s not enough room to comment on a large collection but I could spread it out to 2-3 pages. One thing I do, especially when I read on my phone, is start a Notes page on my phone and add to it as I go. It’s really quick if you copy and paste quotes or dictate. When I’m done with the book, I go back to the Note page and add to my journal the quotes/ideas I want to remember.

I read The Westing Game last year. I didn’t like it either. I felt like it was silly and contrived. I did not read it as a kid.

I’m glad to see all of this discussion, especially differing points of view! I haven’t finished any books by these authors yet but struggled w Alejo Carpentier. I agree with Kubelot about his writing being dense. In The Lost Steps, he goes off on a 4-5 page tangent talking about Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, which I don’t know why it is relevant to the story. I decided to return the book to the library. I’m going to try a Haitian author next. At some point, I will pick up A House for Mr. Biswas.

Earthlight sounds good to me.

I’m almost finished wit Arthur C. Clarke’s mid-grade book Dolphin island, published in 1963.

My ILL hold for Roumain’s “Master of the Dew” just came in. I have it until May so I’m going to wait until February to read it because, of course, another book with only 3 weeks on it came in the same day! This library book is a first edition in English published in 1947. I’m surprised they still have this edition! It still has the checkout page with a date stamp going back to 1959.

The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame 58 pp
Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke 243 pp

Total to date: 16,620