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

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

My Antonia

I will probably not read this book this month but may get to it next month. It's a little too heavy material for me right now with everything going on in my life (busy getting my dad's house ready to sell). Is anyone planning on reading it?

Glad you are safe Samantha!

I can’t even imagine, Samantha! Good luck.

I always think of you Samantha when I see bad storms in that area! Stay safe.

We still have another month before we break out jackets and sweaters! Our lows are 59-60, which feels great in the morning. Heats up to high 80s, still a little warm. I’m off for a morning walk before attacking my garage. I’m storing a lot of stuff from my dad’s house and have to sort through consignment store and donate and keep (hopefully, very little!) A lot has already been donated or tossed.

Have a lovely day everyone! 🌻🦋🌈☀️

I picked up 3 books at Goodwill today. One is a classic, So Disdained by Nevil Shute, his 2nd novel (published in 1928). I’ve never heard of this one but I’ve enjoyed previous books by Shute. I’ll see how it compares!

Chad wrote: "It’s only been a few days and I already have my wife calling random things “beef”. “This is good beef”, “we need some beef”. God bless her, how quickly she picks up my insanity and just runs with it."

That's hilarious! I thought the term "beef" was funny. I really loved the voice of the narrator when he was reading the Fon's part. I felt like I could picture this over-the-top character. One thing that I didn't understand was why the main character would speak to the locals in pidgin. I kept thinking that if he spoke in regular English that maybe their English would improve.

Has anyone read any other books by Durrell? I'd like to read another one. My mom really enjoyed the TV show The Durrells in Corfu. I only watched the first episode but am thinking about reading the book it's based on or watching the rest of the series or maybe both. I'm so glad that this author was selected because I had been wanting to read something by him and needed that little push.

Jen - I will have to read another one of his books and pay more attention to that aspect you’re talking about. I’m finding that Latin American literature has a very different feel, at least to me, than European and American. Certainly the role of women and the way they are treated is very different. It’s taking me awhile to appreciate these authors and it’s hit or miss whether I like the books. This one was a hit for me. I’m still very new to this part of the world and magic realism. I think I will start taking more notes while I’m reading to capture some of my thoughts on the style.

My comment on the RomCom scene didn’t even occur to me until I posted my comment. When I read that section, I could picture the scene being in a movie and I felt so happy for Gabriela! It was a really joyful, liberating scene. She was like a breath of fresh air to this community. I feel like it’s rare I read a book where I’m cheering for the main character. That’s more of a feeling that I have while watching a movie.

Congrats Samantha and good luck with your last semester! I know that’s a good feeling.

Jen - I didn’t get that feeling from the book. Did you read far enough to meet Gabriela? There certainly wasn’t any women’s lib in 1920s Brazil and women weren’t treated that well. You will see that in other Latin American literature. (I was disturbed by a V.S. Naipaul book in which women and children were regularly beaten by the husband/father.) Women's societal roles (being subordinate to men) in Latin American countries were (and may still be) strongly impacted by the cultural patriarchal traditions. Is it possible that’s what you were feeling? I didn’t read any negative reviews.

I felt like Gabriela helped change the culture in the village. She was such a free and loving spirit! There was one scene when she did something unexpected (probably shocking initially) and it had such a positive effect on everyone. That was my favorite scene. It felt like something you would see in a RomCom movie. I feel like she had a transformative (magical?) effect on the village.

Leona - I’m glad you still managed to have a good time with your family at the fair despite the weather. Our fair starts on Sept 5. I have a hard time finding anyone to go with but may go by myself this year if none of my friends are interested. They have a $2 entrance special on the opening day Thursday so I’m looking at that day. I never go on the weekends because it’s jam packed! After the fair, we have 3 days of Globalquerque (global music festival) and the next day the Albuquerque Folk Festival, which is my favorite event of the year. Then, the week after that is Balloon Fiesta. So, lots of fun events coming up plus much cooler weather!

Chad - I haven’t had a magazine subscription in decades! I used to get one with my Ancestry membership back in 2001! I still have a few of them that have relevant research info. Our libraries have a large selection of magazines so I could just read them there or on Libby. Libby has over 100 magazines to choose from. So, maybe subscriptions are a bit obsolete, like newspapers. It doesn’t seem like people get them delivered any more.

Jen - Sorry to hear that. There’s been a few this year that I didn’t finish either. Amado is one Latin American authors that I do plan to read again. Some of the others I didn’t like as well.

In September, we are reading The President (also published as Mr. President) by Nobel Prize-winning Guatemalan writer and diplomat Miguel Angel Asturias (1899-1974). The novel was published as El señor presidente in 1946 in Spanish. This book is one of the most notable works of the dictator novel genre. Asturias was also an early user of the magic realism literary technique. He also used satire and other literary techniques such as dream imagery, onomatopoeia, simile, and repetition of particular phrases, and a discontinuous structure. This style influenced a generation of Latin American authors.

The President is the story of a ruthless dictator and his schemes to dispose of his political adversary. It explores the nature of political dictatorship and its effects on society. Asturias developed the novel from an earlier short story, which he wrote as a protest of social injustice in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in his hometown. The title character was inspired by the 1898–1920 presidency of Manuel Estrada Cabrera. Some major themes in the book include Reality vs. Dream, Writing as a Medium of Power, Hope, Tyranny and Alienation, and Fertility (positive force of nature) and Destruction.

Asturias began writing the novel in the 1920s and finished it in 1933, but the strict censorship policies of Guatemalan dictatorial governments delayed its publication for thirteen years. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1967 for his lifetime work. This recognition was viewed as an accomplishment for Latin American literature as a whole, rather than the achievement of a single author or country. Upon receiving the prize, Asturias spoke about the possibility of forging a new style of novel in Latin America, drawing on the region's indigenous heritage. This new style would make the novel a vehicle of hope and light in what he termed "this night that threatens us now".

Who's interested in diving into this work? It sounds intriguing to me, especially with the magic realism aspect combined with the terrible conditions of living under a dictatorship.

Source: Wikipedia

Rosemarie- I realize that. 😀 I was just agreeing with the idea that as soon as you wash your car it rains! That’s always been my luck. Usually the rain we get is just enough to get your car dirty. We do occasionally get a downpour with flash flood warnings. We only get on average 9 inches of precipitation a year, which is like nothing!

Rosemarie - No, it’s not a joke, especially during monsoon season! 😂 I did once seriously do a rain dance. We were so desperate for rain! I can’t remember if it worked, though. We are finally out of the 90s and starting to get some rain. I’m so thankful! Fall is my favorite season and it’s almost here.

That sounds pretty awesome Leona! I have some yarn skeins and Christmas-pattern fabric, of my mom’s, to donate. There’s a knitting group near my house and I’m going to see if they want the stuff. I hate to throw it out. I used to knit when I was a kid but can’t see myself taking it up again, although it is relaxing. I just don’t know what I would make! What do you like to make Leona?

Thanks everyone for your supporting words. Yes, I have help - a brother who lives here and another brother who came in town for the past week. We have different ideas on how to proceed though which is making it stressful for me. I did bring home a bookshelf today which makes me happy since I’ve been squirreling away books in my bedroom closet. Now they have a home! 😀

70a sounds wonderful! We’re supposed to hit 99 today. Another week until we hit the high 80s, which is still hot!

I’m still working on getting rid of everything, except for the staging furniture, at my dad’s house. Donation, trash, consignment, whatever it takes. We’re getting there but it’s not a fun process. I brought home a few more things, including end tables, than I planned. But, that means I was able to get rid of some of our old furniture. I’m going to need a vacation once the house sells!

Chad - that’s the same thing that I do with journaling. I’m surprised at how quick I forget what I’ve read. If I try to write a review on GR, I feel like it takes me forever to get it worded the way I want it! I’d rather just start a new book. I am always appreciative of those people who take the time to write reviews.