Book Concierge’s Comments (group member since Feb 12, 2016)

Book Concierge’s comments from the Who Doesn't Love a Classic? group.

I may be stretching the definition of "classic" here. The book wasn't published until 1971, a year after Forster's death. However, it was written from 1913-1914, so it's really 100 years old....


Maurice – E M Forster
4****

Written between 1913 and 1914, Forster’s novel of a young man’s awakening homosexuality was not published until 1971, a year after the author’s death. The novel caused a sensation when it was released, not just because of the subject matter, but because Forster dared to write a “happy ending.”

Still, there is much distress for Maurice as he comes to terms with his “inclinations” and struggles to form a relationship that will be honest and true. But then, many a heterosexual young person also struggles to find true love and acceptance.

I loved the way that Forster developed this character, showing Maurice’s confusion and naivete as a young man at boarding school, his headlong reckless nature as he pursued his pleasure and found first love, his despair when he thought all was lost and felt compelled to “find a cure” for his condition, and his eventual awakening to the possibilities that a mature and loving relationship might offer him.

I was appalled by some of the attitudes expressed in the novel, but sadly recognize some of the same behavior in current society. While much has changed in regard to societal attitudes about homosexuality in the hundred years since the book was written, and even in the nearly 50 years since it was first published, there is still hatred and persecution aimed at the members of the GLBT community.

Death in the Clouds – Agatha Christie
3***

Hercule Poirot is flying back to London from Paris along with ten other passengers. From his seat (No. 9), he should have a clear view of all that’s happening, except that he sleeps through most of the flight. When he’s disturbed it’s to discover that a woman has died, apparently from a wasp sting. Or was it murder?

Christie’s Belgian detective has become my go-to comfort read. I never tire of watching Poirot exercise his “little gray cells” to the amusement and astonishment of fellow investigators, suspects, innocent bystanders, and, of course, the culprit. I was startled by several racist terms and condescending statements regarding women, but I recognize this work is a product of the times in which it was written, and prevailing attitudes in that era.

This is number twelve in the series, but readers do NOT really need to consume them in any specific order; they are more like stand-alone novels, featuring the same detective.


LINK to my review

Eligible – Curtis Sittenfeld – 4****
The subtitle is all the synopsis you need: A Modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice. This is the fourth installment of the planned retellings that comprise The Austen Project, wherein contemporary authors tackle one of Austen’s works and reimagine it in a modern setting. All told, I found it entertaining and fun. Definitely helps if you’ve read the original, though it spoils any surprises as you anticipate “when will they …?” or “how will she include …..?”
LINK to my review

RW wrote: "Hi all! I'm a migrant from the Shelfari days, and I'm happy that I've [finally] done the move and re-joined the group! I'm "classically" trained, but love all types of books :-)"

Welcome, RW ... glad you found us!

NONfiction memoir .... first published 1942.


West With the Night – Beryl Markham – 5*****
Markham was an independent woman who lived life to the fullest, and on her own terms. While there has been significant controversy over whether she actually wrote this memoir (vs her third husband ghost-writing it for her), I still highly recommend it! Full of vivid imagery and really gives a sense of what life was like for the colonialists in Kenya in the early part of the 20th century.
LINK to my review

The Penelopiad – Margaret Atwood – 3***
Atwood takes the story of the faithful Penelope, waiting 20 years for Odysseus to return from the Trojan War, and reimagines it. I liked this intelligent, savvy woman.
LINK to my review

Happy Belated Birthday to our Mother Panda ... March 24 (if memory serves)

Karin wrote: "Book Concierge wrote: "I remember having to read this in high school ...

And I seem to recall that there was a Broadway musical based on this work as well .... off to google that."

I'd like to know about that musical if you find it...."

Here's the Wikipedia page about it.

I remember having to read this in high school ...

And I seem to recall that there was a Broadway musical based on this work as well .... off to google that.

The Quiet American – Graham Greene
Book on CD read by Joseph Porter
3***

Adapted from the book jacket: Green’s experiences as a journalist covering the French war in Indochina provided the material for the story of Fowler, a world-weary British journalist, and Pyle, an idealistic and naïve “quiet American” who blindly applies his academic theories to a political situation he doesn’t quite grasp. The relentless struggle of the Vietminh guerrillas for independence and the futility of the French gestures of resistance become inseparably meshed with the personal and moral dilemmas of these two men and the Vietnamese woman they both love.

My reactions
This has been cited as the quintessential book about Vietnam, especially the conflict begun with the French war. I don’t know if I would agree, but it’s definitely a good book about what was happening in the country during the mid-1950s. The reader gets some inkling of the politics of the era, but is more consumed by the personal drama of these two men and the Vietnamese woman they both say they love.

I found it very atmospheric. I’ve been to Vietnam, and recognized several of the landmarks mentioned – I even stayed at the Majestic hotel – so that really brought the novel to life for me. That being said, I really wish that Greene had given me more of the politics and important issues of the era rather than focus so much on the love triangle. I disliked both Fowler and Pyle; and I didn’t perceive Pyle as naïve or idealistic, but as duplicitous and cunning. Their fighting over Phuong seemed like the stuff of junior high.

None of this was helped by Joseph Porter’s performance on the audio. If I could rate him separately he’d get a zero. His voice is nasal and irritating. His “American” accent is appallingly bad (he makes Bostonian Pyle sound like a Texan). And his pace is slow. I read sections because listening was just driving me crazy. If there are other audio versions with different narrators, try one of those. Stay away from Porter.


LINK to my review

Maybe I should try this in audio ....

Exodus – Leon Uris – 3.5***
This is an epic novel covering the history of the Jewish people’s efforts to return to Palestine and form an independent state. I felt that Uris couldn’t make up his mind whether he was writing an epic romance, a war novel or a history of the formation of Israel. It certainly made me think. And I’m glad I finally read this novel.
LINK to my review

First published in 1988, this is too new to be a classic. But it's very good ...



Breathing Lessons – Anne Tyler – 4****
I’ve had this on my TBR for ages, and just never got to it. I wish I hadn’t waited so long, but then again, maybe my own years of marriage help me better understand Maggie and Ira’s relationship. I love the way Tyler reveals her characters to the reader. Their actions – small and large – and statements show the reader who these people are. Their hopes, dreams, frustrations, and regrets become evident over the course of the novel. Their lives may be ordinary; the novel is anything but.
LINK to my review

I actually liked this more than Gatsby. But again, Fitzgerald writes about people who are so unlikeable it makes it difficult for me to get past that.

Jan 03 - Currently Reading

TEXT - The Shooting / James Boice
AUDIO in the car - Portrait in Sepia / Isabel Allende
MP3 Player AUDIO - A Constellation of Vital Phenomena / Anthony Marra

We LOVE the classics, but it's not all we read!

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The Prince and the Pauper - Mark Twain
Book on CD narrated by Steve West.
4****

Two boys born on the same day in very different circumstances meet and discover they each envy the other’s experiences. But only when they exchange clothes do they realize how identical they are in looks. So much so that Edward, Prince of Wales, is ejected from the palace as a beggar, while the pauper Tom Canty is accepted as the prince, despite their protests to the contrary.

This is a wonderful classic that explores the difference in class in 16th century England, and the ways that appearance effects how one is treated. Both boys learn much from their experience as “the other.” Tom learns that a life of luxury is not all it’s cracked up to be; he chafes against the restrictions on his movements, the requirements for certain study, the constant presence of servants and guardians. Edward learns first-hand of the harsh life of his poorest subjects: their reliance on begging, the unfairness of the legal system, the lack of opportunities to improve their lot.

Tom uses his new-found position to change some of the laws of the land. Edward learns the value of compassion and kindness. It’s a wonderful lesson in “walking in the other person’s shoes.”

One thing that was a little difficult, though was Twain’s use of 16th-century English: “Dost not know thy father, child?” is one fairly easy example, but much of the dialect used makes it that much more difficult for a reader to appreciate the story. Still, it’s worth the effort to persevere. And I would recommend listening to the audio.

There are many editions of this classic available. The hardcover text edition I used to supplement my listening was the Oxford Mark Twain with an introduction by Judith Martin and an afterword by Everett Emerson. It includes nearly 200 illustrations by Beverly R David and Ray Sapirstein. It’s really a physically beautiful book.

The audio edition I listened to was narrated by Steve West. He did a fine job. He has good pacing, and enough skill as a voice artist to differentiate the various characters.

LINK to my review

A Christmas Memory - Truman Capote – 5***** and a ❤
Capote was a gloriously talented writer and he is at his best here. The reader feels the anticipation of a child, smells the piney woods, shivers in the crisp morning, and is comforted in the warmth of love.
His writing is never so brilliant as when he is mining his childhood for stories such as this. The emotion is evident and genuine. His descriptions are gloriously vivid without overwhelming the story. The lessons learned – about kindness, tolerance, family, love and forgiveness – are gently told but ring loud and clear in the reader’s heart.
LINK to my review

Our Souls At Night - Kent Haruf - 5*****
In the small (fictional) town of Holt, Colorado, Addie Moore drops in on her neighbor, Louis Waters one evening, and asks if he isn’t as lonesome for conversation and companionship as she is. What follows is a beautifully written story of a mature couple in a different, but very loving, relationship. The strength and dignity with which they faced life endeared them to me.
LINK to my review