Trim the TBR—August Planning and Reporting

[DianeMP]

My #16 is Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier. Been looking forward to reading this one!

[Doughgirl5562]

The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer - 5* (624 pgs in hardback)

Description: In 1937 young Andras Levi, a Hungarian Jew, travels to Paris to study architecture. He carries with him a mysterious letter that he has been asked to deliver to a K Morgenstern. "k" is Klara Morgenstern, who carries a dark secret of her own. This epic novel is the story of their romance, relationship and lives- and the lives of their families. It's told against the backdrop of a Europe in which the evil of anti-Semitism and Nazi Germany's nationalist ambitions are bubbling to the top, eventually exploding into a world war. Part of the story is set in Paris, and part in Andras and Klara's native Budapest and Hungary.

My review:
This novel does several things excellently. One of those is to give the reader an idea of the incremental steps that led to WWII - and show the growth of antisemitism in Europe. (or should I say the growth of blatant and open antisemitism?). Step by step, bit by bit. First anti-Semitic thoughts and actions are in the dark and secret, then those with these thoughts start having meetings and gatherings, and form organizations and political parties. And their actions become accepted and get worse and more blatant, until … ..

On the positive side though, is the resilience of the human spirit - especially shown in many of the characters in this book. They carry on with their lives in as usual a way as they can - facing each challenge as best as they can. Living day by day as best as they can. Loving each other .. as best as they can.

That's not to say that all characters in the novel are shining examples of humanity. One of the things I liked best about this novel is how real the characters seemed. They have their shining moments - and their not so shining moments. This world is full of shades of grey, and this author showed that well.

A year ago I spent a few days in Budapest, Hungary while on a Danube river cruise. While there I made sure that I visited a certain memorial on the banks of the Danube River. The memorial is a number of pairs of empty shoes molded in iron. That’s all. Just lots of shoes. Very realistic, everyday, worn shoes. Men’s shoes, women’s shoes, and even some children’s shoes. The sign by the memorial reads "To the memory of the victims shot into the Danube by Arrow Cross militiamen in 1944–45”. (The Arrow Cross were homegrown Hungarian fascists who aligned with the Nazis.) Although only referred to briefly in this novel, by reading it I now have a much better understanding of how something so unthinkable to me actually happened.

If anyone is planning to visit Budapest, I urge you to take this book along or read it shortly before or after. And maybe visit the Shoes memorial on the Danube River and say a prayer for the souls of those lost in this tragedy.

[Kimber]

No. 30 - JUNE (read in August)

Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett
368 pages

Polly Perks' brother went off to fight in the war and never returned – his fate was a mystery. Polly decided to disguise herself as a man and become a soldier as well, with a goal of finding her brother and bringing him home. The adventures and challenges she encounters after signing up, and how the experience changes her, are the subject of this fantasy-adventure novel.

This is a novel of satire that pokes at the follies of war in a male-dominated society. It's brilliant and hilarious, full of the silly genius and the exposure of the absurdities of humans that has captured the hearts of so many Terry Pratchett fans. It's part of the Discworld series but can easily be read as a stand-alone book. Highly recommended to anyone who appreciates satire and doesn't take themselves to seriously.

[DianeMP]

his topic is about The Children of Men
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August 2019: 21st Century > The Children of Men by P.D. James> Crossposted to the August TRM (edit)

242 pages
3 stars
The human race has become infertile, and the last generation to be born is now adult. Civilization itself is crumbling as suicide and despair become commonplace. Oxford historian Theodore Faron, apathetic toward a future without a future, spends most of his time reminiscing. Then he is approached by Julian, a bright, attractive woman who wants him to help get her an audience with the cousin, the powerful Warden of England. She and her band of unlikely revolutionaries may just awaken his desire to live. . . and they may also hold the key to survival for the human race.
Generally I liked the book. It seemed to be a little light on the details of the basic storyline. It read more like a short story. Nine times out of ten the book is much better than the movie interpretation. But this may be that one of ten where the movie was better than the book. The movie supplies more details and feels more fleshed out than the book. An example of this would be the difference between the way immigration is handled in the book as opposed to the movie. The book glosses over the overall treatment of the subject, but the movie is much more specific in the way immigrants were treated. All in all I liked the book, but loved the movie.

[Nicole R]

Points for August have been calculated! Please feel free to double check the spreadsheet to make sure I got your reads recorded correctly. You can find then in the last tab of the tracking spreadsheet.

If you have a question about the scoring, please send me a private message.