Reading the 20th Century discussion
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What books are you reading now? (2020)
I didn't make any comment about it because Elizabeth had it covered.
Jan C wrote: "I didn't make any comment about it because Elizabeth had it covered."I understood that bit.
P.S. I have asked you for clarifications the other way around, but I always tried an internet search first.
Jan C wrote: "I noticed it too! The only estate near me is Biltmore. "I've been there - it's a very nice estate to have nearby. I'd like to visit more often but they always seem to want to make me pay mucho money when they invite me back. Some hosts, those Biltmores.
We almost went one Thanksgiving years ago - I don't think we were willing to pony up $150 for three of us. I think the price is still the same.They did close for a while for the quarantine but I think they have re-opened by now. And since we can now go to museums again they must be open.
I have no estates near me. I did actually understand the differences in the usage between the UK and USA. i believe my comment was that the differences are interesting: Interesting difference in word usage.
Steinbeck’s second work, published in 1932, is a series of interconnected short stories about a valley near Salinas, California. The stories take place in the 1800s. As with many short story collections, some are more appealing than others. They are written in Steinbeck’s flowing literary style. This book captures the irony of living in a “heavenly” valley while experiencing pain and suffering. It is easy to find comparisons to the Garden of Eden. The Pastures of Heaven by John Steinbeck - 3 stars - My Full Review
"Jan C wrote: "I noticed it too! The only estate near me is Biltmore. "Today, I received another invite to visit so, for anyone interested, this is an example of a plush high class American/North Carolina estate: https://www.biltmore.com/visit/
I've started.Blitz Spirit: Voices of Britain Living Through Crisis, 1939-1945 which is a collection of diary entries from the 'mass observation' project. This was started in 1937 and its aim was to record the voices of ordinary people during extraordinary times. It's a collection of diary entries from all sorts of people during the war. It's available on Netgalley now for anyone is interested.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I have no estates near me. I did actually understand the differences in the usage between the UK and USA. i believe my comment was that the differences are interesting: Interesting difference in wo..."Elizabeth: you are, as you know, correct.
Reading authors and settings from different countries allows us to see both our differences and our sameness. I probably read as much or more UK literature (and did before this group) as from the US. I also read other countries, but perhaps those get lumped together in a third group.
I find the differences and similarities interesting too; our countries have influenced a lot of the planet between them.I also read quite a lot of (mainland) European literature; the differences and similarities are interesting there as well.
Brian wrote: " "Jan C wrote: "I noticed it too! The only estate near me is Biltmore. "Today, I received another invite to visit so, for anyone interested, this is an example of a plush high class American/Nort..."
That looks lovely Brian. I'd definitely go if I lived nearby. Perhaps only once though, at those prices! :-) I can see why you don't pop in more often. Beautiful place though.
I saw a documentary a few months back about Edith Wharton's house, which I also liked very much. If I remember rightly she designed it herself. I have only just discovered her as an author so I'm planning on trying to squeeze some of her work in to my reading list next year.
I recently read The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton in another group. One member posted the following:"Today I saw this article online about Edith Wharton's summer home in the Berkshires. And it has so many beautiful pictures of the grounds and also inside the home!!"
https://habituallychic.luxury/2020/08...
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On Edith Wharton: Edith Newbold Jones was born into such wealth and privilege that her family inspired the phrase "keeping up with the Joneses."I have always thought of an estate as being so much more than a mansion. An mansion in NYC, for example (thinking of the Astors) would not qualify as an estate. An estate also comprises a grounds. In my UK reading, I often think of these when they refer to a park and woods as being part of the home. (Home is not a big enough word, but cannot latch on to another this minute.)
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Yes, I think of an estate as including land whether a park, woods, cottages, home farm etc., certainly more than just the house.
Brian wrote: "I recently read The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton in another group. One member posted the following:"Today I saw this article online about Edith Wharton's summer home in the Berkshir..."
Thanks for the link Brian. Also, those ghost stories sound interesting. Perhaps I could start with those. Short stories would be easier to fit in, plus they would work well for October/November. Did you write a review of them? I'd be interested to read it. I did check the book link but couldn't see it there.
Sue wrote: " Short stories would be easier to fit in, plus they would work well for October/November. Did you write a review of them? I'd be interested to read it. I did check the book link but couldn't see it there..."I didn't write an overall review as I wrote a comment on each individual story in the discussion thread on the book, which was sufficient review writing for me. I do know that I enjoyed the stories more than I thought I would.
The discussion was a Buddy Read in the Catching Up On Classics group and this is the thread if you ever decide to read the book:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
In Message 1, the Buddy Read leader posted links to most of the short stories in the collection. (My review of each story are in Message #s: 24, 38, 41, 49, 60, 64, 84, 89, 100, 118, 124 and 126 and do contain spoilers)
Brian wrote: "The discussion was a Buddy Read in the Catching Up On Classics group..."Thanks very much Brian, I'll definitely follow that up. Strangely enough I joined that group just a few days ago! I'm aiming to read more Victorian and classic books in the next few months and thought that might be a good place to start.
Sue wrote: "Brian wrote: " "Jan C wrote: "I noticed it too! The only estate near me is Biltmore. "Today, I received another invite to visit so, for anyone interested, this is an example of a plush high class..."
Years ago I went through a Vanderbilt "cottage" in Newport, RI - "The Breakers". I don't recall having to pay then though. If I paid anything it was something like $5-10, some minimal amount.
I think my mother went to a seasonal thing there once - probably around Christmas because she was talking about the choir performing and how beautiful it was. I don't know if she paid the full price or not.
Brian wrote: "I recently read The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton in another group. One member posted the following:"Today I saw this article online about Edith Wharton's summer home in the Berkshir..."
How did I miss this when I lived in the Albany area? Between the Berkshires, the Catskill and the Adirondacks.
I liked The Good Apprentice by Iris Murdoch, but I am finding her books too similar to each other.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I have begun 24 Hours in Ancient Athens: A Day in the Life of the People Who Lived There by Philip Matyszak. Why? I liked the author's book 24 Hours in Ancient Rome: A Day in the Life of the People Who Lived There.
Chrissie wrote: "I liked The Good Apprentice by Iris Murdoch, but I am finding her books too similar to each other."Definitely. I first read Iris Murdoch in about the year 2000, found her style and subjects extremely intriguing and enjoyable, so I read several by her, After a few years of reading several of her books per year, I decided to limit myself to one or two Murdochs a year as I too found the books too similar. Outside of a few books (Under the Net, The Sea, The Sea, The Bell, The Severed Head and The Red and the Green) my memory can't distinguish the plots of each one.
For instance, I have read the Good Apprentice and remembered the plot when I read your review, but if you had described the plot and asked me which Murdoch novel it was, I would have been able to identify it as The Good Apprentice only if I had about 10 tries.
I've read 17 Murdoch novels, but all but the Red and the Green before I joined Goodreads in 2014. Yet I'd be terrible at Murdoch novel trivia.
Brian wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "I liked The Good Apprentice by Iris Murdoch, but I am finding her books too similar to each other."Definitely. I first read Iris Murdoch in about the ..."
Yeah, she seems to have gotten stuck in a rut. Under the Net, The Bell and The Severed Head, all of which you mention, are said to be very good, but these three are not available to me. I will take a break for a while. Is there one that you think stands out as being different?
Chrissie, I probably liked those 3 you can't get (Under the Net, The Bell and The Severed Head) the best. I remember them as having more distinctive plots, possibly because they were earlier in her career. But that also could be because they were some of the first Murdoch novels I read.Out of the others, I remember thinking that A Fairly Honorable Defeat and The Sandcastle were pretty good. Also, I remember The Unicorn as a bit different since it has some Gothic elements. (I've been looking at their plot summaries to jog my menory)
My next Murdoch TBR will be The Flight of the Enchanter since it is the only one of her first twelve novels I haven't read and, as her second novel, may have been written before the rut got too deep.
Brian, that is gong through my head too--the books you read first are the ones you like best! I don't know. I really liked The Black Prince, BUT it was also the first I read. The Sea, The Sea was way to melodramatic for me.A Fairly Honorable Defeat and The Sandcastle I liked a lot--so four stars.Fun discussing this with another Murdoch fan. Boy do her character portrayals go deep.
I agree with you--the best books by authors are those they write early in their career.
Nigeyb wrote: "..."I finished reading Who They Was by Gabriel Krauze on the same day that you finished another teenage gang inspired masterpiece also published in 2020.
I struggled to say quite what was wrong with the tone of the book, but luckily Hugh had that covered. Thanks Hugh.
I still don't know how to rate the book, so I think I will just leave it off my Goodreads 'read' shelf.
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Depends on the author, though, as some take a bit of time to 'warm up' - Henry James, for example, whose 'best books' are later ones.
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Well, it's certainly a book which has generated controversy, disagreements and lots of discussion...
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"(Who They Was) is certainly a book which has generated controversy, disagreements and lots of discussion..."
Generally a good thing I'd say
Roman Clodia wrote: "Depends on the author, though, as some take a bit of time to 'warm up' - Henry James, for example, whose 'best books' are later ones."We were just discussing James in another Goodreads group. I preferred James' early works of Daisy Miller and Portrait of the Lady to his later works, the early 20th Century trio of The Wings of the Dove, The Ambassadors and The Golden Bowl.
But you are right that most critics do consider the trio to be his most 'accomplished' works. I found James' own favorite of his books, The Ambassadors, to be especially ponderous.
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Roman Clodia wrote: "Portrait of a Lady is sort of mid-period for James, isn't it? I think of his early works as Roderick Hudson, say, (maybe his first novel?) which is perfectly fine but nothing like as ..."One could describe Portrait as either the end of the early period or beginning of the middle period. Wikipedia described James' three periods as follows:
"The first period of James's fiction, usually considered to have culminated in The Portrait of a Lady, concentrated on the contrast between Europe and America. The style of these novels is generally straightforward and, though personally characteristic, well within the norms of 19th-century fiction. . .
In The Portrait of a Lady (1881) James concluded the first phase of his career with a novel that remains his most popular piece of long fiction. . . Generally regarded as the masterpiece of his early phase, The Portrait of a Lady is described as a psychological novel. . .
The second period of James's career, which extends from the publication of The Portrait of a Lady through the end of the nineteenth century, features less popular novels . . . This period also featured James's celebrated Gothic novella, The Turn of the Screw (1898).
The third period of James's career reached its most significant achievement in three novels published just around the start of the 20th century: The Wings of the Dove (1902), The Ambassadors (1903), and The Golden Bowl (1904). Critic F. O. Matthiessen called this "trilogy" James's major phase, and these novels have certainly received intense critical study."
Set in Pakistan in the 1970s-1990s, the city of Karachi is integral to the narrative, becoming a character in itself. A family secret propels the narrative – each main character’s mother was previously engaged to the other’s father. It is what I will call a “literary mystery,” but is character driven. The primary themes relate to conflicting emotions about home and how lives are changed by historic events. It is a good example of how fiction can inform what a historical period was like in the lives of people who lived through it, bringing it to a personal level that is easy to relate to, no matter where we live. Kartography: A Novel by Kamila Shamsie - 4 stars - My Review
I have completed 24 Hours in Ancient Athens: A Day in the Life of the People Who Lived There by Philip Matyszak. I liked the author's 24 Hours in Ancient Rome: A Day in the Life of the People Who Lived There more. This is despite the fact that I find ancient Greece more interesting than ancient Rome.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I have begun The Grand Babylon Hotel by Arnold Bennett. It is supposed to be amusing, It is a mystery and a thriller which is not my usual cup of tea, but I want to read it because it is by Bennett. He is such a good writer.
I am not sure when I last posted any reviews here, but this is my reading since I started reading the Booker longlist (most recent first):Black Car Burning by Helen Mort My review
Underland by Robert MacFarlane My review
Life Class by Pat Barker My review (reread)
Who They Was by Gabriel Krauze My review
Mordew by Alex Pheby My review
Infinity: The Story of a Moment by Gabriel Josipovici My review
Summer by Ali Smith My review
How Much of These Hills is Gold? by C. Pam Zhang My review
The New Wilderness by Diane Cook My review
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid My review
The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste My review
Real Life by Brandon Taylor My review
Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler My review
The Winter Vault by Anne Michaels My review (reread)
Love and Other Thought Experiments by Sophie Ward My review
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart My review
Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi My review
Summertime by J.M. Coetzee My review
This Mournable Body by Tsitsi Dangerembga My review
Joy D wrote: "Set in Pakistan in the 1970s-1990s, the city of Karachi is integral to the narrative, becoming a character in itself. A family secret propels the narrative – each main character’s mother was previo..."I like reading books set in foreign cities. Sounds good. OK, mysteries aren't my thing but you say also it has good character portrayal. I think I will give it a try.
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Hugh wrote: "I am not sure when I last posted any reviews here, but this is my reading since I started reading the Booker longlist .." (from review of Shuggie Bain) "This book could be a serious contender for the Booker prize, despite the strong competition from the likes of Mantel and McCann."
Hugh, you have mentioned Shuggie Bain, The Mirror & the Light, and Apeirogon. I think only Shuggie Bain made the shortlist. Is that now your personal favorite to win the Booker?
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Chrissie, we read The Grand Babylon Hotel as a group read here a couple of years ago- this is the thread:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Judy wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "I have begun The Grand Babylon Hotel by Arnold Bennett. It is supposed to be amusing, It is a mystery and a thriller which is not my usual cup of tea, but I want to read it because..."Thanks a bunch!!!!
Shuggie Bain is my favourite book of the shortlist, but I agree with RC that it may be too conventional. My predictions so far have been terrible. I did quite like The Shadow King. Disappointed but not surprised that Love and Other Thought Experiments missed out.
Roman Clodia wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "the best books by authors are those they write early in their career"Depends on the author, though, as some take a bit of time to 'warm up' - Henry James, for example, whose 'bes..."
Sorry for my late reply! Of course, of course it depends upon the author! Often, particularly when not classics, I prefer author's earliest books. Isabel Allende. Amitav Ghosh, Ann Patchett and Colum McCann are just a few examples. I am sure I could think of mote examples, but these are a couple that pop into my head.
McCann's last book,Apeirogon, was not at all to my liking. He used to be one of my favorite authors. Songdogs is my all tine favorite by him.
Apeirogon was discussed in the prizes thread. I liked it a lot.
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I did not like Apeirogon AT ALL. There you go--people 's views differ.And this is what is so difficult. Even with all these reviews you never know what you will think until you have read the book in question.
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And this is what is so difficult. Even with all these reviews you never know what you will think until you have read the book..."
Exactly! Though it's all part of the fun as long as everyone accepts that subjectivity isn't an attack on the reader/reviewer, just a difference of opinion about a book :)
Roman Clodia wrote: "subjectivity isn't an attack on the reader/reviewer, just a difference of opinion about a book :)."I couldn't agree more.
Hugh wrote: "Apeirogon was discussed in the prizes thread. I liked it a lot."I hadn't noticed the Prize thread before so I'm glad you mentioned it as I couldn't find RC's post you had referred to in this thread. Now I know where to look for Booker discussion.
Chrissie wrote: "Joy D wrote: "Set in Pakistan in the 1970s-1990s, the city of Karachi is integral to the narrative, becoming a character in itself. A family secret propels the narrative – each main character’s mot..."If you enjoy character-driven novels, you will probably like it. Definitely not a typical mystery and certainly not a whodunnit.
Reading the 20th Century
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Authors mentioned in this topic
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Arnold Bennett (other topics)
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Arturo Pérez-Reverte (other topics)
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Sorry Jan. I didn't think you would notice as quickly, or be as interested in an answer.