Reading the 20th Century discussion
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What books are you reading now? (2020)
RC, I'll read the book first before looking at the discussion thread. Thank you for providing the link. I am happy to hear that its humor is good. I knew when I picked it that it is kind of a kick at authors such as Thomas Hardy.
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I enjoyed rereading our discussion 🤠
Roman Clodia wrote: "I found Cold Comfort Farm hilarious, Chrissie - it's very sharp on the tropes of 'rural gothic'. We read it as a group (almost two years ago, now): discussion thread is here if you're interested:..."
Me too, a firm favourite. There's also a good BBC adaptation, that's probably online somewhere.
I love Cold Comfort Farm. Furrowed Middlebrow are rereleasing several of her books in January which I'm looking forward to. I recently read The Woods In Winter which will be one of them. Ivy was a very quirky MC, but I really enjoyed it.I've started Princes in the Land by Joanna Cannan. I've read one or two of her mysteries before but none of her 'straight' fiction.
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I enjoyed rereading our discussion 🤠"
I still remember giggling over the porridge seething with sexuality!
RC, I haven't run into that yet.With our currently dark skies, I have been looking for some humor.
Here follows my review of Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I gave it four stars.
I have begun and am liking Travels with Herodotus by Ryszard Kapuściński
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I've finished Letters from Tove
wonderful collection of Tove Jansson's letters from 1932 onwards, really interesting, often very moving, and lots of details about her work, her adult novels, the Moomins etcLink to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Roman Clodia wrote: "Good to hear you enjoyed Cold Comfort Farm, Chrissie - humour is so idiosyncratic and individual that it's hard to predict how someone else will react."I do agree. To get the humor in the book, I think the reader has to be well acquainted with Gothic novels. I like that you have to just "get" what is being said, that not everything is explained in black and white.
Chrissie wrote: "Roman Clodia wrote: "Good to hear you enjoyed Cold Comfort Farm, Chrissie - humour is so idiosyncratic and individual that it's hard to predict how someone else will react."I do agree. To get the..."
I hadn't thought of it in gothic terms, I liked the send-up of writers like D.H. Lawrence and Mary Webb - both firmly on my swerve to avoid list. I read it not long after Webb's Precious Bane
I read a great comparison a while back talking about how Gibbons satirised their styles,
https://www.theguardian.com/books/boo...
Thanks for the link.D.H. Lawrence's books I do like, but not all. His shorter ones are better, Maybe you haven't tried them? On the other hand, Thomas Hardy's books are the ones that give me trouble.
Chrissie wrote: "Thanks for the link.D.H. Lawrence's books I do like, but not all. His shorter ones are better, maybe you haven't tried them? On the other hand, Thomas Hardy's books are the ones that give me trou..."
I'm not a Hardy fan either. Which Lawrence novels are you thinking of?
Alwynne wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Thanks for the link.D.H. Lawrence's books I do like, but not all. His shorter ones are better, maybe you haven't tried them? On the other hand, Thomas Hardy's books are the ones ..."
The Virgin and the Gypsy, The Lost Girl and The Ladybird are my favorites.
No I haven't tried those, I'll check them out, thanks!
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The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love by Oscar Hijuelos - 3 stars - My ReviewIn 1949, brothers Cesar and Nestor Castillo leave Havana, Cuba and make their home in New York. They are musicians who catch the attention of fellow Cuban Desi Arnaz and make a cameo appearance on the I Love Lucy show. Cesar is the flamboyant lead singer who enjoys the limelight and Nestor is more comfortable in a supporting role. Cesar chases women relentlessly while Nestor is fixated on one early relationship to the detriment of his wife and children. The second half focuses on Cesar, sitting in a run-down hotel room in 1980, drinking whiskey, listening to his group’s old recordings, and reflecting back on his life. The writing is expressive and convincingly evokes the period. However, the plot is almost exclusively focused on drinking and sex, with little character growth. This book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1990.
Alwynne wrote: "No I haven't tried those, I'll check them out, thanks!"They are much better than his famous ones.
Just finished Rosamond Lehmann's Invitation to the Waltz which I read ages ago and remembered as a fairly light novel about a young girl looking for romance but re-reading it, it's a pretty sophisticated, fascinating novel that deals with women's lives and England's lost generation. There's so much here it's hard to write about, because so much has to be left out. Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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www.goodreads.com/topic/show/19601631...
www.goodreads.com/topic/show/19689096...
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Alwynne wrote: "Just finished Rosamond Lehmann's Invitation to the Waltz which I read ages ago and remembered as a fairly light novel about a young girl looking for romance but re-reading it, it's ..."I can't say that the topic appeals to me, but I am drawn to discover the author's writing style. How would you describe the prose? Is the book worth reading just for the prose?
Many of you have read this. What do you think, will it work for me?
Prose ad humor are so difficult to describe--sure you can describe the techniques used but capturing the effect produced is difficult.
I just finished Mina Loy's Insel written in the 1930s but not published for many years. An intriguing novel about art, gender and surrealism in Paris.Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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It's hard for me to separate the prose from the content so if you don't find the premise appealing (an adolescent on the brink of womanhood going to her first adult party/ball), then I'd be surprised if this stands up on prose alone.
I find Lehmann similar in style to Elizabeth Bowen and Antonia White, if that helps, Chrissie? Intense, interested in interiority, especially that of women.
I liked Travels with Herodotus] by Ryszard Kapuściński but did not love it. I explain why in my review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I am now reading Days Without End by Sebastian Barry. I like the author but am not sure I will like the book.
Roman Clodia wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "I can't say that the topic appeals to me, but I am drawn to discover the author's writing style. How would you describe the prose? Is the book worth reading just for the prose?"I..."
I think those are excellent comparisons, I've seen her compared to Elizabeth Taylor as well but haven't read enough of Taylor to make the link. I'd say her concerns, at least here, are possibly broader than White's, in terms of her critique of English society?
Roman Clodia wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "I can't say that the topic appeals to me, but I am drawn to discover the author's writing style. How would you describe the prose? Is the book worth reading just for the prose?"I..."
I do like Bowen. The other author I have not read....... Thank you for your help. I might as well try Lehmann,
I finished Jenni Fagan's The Sunlight Pilgrims it had some decent moments but overall it didn't really do much for me...Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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I have completed Days Without End by Sebastian Barry.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished a novella from the 60s dealing with aspects of the Cold War, by Uwe Johnson Two Views just in time for the end of German Literature month. Thought it was really good. Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston - 4 stars - My ReviewSet mostly in Florida in the 1900s to 1930s, the plot focuses on protagonist Janie Crawford’s life. She desires a marriage based on love but is influenced to marry for security. She faces both racism and sexism. As she matures, Janie develops the ability to direct her life rather than react to the influence of others. It is a story of identity and self-awareness. Published in 1937, I enjoyed it for the perspective of the time period by someone who lived through it. The prose is lovely, and the author’s depiction of Janie’s character growth is exceptional. I feel like dialect is meant to be spoken, so I listened to the audio book. Ruby Dee does a fantastic job of voice acting. I can see why this book is considered a 20th century classic.
I have listened to a play and a short story. Both are currently free for Audible-Plus members. I don't usually favor drama in book form or on audio. Here is an exception to the rule. Play: On Blueberry Hill by Sebastian Barry
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Short story: Checkup by Ann Petry
My review; https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I have begun Hilda Lessways by Arnold Bennett. I had a feeling this one would work for me --so far my guess is correct.
Also finished this over the weekend, Esther Singer Kreitman's novel from 1936 based on growing up in a Polish Orthodox Jewish community at the turn of the century. Well-written, surprisingly gripping, emotionally powerful, great on women's lives and on representing Jewish society in a particular time/place. Was published in the UK at one point by Virago under a different title Deborahhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Time of Our Singing by Richard Powers - 5 stars - My ReviewThis is family saga about music, race, and time. Delia Daley, a black music student, and David Strom, a Jewish German physicist, meet at the Marian Anderson concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939. They decide to rear their children outside the confines of race, and this decision forms the primary conflict in the story. At least one character is present during significant racial confrontations and milestones of the period. The idea of being “beyond race” turns out to be impossible. Detailed discussions of music are present throughout and it is one of the best books I have read involving musical discourse. Physics and the properties of time are also a core element in the story. David, a proponent of Einstein’s theory of the space-time continuum, and becomes obsessed with proving his theories about the circularity of time. It offers perspectives on a number of complex issues concerning, time, memory, and change, while challenging the of the idea of race. It may be even more relevant in the current sociopolitical environment than in 2003, when it was initially published.
I finished The Darkest Year: The American Home Front 1941-1942 by William K. Klingaman the other day. I gave it 3 stars.It was interesting. Americans pretty much need to be dragged into anything - witness the mask controversy today. Because they definitely didn't want to be rationed - not their tires, their gas, their food. Saw no reason why they should do without. It was pointed out that they should do without so the soldiers would benefit - whether through food, riflery, ammunition, old/gas. They did not see the corollary. And taxes were raised. So of course the dislike for all these things was seen at the polls and the republicans picked up seats in the House and the Senate. Mostly they were isolationists and wanted to undo the New Deal but at least they didn't gain enough so they had a majority. And it had never occurred to me that censored the news so that the people didn't know how bad the war was faring in that first year.
I liked Hilda Lessways by Arnold Bennett, but personally I am not a big fan of series.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I am about to begin Greenmantle byJohn Buchan. It is a classic mystery thriller, I am stretching myself into new genres.
The Archivist by Martha Cooley - 4 stars - My ReviewSet mostly in the 1960s, and published in 1998, this is a story of three people: Matthias Lane, an archivist at a prominent northeastern US university, Judith Lane, confined to a mental institution, and Roberta Spire, a graduate student. The archive contains a collection of letters written by TS Eliot to his paramour, Emily Hale, while his wife, Vivienne, resided in a sanitarium. This is a character driven novel focused on relationships between detached men and depressed women. The poetry of TS Eliot is used sporadically to illustrate key points. Each of the main characters has unresolved personal conflicts related to identity, accountability, guilt, relationships, and religion. I had one issue with an action that seems out of character for an archivist. I appreciated the delicate hand of the author and found it easy to become immersed in the story.
I'm trying to read more contemporary authors so I picked up The Book Collector by Scottish author Alice Thompson, it's a short domestic gothic novel set in Edwardian England, although it's hard to tell that from the writing. Some elements were intriguing and it was very readable but unsatisfying. Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Too Loud a Solitude by Bohumil Hrabal - 4 stars - My ReviewThis novella is set in Prague in the 1930s to 1970s, and was published in 1976. It is about the finding beauty in simplicity. It is about solitude and the impact of change. It condemns the destruction of knowledge, which was prevalent at the time. It is sad, and I cannot say it was a particularly pleasant reading experience, but I appreciate its messages. I would not recommend it to anyone feeling depressed.
I started To Sleep with the Angels: The Story of a Fire by David Cowan yesterday - on the 62nd anniversary. Boy, does that make me feel old. Since this is an event that I remember. I hadn't realized that it made the headlines and affected construction worldwide. There will probably be many things that I didn't realize despite having lived through it and seen the PBS (or perhaps it was just my local station) show about it.
Jan C wrote: "I started To Sleep with the Angels: The Story of a Fire by David Cowan " and co-author John Kuenster.
I just finished Barbara Comyns's A Touch of Mistletoe a surprisingly powerful book following a young woman from her teens in 1920s rural England through to 1950s London, told in a style not unlike a memoir. Beautifully-observed. Think it would be of particular appeal to people who read 'Furrowed Middlebrow', 'Persephone' or 'Virago' titles.Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I really liked Our Spoons Came from Woolworths but I haven't yet got round to reading more of hers, though I do own Sisters by a River; this one does look rather good though.
Brian wrote: "Jan C wrote: "I started To Sleep with the Angels: The Story of a Fire by David Cowan " and co-author John Kuenster."Didn't intend to slight Mr. Kuenster but the link didn't pick him up.
It reminded me a lot of Our Spoons Came from Woolworths so if you liked that, then you'd like this one. It's a bit more about life in London and London culture, and covers arty, down-at-heel London in the 30s but also living through the war and after. It created a really strong image of the times, as well as Vicky's character. It's written as if she's talking directly to the reader telling them about her life, her experiences, her sister, being a mother...I read it from cover to cover in one evening, I was sucked into it.
Jan C wrote: "Didn't intend to slight Mr. Kuenster but the link didn't pick him up."I know you didn't and that the "add book/author" link only goes to the first named author. I just want to give Kuenster some credit since he's a former neighbor and because the only more famous writer from Evergreen Park is Theodore J. Kaczynski.
I have tested a classic spy story--Greenmantle by John Buchan.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Now I have begun The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by the Korean author Sun-mi Hwang.
Reading the 20th Century
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We read it as a group (almost two years ago, now): discussion thread is here if you're interested:
www.goodreads.com/topic/show/19631339...