What are we reading? 3rd August 2021

[AB76]

scarletnoir wrote: "AB76 wrote: "EASTERN BLOC LITERATURE(1950-1990)

Im still quite suprised at how there isnt a huge pile of Eastern Bloc lit on the market
Back in 2000, i was so fustrated with the lack of good novel..."

Klima is well translated and in print along with Kundera, thanks for the reply though

[Sandya]

AB76 wrote: "Sandya wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Having finished the excellent Palestinian novel The Ship by Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, i can confirm it probably rivals The Hungry Grass as my best novel of 2021 so far. Both ..."

One word. Blackfly.

[AB76]

Sandya wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Sandya wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Having finished the excellent Palestinian novel The Ship by Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, i can confirm it probably rivals The Hungry Grass as my best novel of 2021 ..."

lol....like the midges in Scotland Scandinavia i bet, maybe worse?

[Sandya]

AB76 wrote: "Sandya wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Sandya wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Having finished the excellent Palestinian novel The Ship by Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, i can confirm it probably rivals The Hungry Grass as my best..."

Much, much worse..... Don't even go there!

I just pulled out my edition of Pointed Firs. I bought it at Dolphin Books in Camden, ME, July 6 1996, a couple of weeks before I left ME forever and returned to CA and a career change. I paid $35-the receipt is inside the book. It is a memento of my time in ME. According to the Post It included by the bookseller, which I left in, it is an early edition (1897, first edition is 1896) in very good condition, with a green cloth binding and gilt decoration designed by Sarah Wyman Whitman, who was a friend of Sarah Orne Jewett and a well known book cover designer of the day. Very comfortable to the hand.

So-it is 124 years old!

I should reread it..... You have inspired me!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_W...

[MK]

AB76 wrote: "Sandya wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Having finished the excellent Palestinian novel The Ship by Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, i can confirm it probably rivals The Hungry Grass as my best novel of 2021 so far. Both ..."

My mother's parents were both from Quebec. She was the first child born in the States. When I was in high school, we sat alphabetically in home room. In front of me was a Legassie and behind me a Levesque. They would talk in (I'm thinking) their version of French, and it just whooshed by me. The part of the city called Sand Hill (near the paper mill and the cotton mill) was where most of the formerly French Canadian families lived and went to St Augustine's Church. The Church also had a grade school where French was spoken, and that is how I ended up clueless in home room.

For a book about the legacy of the mills in Maine, I suggest - Mill Town: Reckoning with What Remains. Mexico/Rumford, Maine, were once the dirtiest places in the state. The location tended to trap the smoke from the mills.

[CCCubbon]

Sandya wrote: "Veufveuve wrote: "Though I've seen it mentioned many times, I don't think I ever had it - I was born in 1964."

Re Bread and Milk.

I had it for breakfast a few times. I was born in 1955. My Mum us..."
Yes, it was a pretty boring breakfast but all you could get after the war. What I do find interesting is the social change marked by people becoming more affluent in the fifties, supermarkets appearing, breakfast cereals, generally more choice and bread and milk no longer given to children.

[MK]

Sandya wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Sandya wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Having finished the excellent Palestinian novel The Ship by Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, i can confirm it probably rivals The Hungry Grass as my best novel of 2021 ..."

Those blackflies are the nastiest things. How they are able to get between eyes and glasses or literally burrow under one's collar and bite! Not fond memories - but the spring soon passes and they disappear for another year.

Time then to scout out some wild blueberries.

[scarletnoir]

Russell wrote: "I actually think I learned more about grammar in our foreign language lessons than I did in English."

My wife - a French teacher of French (!) used to lament that she had to teach her pupils some basic grammar, as they didn't know any... it was no longer taught in English lessons (apparently).

You give a very clear explanation of the rules, BTW.

[scarletnoir]

CCCubbon wrote: "Morning everyone.
As I buttered my morning toast I had a flashback to breakfast, sometimes tea, as a child. This would be after the war and consisted of bread and milk. The slice of bread was cut i..."

Not heard of that one, but my grandmother (1887-1979) used to soak bread (stale?) in warm milk and stir in some freshly ground ginger in the 1950s. I quite liked it.

[scarletnoir]

MK wrote: "In front of me was a Legassie and behind me a Levesque. They would talk in (I'm thinking) their version of French, and it just whooshed by me."

My wife is French, and once during a visit to Quebec we stopped for petrol (OK, 'gas' - even though it's a liquid ;-) ) somewhere alongside Lake Ontario. Well, the guy at the till spoke to my wife, and three times she asked him to repeat 'whatever'... eventually, she said something noncommittal, and we left.

"What did he say?" I asked, baffled by his accent.

"I have no idea", she replied.

[Tam]

Sandya wrote: "Veufveuve wrote: "Though I've seen it mentioned many times, I don't think I ever had it - I was born in 1964."

Re Bread and Milk.

I had it for breakfast a few times. I was born in 1955. My Mum us..."
I loved the pestle and mortar story. I saw recently in the news. forget where, a young British engineering student (I think he was a sikh) who had invented a simple washing machine (hand cranked I think) to take the back-breaking work of washing the family clothes, that poor people, without access to electricity, have to contend with, across the world... Well done him...

[Sandya]

MK wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Sandya wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Having finished the excellent Palestinian novel The Ship by Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, i can confirm it probably rivals The Hungry Grass as my best novel of 2021 ..."

Re Quebec: I visited both Montreal and Quebec City when I was at JAX. Also Montreal more recently as I have a client in Upstate NY. I enjoy listening to Quebecois French-when I was a postdoc in Strasbourg I knew a visiting Quebecois scientist from Montreal and his French was very different in several ways from the French I learned in Europe. Very interesting to compare.

[AB76]

Sandya wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Sandya wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Sandya wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Having finished the excellent Palestinian novel The Ship by Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, i can confirm it probably rivals The Hungry Gra..."

good to hear you are inspired, mine has quite a few other short stories in the collection, i think i will start with "A White Heron". Summer setting is nice too for most of Jewetts stories

[Sandya]

Tam wrote: "Sandya wrote: "Veufveuve wrote: "Though I've seen it mentioned many times, I don't think I ever had it - I was born in 1964."

Re Bread and Milk.

I had it for breakfast a few times. I was born in ..."

More could be done in this way to take the back breaking out of housework. How wonderful!!

[AB76]

MK wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Sandya wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Having finished the excellent Palestinian novel The Ship by Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, i can confirm it probably rivals The Hungry Grass as my best novel of 2021 ..."

Thats fascinating MK, i have a french-canadian novel lined up next, set in Quebec, but that comes after Jewett (its The Town Below by Lemelin)

The mills of that region are fascinating, i found a load of photos online of the mills in Massachusetts a few years back. Lowell was a big mill town i think, Jack Kerouac(also of French Canadian ancestry) was born there.

Just going to google the towns you mentioned

[Sandya]

MK wrote: "Sandya wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Sandya wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Having finished the excellent Palestinian novel The Ship by Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, i can confirm it probably rivals The Hungry Grass as my best..."

Blackfly are vile.

My house in Bar Harbor had a large garden, and I planted old roses and peonies. One of the peonies was in full bloom. I leant down to sniff it and a blackfly lurking inside the flower stung me in the inside corner of my R eye! The entire R side of my face swelled up for a week! I couldnt go to the lab!! The worst was, after the swelling went down, my entire face remained sensitive to insect bites or scratches anywhere else on my body and would puff up like a balloon. It was nearly a year before this downstream reaction stopped. And I am not even the allergic type! That is how bad they are. People wore "bug suits" to work in their gardens in Blackfly season. They are unspeakable....

Ugh.

[AB76]

scarletnoir wrote: "MK wrote: "In front of me was a Legassie and behind me a Levesque. They would talk in (I'm thinking) their version of French, and it just whooshed by me."

My wife is French, and once during a visi..."

In my student travelling days, i was in Paris and we seemed to have a south african and a french-canadian tag along with our group. The south african never stopped talking but the Quebecois barely spoke and when he did, we couldnt understand his french at all.

Last we saw of him was near the Eiffel Tower as he padded off, rucksack on back, barefoot without a word...

[giveusaclue]

Sandya wrote: "Tam wrote: "Sandya wrote: "Veufveuve wrote: "Though I've seen it mentioned many times, I don't think I ever had it - I was born in 1964."

Re Bread and Milk.

I had it for breakfast a few times. I ..."

Sandya wrote: "Tam wrote: "Sandya wrote: "Veufveuve wrote: "Though I've seen it mentioned many times, I don't think I ever had it - I was born in 1964."

Re Bread and Milk.

I had it for breakfast a few times. I ..."

I found a way to take the back breaking out of housework - don't do it!

[Lljones]

giveusaclue wrote: "I found a way to take the back breaking out of housework - don't do it!"

I'm with you, 'clue. When the oven needs cleaning, it's time to move. (I should embroider that on a pillow someday.)

[AB76]

Sad news from Afghanistan, Kabul has almost fallen, the President has fled.

Its always been a difficult country to control, victories have happened from Lord Roberts of Kandahar in 1880 to the Americans in 2001 but they rarely saw the results they wanted.

[Tam]

giveusaclue wrote: "Sandya wrote: "Tam wrote: "Sandya wrote: "Veufveuve wrote: "Though I've seen it mentioned many times, I don't think I ever had it - I was born in 1964."

Re Bread and Milk.

I had it for breakfast ..."

But this is keeping clothes reasonably clean. Nothing to do with housework. Or are you all in favour of everyone going back to the middle ages where pretty much everyone, at least ordinary people, smelt, in those pious times, to high heaven... perhaps...?

[giveusaclue]

Tam wrote: "giveusaclue wrote: "Sandya wrote: "Tam wrote: "Sandya wrote: "Veufveuve wrote: "Though I've seen it mentioned many times, I don't think I ever had it - I was born in 1964."

Re Bread and Milk.

I h..."

Oh no! Don't mind the laundry, it is dusting I absolutely hate.

[Robert]

Georg wrote: "Veufveuve wrote: "Georg wrote: "Veufveuve wrote: "For reasons I've never bothered thinking about, I hardly ever read biography, but I think I will have to read this:

https://www.theguardian.com/b..."

Peter Ustinov wrote a story about this: "Add a Drop of Pity", when trying to account for the lives of men still living.

[Sandya]

The Country of the Pointed Firs. Sarah Orne Jewett

I lived in Maine between 1992-96, in Bar Harbor, as I had a faculty position at The Jackson Laboratory. I bought my edition of The Country of the Pointed Firs at Dolphin Books in Camden, ME, on July 6, 1996, a couple of weeks before I left ME forever and returned to CA and a career change. I paid $35-the receipt is still inside the book. According to the Post-It included by the bookseller, which I left inside, mine is an early edition (1897, first edition is 1896) in very good condition, with a green cloth binding and gilt decoration designed by Sarah Wyman Whitman, who was a close friend of Sarah Orne Jewett and a well-known book cover designer of the day. So-my copy is 124 years old!

I finally read it today-for the first time, as I realized as I did not recall anything about it. Clearly I had set it aside thinking I would read it soon and had never got around to it. The narrator, from Boston, has gone to Coastal Maine to write a book. She ends up at Dunnet Landing where she boards with Mrs. Almira Todd, the village herbalist, a woman in her sixties. The book is a series of vignettes about the people and life in the village and its environs, the islands scattered about the coast of Maine. It brought back a great many memories of my time there, feelings rather than specific scenes. The book was written by a woman and it focuses on the lives of women, Almiry, her mother Mrs Blackett, Poor Joanna, Mrs Fosdick, and others. The men are, if anything, rather sad, bereft characters. The narrator's friendship with Mrs. Todd strengthens over the course of the summer, and her appreciation of the Maine coastal town increases each day.

Although the title is “The Country of the Pointed Firs” the forests barely appear, and the book is really about the sea, the islands, the old seafaring life, fishing, and how to sail a boat properly. It reminded me of the writing of Tove Jansson, which features the islands and skerries in the Gulf of Finland. I was particularly entertained to read the chapter The Great Expedition, which mentions someone getting their money on the 15th of August, on the 15th of August! Perhaps I needed to wait this long to read and enjoy this beautiful book. Maine was not an easy place for me to live, but my life was far easier than that of the people in these small coastal communities in the 19th century. Though reserved, and not necessarily showing their feelings, they were strong and enduring and I was reminded of Willa Cather’s “My Antonia”. “It was no wonder that her sons stood tall and straight. She was a rich mine of life, like the founders of early races”.

[Robert]

AB76 wrote: "Sad news from Afghanistan, Kabul has almost fallen, the President has fled.

Its always been a difficult country to control, victories have happened from Lord Roberts of Kandahar in 1880 to the Ame..."

As it happens, I'm leafing through a book about the Shah of Iran; there is an uncanny resonance between clueless Western leaders facing the 1979 fall of the Shah and the actions of the ones we have now...

[Robert]

scarletnoir wrote: "AB76 wrote: "EASTERN BLOC LITERATURE(1950-1990)

Im still quite suprised at how there isnt a huge pile of Eastern Bloc lit on the market
Back in 2000, i was so fustrated with the lack of good novel..."

Hrabel is worth reading: "I Served the King of England," "Closely Watched Trains," "Dance Lessons for the Advanced in Age"-- tales with a dash of philosophy and jabs of satire.

[scarletnoir]

Robert wrote: "Hrabel is worth reading: "I Served the King of England," "Closely Watched Trains," "Dance Lessons for the Advanced in Age"-- tales with a dash of philosophy and jabs of satire."

Jiri Menzel's movie version of 'Closely Watched Trains' won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1968... I saw it and enjoyed it around that time, but had no idea it was based on a book. I haven't read any by Hrabal... I have added it to the TBR list - thanks!

Edit: I just came across this quote by Menzel about Hrabal:

I always admired in Hrabal the ability to look at people and see them as they truly are, with a truly uncompromising perspective, but he still loved people. He wasn't a misanthrope after all that. I would contrast with this the perspective of more recent Czech writers - and world literature in general - where I see a strong misanthropic tendency which is not there in Hrabal's work, where that love for people is really present.

Sounds a bit like Jonathan Coe, whose Mr Wilder & Me I have just finished... I was surprised and amused by the lengthy grammatical discussions which arose from that title! From Wikipedia: Coe was born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, on 19 August 1961 to Roger and Janet (née Kay) Coe.[1] He studied at King Edward's School, Birmingham and Trinity College, Cambridge.[1] He taught at the University of Warwick, where he completed an MA and PhD in English Literature.[1] Bearing that in mind, I should be very surprised if Coe ever made grammatical errors, except deliberately for effect.

[Robert]

scarletnoir wrote: "Robert wrote: "Hrabel is worth reading: "I Served the King of England," "Closely Watched Trains," "Dance Lessons for the Advanced in Age"-- tales with a dash of philosophy and jabs of satire."

Jir..."

You're welcome. There was also a good film version of "I Served the King of England," though I prefer the extra detail of the book.

[Paul]

Sandya wrote: "The Country of the Pointed Firs. Sarah Orne Jewett

I lived in Maine between 1992-96, in Bar Harbor, as I had a faculty position at The Jackson Laboratory. I bought my edition of The Country of the..."

Ahh, perfect comparisons. I read The Country of Pointed Firs a few years back and it absolutely reminded me of Tova Jansson and Willa Cather

[AB76]

Robert wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Sad news from Afghanistan, Kabul has almost fallen, the President has fled.

Its always been a difficult country to control, victories have happened from Lord Roberts of Kandahar in 18..."

was it the book i read Robert? The Fall of Heaven?

The American approach in 1978-79 was shameless and really showed how ignorant they were, how they misread all the warning signs. especially their obsession that any unrest would come from the secular left, not the religious right

[AB76]

Sandya wrote: "The Country of the Pointed Firs. Sarah Orne Jewett

I lived in Maine between 1992-96, in Bar Harbor, as I had a faculty position at The Jackson Laboratory. I bought my edition of The Country of the..."

if it was a thriller, i would cry "no spoilers" Sandya but thankfully this summary was lovely to read before i pitch into the earlier short stories in my book
Good to hear it focuses on the life of women too!

[Robert]

AB76 wrote: "Robert wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Sad news from Afghanistan, Kabul has almost fallen, the President has fled.

Its always been a difficult country to control, victories have happened from Lord Roberts of..."

Yes, I'm leafing through the book. The author seems determined to shield the Pahlevi royal family from responsibility for the collapse of the monarchy; really, there's plenty of blame to go around.
The fall of a pro-US government; an administration that has seen its Plan One overwhelmed by events; a Plan Two that may not take an unstable situation into account; fears over the price of oil; inflation creeping up; an unacknowledged fiasco at the US border. We are watching the re-enactment of the last year of Carter's administration; I hope that we don't see a re-enactment of Dien Bien Phu as well.

[Lass]

Jonathan Coe’s What a Carve Up was great fun.

[AB76]

Robert wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Robert wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Sad news from Afghanistan, Kabul has almost fallen, the President has fled.

Its always been a difficult country to control, victories have happened from Lo..."

the reverence for the Shah is grating at points, The Shah, in my opinion seemed to think he is a lot smarter than he was, while failing to grasp basic principles of policy, his corrupt and venal extended family and supported by a grasping and obsequious court and ministries.
I hope we arent in Carter and Dien Ben Phu territory too, i always find ignorant ambassadors are truly a sign of western conceit. Both the UK and US ambassadors in Tehran were the worst characters for a crisis or even peace, incompentent and complacent.

[AB76]

Machenbach wrote: "AB76 wrote: "The most bizarre anecdote was that Ceaucescu was an avid bird watcher and fascinated by the social structure of the Danube delta pelican population. He would travel to various bird hid..."

hahaha, it was a huge suprise when the Uzi was deployed, i wondered if it was going to be a pelican and Ceacescu coming together, not a massacre
will look that film up, i watched another film about a radio station about the time of the fall in 1989, the film was made in the Noughties i think

[Georg]

"Now you see it... now you don't"

All comments on the Sebald biography review in the G have been deleted. Very strange.

[Hushpuppy]

Georg wrote: ""Now you see it... now you don't"

All comments on the Sebald biography review in the G have been deleted. Very strange."

No it hasn't - there are two reviews of the biography, one by the G (Moorehead), one by the Observer (Cummins). Only the latter is open for comments.

[Sandya]

Paul wrote: "Sandya wrote: "The Country of the Pointed Firs. Sarah Orne Jewett

I lived in Maine between 1992-96, in Bar Harbor, as I had a faculty position at The Jackson Laboratory. I bought my edition of The..."


RE: Comparison to Tove Jansson and Willa Cather

Wow! Nice to know!! Willa Cather was apparently strongly influenced by Sarah Orne Jewett and it does come through. Tove I think had a similar sensibility.

[Sandya]

AB76 wrote: "Sandya wrote: "The Country of the Pointed Firs. Sarah Orne Jewett

I lived in Maine between 1992-96, in Bar Harbor, as I had a faculty position at The Jackson Laboratory. I bought my edition of The..."

RE: if it was a thriller, i would cry "no spoilers":

I could have gone into a lot more detail, given time. I read the book in one day, motivated by vacation and shame that it has been sitting in my bookcase for 25 years unopened... and my review is based on immediate impressions. It really did remind me very strongly of Maine. One has to write something, and I personally never mind spoilers even for thrillers.

[AB76]

Sandya wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Sandya wrote: "The Country of the Pointed Firs. Sarah Orne Jewett

I lived in Maine between 1992-96, in Bar Harbor, as I had a faculty position at The Jackson Laboratory. I bought my e..."

I just read Jewetts short story "The White Heron"(1886) and it was a lovely tale, well constructed and precise, next is the "The Dulham Ladies (1886)".

I will read 'Pointed Firs last in this collection.

I'm not a hugely anti-spoiler but there was a novel i read this year where a review(not on Ersatz TLS though) spoilt the denouement for me, it was a rare occasion when that happened.

[[deleted user]]

Hello, all. I'm running a little late today. I reckon the new thread will be up 5ish. Will keep you posted.

[Greenfairy]

CCCubbon wrote: "Morning everyone.
As I buttered my morning toast I had a flashback to breakfast, sometimes tea, as a child. This would be after the war and consisted of bread and milk. The slice of bread was cut i..."

We used to to get it for supper now and then and my mum gave it to our cat when he was unwell - he got better, I don't know if it is still served to children either CC.

[scarletnoir]

Machenbach wrote: "Anne wrote: "Anyone want to volunteer to read and report back here?"

Have they used what I think of as the Georgette Heyer font, or am I imagining that?"

Haha! I misread that as "the Georgette Heyer front"... which made me focus rather carefully and quizzically on the picture!

[[deleted user]]

New thread is up. I will leave this thread open for 20 minutes now for any tail enders.