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What are we reading? 11th May 2022
message 351:
by
Robert
(new)
May 31, 2022 03:21PM
I've grown very tired of the daily news, and have turned to Victorian escape. I've just received a copy of Rider Haggard's Cleopatra.
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Robert wrote: "I've grown very tired of the daily news, and have turned to Victorian escape. I've just received a copy of Rider Haggard's Cleopatra."I think I got pretty tired of the daily news very soon after covid hit us!
Robert wrote: "There was a little book of good late Victorian and Edwardian short mystery stories called "The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes." I do have a copy of that anthology but I've read only the first few stories so far. One early rival I'm curious about is Sexton Blake, but the character's history is confusing as it was written by many different people, often under pseudonyms, over many years. Still, I'd like to find a representative collection, if there is such a thing.
I got to the last two books of Herodotus.
Book Eight. The Persians capture Athens and sack the Acropolis (not yet topped with the Parthenon). The cunning Athenian Themistocles persuades the other Greeks not to sail away. The battle of Salamis is resoundingly described, after which, Xerxes, who has observed from a seat on a promontory, decides it is time to get back to Sardis before the victorious Greeks realise they could sail direct to the Hellespont and destroy the bridge of boats. He leaves behind his senior commander, Mardonius, who is confident he can overcome the Greeks in the field, and with him a picked force of 300,000. They overwinter in Thessaly.
Book Nine. Fierce debates over tactics continue in both camps. The Persians have support from several Greek cities, some under duress, others like the Thebans with enthusiasm. It all culminates in the epic battle of Plataea in which fortunes fluctuate until Mardonius is killed, and Pausanias leading the Spartans, with timely aid from the Athenians, completes the destruction and rout of the Persian force.
A Greek historian is recountng the triumph of independence-minded Greeks over Barbarians from the East, and yet it was striking how unpartisan he is. If the Persians are the more “barbaric” - some of the treatment of women makes for unpleasant reading - the Greeks are capable of savagery too, and the Persians are shown to have subtlety and thought, and the skills to build an empire.
When I think back, it is amazing how much of this history was taught in primary school in the England of the 1950s. (Leaving out of course the sort of bloodthirsty stories that induce nightmares, e.g. the eunuch taking revenge on his castrator.) I don’t suppose any of it remains in today’s curriculum. But when I read such a work now I have a satisfying sense of filling out my education, and my knowledge of authors who were at the core of western art and literature for centuries. Others tackled or re-read in recent years in the same vein: Homer, Thucydides, Virgil, Plutarch, Ovid. So far, only Virgil has been a bit disappointing. Looking next at Xenophon, and Seneca (because translated by Emily Wilson).
Book Eight. The Persians capture Athens and sack the Acropolis (not yet topped with the Parthenon). The cunning Athenian Themistocles persuades the other Greeks not to sail away. The battle of Salamis is resoundingly described, after which, Xerxes, who has observed from a seat on a promontory, decides it is time to get back to Sardis before the victorious Greeks realise they could sail direct to the Hellespont and destroy the bridge of boats. He leaves behind his senior commander, Mardonius, who is confident he can overcome the Greeks in the field, and with him a picked force of 300,000. They overwinter in Thessaly.
Book Nine. Fierce debates over tactics continue in both camps. The Persians have support from several Greek cities, some under duress, others like the Thebans with enthusiasm. It all culminates in the epic battle of Plataea in which fortunes fluctuate until Mardonius is killed, and Pausanias leading the Spartans, with timely aid from the Athenians, completes the destruction and rout of the Persian force.
A Greek historian is recountng the triumph of independence-minded Greeks over Barbarians from the East, and yet it was striking how unpartisan he is. If the Persians are the more “barbaric” - some of the treatment of women makes for unpleasant reading - the Greeks are capable of savagery too, and the Persians are shown to have subtlety and thought, and the skills to build an empire.
When I think back, it is amazing how much of this history was taught in primary school in the England of the 1950s. (Leaving out of course the sort of bloodthirsty stories that induce nightmares, e.g. the eunuch taking revenge on his castrator.) I don’t suppose any of it remains in today’s curriculum. But when I read such a work now I have a satisfying sense of filling out my education, and my knowledge of authors who were at the core of western art and literature for centuries. Others tackled or re-read in recent years in the same vein: Homer, Thucydides, Virgil, Plutarch, Ovid. So far, only Virgil has been a bit disappointing. Looking next at Xenophon, and Seneca (because translated by Emily Wilson).
Russell wrote: "I got to the last two books of Herodotus.Book Eight. The Persians capture Athens and sack the Acropolis (not yet topped with the Parthenon). The cunning Athenian Themistocles persuades the other ..."
in my history education in the 80s and early 90s, i dont think ancient Greece occupied more than 5 mins, which i regret. The Romans were covered in detail.....at GSCE-A level it was mainly 1789,WW1 and WW2, at university it was 1848-1914.
So a lot of quite modern history at one end and the Romans at the other..
Anastasia wrote: "When are you starting that Bolaño? ;)."Yeeeeeaaaahh, it's going to be a while. A long term goal
In Super-Infinite; The transformation of John Donne there is some information about 17C dress and how important it was to Donne as a young man. These couple of lines quoted made me smile, reminding me of squeaky new shoes and rustling silk.‘I taught my silks their whistling to forbear;
/E’en my oppressed shoes dumb and speechless were’.
Some of the looks at the time would truly have been startling: a fashion for melancholia led to flowing sleeves and open shirt-necks in portraiture, while women used pads and wires to make large heart-shaped frames of hair around their heads.
King Christian of Denmark had a medical condition which made his hair matt, so he wore it cropped short, but with a single rat-tail that reached down to his nipple, threaded with a pearl. The look caught on, and soon London streets were dotted with men and some women wearing a single long strand of hair, dubbed a lovelock, over the left shoulder and down over the heart.
I had vaguely heard the word lovelock before but had never really thought what it looked like. My hair is still long, reaches almost to my waist and for some reason ( it’s a missing gene I believe) has not gone grey) but it is much thinner now and I usually wear it in a single plait so was interested.
I managed to find a couple of examples of a lovelock on wiki and will post them on photos.
At the Edge of the Woods by Masatsugu Ono translated from the Japanese by Juliet Winters Carpenter.
In an unnamed country a father and son live in an isolated house near the woods, waiting for the mother, who has gone to stay with her parents for the birth of her new baby.
Bizarre occurences build up; a mumbling noise, as sort of laughing and talking, emerges from the forest, the trees appear to move, the son brings home a naked elderly woman who promptly vanishes, appearances of dwarves or imps are spoken of by neighbours. Meanwhile, society outside of the forest community seems to be disintegrating. Unspecified atrocities unfurl on the televison news while the narrator and his son attempt to play quietly in their home. But they appear unperturbed.
This is a novel that promises so much, but doesn't manage to deliver. The eerie and unsettling atmosphere is created well, but is never used to its full potential.
Told as a series of vignettes, it is frustratingly fragmented. Its like a fleeting view of a ghost from which there is an initial sense of shock.
Rather, the substance of the story is concerned with parenthood - amidst all the uncertainty and problems of modern life remains the apparently simple task of raising children.
I have had a remarkable run of good reads(no pun intended) in 2022, its been a long time since i read a novel that left a bad taste or halted my reading process, so its well over due!However They Came to Baghdad is maintaining the high standards, i was fully expected flaws in the writing, a kind of surface level of Iraqi culture with some dated scenarios but that just hasnt happened.
Christie's mastery of plot means that about half way in, i am still in the dark in many aspects, amused by the main characters female guile and intrigued by the 1950s Iraq that Christie describes well. A land of post-colonial explorers and archaeologists, diplomats and spies, scattered about Baghdad and Basrah, even the ruins of Babylon are covered.
Christie has a great writers grip of economy too, there is none of the wordiness of contemporary and equally as great female writers, nothing is added if it isnt needed, though the novel doesnt feel "light" at all.
Further to my reading about The Tsars Foreign Faiths
and the reference to Ukrainian as a non language by Russians, i am now fascinated by the Ukranian language but getting a lot of the "its just a form of Polish" or "its not anything like Polish" from my googling.1897 Census of Imperial Russia
I have always known there was a distinct ukrainian tongue from my studies of that area over 20 years but i wasnt aware it was as widely spoken in 1897 as it was. By combining the actual state of Ukraine in 1897(with Crimea and the Donbass, ofc!), it seems that:
- 73% of the population spoke Ukrainian, though in the cities it is much lower at 17%.
- 17% of the population spoke Russian, though in the cities it was 50% Russian speaking
- Only one region was less than 50% Ukrainian speaking, which was Taurida, which included the Crimea
- The second most spoken urban language was Yiddish-Hebrew
Anastasia- if you have any thoughts on the Ukraine language, would love to hear!
Hello everyone. I've been dipping in and out of this thread and it will take me a couple of days to get up to speed. Then I'll think about putting up a new thread. It may partly depend on whether we get some good weather (hello, garden!) this extended bank holiday weekend. But I'll keep you fully informed.
More hilarious recommendations from Goodreads. Because I've read The Summer After the Funeral by Jane Gardam, they're suggesting that I now go for The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer.
Anne wrote: "More hilarious recommendations from Goodreads. Because I've read The Summer After the Funeral by Jane Gardam, they're suggesting that I now go for The Reluctant Widow by..."Amazon can be just as bad, i seem to find odd recommendations for bodice-rippers is a common theme, where a search for a serious literary novel leads me to a breathy heroine and some junk masquerading as a novel
Russell wrote: "I got to the last two books of Herodotus....
A Greek historian is recountng the triumph of independence-minded Greeks over Barbarians from the East, and yet it was striking how unpartisan he is. If the Persians are the more “barbaric” - some of the treatment of women makes for unpleasant reading - the Greeks are capable of savagery too, and the Persians are shown to have subtlety and thought, and the skills to build an empire.."
This is one of the impressive - even mind-blowing - aspects of the work for me: to think that this book, arguably the first written history ever done in western culture, is less one-sided and partisan than much of what we read today ... compared for example to the historical chronicles we read in the Bible it was a stunning achievement just to have the idea that this was something to attempt, let alone to do it so impressively.
Homer, Thucydides, Virgil, Plutarch, Ovid. So far, only Virgil has been a bit disappointing. Looking next at Xenophon, and Seneca (because translated by Emily Wilson)."
I strongly recommend adding Polybius to your list: very much in the Herodotus/Thucydides tradition. I've only read the Penguin paperback selection, but his account of the Romans' rise to power and the war with Hannibal is far superior to Livy's partisan pro-Roman version, to my mind.
Slava Ukraini!Ukraine beat Scotland 3-1 in the World Cup Qualifiers!
just watched the ukraine fans singing and smiling and i just smiled too, for 10 mins...just smiled......brilliant to see
(apologies for a totally non-book related post)
Is @Swelter around? My current narrative features a priceless copy of The Study in Scarlet, and I thought of Bill.
Thanks for the steer, Berkley. I will definitely add Polybius. Dante in the underworld would have a better sense of direction than I do.
Some of you will no doubt recall the old music hall act where some guy sets a number of plates spinning on top of a set of springy sticks, then has to rush back and forwards between these to give them a twiddle and stop the plates crashing to the ground. (Here is one example, introduced by Richard Nixon - at least, it looks like him:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k44uo... ) Well, often during my professional life I felt like that - needing to rush between different tasks to keep those 'plates' in the air. It's rarely been that hectic since retirement, but recently it has... hence my relatively few comments and books finished - but here's one:
Cat Chaser by Elmore Leonard... ex-marine George Moran owns and runs a small holiday complex in Miami; he decides to take a break in the Dominican Republic, where he served during the USA's 1963 invasion, purportedly to prevent a communist takeover. Whilst there, he comes across an old flame, Mary de Boya - who unfortunately for him is now married to one of Trujillo's former top secret policemen*. On his return to Miami, various players enter the scene with a view to separating either Moran or Mr. de Boya - or both - from their money.
Can Moran and Mary survive? This is a love story with major jeopardy, and I enjoyed it hugely. The complex plot rattles along, and we are also given a little history lesson about the DR, though rather sentimentalised.
I read a lot of Leonard in 2020, but put him on the back burner after a rather disappointing story. Here, he is on top form and I'll no doubt read a few more in 2022. Highly recommended (if you like this sort of thing).
*A quote which is variously attributed goes: "He may be a bastard, but he's our bastard!" This certainly applied to the DR's dictator Rafael Trujillo, who ran the country from 1930-1961, with the USA's complicity until near the time of his assassination (he was shot with American M-1 carbines). Following this, there was a period of political instability which led Lyndon B Johnson to order an invasion... the effect was to install a former Trujillo president who continued his policies and suppression of opposition by all means.
The 'our bastard' method appears to be the USA's major political method when applied to south and central America... the DR incursion was (as far as I know - in recent times) a relatively rare direct involvement, as opposed to undercover CIA support for the favoured faction. (Historians are welcome to correct this statement, based on personal and fallible memory!) The Soviet Union was more willing to put boots on the ground to suppress unwanted political developments (Hungary 1956; Czechoslovakia 1968 - the Prague Spring). They, too, had their 'bastards'. I daresay the British used the same method back when they were actual world players.
AB76 wrote: "Slava Ukraini!Ukraine beat Scotland 3-1 in the World Cup Qualifiers!
just watched the ukraine fans singing and smiling and i just smiled too, for 10 mins...just smiled......brilliant to see...
Just so long as they don't beat Wales next week! (Fair play - we have not been in a World Cup since 1958, which I just about remember...)
scarletnoir wrote: "Some of you will no doubt recall the old music hall act where some guy sets a number of plates spinning on top of a set of springy sticks, then has to rush back and forwards between these to give t..."Vargas Llosa's The Feast of the Goat is a superb portrayal of Trujillo, the assassination and the world of the Dominican Republic. It was my first novel of his i read.....about 20 years ago
AB76 wrote: "Slava Ukraini!Ukraine beat Scotland 3-1 in the World Cup Qualifiers!
just watched the ukraine fans singing and smiling and i just smiled too, for 10 mins...just smiled......brilliant to see
(apo..."
You weren't the only one AB. And pictures before the match of Zinchenko wrapping the Ukraine flag round the PL trophy and dissolving in tears to be surrounded by his team mates.
Mod
And a thought for Magrat who as far as I know is/was the only other subscriber.
Looking at my emails, their suggestions for Father's Day include one of their Slightly Foxed Editions, Anne Fadiman's memoir of her father, Clifton Fadiman, to whom there have been references here not so long ago.
Gpfr wrote: "My quarterly treat - Slightly Foxed - has arrived! Always interesting content & like everything they do, beautifully produced. (I'm posting a photo). Accompanied by the catalogue full of temptation..."i think i subscribed a while ago.....though not sure
AB76 wrote: "Vargas Llosa's The Feast of the Goat is a superb portrayal of Trujillo, the assassination and the world of the Dominican Republic. It was my first novel of his i read.....about 20 years ago..."Thanks - I'll bear it in mind. It does sound interesting. Llosa is Peruvian, so I wonder how intimate he is with Dominican politics... at least it sounds as if the book is a 'story' (whatever the style) rather than a magical realist effort (I don't get on with magical realism). It's definitely on the 'maybe' list!
@Anne. Well, at least you couldn’t disagree with the Gardam and Heyer recommendations! Incidentally I have a Jane Gardam short story collection waiting to be read. Part of my recent library haul. Though I’ve mostly read her novels, I recall one, The Swan, in a Woman’s Hour short story volume. These recommendations that come through, unasked for, from various sites, often have me shouting M Y O B. Or something less polite!
The fifth barn owl egg hatched yesterday evening and the last one should do so on Saturday morning.
scarletnoir wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Vargas Llosa's The Feast of the Goat is a superb portrayal of Trujillo, the assassination and the world of the Dominican Republic. It was my first novel of his i read.....about 20 year..."i loathe magical realism too scarlet, i can assure that Vargas Llosa does not indulge in the Marquez mangling business of storytelling, it has a brooding uneasy feel but none of the foul magical realism that bores me to death. Llosa does like to have multiple characters views interchanging in a sometimes fragmentary manner but what i can remember of this novel, that happens less
CCCubbon wrote: "The fifth barn owl egg hatched yesterday evening and the last one should do so on Saturday morning."great news CCC and a belated birthday
summer hasnt really flamed down here yet, a very cool start to this week and about 17c today which for a south eastern summer is amazingly cool. could do with some 22-23c days....no doubt the blazing heat will arrive soon, when i dont want it!
Finished Christie's excellent thriller set in Baghdad and now moving on to Joseph Conrad The Shadow Line and also adding A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid, her description of her island Antigua, in the West Indies.Much excited about starting Paul Bowles Collected Short Stories after Conrad, i read his first collection "The Delicarte Prey", so will start the collection after those stories, about 150 pages in but i'm jumping ahead, time for Polish Joe and the sea...
scarletnoir wrote: "Some of you will no doubt recall the old music hall act where some guy sets a number of plates spinning on top of a set of springy sticks, then has to rush back and forwards between these to give t..."Thanks. I've just downloaded it from the library. Nothing like the wise-cracking characters of Elmore Leonard to put one in a good mood.
As far as the US meddling in the Caribbean (for Cuba - see Back Channel to Cuba: The Hidden History of Negotiations Between Washington and Havana or Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba & Then Lost it to the Revolution and not to mention TR and the Rough Riders) and one for Central America (Bananas!: How The United Fruit Company Shaped the World). I'm sure there are more instances like Reagan invades Grenada or Smedley Butler's classic - War is a Racket.
Apologies for the above, I tend to get a little exercised when talking about USA, the myth, versus, USA, the reality.
As far as I am concerned the US is at least complicit in the migration of so many impoverished from Central America to seek a life in the USA (which is rather ironic, too).
Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba & Then Lost it to the Revolution is a great read, though.
MK wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "Some of you will no doubt recall the old music hall act where some guy sets a number of plates spinning on top of a set of springy sticks, then has to rush back and forwards bet..."The USA has been a meddler in Central America and the Latino Caribbean par excellence, its almost disturbing how much involvement they had in the fortunes of various small nations and islands over the last 120 years or so. Leaving legacies that have ruined much of these countries and as you say created little Cubas, Dominican Republics and central american suburbs of many large cities.
CCCubbon wrote: "The fifth barn owl egg hatched yesterday evening and the last one should do so on Saturday morning."Two fluff balls (at least for now) here: https://hawkandowltrust.org/web-cam-l...
AB76 wrote: "Gpfr wrote: "My quarterly treat - Slightly Foxed - has arrived!..." "i think i subscribed a while ago.....though not sure"I subscribed for a few years when it first started, then one review (I forget which) for what sounded like a very good book suddenly gave away the complete story. I don't think I knew the word 'spoiler' then, but that's what it was, with a vengeance.
There and then I decided not to renew my subscription. It was probably a well known book that a lot of people would have read, but there was no point in me reading it after that. I've always been really careful (I hope) here and elsewhere not to fall into that trap.
FrancesBurgundy wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Gpfr wrote: "My quarterly treat - Slightly Foxed - has arrived!..." "i think i subscribed a while ago.....though not sure"I subscribed for a few years when it first started, then one..."
i would have shared your fustration!
Having donated twice in last 4 mths to the Ukraine refugee funds, i am now trying to see if the day centre i volunteer at can employ some of the local refugees in The ShiresThey are keen to work, earn cash and contribute, though i'm not sure what the employment laws are like, plus anyone working with old people would need a DBS clearence and im not sure how that would work either, looks more complicated than i thought!
AB76 wrote: "Much excited about starting Paul Bowles Collected Short Stories after Conrad, i read his first collection "The Delicarte Prey", ..."I'm thinking about reading The Delicate Prey myself, before I leave the 1950s and move into the 1960s. The only problem is, if I keep adding things I'll never get to the 1960s. But it,s pretty short, so I may try to slip it in anyway.
Berkley wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Much excited about starting Paul Bowles Collected Short Stories after Conrad, i read his first collection "The Delicarte Prey", ..."I'm thinking about reading The Delicate Prey mysel..."
Bowles has been an absolute joy to read, all of his North African novels were just brilliant. The Delicate Prey was unlike anything i have read before,quite unsettling, would like to hear what you think about it when you read it
The North African novels, all written in the 1940s and 50s are:
The Sheltering Sky (1949)
Let it Come Down (1952)
The Spiders House (1955)
Bowles is a master of the "cold" style of fiction, judgement and morals are removed from the narrative, it creates a quite hard edge to his novels and short stories, life is at the cold flat extremes, warmth is absent but its great to read. Alongside the North African locations, the desert and the docks of Tangiers, its an intoxicating mix. The last of the three North African novels wa s probably the best in my opinion, set in Fez, Morrocco
The stories in The Delicate Prey are mostly set in the USA, though some are North African settings
Bowles also composed quite a good array of music too:
https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item....
SydneyH wrote: "Is @Swelter around? My current narrative features a priceless copy of The Study in Scarlet, and I thought of Bill."I'm around, but have not been inspired to comment recently, either on my reading, which continues sluggishly, or what others have posted. I continue to invest more time in music than reading, though my reading has branched out beyond musical subjects. Still haven't read any fiction so far this year, though.
Bill wrote: "SydneyH wrote: "Is @Swelter around? My current narrative features a priceless copy of The Study in Scarlet, and I thought of Bill."I'm around, but have not been inspired to comment recently, eith..."
interesting you just posted Bill, as i thought of you when i ordered a Paul Bowles piano collection on CD. Are you familiar with his music? i think you mentioned it a few months back
AB76 wrote: "Berkley wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Much excited about starting Paul Bowles Collected Short Stories after Conrad, i read his first collection "The Delicarte Prey", ..."I'm thinking about reading The Del..."
The film of 'The Sheltering Sky' by director Bernado Bertolucci is quite a case in point, from what you have said about Paul Bowles, and an interesting film, but really cold, and distanced. There is no invitation to identify with the characters, you are just on a train track of observation of increasing alienation between the main characters.
My son recommends this book, which I think might be of interest to you (he is a historian)
Black Spartacus: The Epic Life of Toussaint Louverture
Book by Sudhir Hazareesingh, on the dark history of the evolution of Haiti.
Tam wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Berkley wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Much excited about starting Paul Bowles Collected Short Stories after Conrad, i read his first collection "The Delicarte Prey", ..."I'm thinking about re..."
Thanks for the Haiti tips Tam
Bowles is a complex writer, every time i visited his works i am left with a distinctive feel and i havent found another writer who has that effect. The existentialists at their most stark (Camus and early Hamsun) are in the same style but with a European approach, Bowles is very much of the Anglo tradition but with something original in the style. I am suprised Bowles isnt more respected actually, though for a long lived writer, he only left four novels, his last novel "Up Above The World" i will read sometime...
AB76 wrote: "interesting you just posted Bill, as i thought of you when i ordered a Paul Bowles piano collection on CD. Are you familiar with his music? i think you mentioned it a few months back"Back in February I posted a review of the only Bowles CD in my collection. There are no works in common with the CD you linked to, though I see the brief "Night Waltz" is on Naxos' Volume 2 of the Piano Music.
AB76 wrote: "i loathe magical realism too scarlet, i can assure that Vargas Llosa does not indulge in the Marquez mangling business of storytelling"Thanks - it's definitely on the list. I have a few other well-known books/authors to try first.
MK wrote: "Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba & Then Lost it to the Revolution is a great read, though."Thanks for this and your other thoughts... I know a little about Cuba, as I'm old enough to remember the Bay of Pigs farce, and have read about some of the mob's actions in the Caribbean in some fictions, such as James Ellroy's American Tabloid, as well as the much lighter Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene.
The Thin Man by Dashiell HammettMany years ago - around 1960 - I saw the 1934 film version of this book on TV, and retained fond memories… it is charmingly acted by William Powell and Myrna Loy (and the dog Asta). Since it was a success, several follow-up films were made with the same stars and screenwriters - sometime married couple Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett - also known for ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and ‘Easter Parade’. So I was looking forward to this… but unfortunately, the book is a disappointment.
How so? Well, if it is meant to be a whodunit, it fails (I guessed the identity of the murderer early on). If it is meant to be a thriller, it fails (most of the action takes place ‘off screen’, as it were - there are few fights and no murders in ‘real time’). Is it meant as a romance? Most of the characters fancy at least one other character - including the cop - but since they all start drinking at breakfast time and fall into bed completely plastered, we are fortunately spared any actual sex despite the endless flirting.
This could all have been saved by better writing, but unfortunately it is so plain that it is downright dull. Much of the book consists of dialogue, which for the most part feels fairly ‘realistic’, but there are no wisecracks or repartee to compare with what Chandler (for example) delivers, and none of the descriptive hyperbole which makes his books such fun. (A collection of top quotes from Chandler can be found here: https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/ne... )
So I have reluctantly concluded that the film version owes more to the charm of the actors and/or the skill of the screenwriters than it does to the source material.
Nevertheless, I did manage to finish the story - it’s an easy enough read. Gentleman detective Nick Charles and his lovely wife Nora (who is the wealthy one) are visiting New York. They spend their time in hotel rooms, in speakeasies or visiting friends… A secretary employed by one of these is found shot dead, and the friend has vanished. Naturally, he becomes suspect no.1, especially as he was romantically involved with the dead dame. Everyone wants Nick to get on the case - even, improbably, the cops - so eventually he does put his mind to solving the mystery. That’s it, really.
Thinking about my reaction, I have concluded that when it comes to style of writing, I only really enjoy books written in a sort of ‘Goldilocks zone’: too plain, as here, and it just feels dull and uninvolving; on the other hand, if the author uses a plethora of recondite terms, in the wrong hands that comes across as just showing off vocabulary rather than an attempt to tell a story or even to write, successfully, in a poetic style.
So, even though I finished this, I won’t be reading any more Hammett.
Edit: I forgot to mention that this book is very much of its time, and so there are a few things which may cause offence: there is a single use of the 'n-word' in connection with a mugging (off-screen, oral report) and one use of 'pansy'. Far more pervasive is a dubious presentation of the female characters... one has a fit of 'hysteria' and even the intelligent Nora has little to do. Anyway, see what you think.
Bill wrote: "AB76 wrote: "interesting you just posted Bill, as i thought of you when i ordered a Paul Bowles piano collection on CD. Are you familiar with his music? i think you mentioned it a few months back"..."
thanks bill....will have a read
Feel rather guilty my Japanese lit reading has been quite low in the four years of my involvement with TLS and Ersatz TLSAm enjoying the BBC drama The Terror set in 1942, involving the incarceration of the Japanese-American population after Pearl Harbour with a horror twist to it. George Takei a majestic presence and a great cast. Memories of reading Okada and Okubu about that period.
Anyway, my japanese read is by the daughter of the legendary Ozamu Dazai. Yuko Tshushima's Territory of Light a slim volume i picked up in Waterstones in the winter.
Mod
I subscribed for a few years when it first started, then one review (I forget which) for what sounded like a very good book suddenly gave away the complete story...."
I agree that's infuriating - hasn't happened to me fortunately.
Although - is there a place for articles which aren't exactly reviews? And which discuss the whole book?
Gpfr wrote: "FrancesBurgundy wrote: " "Gpfr wrote: "My quarterly treat - Slightly Foxed - has arrived!..." is there a place for articles which aren't exactly reviews? And which discuss the whole book?.."
I do think that the pieces in Slightly Foxed are hardly reviews. They were generally several pages long and as far as I remember concerned older books, not ones just published. So it's very possible that a lot of people would have read them. But again as far as I remember they often concerned overlooked old books, and that's what I enjoyed - being introduced to things I would otherwise not have read.
I agree that it might not be easy to be spoiler-free in those circumstances, but all the contributors I'd read previously had managed it. I think I was most shocked that the editors had let that piece through and not realised that there was too much information there to make their readers want to read the book.
And which discuss the whole book? I'm sure there's a place for such 'reviews' - a bit like the conversations at a book group where everyone has read the book. You could put in a spoiler alert but that would be telling half your readership not to read some of your content. But I still think it's perfectly possible to write in detail about a book without giving away the ending or any important facts that readers need to discover for themselves.
scarletnoir wrote: "The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett..."
I remember years ago being very disappointed by The Thin Man after enjoying the movie, and you explain very well why. I did enjoy others of Dashiell Hammett, in particular the blood-drenched Red Harvest, and also The Glass Key. I thought The Maltese Falcon, as a book, was OK. I read The Dain Curse but have no memory of it. All this, plus all the Raymond Chandlers plus some others, was prompted by a film-noir season put on by the Everyman in Hampstead in the early 70s (when there was virtually no chance of seeing them elsewhere, unless you caught one on TV or at the NFT). The place was packed.
I remember years ago being very disappointed by The Thin Man after enjoying the movie, and you explain very well why. I did enjoy others of Dashiell Hammett, in particular the blood-drenched Red Harvest, and also The Glass Key. I thought The Maltese Falcon, as a book, was OK. I read The Dain Curse but have no memory of it. All this, plus all the Raymond Chandlers plus some others, was prompted by a film-noir season put on by the Everyman in Hampstead in the early 70s (when there was virtually no chance of seeing them elsewhere, unless you caught one on TV or at the NFT). The place was packed.
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