One of the most wonderful aspects of our small but active book club is its platform for launching flights of thought and ideas. Whether it is in the research of the author’s background or other titles, or the historical or social significance of the book there are always many interesting topics put on the table.
On the coldest December evening thus far we stepped from the cobblestone via into the old world warmth of a medieval palazzo to a sumptuous meal at the long narrow dark heavy wood table, beautifully laid in deep red with cut crystal wine goblets and white china, before discussing the contemporary implications of the novel Brave New World, by Alduous Huxley.
At Oxford, tutored by H.G. Wells, Huxley, originally inspired to write a parody of the period’s popular future utopia novels, wrote instead a dystopian saga which resonates 80 years later. Contemporary themes of societal control, genetic engineering, cloning, bioethics, coercive consumerism, drug use and sexual promiscuity are explored.
Huxley was a member of several hedonistic societies and explored and experimented with LSD and mescaline, in addition to being prescribed antidepressants. A trip to the United States, and an inadvertent study of the writing of Henry Ford on industrialization, mass production and consumerism as a key to peace, strongly influenced his pessimistic outlook for the future of Europe and inspired him to write Brave New World with America in mind.
The society consists of a genetically engineered hierarchy of consumers. Consumerism being the new religion, everyone was inculcated in the process of goods to make, buy, use and throw away. Today the practice can be seen in the elaborate advertising schemes and pressure to buy on too easily available credit in a vicious cycle which has resulted in seriously undermining world wide financial systems.
As panacea and to alleviate stress and anxiety the mood enhancing fictional drug Soma was used routinely. Its relevance today can be felt in the alarming use of psychoactive drugs to enhance, modify or control the behaviour of adults but most disturbingly that of a growing number of children. The production of Ritalin, the drug of choice to control a variety of behavioural issues in children, has increased 500% in five years. An estimated 5% of boys and 2% of girls in the United States, are prescribed these drugs beginning with children as young as 3 to 4 years of age. Young adults and adults are using them for memory and mental performance enhancement. This does not even begin to address the serious abuse of performance enhancing drugs.
The regulated and controlled society forbid any engagement in arts or literature, especially the work of Shakespeare from which the title is borrowed. Family connections were eliminated through genetically engineered reproduction which brings us to the main plot in the story when two characters go on vacation to the world at large and find two refugees from the colony. The two refugees, one the paternal offspring of a member of the colony, return and confusion and chaos ensue through the introduction of a blood relative.
It was not an easy read. The almost textbook descriptions of scientific endeavors were a slog. All in all, those who read and enjoyed it did so with an eye to its relevance today.
Thank you very much to Liz and everyone who contributed delicious food and Margaret, Krysia, Helen and others who brought well researched thought provoking ideas to the table.
The book we will discuss on January 23rd will be The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes.
The book for February is Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal, by Jeanette Winterson
March’s book selection is My Cousin Rachel, by Daphne du Maurier and April will be discussing Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D. H. Lawrence.
We look forward to lively discussions.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
The Handmaid's Tale
Krysia cited this research:
Most people don't want to read about a book before they actually read it, but with this one, I wish I had. It was an uncomfortable and disturbing read.
Margaret Atwood had a fascination with dictatorships and how they functioned as well as an interest in dystopian literature.
The defeat of the Equal Rights Amendment, the rise of the religious right, the election of Ronald Reagan, and many sorts of backlash (mostly hugely misinformed) against the women's movement led writers like Atwood to fear that the antifeminist tide could not only prevent further gains for women, but turn back the clock.
Feminists took many different lines on pornography and advertising demeaning women. Some said that the portrayal of women sexually and erotically should be completely censored, and at the other end of the spectrum that censorship resulted in loss of freedom and therefore dangerous.
The sub-theme of this tangled debate which seems to have particularly interested and alarmed Atwood is the tendency of some feminist anti-porn groups to ally themselves with religious anti-porn zealots who opposed the feminists on almost every other issue. The language of "protection of women" could slip from a demand for more freedom into a retreat from freedom, to a kind of neo-Victorianism.
Contemporary Islamic women sometimes argue that assuming the veil and all-enveloping clothing protects them from sexual harassment and sexual objectification.
In the Old Testament, Hebrew, it was considered legal for a husband to procreate with his servant, if his wife was infertile, and during the birth the wife would embrace the servant to show that she had a right to the child.
Margaret added these insights:
The Secret Services took the eye from the one dollar bill as their logo and then Homeland Security used it.
Between 76-83 in Argentina the generals took the children from dissidents. 3000 people disappeared
In Basra 45% of pregnancies end in miscarriages and 50% of children are born with birth defects due to the lead, mercury and white phosphorous shells.
Liz added that on second reading many ideas came to the fore.
Anne, who also brought wonderful fresh milled olive oil, mentioned closed societies and children with genetic defects and an overall mistrust of governing bodies.
The next meeting will be held on December 12, graciously hosted by Liz at Palazzo Salvi. We will be discussing Alduous Huxley’s Brave New World.
The title chosen for the January meeting is The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes, date and venue to follow.
Thank you to everyone who participated and we look very forward to seeing you in December.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Swimming Home
The Book Club met on a cool mid fall evening in the elegant, warm and cozy kitchen of Krysia and Christopher Bell. While appetizing fragrances wafted from the oven we enjoyed appetizers and prosecco and caught up with the members whom we had not seen for several weeks and reflected on those who could not be there, wishing them well.
We sat down to a delicious and hearty meal and evocative anecdotes provided by the members and hosts and eventually got down to the business at hand which was to discuss Swimming Home by Deborah Levy. Opinions were radically but amicably divergent.
The Story revolves around the incidental introduction of a very beautiful but zany young naturalist botanist amidst a group of five friends on Holiday in Antibes. The opening pages are intriguing, evocative and promising but in the majority opinion it goes down hill from there. A few readers felt an immediate and strong affinity for the characters and were drawn into the story which follows the 6 main characters, and several ancillary, through several discomforting and eventually tragic days. Some characters were very well drawn psychologically others were mystifying and frustratingly quixotic.
Margaret insightfully remarked on the metaphor of the swimming pool drawing references to watery grave, Ophelia and suspension as represented by a floating body at the beginning and end of the story. The main protagonist was cited as a catalyst for change in otherwise stilted dysfunctional lives. Selene recognized the powerful force of the water imagery and swimming as metaphor for being lost, or at sea as it were.
Apart from the two very strongly positive reviews, over all it was felt that the story just didn’t hang together, that its otherwise described hallucinatory aspect was unjustified. The author tried very hard to create a cohesive story but did not succeed, as Elisabeth felt it was too long to be a good short story but too short and disjointed to have achieved what was needed to make it a good novel.
The next meeting will be held on November 21st, at Kerry’s Barga location, to discuss The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, and the following on December 12th when we will discuss Huxley’s Brave New World, as it relates to the 21st C., venue to be announced.
A few recommendations to add to the reading list are:
The Death of Grass by John Christopher
Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel
Several Titles by Gianrico Carofiglio
Thank you very much to everyone who participated.
We sat down to a delicious and hearty meal and evocative anecdotes provided by the members and hosts and eventually got down to the business at hand which was to discuss Swimming Home by Deborah Levy. Opinions were radically but amicably divergent.
The Story revolves around the incidental introduction of a very beautiful but zany young naturalist botanist amidst a group of five friends on Holiday in Antibes. The opening pages are intriguing, evocative and promising but in the majority opinion it goes down hill from there. A few readers felt an immediate and strong affinity for the characters and were drawn into the story which follows the 6 main characters, and several ancillary, through several discomforting and eventually tragic days. Some characters were very well drawn psychologically others were mystifying and frustratingly quixotic.
Margaret insightfully remarked on the metaphor of the swimming pool drawing references to watery grave, Ophelia and suspension as represented by a floating body at the beginning and end of the story. The main protagonist was cited as a catalyst for change in otherwise stilted dysfunctional lives. Selene recognized the powerful force of the water imagery and swimming as metaphor for being lost, or at sea as it were.
Apart from the two very strongly positive reviews, over all it was felt that the story just didn’t hang together, that its otherwise described hallucinatory aspect was unjustified. The author tried very hard to create a cohesive story but did not succeed, as Elisabeth felt it was too long to be a good short story but too short and disjointed to have achieved what was needed to make it a good novel.
The next meeting will be held on November 21st, at Kerry’s Barga location, to discuss The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, and the following on December 12th when we will discuss Huxley’s Brave New World, as it relates to the 21st C., venue to be announced.
A few recommendations to add to the reading list are:
The Death of Grass by John Christopher
Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel
Several Titles by Gianrico Carofiglio
Thank you very much to everyone who participated.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
The Man Who Loved China
A warm early fall evening found a dozen or so members of the Barga Book Club enjoying a glass of wine or water, speaking quietly and watching the sun set slowly behind the Duomo. As the air chilled we gradually retreated to the warm and softly lit interior of the home of Pietro and Marijke Bianchessi. A buffet of fragrant, some Asian inspired, dishes provided by the book club members arrayed around the elegant ivory and black accented kitchen was taken to the long dining table and enjoyed before we began our lengthy discussion.
The book under discussion was “The Man Who Loved China,” the story of Joseph Needham, the Cambridge scientist who painstakingly chronicled the rise of the many Chinese arts and sciences which preclude most western discoveries and inventions. From astronomy through nautics, medicine, engineering and many other areas the Chinese were far ahead of the western world but the west knew nothing of their work until Needham researched and recorded it in multi-volume detail beginning in 1943.
The opinions of the readers were varied but most found the information on China, its history and culture very interesting and engaging. The author, Simon Winchester, did a thorough job of covering Needham’s work and life, balancing the two subjects well, straddling history and biography. As to the work, most readers were appreciative of the detail with which the author explained and documented the multitude of Chinese inventions and discoveries. As in the perpetual quandary, does the Art justify the artist’s bad behaviour, some readers were very disturbed by the peccadilloes of the subject.
The discussion was greatly enhanced by the contribution of the guest speaker Frank Viviano, long time international correspondent and bureau head for The San Francisco Chronicle and other media who spent many years living in and/or reporting from Asia. Drawing on his personal and professional experience in China Frank added in depth perspective and background to much of the substance of the book as well as insight about the culture and the author’s professional background, which Elisabeth Marseglia had also included in her well composed opening statement.
So, in addition to reading an interesting book, we learned a lot about the history and circumstances of which it was written.
We have selected The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood for November’s book club meeting which will be held at Kerry’s Barga address.
The next meeting will be held on 17 October at the home of Krysia at which we will discuss Swimming Home by Deborah Levy.
There were many other books to add to our suggested reading lists which include:
This Thing of Darkness by Harry Thompson
Four Fish by Paul Greenberg
Shantarum by Gregory David Roberts
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Morakami
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiuro
anything by Dave Eggers
Thank you very much to everyone who participated and contributed and especially to our guest speaker Frank Viviano for taking the time to add his deep and fascinating perspective.
The book under discussion was “The Man Who Loved China,” the story of Joseph Needham, the Cambridge scientist who painstakingly chronicled the rise of the many Chinese arts and sciences which preclude most western discoveries and inventions. From astronomy through nautics, medicine, engineering and many other areas the Chinese were far ahead of the western world but the west knew nothing of their work until Needham researched and recorded it in multi-volume detail beginning in 1943.
The opinions of the readers were varied but most found the information on China, its history and culture very interesting and engaging. The author, Simon Winchester, did a thorough job of covering Needham’s work and life, balancing the two subjects well, straddling history and biography. As to the work, most readers were appreciative of the detail with which the author explained and documented the multitude of Chinese inventions and discoveries. As in the perpetual quandary, does the Art justify the artist’s bad behaviour, some readers were very disturbed by the peccadilloes of the subject.
The discussion was greatly enhanced by the contribution of the guest speaker Frank Viviano, long time international correspondent and bureau head for The San Francisco Chronicle and other media who spent many years living in and/or reporting from Asia. Drawing on his personal and professional experience in China Frank added in depth perspective and background to much of the substance of the book as well as insight about the culture and the author’s professional background, which Elisabeth Marseglia had also included in her well composed opening statement.
So, in addition to reading an interesting book, we learned a lot about the history and circumstances of which it was written.
We have selected The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood for November’s book club meeting which will be held at Kerry’s Barga address.
The next meeting will be held on 17 October at the home of Krysia at which we will discuss Swimming Home by Deborah Levy.
There were many other books to add to our suggested reading lists which include:
This Thing of Darkness by Harry Thompson
Four Fish by Paul Greenberg
Shantarum by Gregory David Roberts
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Morakami
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiuro
anything by Dave Eggers
Thank you very much to everyone who participated and contributed and especially to our guest speaker Frank Viviano for taking the time to add his deep and fascinating perspective.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Greetings from Tiglio
Once again, regaled by the elegantly rustic setting, picture postcard views and sumptuous food offered by Isobel and Pete Dodds and the book club members, we eventually got down to talking about Two Women, or La Ciociara, by Alberto Moravia. This mid twentieth century Italian classic looks at the extreme difficulty and deprivation caused by WWII from the viewpoint of a mother and daughter, who like so many others were forced to leave their home and flee into the countryside with unfortunate results.
The discussion began with Pietro Bianchessi who talked about the author's background which has subsumed some of the importance of the story and which may have included autobiographical elements. The story is seen as realistic and descriptive of the nitty gritty day to day existence during this difficult period where eventually all normal rules of society fall away and no one is safe or protected from pain even metaphorically as their feet and shins might have been by the Ciociara, a protective piece of leather wound around the foot and up the shin. Liz added that it represented a criticism of society when Italy loses her innocence over fascism. The final, brutal scene is set in a church begging the question "where is God." Selene cited the comparative trauma, poverty and deprivation suffered by both civilian and military, as well as excellent characterization, suspense, plot and subplot as engaging. Margaret and I had difficulty with the translation which read stilted and dull and we both decided it would be best read in the original.
Opinion was split at about 50-50 as to who enjoyed the book and who didn't for various reasons. Several felt the final rape scene too overpowering and were left disturbed by it.
The discussion was informed and lively and thank you to everyone who participated.
Several titles were put forward for the upcoming meetings which sounded of interest including, How It All Began, by Penelope Lively; Fiesta, by Ernest Hemingway; Driving Over Lemons, By Chris Stewart; but we have chosen: Swimming Home by Deborah Levy for the October meeting.
There will be no August meeting. The book for September 26th is: The Man Who Loved China by Simon Winchester.
Thank you again and we'll be in touch closer to the September meeting with time and venue.
The discussion began with Pietro Bianchessi who talked about the author's background which has subsumed some of the importance of the story and which may have included autobiographical elements. The story is seen as realistic and descriptive of the nitty gritty day to day existence during this difficult period where eventually all normal rules of society fall away and no one is safe or protected from pain even metaphorically as their feet and shins might have been by the Ciociara, a protective piece of leather wound around the foot and up the shin. Liz added that it represented a criticism of society when Italy loses her innocence over fascism. The final, brutal scene is set in a church begging the question "where is God." Selene cited the comparative trauma, poverty and deprivation suffered by both civilian and military, as well as excellent characterization, suspense, plot and subplot as engaging. Margaret and I had difficulty with the translation which read stilted and dull and we both decided it would be best read in the original.
Opinion was split at about 50-50 as to who enjoyed the book and who didn't for various reasons. Several felt the final rape scene too overpowering and were left disturbed by it.
The discussion was informed and lively and thank you to everyone who participated.
Several titles were put forward for the upcoming meetings which sounded of interest including, How It All Began, by Penelope Lively; Fiesta, by Ernest Hemingway; Driving Over Lemons, By Chris Stewart; but we have chosen: Swimming Home by Deborah Levy for the October meeting.
There will be no August meeting. The book for September 26th is: The Man Who Loved China by Simon Winchester.
Thank you again and we'll be in touch closer to the September meeting with time and venue.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
The Major...
The book club met in the beautiful setting of Serra, graciously hosted at the home of Pietro and Marijke. Lingering over the stunning view of La Pania and the delicious edibles brought by members, we eventually got down to discussing Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson. As usual, the novel met with mixed reviews and vast differences of opinion. Taken on the surface it seemed to have been an enjoyable read, light, funny, poignant in parts, a little light in the summing up but overall many members seemed to have liked it.
The story follows a connection between two British family groups, the traditionalist Major Pettigrew and his modernist son and a more traditionalist English Pakistani family, all contending with modernist changes. In the generous, astute and objective view it is a story of tradition, preconceptions and cultural baggage as played out in a small English community. The opposing views found it trite, patronizing, bigoted and clichè ridden. While some felt the principle characters were contrastingly drawn from pompous to sublimely elegant others saw more variety and attributed thematic depth.
Though members mentioned that each book we read expands horizons by recommending something we would not normally chose to read, this book would not be highly recommended by many.
The upcoming dates and books are as follows:
June 13th at to be advised - Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi July 25th at Isobel's - Two Women (original title 'La Ciociara') by Alberto Moravia September 19th. (venue to be advised) - The Man who Loved China by Simon Winchester.
Thank you very much to all who participated!
We look very forward to seeing you in June,
Kerry
Monday, April 23, 2012
The Snowman
Hi Everyone,
I’m sorry not to have been at the meeting as it sounds like it was a very interesting one. New and returning members were welcomed and the discussion was lively. Here are the excellent notes of everyone's thought provoking comments that Krysia submitted on The Snowman by Jo Nesbo. The general consensus seems to have been that this was not his best novel,though complex, it was gratuitously violent and overly dark.
Krysia’s Notes:
Dear All,
We had a very enjoyable evening at last Wednesday’s Book Club meeting. Thank you Selene for making us feel so welcome in your lovely home and thanks to everyone for contributing to a splendid supper. The meeting was well attended and it was great meeting friends that we hadn’t seen since last year. Everyone had lots to say about Jo Nesbo’s ‘The Snowman’. The opinions were very mixed; some loved it and others found it gratuitously violent and disappointing. See Kerry’s blog which will be up on http://bargabookclub.blogspot.com sometime next week.
We talked about contributions for the purchasing of books which Margaret organises. At present funds are rather low consequently we aren’t able to buy more than two books per month and therefore I can’t guarantee that you will receive the book in time for the following meeting. If you would like Margaret to order your book as opposed to buying your own please contribute either €20 for the rest of the year or alternatively a few euros per month.
At the May Book Club meeting which is to be hosted by Marijke & Pietro we will be discussing the book ‘Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand’ by Helen Simonson. The June meeting will be in the garden of Palazzo Salvi (weather permitting) and we will be talking about ‘Stones From The River’ by Ursula Hegi.
I’ve received a suggestion for July’s read; The Man Who Loved China by Simon Winchester. Read about it on http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/books/review/Becker-t.html. It was also pointed out that seeing as this year is Charles Dicken’s bi-centenary perhaps we should put him on our reading list. We might go for a Dicken’s that we know quite well like Great Expectations or David Copperfield or perhaps Dombey and Son or Little Dorrit. What do you think?
Comments:
Enjoyed the book in moments but got bogged down with red herrings being thrown in all over the place.
Loved the book but there were a few weak points e.g. after twelve years finding a murder victim in a freezer in a remote country house which hadn’t been frequented since then. Was the freezer plugged in for twelve years with no-one being there? Would the freezer have continued functioning for twelve years? And why didn’t the Police search the house properly when the victim first went missing?
Lots of hype. Jo Nesbos books are getting more and more violent because he probably writes them with TV series and movies in mind. They are carefully constructed for this purpose.
Why is there such an interest in Scandinavian literature. Is it because it is dark, violent, sombre, depressing? Reflects these times of recession and economic crisis ? (KB: Bergman comes to mind)
Too many clichés but could this be a bad translation?
The story was good, violence gratuitous, annoyed at how the reader was held in abeyance and not really let in to Harry Holes private thoughts and some of us agreed that that is when a good crime novel or thriller is really interesting and gripping i.e. when you are privy to the protagonist’s thoughts.
Scenes were set well, characters developed well and although there were disappointing moments couldn’t wait to turn the page. Thrilling!
For those who are Stieg Larsson fans, this was a disappointment. And they were expecting something much better. Unlike Laarson who focuses on the positive aspects of his protagonists Nesbo prefers the darker side.
Pulp Fiction, trashy and formulaic. The story was implausible.
This thriller didn’t thrill me.
Harry Hole is modeled on Henning Mankell’s Wallander who in my opinion is a better drawn character than Harry. Harry is an alcoholic, workaholic, a lugubrious fellow, usually monosyllabic, not particularly good looking, and very thin possibly due to the bacterial fungi found in the walls of his apartment. Women find him irresistibly sexy and young boys like his xgirlfriend’s son see him as the ultimate role model. Why?
There were three suspects before the real killer was unveiled, Harry Hole’s female colleague, the Doctor and the Magazine Editor. All of whom we knew wouldn’t be serial killers because they didn’t have the right credentials and anyway they came in around Page 350 when there were still another 200 to go.
The killer’s death instrument, an electric noose used to dismember still born cows, was used to decapitate the victims, together with a bit of slow torture before the final act and cutting up of bodies afterwards. So presumably the person they were looking for was a highly disturbed psychopath who probably had a very checkered childhood to say the least. Now Mister nice guy no-nips Mathias, alias the Snowman as it turned out. when asked why he did these terrible deeds replied ‘because my mother was a liar and a whore’. Is that all it takes to become a serial killer? I found the image of The Snowman quite eerie and also the idea of Harry’s walls being dismantled during his absence disconcerting. In fact the wall’s man was quite a good red herring I thought and a much more likely case than no-nips Mathias
I think it would make a good comedy with Jim Carey as Harry and Will Ferrell as Mathias.
From Kerry:
For general interest, here is a short list of recent fiction from prize nominations from both sides of the pond.
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction nominees: (No prize awarded)
Train Dreams by Denis Johnson (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
A novella about a day laborer in the old American West, bearing witness to terrors and glories with compassionate, heartbreaking calm.
Swamplandia! by Karen Russell (Alfred A. Knopf)
An adventure tale about an eccentric family adrift in its failing alligator-wrestling theme park, told by a 13-year-old heroine wise beyond her years.
The Pale King, by the late David Foster Wallace
A posthumously completed novel, animated by grand ambition, that explores boredom and bureaucracy in the American workplace.
The Orange Prize for Fiction, the UK’s only annual book award for fiction written by a woman
Esi Edugyan Half Blood Blues
Anne Enright The Forgotten
Georgina Harding Painter of Silence
Madeline Miller The Song of Achilles
Cynthia Ozick Foreign Bodies
Ann Patchett State of Wonder
I’m sorry not to have been at the meeting as it sounds like it was a very interesting one. New and returning members were welcomed and the discussion was lively. Here are the excellent notes of everyone's thought provoking comments that Krysia submitted on The Snowman by Jo Nesbo. The general consensus seems to have been that this was not his best novel,though complex, it was gratuitously violent and overly dark.
Krysia’s Notes:
Dear All,
We had a very enjoyable evening at last Wednesday’s Book Club meeting. Thank you Selene for making us feel so welcome in your lovely home and thanks to everyone for contributing to a splendid supper. The meeting was well attended and it was great meeting friends that we hadn’t seen since last year. Everyone had lots to say about Jo Nesbo’s ‘The Snowman’. The opinions were very mixed; some loved it and others found it gratuitously violent and disappointing. See Kerry’s blog which will be up on http://bargabookclub.blogspot.com sometime next week.
We talked about contributions for the purchasing of books which Margaret organises. At present funds are rather low consequently we aren’t able to buy more than two books per month and therefore I can’t guarantee that you will receive the book in time for the following meeting. If you would like Margaret to order your book as opposed to buying your own please contribute either €20 for the rest of the year or alternatively a few euros per month.
At the May Book Club meeting which is to be hosted by Marijke & Pietro we will be discussing the book ‘Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand’ by Helen Simonson. The June meeting will be in the garden of Palazzo Salvi (weather permitting) and we will be talking about ‘Stones From The River’ by Ursula Hegi.
I’ve received a suggestion for July’s read; The Man Who Loved China by Simon Winchester. Read about it on http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/books/review/Becker-t.html. It was also pointed out that seeing as this year is Charles Dicken’s bi-centenary perhaps we should put him on our reading list. We might go for a Dicken’s that we know quite well like Great Expectations or David Copperfield or perhaps Dombey and Son or Little Dorrit. What do you think?
Comments:
Enjoyed the book in moments but got bogged down with red herrings being thrown in all over the place.
Loved the book but there were a few weak points e.g. after twelve years finding a murder victim in a freezer in a remote country house which hadn’t been frequented since then. Was the freezer plugged in for twelve years with no-one being there? Would the freezer have continued functioning for twelve years? And why didn’t the Police search the house properly when the victim first went missing?
Lots of hype. Jo Nesbos books are getting more and more violent because he probably writes them with TV series and movies in mind. They are carefully constructed for this purpose.
Why is there such an interest in Scandinavian literature. Is it because it is dark, violent, sombre, depressing? Reflects these times of recession and economic crisis ? (KB: Bergman comes to mind)
Too many clichés but could this be a bad translation?
The story was good, violence gratuitous, annoyed at how the reader was held in abeyance and not really let in to Harry Holes private thoughts and some of us agreed that that is when a good crime novel or thriller is really interesting and gripping i.e. when you are privy to the protagonist’s thoughts.
Scenes were set well, characters developed well and although there were disappointing moments couldn’t wait to turn the page. Thrilling!
For those who are Stieg Larsson fans, this was a disappointment. And they were expecting something much better. Unlike Laarson who focuses on the positive aspects of his protagonists Nesbo prefers the darker side.
Pulp Fiction, trashy and formulaic. The story was implausible.
This thriller didn’t thrill me.
Harry Hole is modeled on Henning Mankell’s Wallander who in my opinion is a better drawn character than Harry. Harry is an alcoholic, workaholic, a lugubrious fellow, usually monosyllabic, not particularly good looking, and very thin possibly due to the bacterial fungi found in the walls of his apartment. Women find him irresistibly sexy and young boys like his xgirlfriend’s son see him as the ultimate role model. Why?
There were three suspects before the real killer was unveiled, Harry Hole’s female colleague, the Doctor and the Magazine Editor. All of whom we knew wouldn’t be serial killers because they didn’t have the right credentials and anyway they came in around Page 350 when there were still another 200 to go.
The killer’s death instrument, an electric noose used to dismember still born cows, was used to decapitate the victims, together with a bit of slow torture before the final act and cutting up of bodies afterwards. So presumably the person they were looking for was a highly disturbed psychopath who probably had a very checkered childhood to say the least. Now Mister nice guy no-nips Mathias, alias the Snowman as it turned out. when asked why he did these terrible deeds replied ‘because my mother was a liar and a whore’. Is that all it takes to become a serial killer? I found the image of The Snowman quite eerie and also the idea of Harry’s walls being dismantled during his absence disconcerting. In fact the wall’s man was quite a good red herring I thought and a much more likely case than no-nips Mathias
I think it would make a good comedy with Jim Carey as Harry and Will Ferrell as Mathias.
From Kerry:
For general interest, here is a short list of recent fiction from prize nominations from both sides of the pond.
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction nominees: (No prize awarded)
Train Dreams by Denis Johnson (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
A novella about a day laborer in the old American West, bearing witness to terrors and glories with compassionate, heartbreaking calm.
Swamplandia! by Karen Russell (Alfred A. Knopf)
An adventure tale about an eccentric family adrift in its failing alligator-wrestling theme park, told by a 13-year-old heroine wise beyond her years.
The Pale King, by the late David Foster Wallace
A posthumously completed novel, animated by grand ambition, that explores boredom and bureaucracy in the American workplace.
The Orange Prize for Fiction, the UK’s only annual book award for fiction written by a woman
Esi Edugyan Half Blood Blues
Anne Enright The Forgotten
Georgina Harding Painter of Silence
Madeline Miller The Song of Achilles
Cynthia Ozick Foreign Bodies
Ann Patchett State of Wonder
Monday, March 26, 2012
Cold Comfort Farm
The Book club met on Wednesday the 21st of March, in one of the lovely homes of Janet and Elliot Grant, to discuss Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons.
Written in 1932 it was reportedly a parody of romanticized melodramatic stories of rural life of the period.
Elliot propounded an innovative approach to the book review process and had each member answer six pertinent questions in turn, from how dated was the book, and what is it a parody of, through how funny was it and which character was the most irritating, to what does the book say about the class system and out of five stars, what does it rate. Some readers really enjoyed the book and the answers were all over the map, but lie in the questions themselves.
The book we will discuss on April 18th will be Snow by Jo Nesbo. The following month we will discuss Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, by Helen Simonson and in June we will talk about Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi.
Thank you very much to our gracious hosts and to everyone who participated and provided such delicious fare.
We look forward to seeing you in April.
Written in 1932 it was reportedly a parody of romanticized melodramatic stories of rural life of the period.
Elliot propounded an innovative approach to the book review process and had each member answer six pertinent questions in turn, from how dated was the book, and what is it a parody of, through how funny was it and which character was the most irritating, to what does the book say about the class system and out of five stars, what does it rate. Some readers really enjoyed the book and the answers were all over the map, but lie in the questions themselves.
The book we will discuss on April 18th will be Snow by Jo Nesbo. The following month we will discuss Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, by Helen Simonson and in June we will talk about Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi.
Thank you very much to our gracious hosts and to everyone who participated and provided such delicious fare.
We look forward to seeing you in April.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Heart of Darkness
The Book Club met on Wednesday to discuss Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.
Needless to say, opinions were mixed, at best.
Written around the turn of the 20th century, Heart of Darkness serves as a potent chronicle of colonialism gone wrong. While he and several friend boatmen wait for the fog to lift on the River Thames, Charles Marlow narrates the story of leading a riverboat journey into the darkest of the Belgian Congo to repatriate a rogue Ivory trader. The trader is the legendary Kurtz, known also as musician, painter, journalist and otherwise genius, who has managed to enthrall and subvert the natives at his trading station and wreak unknown havoc in the area. The riverboat journey is in part a recollection of one of Conrad’s own aborted journeys in the Belgian Congo.
Water imagery, vision and obscurity, from dusk to dark, visibility to fog, the story was a study of contrast and occlusion.
Themes of darkness, death, morbidity, slavery, human trafficking, abuse, and rape of a people and their land ran throughout. The contrast of supposed high civilization to pretentious, absurd, even obscene degree with the natural imagery going from light to dark was stunning. The reader was transported from the romance of The African Queen to the river Styx. The madness of extreme colonial exploitation.
Krysia commended the imagery of Conrad’s prodigious descriptive powers. Margaret, cited a fascinating and baffling dream sequence. Several readers gave up in disgust. One reader, having had first hand knowledge of African colonialists comportment could not finish the book saying it brought to mind horrifying circumstances. Circumstances which were the point of the story. A Heart of darkness, the heart of darkness. In the words of the dying Kurtz: "The horror! The horror!"
Thank you to Liz who generously hosted in the splendid venue and provided the delicious main course, and to all who brought other delectables, and to all who participated.
The March 21st meeting will be hosted by Janet and Elliot Grant and we will discuss Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons. The following month we will discuss The Snowman by Jo Nesbo.
Thank you again and we look forward to seeing you next month.
Needless to say, opinions were mixed, at best.
Written around the turn of the 20th century, Heart of Darkness serves as a potent chronicle of colonialism gone wrong. While he and several friend boatmen wait for the fog to lift on the River Thames, Charles Marlow narrates the story of leading a riverboat journey into the darkest of the Belgian Congo to repatriate a rogue Ivory trader. The trader is the legendary Kurtz, known also as musician, painter, journalist and otherwise genius, who has managed to enthrall and subvert the natives at his trading station and wreak unknown havoc in the area. The riverboat journey is in part a recollection of one of Conrad’s own aborted journeys in the Belgian Congo.
Water imagery, vision and obscurity, from dusk to dark, visibility to fog, the story was a study of contrast and occlusion.
Themes of darkness, death, morbidity, slavery, human trafficking, abuse, and rape of a people and their land ran throughout. The contrast of supposed high civilization to pretentious, absurd, even obscene degree with the natural imagery going from light to dark was stunning. The reader was transported from the romance of The African Queen to the river Styx. The madness of extreme colonial exploitation.
Krysia commended the imagery of Conrad’s prodigious descriptive powers. Margaret, cited a fascinating and baffling dream sequence. Several readers gave up in disgust. One reader, having had first hand knowledge of African colonialists comportment could not finish the book saying it brought to mind horrifying circumstances. Circumstances which were the point of the story. A Heart of darkness, the heart of darkness. In the words of the dying Kurtz: "The horror! The horror!"
Thank you to Liz who generously hosted in the splendid venue and provided the delicious main course, and to all who brought other delectables, and to all who participated.
The March 21st meeting will be hosted by Janet and Elliot Grant and we will discuss Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons. The following month we will discuss The Snowman by Jo Nesbo.
Thank you again and we look forward to seeing you next month.
Friday, January 20, 2012
The Black House
The Barga Book Club met on Wednesday, at the warm and welcoming home of Krysia Bell. A heated discussion ensued of The Black House by Peter May. Opinions diverged sharply but overall more enjoyed the book than did not.
It is the story of a young detective investigating what seems to be a parallel or copy cat murder. He is sent from his base in Edinburgh back to his native Isle of Lewis. What ensues is a tale delving into his own childhood in a drama with psycho-social and religious overtones which are intertwined into the crime mystery.
The predominant positive feedback from the group had to do with the author’s skill in evoking a sense of place and using all the senses to set the scenes. There were spectacular story within the story sequences. Social, historical and strong religious imagery are used to establish the background of the motives and drives of the principle characters.
Some readers enjoyed the book as just the very good page turner crime mystery it is. Some could identify with it through first hand experience of the area, but it was drawn so well that there was universal appeal. Others of us were compelled to dissect the story like coroners in the crime morgue and found that clues didn’t hold together and felt we were blind sided by the ultimate revelations. There will be two more books in the series.
The book we’re reading for the meeting on 22 February is a classic: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. The following month is humour: Cold Comfort Farm, by Stella Gibbons.
Thank you very much to Krysia for, as always, gracious hosting and to everyone who participated and contributed to the lively and engaging discussion. We look forward to seeing you next month.
It is the story of a young detective investigating what seems to be a parallel or copy cat murder. He is sent from his base in Edinburgh back to his native Isle of Lewis. What ensues is a tale delving into his own childhood in a drama with psycho-social and religious overtones which are intertwined into the crime mystery.
The predominant positive feedback from the group had to do with the author’s skill in evoking a sense of place and using all the senses to set the scenes. There were spectacular story within the story sequences. Social, historical and strong religious imagery are used to establish the background of the motives and drives of the principle characters.
Some readers enjoyed the book as just the very good page turner crime mystery it is. Some could identify with it through first hand experience of the area, but it was drawn so well that there was universal appeal. Others of us were compelled to dissect the story like coroners in the crime morgue and found that clues didn’t hold together and felt we were blind sided by the ultimate revelations. There will be two more books in the series.
The book we’re reading for the meeting on 22 February is a classic: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. The following month is humour: Cold Comfort Farm, by Stella Gibbons.
Thank you very much to Krysia for, as always, gracious hosting and to everyone who participated and contributed to the lively and engaging discussion. We look forward to seeing you next month.
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