This 2020 Man Booker Prize winner debut by Scottish-American Douglas Stuart detailing the ups and mostly downs of Shuggie, the youngest of three childThis 2020 Man Booker Prize winner debut by Scottish-American Douglas Stuart detailing the ups and mostly downs of Shuggie, the youngest of three children to an alcoholic mother and missing Father, in the post-industrial post-manufacturing wasteland of 1980s Glasgow. A tormented but at times beautiful novel relating the struggles of effeminate Shuggie growing up in 'hard-man' Glasgow; the book also centres around the struggle with, and then reliance of alcohol, for Agnes, his mother, and the impact of her disease on those around her. I almost feel that this is a love story, a story of the unbreakable familial love a son has for his mother as both struggle to survive in the mean cold modern world. BUT, it bored the pants off of me, I have to say it! I give this one a 7 out of 12 Three Stars, for the core concept and bringing to life the non-life of post-industrial communities. [image] 2023 read...more
It's the 1960s United Kingdom and despite surviving two world wars, a flu epidemic and the emergence of super powers what the the country wasn't readyIt's the 1960s United Kingdom and despite surviving two world wars, a flu epidemic and the emergence of super powers what the the country wasn't ready for was a determined and highly intelligent woman chemist - Elizabeth Zott, a fact that she herself would acknowledge. Despite her uncompromising (and I really mean uncompromising) approach to life as working in, even for its times, one of the most gender in-equal fields, she manages to fall in love, with hardcore grudge holder and Nobel-Prize nominated celebrity chemist, Cavin Evans. Life is not fixed and rule-based as chemistry, as years later single-mother Zott has turned her chemist skills into a basis for a highly successful cooking TV show! This is her story. [image] What starts off as an absorbing read about a fantastical fictional woman of 1960s showing no compromise to the misogynistic norm becomes a bit trite and banal in that Zott herself has no growth a a character. Now don't get me wrong, I know male 'nerd' characters in most fiction are the same, but I didn't like them either. A fun read that could have seen more development on the entire cast that all seemed to be playing fixed roles. An overhyped but somewhat entertaining 6 out of 12, Three Star read that will make hay as adaptation with such a strong core concept. [image] 2023 read...more
I was over 200 pages into this read after skimming a fair bit, and thinking about DNF-ing, when I decided to check if it was just me; initially I feltI was over 200 pages into this read after skimming a fair bit, and thinking about DNF-ing, when I decided to check if it was just me; initially I felt vindicated on reading all the poor reviews on Goodreads, when I suddenly decided to read the good ones! Inspired by these more positive reviews I went back to page one and started reading this one again! Young Gaby Baillieux releases the Angel Worm (computer virus) that allows hundreds of asylum seekers to walk free from Australian prisons... unfortunately it also infects 5,000 US Prisons! [image] Cool concept right? No! Because the book is about an aged reporter who's been paid to get Gaby's story; partially (or mainly?) because he knows her mother. Pretty well written this is a unassuming tale about said reporter's journey as he first seeks out in hiding (bailed) Gaby and then has to write her story based on the evidence he gets. Carey was 71 when this one was published, and this at times, clever look at Australia's 1975 constitutional crisis, the rise and fall of the Left and the interference of the Aussie moguls like Packer and Murdoch was the highlight with the chunk telling Gaby's life story, a close second. If anything, maybe Carey tries to cover too much in this book, and thus doesn't cover anything enough? A 5 out of 12, Two Stars from me. Lesson learnt, go with first reading instincts? [image] 2023 read...more
This much lauded by the literati work on the Ethiopian defeat of fascist Italy in the 1930s, through the lens of Ethiopian volunteer woman fighters, hThis much lauded by the literati work on the Ethiopian defeat of fascist Italy in the 1930s, through the lens of Ethiopian volunteer woman fighters, has a very good heart and tells a much neglected tale but fails on some key counts. I can see why it was Booker Prize shortlisted, because although written by an African woman it could be just as well be written by an old white male European with it's humanising of some of the Italian characters and heavily literary writing style. So what, I hear some exclaim? This was a pre meditated attack on the only sovereign African nation by a fascist European state, eff the daddy issues of an Italian photographer, I only want to read as much as possible of the story of the amazing women that were part of this extraordinary episode in African history, without a Euro-centric balancing act or focusing on Ethiopian woman vs woman battles like this book does in its first half. [image] I know that it is loosely based on oral history, but the story is/was those woman fighters and nothing more. For the literati this is probably a smashing read, for a reader wanting an entry into Ethiopian history it feels watered down to appease European book critics. Maybe I'm too harsh? Come visit my re-read review in a few years. The literature and Italian stories made this a boring read in my opinion, I was always wanting more and never getting it. For the engaging and absorbing historical context, the least this book can get from me is a Three Star, 7 out of 12. Haile Selaisse! (And there's little or no real mention of the UK, Russian and French support of the Ethiopians.) [image] 2023 read...more
This first volume of this series introduces society outlier, homeless and on-the-run from the law, Nicaraguan immigrant, Marcus Lopez, who is saved frThis first volume of this series introduces society outlier, homeless and on-the-run from the law, Nicaraguan immigrant, Marcus Lopez, who is saved from a police sting by the mysterious and so very deadly Saya (american Japanese) who in turn introduces him to her school - The Kings Dominion School for the Deadly Arts! And that's just the first issue in this superb coming of age drama for disaffected and truly troubled youths in their late teens in 1980s California. [image] There's so much more in this from rock and indie music Easter Eggs through to gobsmackingly honest real interpretations of the actions and thoughts of the young mostly through Marcus's startlingly inciteful (at times) and self aware character. What starts off as a dark urban fantasy very quickly emerges to be (so far) one of the finest and entertaining portrayals of troubled youths in comic book history, an extraordinarily mature and innovatively drawn and inked ode to the 1980s. A easy Four Star, 9 out of 12. What the Hell have I been doing with my life, why did I not read this earlier! [image] 2022 read...more
A baby is born and then dies, as snow falls over England in 1910, fade to darkness. The same baby is born and lives to be named Ursula Todd. And this A baby is born and then dies, as snow falls over England in 1910, fade to darkness. The same baby is born and lives to be named Ursula Todd. And this is how this book proceeds with Ursula, or is that with us readers(?); for each time death comes to Ursula, the next chapter has a different outcome. There's always a second chance. [image] But this book is more than a parade of what ifs; through the minutiae of everyday life for Ursula, Atkinson maps the progress of England before, during and in between the two World Wars, the changing attitudes to the role of women in society, the evolving nature of familial ties, how we see and talk about death and more. Right now, right here, I'm saying that I'm going to read this again with in a year, but this time at a much more serene pace. 7 out of 12, Three Star read... with more to come. [image] 2022 read...more
Some of those in the concentration camps of the Second World found themselves seemingly in less deadly positions such as grave diggers, enforced prostSome of those in the concentration camps of the Second World found themselves seemingly in less deadly positions such as grave diggers, enforced prostitutes and tattooists; but in a way they were in more peril being so close to the SS. This is an adaptation of a true story, the story of a tattooist at Auschwitz, how he became the tattooist, what he did in his position, how he came to attention of true evil, and whether he survived.... and how he fell in love! [image] When I first began reading this, I was heavily engaged as always with a Holocaust read, but in the back of my mind I was asking myself, will this love story set in Auschwitz underplay the brutality of what happened to better tell its story. Only after turning the final page did I understand what a tremendous feat it is to find and fall in love despite the NAZIs attempt to totally eradicate you and your people, to dehumanise you, yet they did something very human, they fell in love. 8 out of 12. [image] 2022 read...more
In 1960s Cornwall, Dick Young is only half heartedly engaging with his family and the world he lives in. Why? Because he is addicted to going back intIn 1960s Cornwall, Dick Young is only half heartedly engaging with his family and the world he lives in. Why? Because he is addicted to going back into the past, to the 14th century, where he is consumed with the lives and intrigues of he court there. He has been using a new discovery of a professor friend to time travel, but can't be seen or engage in anyway with the past. He becomes obsessed in trying to change the past, and there's no way that will end well? [image] This essentially a speculative/historic fiction horror read, but although fairly well written, especially the contemporary story, it just doesn't work, far too many plot holes, seriously du Maurier writing sci-fi! The idea was/is interesting though and the overall theme and message is pretty thought inducing. 6 out of 12. [image] 2022 read...more
Taking into consideration of some of his own wartime experiences, Ballard tells the story of privileged Jamie (“Jim”) Graham, a Brit living in ShanghaTaking into consideration of some of his own wartime experiences, Ballard tells the story of privileged Jamie (“Jim”) Graham, a Brit living in Shanghai when the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbour in the Second World War. The book takes a look at the tragedy and ultimate sickness of armed conflict through the eyes of a child, Jim, who's forced to go feral as he strives to live, as opposed to just survive, as the Japanese wreak Havoc in Shanghai and the surrounding areas. An almost unique look at the Second World War that looks nailed on to become a modern classic with the passage of time? [image] Telling this story through the eyes of a child almost makes all the horror palatable, either through the strength of his young mind to cope and/or his well-informed background, keen intelligence and seeing so much from a local perspective. A book that also touches on how being born in a foreign country colours one's allegiances and world view, no matter how one's brought up and/or educated? I feel this would be an amazing book to study in English Literature for all high schoolers. I still can't get over how Ballard's skill as a creator enables this book to be read without all the horrors of the war dominating it all! 8 out of 12. [image] 2022 read...more
This quirky almost tongue-in-cheek light comedy follows typist and MI5 spy-in-training 18 year old Juliet Armstrong's career during the Second World WThis quirky almost tongue-in-cheek light comedy follows typist and MI5 spy-in-training 18 year old Juliet Armstrong's career during the Second World War and then a decade later when she's working for the BBC when she is sent a stark reminder of her espionage past! On the offset this book is intriguing in many ways with a look at how the MI5 handled 'observing' and infiltrating the less seemingly overtly dangerous NAZI sympathisers in London during the war; how World War led to a huge expansion in MI5 workers especially amongst women; and also the terror of NAZI-ism turning to new threat of Communism; all this through the unreliable reliable(!) narrator Juliet, whose not only quite fearless, but a staunch lover of correct use of English grammar! [image] Despite the core concepts being quite sound; the writing pretty good; and the main character so likeable and interesting the book's key weak spot is that the main cast are nowhere near as interesting and intriguing as I felt Kate Atkinson wanted them to be. 7 out of 12. [image] 2022 read...more
Comfortably middle aged confirmed bachelor, English 'head' doctor Robert Hendricks meets up with academic Alexander Pereira who has some interesting iComfortably middle aged confirmed bachelor, English 'head' doctor Robert Hendricks meets up with academic Alexander Pereira who has some interesting information about his father, whom he never met, as he was killed in the First World War. Robert goes on to share his life story with Pereira mainly focusing on his teenage sexual awakening, his university years, his military service in the Second World War, his big love, his career and his theories in and around treating people with mental health conditions, all asking the question is life what happens to us or how we remember what happens to us... think about it, it's a pretty deep question. :) [image] A highly evocative, artfully written and constructed Faulks' jam, that not only has an unbelievably almost beautiful critique of war, but somehow also questions how we deal with those with mental health issues, how they are really treated as people; that not being enough, there are also themes around hereditary, familial secrets and lies, the romantic 'the one', how wars destroy possible futures as well as the present; this book also covers huge nuggets like fate, destiny, sanity and sacrifice! I can imagine some writers writing this book and giving up publishing afterwards, knowing that this is as good as it gets for them.... that's how good this book is. And in case you missed it, it asks the question whether life is a collection of events or how we remember those events, how they made us feel? 9.5 out of 12. [image] 2022 read...more
Esme although motherless and having academic Oxford of the late 19th century as her world delights living in and around the group of people building tEsme although motherless and having academic Oxford of the late 19th century as her world delights living in and around the group of people building the very first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. This is the story of her fictionalised life, but a story embedded in the real history and characters of the OED first edition. This is a wonderfully bookish tale that is ultimately about the patriarchal privileged Victorian endeavour and explores whether this environment meant that many words were omitted and not even considered because their source was either from the disenfranchised and/or women. [image] The book also covers the lot of the poor, women and suffragettes, as well as what it may have been like to grow up motherless in Victorian England; it's nowhere near as stuffy as it might sound to some and proved to be a really immersive experience. One of those books, that might not be the greatest but I whole heartedly feel every booknerd MUST read! 8 out of 12. [image] 2022 read...more
First of all this book isn't brief but it's most certainly history; now that I've got that out the way, the only way my mind can summarise this book iFirst of all this book isn't brief but it's most certainly history; now that I've got that out the way, the only way my mind can summarise this book is that it's nearly 700 pages of first person perspective of 20+ character specific, many recurring, chapters of which a fair amount are almost stream of consciousness are you still with me? First person - multiple first person character specific chapters - narrated often from inside their minds mostly - and telling the story of Jamaica, or to be more exact the major characters connected to the failed assassination attempt of 'the singer' Bob Marley across several countries and three decades from the combative two-party political systems connection with crime, Communism and Cubans, and the CIA, through to the Crack Cocaine epidemic of 80s America! [image] What unfurls is indeed an immense work so finely tuned numerous voices, sentiments, ideologies, world-views in such a way that they truly feel like genuinely individual voices from the gargantuan irrepressible almost demented criminal Josey Wales through to the convoluted world of the CIA agents hovering in and around Jamaica in the 1970s. It's a delightful that only reveals the story in deliciously episodic chapters from a single person's view. It's a story that does not water down the connection between Jamaica's combative two-party system and the criminal elements used to garner votes; it doesn't gloss over the world of 'the singer' and his impact on the local Kingston community, on the persecution of Rastafari, how the criminal underclass lived, on the base corruption of the police force or on the later desperate need to escape Jamaica for some. Yet even with countless negative takes on Jamaica the book itself is a testament to Jamaica in its immensity! [image] This Man Booker Prize, Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, Minnesota Book Award and OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature winner 2015 had such an impact on me, that a few hours before writing this review I'd returned from an impromptu drink with a Jamaican born friend so he could explain to me the path of Jamaica from World War II to the 1980s to help me better frame the book against real history. This is a book I already want to read again with my new knowledge, indeed the only criticism I can have of this book, is I feel, to truly enjoy and appreciate this work one really should brush up / learn about Twentieth century Jamaican history. Gwaaarn! 9.5 out of 12. [image] 2022 read...more
In a small village in remote Afghanistan in the 1950s a family makes a sacrifice that echoes across the mountains from Kabul, through to Paris, LondonIn a small village in remote Afghanistan in the 1950s a family makes a sacrifice that echoes across the mountains from Kabul, through to Paris, London, Greece and Northern California over the next seven decades, this is the story of those echoes. And, just wow, what stories! Centred around the remote village and a house in Kabul, Hossseini tells the personal stories in first person of an eclectic cast made of the village family members and their descendants, the Kabul house owners, the later residents and other people whose live were impacted by the echo of that original sacrifice. A pot pourri of characters that uncover the past and then the ensuing decades. And. This. Book. Is. Genius. [image] The weird thing was that after reading The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns I had no other choice but to expect genius from this book, so ha very high expectations; the startling thing was that after reading the heart rending first chapter set in the village from a child's viewpoint I was already completely sold! Hosseini says that his characters write themselves and reading this wondrous saga underlines his feelings! [image] What could have easily been a work looking at the changes in Afghanistan over a century is anything but; this is an amazingly detailed and authentic feeling characters' (plural) study of family, sacrifice, self awareness, survival and most of all identity as soon through the eyes of people connected by the ripple effect, the echoes of a momentous sacrifice made in Kabul in 1957. This. Book. Is. Genius. 10 out of 12. [image] 2022 read...more
In 1893 London, Cora Seaborne is freed of her abusive husband on his death and forthrightly decides to un-hinder herself from compliance to gender norIn 1893 London, Cora Seaborne is freed of her abusive husband on his death and forthrightly decides to un-hinder herself from compliance to gender norms and other people in general; seeing herself as an amateur botanist/archaeologist she descends on Essex with her companion Martha and her likely high functioning autistic son. It's in Essex that Cora finds herself, her acquaintances and the entire village she settles in. caught up in rumours and stories of a monstrous Essex serpent! [image] This pretty well written literary work already felt like a great read to me, even before I realised that the overriding theme could be about the nature of real love and what we would do in the name of it; as in, so much love is one-sided and/or can't be reciprocated, but that might not necessarily be a bad thing! Within this Victorian setting, Perry beautifully portrays this with heart and passion, (view spoiler)[essentially putting forth that if you truly love someone you don't actually have to have them! (hide spoiler)] I should also mention that there is quite divine detail of Victorian (Essex) village life; and there's a magnificent multidimensional and multi-faceted cast, that came a live in these pages for me. One of those books I feel that we should all read. 8 out of 12. Also... TV adaptation coming soon: [image] 2022 read...more
Empty nested, girth spreading, lonely and directionless middle-aged housewife Evelyn visits Ninny Threadgoode an elderly care home resident; Ninny shaEmpty nested, girth spreading, lonely and directionless middle-aged housewife Evelyn visits Ninny Threadgoode an elderly care home resident; Ninny shares stories of her life growing up in Whistle Stop, Alabama, stories centred around the hub of the very small community, The Whistle Stop Café, run by (although no one ever mentions it outright) lesbian couple - lifelong Tomboy Idgie and the beautiful in mind and body Ruth. A second narrator within the book is Weem's Weekly a weekly digest that is share in stand alone chapter throughout the book. Ninny's stories impact on Evelyn's life, and for us readers, give a vibrant and honest slice of life in Alabama across the early and middle Twentieth Century. [image] A book I recommend every reader comes into blind without foreknowledge, a book that looks at life in the South (a tad bit through rose tinted lenses), at family, at the Great Depression, at how race inequality impacts White people as well as Black people, about domestic abuse, about aging in women, and about small town communities. This was one of those books that I enjoyed whilst reading and half way through realised that I was reading something special. There's little chance of ever forgetting the Whistle Stop Café once you've visited it in print. Above everything else what this is, is a beautiful read. 8.5 out of 12. [image] 2022 read...more
Taking the mythical Western European doomed lovers story of 'Tristan and Iseult' and taking a nod at the multiple versions of that legend, 19th centurTaking the mythical Western European doomed lovers story of 'Tristan and Iseult' and taking a nod at the multiple versions of that legend, 19th century characters find themselves reliving the drama compelled by seldom referenced or acknowledged undesignated magical forces. At heart it's just about a young bride married to a very old man almost instantaneously falling for, of all things, a Brecon (French Brecon) onion seller. The cool thing about the book is how the bride is not painted as a 'fallen' or 'bad' woman by most of the cast and the writer, but as one who is a slave to her emotions. The downside is the almost complete disregard for what compels the couple to fall for one another. Dare I say this is a book that du Maurier fans could afford to miss. [image] It was only on completion of this book and when I read up on it, did I discover that it was started by du Maurier's father, a celebrity in his lifetime 'Q'', Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, but left unfinished; in time the publishers handed it over to Daphne to complete. The beginning of the book was such hard work, that I had to read the first 75 pages (Q's?) twice over! 5 out of 12. Daphne du Maurier [image] 2022 read...more
A charming but seemingly non idealised tale centred around Kate, living under frugal conditions with her intentionally cruel and bitter aunt and cousiA charming but seemingly non idealised tale centred around Kate, living under frugal conditions with her intentionally cruel and bitter aunt and cousins in 1920s Bermondsey, which remained a centre for poor working class Londoners until deep into the 2010s! As pretty much all Mary Gibson's work is set in early Twentieth Century London the historical research and context is second to none, so despite the rags to riches and love triangle tropes, Gibson doesn't veer away from the despicable living and working conditions, the lack of a social welfare safety net and the mass abuses by men of all walks of life, on women and children. A pretty interesting read. [image] Archive photograph of the bookshop in the 1920s The lure for your average reader in this, is the usage of a real place in history as a central plot location in the Bermondsey Bookshop; the story also includes the use of a number of real people who actually volunteered and/or worked in the shop at the time. Worth a read solely for the historical context, but also for the overall story of a young woman overcoming multiple barriers to improve her life. 6 out of 12. [image] 2022 read...more
Oh wow... did I not see this coming! First published in 1924 and set in India in the 1920s the time when the British Raj was under observation, critiqOh wow... did I not see this coming! First published in 1924 and set in India in the 1920s the time when the British Raj was under observation, critique and ultimately the threat of the Indian Independence Movement, this drama centred around a woman seeking a more fulfilling life in India as she seeks a relationship with a high ranking Englishman juxtaposed with the story of a Muslim doctor who dared to have a real friendship with a (liberal) Englishman pulls no punches at looking at the failing of not just the British Empire, but Britons themselves as they seek to maintain a hold over 'British-India'. [image] Even read through a 21st century lens this book stands tall, leaving no stone unturned at the despicable, but normalised attitudes, behaviours and actions of most of the Brits in India. It also casts unflattering eyes at women's lot and how they're treated and perceived in both communities. And notwithstanding all that good work the writer manages to give insight to the complexity of the many religions, castes, creeds etc. in India itself. [image] The story itself is a compelling and interesting read, and most of the characters with the omniscient narrator playing a strong part are pretty multi-faceted. He moves to another level as a writer for me, as even though he is immensely critical of the Empire, he does mot make the main Indian cast angels at all, but each of them have several layers, both good and bad as well. [image] I never understood the defence of people doing / promoting / normalising really unpleasant behaviour because of the age they lived / were published in, and the likes of E.M. Forster shows that right is right, and wrong is wrong regardless of the supposed status quo. A truly surprisingly good read... I am a Forster fan off of the back of my first venture into his work. 8.5 out of 12. [image] 2022 read...more
A semi-biographical story of four generations of the Pontifex family by Samuel Butler, that he only allowed to be published after his death that takesA semi-biographical story of four generations of the Pontifex family by Samuel Butler, that he only allowed to be published after his death that takes apart Victorian society focusing on the unrelenting hypocrisy of, in this case the monied religious family focusing on the detrimental effects of patriarchy and how they fed down from generation to generation. Although technically a classic, this sits better as historical fiction as it reads well, but was a lot of hard work to get through. [image] This could be a really useful historical record and was lauded by George Orwell: "A great book because it gives an honest picture of the relationship between father and son, and it could do that because Butler was a truly independent observer, and above all because he was courageous. He would say things that other people knew but didn't dare to say. And finally there was his clear, simple, straightforward way of writing, never using a long word where a short one will do."
And A.A. Milne: "Once upon a time I discovered Samuel Butler; not the other two, but the one who wrote The Way of All Flesh, the second-best novel in the English language".
Alas for me it's a 5 out of 12 Two Star read, but one that should be on everyone's top 100 Victorian novels. [image] 2022 read...more
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