Reading Between the Wines - arti's book

[artifarti]

I read this book quite a while ago but it's always stayed with me, mainly because it's so downright weird! I had to read her 'famous' book at university and then found this one in a charity shop. Some of it is quite funny but it's all a bit freaky - I found it difficult to read when I was pregnant/trying to get pregnant! Interested to hear what others make of it...

[RufusTheReindeer]

Ooooh sounds intriguing

[KeithLeMonde]

Well....... I really want to discuss this book but don't want to give too much away!

I don't think I've read a book by this author before though I was well aware of her by reputation. When I read the first few pages of this, I loved it - funny, sharp, clever. Then for about the next 2/3 of the book I absolutely hated it! (happy to say why in a future post but don't want to spoil it for others). Then by the end I quite liked it again, and certainly could admire it, though I'm not sure I would rush to read another by the author. Undoubtedly a weird one.

[artifarti]

I'm intrigued - tell me more (don't worry about spoilers, people shouldn't read the threads until they've finished really!)

[ImperialBlether]

Who's the author?

[aristocat]

I have this book now and will report back once I have read some.

[KeithLeMonde]

< Shoos aristocat away from thread before posting spoiler-y review >

When I read the first chapter I thought "Oh yes, she really can write". A light, deft touch and the ability to skewer a foolish character with a few well-chosen words. It was genuinely funny too.

The hating came, I think, from the malice that the characters had towards one another. Liffey was a naïve idiot but I couldn't work out why everyone hated her so much. Mabs' nastiness towards her children was disturbing. I sort of get what the author was doing but I found myself thinking that if the book had been written by a man rather than an iconic feminist, I would have thought it misogynistic - the authorial voice showed such contempt for Liffey in particular.

I'm also not good at books where chaos descends on well-meaning characters (says a lot about me I think). People have described in reviews crying with laughter at the awful flat tenants. I could see that they were funny but I spent the whole time thinking "No! Those horrible people! All those lovely things!".

For me, this was a book about the very thin veneer of civilisation that floats on top of the seething pit of irrational hungers and impulses that are Nature (I can't do the silly sideways N thing). It made me feel rather dizzy......

Imperial, I'm not sure whether it's the done thing to name the author, very happy to tell you more over pm

[aristocat]

I also quite liked the book but there were certain aspects that I didn't like. Having never read a FW before .... I wasn't sure what to expect.
My negative points were the male characters were disappointing and the pregnancy detailing was just too much. However I loved the magical influence on the storyline and it wouldn't stop me reading any of her other novels.

I wondered if my feelings on this book would have been different if I had read it 30 years ago. My genre at that time was Horror (I have moved on since then......)

[mailfuckoff]

I came to this book with no expectations having never heard of the author and it being written when I was born. It was an odd book and far too much biological data . Sorry this was just a little too odd.

[RufusTheSpartacusReindeer]

Really enjoyed this and would definitely read another by the same author

The pregnancy bit was very interesting and 'funny' to start with it obviously got more serious towards the end

I really like the way the author got to the 'bones' of a charactor

Mabs was bloody scary...you would think Liffey would have realised she was being poisoned but i suppose she was the inncocent abroad

I liked the magic of it all, cleverly done