50 Book Challenge 2017 Part Six

Log into your account online and go to 'Manage content and devices' - then find the book and click on 'return for a refund'.

Help!! Have managed some how to buy a kindle book in Dutch!! How do I return a kindle download!? Is it even possible?!

I think you just like things out of sheer bloody mindedness sometimes. xx

Isn't it great that I can still surprise you after all these years?

Cote - Trust you to like the bleeding boring Madonna book!

Book 69
Elephants Can Remember – Agatha Christie
This was poor. The deaths being investigated took place twenty years odd ago, Christie spends more time referencing her own back catalogue than she does telling a story and a lot of the ‘revelation’ is so damn obvious you’d have to be really stupid to miss it. Don’t bother.

Second two. The last line finishes with "her nostrils flared" on the next page then he goes to look at the catalogue.

Here you are. On phone so took 4 shots.

Thanks Satsuki. Wonder why I can't see that thread.

Would someone take a picture of the page where Raif sees the painting for the first time and describes his feelings about it? I would like to see how it's translated to English.

34. Kürk Mantolu Madonna ( Madonna In A Fur Coat ) by Sabahattin Ali

This was the poignant and utterly beautiful story of a young man's one meaningful connection with another human being, a woman he loved even before meeting her, and the repercussions of losing her as a result of random events. It is the story of a quiet, unremarkable man who is casually disrespected by nearly everyone who knows him, including his friends. I loved the insight into people's inner worlds, the uncharted territories within each person that mostly remains unseen and unsuspected.

Sabahattin Ali (1907-1948) lived during a time of great change and suffering - a child during WWI which Ottoman Empire lost (1918), then continuing military struggles as Atatuk's rebel army fought (and eventually won in 1923) against each Allied army when they occupied various parts of the Empire. Then would come the building of a new and radically different country.

It is surprising that the book's protagonist Raif does not mention any of these pivotal events and the turmoil that swept through the entire nation during this period. The story-within-the-story (in the diary) takes place in 1923, just as War of Independence was won and the Republic of Turkey was formed.

I can only assume that was the reason why the story takes place in Germany. It could not have taken place back home without the epic struggles the nation was undergoing at the time taking centre stage and diverting attention from the focus he clearly wanted to keep on the (very few) characters' inner worlds.

I would recommend this book, especially if you like Ian Mc Ewan. I found in this book not only the same insight into inner worlds of the characters, but also a similar clear, dignified, undramatic style of writing.

Loved The Luminaries!

I did hear there was going to be a BBC adaptation which could be good.

Here you are cote - found this the thread is showing for me. I thought you'd written a longer review somewhere though (as I think it was the reason I bought it!) but perhaps it was on a dedicated Luminaries thread or later on the 50 books threads during a discussion.

23/03/2014 11:49 CoteDAzur

1. The Luminaries - Eleanor Catton

I loved this book, although the astrological references went over my head. Complex, beautifully crafted, insightful. I can't believe the author was 27 when she wrote it. It would make a fantastic film, too.

I can't think of any reason why that thread wouldn't still be there, but it isn't. I looked up Algernon posted by CoteDAzur and search results show that my review is on that thread but the thread doesn't come up when I click on it

I read Flowers For Algernon at school - it was really sad!

Why would the thread be deleted? Was it controversial?

I really liked The Luminaries and disliked Flowers For Algernon.

I would have linked to my review of The Luminaries as well, but the thread 50 Book Challenge 2014 Part 2 seems to have been deleted

I like that structure idea - might borrow The Luminaries from my sister and have a bash.

Here is the Guardian article

Hope they help a bit.

Tanaqui here is the review:

28. The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

Fantastic book. Worthy prize winner, I enjoyed this so much.

Set in 19th Century Gold Rush New Zealand, it is an old style adventure mystery story, told in an original way. It is structurally inventive - the first half of the story is told in the last sections of the book, in chapters of decreasing length to represent the waning of the moon - but without losing any of its narrative drive. It is intricately plotted enough to inspire admiration for the author, but not so much so that it is impenetrable for a reader. The way all the threads of it came together was beautifully done, and very satisfying. The writing is exquisite; her use of language capturing the feel of the time without ever being overwrought.

I'll write a bit about the astrological aspect and how it works in the book since others mentioned it - I don't think it constitutes a spoiler (especially since I may have misunderstood it!) but you might want to skip it if it's on your tbr, or simply due to its length grin

12 men meet to discuss a mystery in which they are all implicated in some way. These men each represent a different zodiac sign, and the first half of the book reveals their individual stories leading up to the time of their gathering, with a great deal of emphasis on their particular character traits and personalities, which reflect those of their respective 'star signs', and throughout the novel these characters consistently act according to these traits. There are 6 further characters who are symbolically identified with the planets (Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Earth) and who display characteristics traditionally associated with each. There are then two characters, the 'luminaries' of the title, who represent the Sun and the Moon.

These latter characters move within the circle of the 12 zodiac signs, influencing them in some way, and their movements apparently reflect their actual charted astrological positions over NZ in during the period of the novel in 1865/66. This sounds complicated, but actually it just means that by the middle of the book when you see a chapter called "Mars in Capricorn" you know that X is going to have an interaction with Y and move his story along in some way, and you can identify which characters the others actually revolve around and begin to predict how certain characters might behave. The book can be read and enjoyed without paying much attention to this, but it does add an intellectual frisson when you realise how comprehensive it is as an underlying structure. I also liked the metaphorical resonance of fortune-telling and fortune-finding.

tanaqui I did a review of the zodiac parts of The Luminaries on here as people asked at the time. I think I also linked to a Guardian article with the author where she spoke a bit about it. I'll try and find it for you.

Just been looking at the Man Booker list. Half tempted to try and read them all over the summer but will see. Have read a couple.

102 Adventures on the High Teas: in Search of Middle England by Stuart Maconie

This looks at middle England in two ways; firstly towns and villages that are in the middle of England; and secondly aspects of life that characterise the phrase 'middle England'. Chapters are based around food, music, books, the fascination with detective programmes, railways etc. I liked this, he's got a good engaging writing style.

36. A Conspiracy of Violence by Susanna Gregory (audio). First in the Thomas Chalenor series. Very Shardlake-esque but set during the Restoration, about an out of favour government spy with a dodgy leg. I had a few false starts and it took me a while to get into it, but I think it was more tiredness than the subject I was struggling with. I'd listen/ read the rest of the series if at a loose end, but wouldn't rush to do so.

37. Not So Quiet by Helen Zenna Smith (Evadne Price). This was originally planned as a spoof of All Quiet due to be called All Quaint on the Western Front about women in the war. The author decided to do a serious take on the subject based on the war diaries of a female ambulance driver instead. It tries to mirror All Quiet in several ways and although very good, fails to match the quality of writing and impact of it. Worth a read, but is not as shattering or as damning.