50 Book Challenge 2018 Part Five

20. The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock, by Imogen Hermes Gower. So. Finally finished the thing. It's been discussed here so often I'm not going to recount the plot. I'm very torn on this book. I liked the idea of it well enough, but found the execution lacking. It was way, way too long - it needed serious editing. I don't mind a meandering plot, and I'm not one that minds a book where nothing really happens at all, but this was frustrating to me. The second part was more interesting to me, but I wanted more mermaid there (and definitely LESS mermaid in the first part), and I wish I knew more about some of the marginal characters - Belle Fortescue and Polly particularly - the epilogue just wasn't enough. I found Angelica completely frustrating - no sense of who she was at all, she jumped wildly between characterisations. I know that performance is part of her persona, but I didn't feel there was a strong enough interior through-line for her. She felt sloppily written. I also felt the politics aspect of it was a bit heavy handed - I get what she was trying to do - women as objects to be collected, cutting across 'proper' marriage, 'improper' prostitution, and surreal mermaid - but it wielded its theory too bluntly, especially in some of the dialogue. It was also, I felt, slightly cynical in its execution - it's 'literary fiction'-ness felt very constructed and designed, with an eye on literary award shortlists.

I read an interview with her yesterday where she talked about how an early draft of the book was part of her creative writing MA dissertation, for which she apparently won a prize, and I feel that explains some of the uneasiness I have about the structure. From personal and professional experience, I know how hard it is to let go of early versions of successful pieces of work. You get so invested and it's very hard to get the editing scalpel to it.

Anyway. It's done now!

21. He Said/She Said by Erin Kelly. A couple witness an alleged rape while at an eclipse festival. The book is set in roughly two timelines; the trial and its immediate aftermath, and fifteen years later when they are in hiding and afraid for their lives. This was a book club read. It was fine, a quick read. I quite liked the eclipse thing, though I think it could have been used to better effect in the structure of the novel (it was mainly just for plot, and for pretty illustrations at the start of each chapter). It was light (despite the storyline), so I would say a decent enough beach read.

Hi everyone.

I remember reading GWTW after seeing the film and Scarlett was even more horrible in the book than the film. I find it funny she is seen as a heroine in popular culture when she is the most selfish person I think I've read about! Or maybe that's not so funny...

List update:

1. Why Mummy Drinks by Gill Sims.
2. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
3. Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie.

1. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman.
2. "Blink" Malcolm Gladwell.
3. "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert Pirsig.
4. "Persepolis RIsing" by James SA Corey.
5. “Guernica” by Dave Boling.

Gone with the Wind re: ‘being of its time’ It was actually a highly controversial book and then film, even in its time. I read a fascinating biography of Hattie McDaniel (played Mammy) which includes discussion of treatment of black actors (such as being coached to speak in child-like, high-pitched voices), their responses to playing these roles and wider community reaction. Hattie McDaniel an outcast in many sections of African-American community for taking part in the film - Hattie McDaniel: Black Ambition, White Hollywood by Jill Watts - would recommend.
Also brilliantly informative article available online over the problems the studio had with the book when adapting it/promoting film, attempts to make it seem less racist as a film – really interesting:
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1999/12/gone-with-the-wind-and-hollywoods-racial-politics/377919/

Gone With The Wind - read the book aged 16, loved it, watched the film a few times and cried, also read The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood at about the same time. I came away from it ignoring the plight of the slaves and wanting to grow up to be Scarlett. I re-watched it a couple of months ago for the first time in 10 years and suddenly picked up on an awful lot that was problematic! The basic love story I still like, but the portrayal of Mammy and Prissy and Pork - not so much.

77. The Talisman Ring, Georgette Heyer.

Lovely silly fun.

Bell and Daphne Fforde is winging its way to me. Remus and Best sounds as if Fforde is a bit of a Marmite author? I haven't read any Pratchett or Adams for that matter, but naming not an issue love Dickens's work. So if nothing else sounds as if will be introduced to a style of writing that's new to me.

Toomuchsplother ditto and then some re: Gone with the Wind. Think it's more than just of its time it's such an overt elegy for the slave-owning classes. Also O'Hara as conniving heroines go not a patch on the glorious Becky Sharp. Having said that did read it once, remember much too long and very overblown/florid? It's a historical text I suppose probably more so than a literary one.

Me too Toomuch. I did read it as a teenager and quite like the film but not sure how it will stand up in the 21st century.

Long time since I read Gone with the wind. All that sticks with me is the inherent racism. Very much of it's time but I found it an uncomfortable read.
79. The Wicked Cometh - Laura Carlin
Dark Victorian murder mystery with a class bridging lesbian relationship/ attraction. Along the lines of Sarah Waters but no where near as skilled. Kept me reading though, but regularly tips into the realms of the grisly and ridiculous.

BestIsWest - I'm with you on the 'go slow' - I keep losing my reading mojo.

Anyway, updates!

28. Murder at the Lighthouse - Frances Evesham - glad I borrowed, not bought this. Pretty crap example of the 'terribly middle class cosy murder mystery' genre. People act in a way the author needs them to for the terrible plot to work, rather than like real human beings. On the upside, it was short.

29. The Toy Makers - Robert Dinsdale - can't remember who recommended this, thank you! Lovely story following a pregnant young woman who runs away from home to avoid being sent to a home for girls in 'trouble' and her child adopted, to work in a magical toyshop in London. Only opening from first frost of the year to the first snowdrops flowering. The story follows the rivalry of the two sons of the owner. It's such a lovely story, my only regret is reading it now, I should have saved it for depths of winter!

I couldn't finish Gone with the Wind.

35. Hidden Depths - Ann Cleeves Vera no 2. Had read it before but I can never remember whodunnit so it was a nice surprise when I got it right.

Now reading Gone with The Wind. Not sure I’ll finish it.

On a bit of a go slow this year.

45. John Le Carré – A Legacy of Spies

A long-retired Peter Guillam is summoned to London to answer questions about a Cold War intelligence operation, with the possibility of court proceedings hanging over his head and over the Secret Service. Told by Guillam, it covers the same ground as the Karla Trilogy, specifically The Spy Who Came in From the Cold. I thought this was really good, Le Carré was on fine form for this one.

I know what you mean Best, although I do sometimes like Pratchett!

47. False Scent by Ngaio Marsh. Another murder set amongst the theatre set, a tad predictable and possibly owes a few phrases to Heyer; but enjoyable overall.

I think Jasper Fforde is ok, for a light read, but he tries a smidge too hard to be another Douglas Adams / Terry Pratchett (I actually don't like Pratchett that much myself, but millions evidently do).

I find any writer who uses ridiculous or ‘clever’ names immediately off putting. That includes Jasper Fforde, Terry Pratchett and Dickens.

I find Jasper Ffffffforde very tedious, I'm afraid.

My latest read was also pretty tedious!

62: The ABC Murders – Agatha Christie – I didn’t think much of this. Thought the 1st person narrative style with bits of third person was awkward, and that the reveal was all a bit daft.

20: Fools and Mortals - Bernard Cornwell

Fools and Mortals follows the young Richard Shakespeare, an actor struggling to make his way in a company dominated by his estranged older brother, William. As the growth of theatre blooms, their rivalry – and that of the playhouses, playwrights and actors vying for acclaim and glory – propels a high-stakes story of conflict and betrayal.

Showcasing his renowned storyteller’s skill, Bernard Cornwell has created an Elizabethan world incredibly rich in its portrayal: you walk the London streets, stand in the palaces and are on stage in the playhouses, as he weaves a remarkable story in which performances, rivalries and ambition combine to form a tangled web of intrigue.

I didn't enjoy this as much as The Grail Quest books or the War Lord books, both series were excellent. Nor did I feel it was as strong as his other standalone novel, The Gallows Thief. It felt like the story never got going properly, which is a pity as there were some easy to read and amusing parts. Whilst I'd read a sequel, I'd be happy to wait for it to be a Kindle 99p special.

Off to decide what to read next - my to read pile doesn't seem to be shrinking!

27. The Friend - Dorothy Koomson
28. Glamour - Louise Bagshawe
29. When She Was Bad - Louise Bagshawe

A bit of easy reading trashy chick-lit which saw me through the sunny bank holiday weekend when I didn't have the energy for anything to thought provoking. I'm having a bit of a run of not being able to get into anything too challenging at the moment, probably due to manic times at work and not being able to switch off properly, so going with light and fluffy until I can get back into something properly.

Still making lots of notes from the thread though, so my TBR pile is growing bigger by the day!

75. Stronghold, Dragon Star trilogy book 1, Melanie Rawn

Dragony shite. I am really bad at extricating myself from series even when I'm not enjoying them! Lots of smug princes and princesses are shocked when an invading force arrives out of the blue to take over their happy little lands. I am still on Team Andry even though I think I'm supposed to be on Team Pol. This book has a cast of thousands and I was really only interested in Tobin, Andry and bits of Rohan. Sadly an interesting event happened at the end so I now want to know what happens next - but it took the entire book for something to happen!

76. The Chalet School and Barbara, Elinor M Brent-Dyer

Old fashioned comfort reading - except that this is really not one of the better ones!

@Dottierichardson - heck the pressure is on now. I really hope you like it. Hopefully you'll soon have a new pile of books 📚 📚 📚

Dottie Jasper Fforde is definitely worth reading! I didn’t star that one because I found it dragged a little bit - I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if he hadn’t included some irrelevant- seeming characters. However, it also had plenty of brilliant parts - just not as many as usual I love his Shades of Grey - it’s a stand-alone, if you want to see if you like him without the commitment!

35. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Schaffer and Annie Burrows.

I read this after watching the film and was glad I did. The book is entirely made up of letters between the protagonists - Juliet Ashton is a successful author who ends up corresponding with a reading group on Guernsey - created in desperate times during the Nazi Occupation of Guernsey in WW2. This friendship changes all of their lives for the better. Lovely stuff and very interesting from a historical perspective regarding the Occupation of Guernsey (which, ignoramus that I am, I knew nothing about!).

14 The Party by Elizabeth Day
15 House of Names by Colm Toibin
16 First Catch: A study of a Spring Meal by Thom Eagle

Lots of people have been reading Circe and I found House of Names as a paperback with it in a display of books inspired by the classics. On this occasion, I went for the cheaper option and I enjoyed it very much. It is a story of Orestes, son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. On any telling of it, they had a dysfunctional family. I don't think that the palace is the House of Names in the title, but it is the descriptions of the palace corridors at night, haunted by real ghosts and crazed insomniacs trying to remain undetected, that will stay with me.

First, Catch was a highlight for me. A professional chef writes his way through the planning and preparation of a single domestic meal. He is a good writer, with lots of interesting reflections on food generally as well as something to say about how to cook well. I used to read a lot of general musings in the food writing genre, and I hadn't for a while. This caught my eye though, and it must be one of the best, and also covered some areas that have more recently come into cooking fashion, notably the role of fermentation. Great stuff.

Bell thanks for the comments on Fforde, I've ordered The Eyre Affair and now hoping I won't like it, as if I do will then have to buy the rest and smuggle them in under cover of darkness!

If the thinness of her evidence and the weakness of her analysis had me wanting to refute points that I fundamentally agree with, that's my issue rather than hers.

Biblio - you've absolutely hit the nail on the head here for me. I felt just the same when reading WINLTTWPAR. I found myself thinking "Yes, but..." and "Have you got any figures to back up that assertion?", even while I was nodding vigorously in agreement with the polemic.

Dottie, thanks for the review of the Imgard Keun - not an author I was familiar with but her books look well worth investigating.

I'm feeling quite well-read, having read 47 of the books on the Hay list. Agree with PP that's a quite a strange selection, although I like the inclusion of The Gruffalo - such a wonderful and classic children's book. There are a few there which I wish I hadn't bothered with, but The Gruffalo isn't one of those!

46. Untitled

I hope it's OK to count this as it is an actual book with covers and a couple of hundred pages long! My mum and her brother spent a couple of years collecting, translating, and privately publishing the letters sent between my grandparents and their families during WW2. They were refugees who came to London in the 30s and lived and worked there through the war. Absolutely wonderful letters including some written from air raid shelters during bombings and other such vivid insights into wartime life.

47. Reservoir 13, Jon McGregor

Much reviewed here. I think if I'd read it before the hype I would have found it more impressive - as it was, I knew that people had raved about it and perhaps expected a bit too much. Certainly an original and well-written book, but a bit low key for me.

48. Swimming Lessons, Claire Fuller

A rather gentler book than Our Endless Numbered Days. Flora is called home to Dorset to spend time with her father who has had a serious fall. Her mother disappeared twelve years previously and the book switches back and forth between Flora's narrative and a serious of old letters written by her mother, Ingrid, telling the story of her marriage and motherhood.

Fuller is good at doing clever, creative people behaving awfully to one another, but, while I did enjoy reading this, I found the characters to be overwritten. Do people in real life behave in such an eccentric, theatrical way? Not anyone that I've met, certainly. My sympathies lay firmly with the boring sister, Nan, who was left to clear up everyone's messes, both physical and emotional.