Month: May 2009

Categories
Pulitzer Prize

Gilead – Marilynne Robinson

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize 2005

Gilead  is entirely made up of a letter from an old man, nearing death, to his young son. The letter aims to let the boy know about his life, and to teach him all the important lessons that he would like his son to know.

I’m afraid this is one of those quiet, observational books which I do not enjoy. It is beautifully written, but there is no plot, and as the old man’s thoughts meandered around I quickly lost interest.

I remember a slice of moon, no more than that. It was a very clear night, or morning, very still, and then there was such energy in the things transpiring among those trees, like a storm, like travail. I stood there a little out of range, and I thought, It is all still new to me. I have lived my life on the prairie and a line of oak trees can still astonish me.

I also found the first person narrative to be quite annoying – don’t ask me why – it is just one of those things which I dislike when reading!

The book is packed with religious quotes. The old man was a preacher, and so almost all of his thoughts are backed up with quotes from the bible. If you like reading Christian books, then this will be an added bonus for you, but I’m afraid it was an added irritant for me.

Overall, I’m afraid this just wasn’t for me.

If you enjoy reading gentle wisdom, in beautifully written prose, and don’t mind when books have no plot, then you’ll love it.

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I read this in preparation for reading Home, which has been short listed for the Orange Prize this year. Is the writing style of Home similar to this?

I think this is the most disappointing Pulitzer winner I have read so far. Which Pulitzer winner have you found disappointing?

Categories
Other

Book Awards III Challenge

Click to sign up

I loved the Book Awards Challenge so much, that I had no hesitation in signing up for this one. I think it is very appropriate to sign up on the day I finished the Book Awards Challenge II.

The Book Awards III Challenge is slightly different to the previous award challenges. First of all, it will only last for 5 months, from July 1 through December 1, 2009. That is because Book Awards 4 will be from February 1 through December 1, 2010. 

The challenge is to read: 5 books from 5 different awards

This itself is too easy for me, so I’m going to try to make it more difficult by seeking out some of the lesser known awards, and banning myself from including Bookers, Pulitzers or Orange Prize winners in this challenge.

My plans so far are:

1. The Long Goodbye – Raymond Chandler (Edgar, 1955)

2. The Secret Scripture – Sebastian Barry (Costa, 2009)

3. The Graveyard Book – Neil Gaiman (Newberry, 2009)

4. Sabbath’s Theatre – Philip Roth (National Book Award, 1995)

5. TBD – any suggestions?

 

Can you recommend any award winning books from the more obscure prizes?

Or forgotten winners from the more well known ones?

Wish me luck!

Categories
Other

Book Awards Reading Challenge – Complete!

I’ve completed the Book Awards Reading Challenge, and also managed to complete my self imposed challenge of ensuring each book was a winner of a different award.

BINGO!

TEN DIFFERENT BOOKS FROM TEN DIFFERENT AWARDS!

..

  • The Blind Assassin – Margaret Atwood  stars3
    (Winner of Booker Prize, 2000) completed 29th October 2008
  • Out Stealing Horses – Per Petterson stars3 
    (Winner of IMPAC Dublin Prize, 2007) completed 20th November 2008
  • The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay – Micheal Chabon stars4
    (Winner of Pulitzer Prize, 2001) completed 27th November 2008 
  • The Fingersmith – Sarah Waters stars51
    (Winner of the CWA Ellis Peters Dagger for Historical Crime Fiction) completed 14th December 2008 
  • We Need to Talk About Kevin – Lionel Shriver
    (Winner of Orange Prize, 2005) completed 14th January 2009 
  • Blindness – Jose Saramago stars51
    (Nobel Prize, 1998) completed 5th March 2009
  • The Secret River – Kate Grenville
    (Winner of Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, 2006) completed 19th April 2009
  • Theory of War – John Brady stars4
    (Winner of Costa/Whitbread Award, 1993) completed 11th May 2009
  • Mudbound – Hillary Jordan 
    (Alex Award, 2009) completed 8th January 2009
  • The Giver – Lois Lowry
    (Newberry Medal, 1994) completed April 11th 2009 

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    I love reading prize winning books, so this was my favourite challenge. The books were of a very high standard, and I can recommend all of them (even though Out Stealing Horses and The Blind Assassin weren’t my favourites I think I’m in the minority, so wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to others). I rarely give five stars to books, so  please note that Fingersmith and Blindness have both been given this special accolade, and ensure that you get round to reading them at some point, if you haven’t already.

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    Have you managed to complete this challenge?

    Which is your favourite challenge?

    Categories
    Uncategorized

    Theory of War – Joan Brady

    Winner of the Whitbread Prize 1993

    The Theory of War is story of a white child sold into slavery in post-Civil War America. At just four-years-old Jonathan is sold to Alvah Stokes, who treats him terribly. Alvah’s son George taunts Jonathan, and it is hatred for him that lasts throughout his lifetime, and leads to Jonathan tracking him down to seek revenge.

    The Theory of War is based on the true story of the author’s grandfather. I actually found the author’s note at the end of the book one of the most interesting sections. In it she explains how four of her grandfather’s seven children (including her father) committed suicide. She blames their deaths on the emotional scarring of slavery, and wrote the book in an attempt to understand what he went through. It is this emotional attachment to the text that makes this such a good book.

    The book switches between Jonathan’s difficult live as a slave, and the story of his grandaughter learning about what he went through for the first time. At just over 200 pages this isn’t very long, but there are a lot of strong messages contained in it; not only about the importance of compassion for everyone, but also discussions on disability and war.

    A war between two people is not all that different from a war between two countries.

    I loved the ending – I didn’t see it coming at all, and thought it gave a fitting finish to this book.

    I have to admit that the book lost some of it’s momentum in the middle section. Jonathan’s life as an adult didn’t have as much appeal to me, and I thought the book could have benefited from concentrating on his experiences as a slave. This is only a minor complaint though, and think this is a deserving winner of the Whitbread prize.

    Recommended.

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    NB. There is a lot of strong language in this book, which may offend some people.

    I haven’t actively followed the Costa/Whitbread prize, although I have read and enjoyed a few, most notably The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman.

    Do you enjoy reading Costa/Whitbread books?

    If so, which has been your favourite?

    Categories
    2009 Orange Prize

    The Invention of Everything Else – Samantha Hunt

    Short listed for the Orange Prize 2009

    The Invention of Everything Else aims to familiarise us with the forgotten scientist, Nikola Tesla. Tesla is an intriguing character, who suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder, but has moments of genius in which he invents revolutionary advances in electrical engineering. The book also focuses on Louisa, a curious chambermaid, who discovers Tesla’s notes in the hotel where she works. They form a curious relationship through their interest in pigeons!

    I’m afraid I didn’t connect with this book at all. As a chemistry graduate I was interested to read about this unusual scientist’s life, but I think the fact I am quite knowledgeable in this field was one of the main factors in my dislike for it. I felt I was being patronised a lot of the time by the  frequent  over-simplified explanations of Tesla’s discoveries. To highlight this I thought I’d pick out a quote on an object we are all familiar with:

    The bicycle. Yes. I saw it once before. A magnificent invention. So simple and so sensible to harness wheels onto our feet while we are walking. Allowing the laws of physics to magnify our efforts and energy…..That rider is exerting no more effort than we are, and indeed he might be exerting even less, as he has also enslaved momentum to his machine, creating energy from nothing but cleverness.

    If that quote didn’t irritate you, then you are probably OK to read this book, but be aware that the workings of  many things are explained in the book, something I found very tedious.

    The book gets more complex as it continues, and is difficult to follow at times. It flips back and forth between various points in Tesla’s life, as he meets many eminent scientists. There were also a few very strange pieces of writing in here, the most bizarre being a list of 72 things beginning with the letter S. I know that passages like this are supposed to highlight Tesla’s OCD behaviour, but I found them a bit odd. There were a few great pieces of writing in this book, but I sometimes felt that Samantha Hunt was trying too hard to add certain literary elements to the book at the expense of plot. Perhaps I’m wrong though – it was shortlisted for the Orange Prize, so some people obviously love it.

    Overall, I’m afraid that the book did more to annoy me than entertain, and though it was clearly very well researched, I think that the more scientific your knowledge, the more you will dislike this book.

    Recommended to people who love literary fiction, but know nothing about electrical engineering!

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    Have you read this book? What did you think?

    Does this have your vote for the Orange Prize this year?

    Can you recommend any good fiction with scientific content?

    Categories
    2009 Mystery Recommended books

    The Little Stranger – Sarah Waters

    The Fingersmith is my second favourite book of all time (after A Fine Balance), and so I was so excited about the release of Sarah Water’s new book that I ordered a copy from America, just so I could read it a few weeks before it’s UK release.

    The Little Stranger is a Gothic, ghost story set in rural Warwickshire just after WWII. The central character is Dr. Faraday, who one day is called to  a crumbling mansion to treat a maid who is so scared by things she has seen in the house that she wants to leave. Dr. Faraday is intrigued, by both the house and the Ayres family who live there, that he makes an effort to return to Hundreds Hall as often as he can. Increasingly strange events occur in the house, frightening and mystifying everyone who witnesses them.

    The Little Stranger is very different to Fingersmith in both the style of writing, and plot development. The plot was linear, very easy to follow and structured like a fast-paced  thriller. The quality of  Sarah Water’s writing is still high, but I think that this book will be much more accessible to the general public, and slightly disappointing to her old fans. The Little Stranger has much more in common with books like The Thirteenth Tale or The Seance, both of which I really enjoyed reading too, but don’t require as much thought as Water’s earlier books.

    I was slightly disappointed with the ending, as although it wasn’t predictable, it didn’t have any of the clever plot twists that she is famous for. I shouldn’t really complain though, as the book had me captivated throughout . All the characters were well developed, and the storyline was reasonably plausible. It was a gripping, spooky tale – perfect for a cold, dark Autumn night.

    Recommended.

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