Month: June 2011

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Gormenghast Read-along: Week Two

Titus Groan (Gormenghast trilogy)

Titus Groan

Dust and Ivy – Preparations for Arson (p101 – p194)

 

This week’s Gormenghast discussion is written by Helen Leech, a librarian from Surrey Library Service. This is my local library system so I was really pleased when Helen offered to write a post for this read-along. Librarians are wonderful!

I think the one sentence I would use to sum up this chunk of the book is “Steerpike positions himself”.  He’s clearly up to no good.  He’s plotting something, and he’s building up to it:  weaselling and grovelling his way into the Prunesquallor’s house , polishing his deadly swordstick, mixing up all kinds of poisons, and planting seeds of bitterness and destruction in the ears of Cora and Clarice.

It’s a guilty confession, but I have to say that Steerpike is my favourite character.  I’ve tried to work out why, and I think I might have him down as a working-class hero.  Maybe Gormenghast is full of inbred weird aristocrats and their decaying servants, and Steerpike is the revolutionary force which is going to blast them away.  I’ll reserve judgement, though, until later.  Bad things are going to happen, and it’s clear Steerpike is going to be right at the centre of them.

Meanwhile, Gormenghast itself is emerging as the biggest presence in the book.  It looms in every scene, providing the backdrop and atmosphere for each set piece:  the clutter of Fuschia’s attics, the vaguely Georgian elegance of Prunesquallor’s house, or the bleak stone coldness of Sepulchrave’s library.  Even when Keda leaves,  the castle looms and dominates her village.  I’ve never seen Edinburgh castle without thinking of Gormenghast.

Photo Credit: Chilli, Flickr

 

And the scene where Keda goes home made a big impression on me too… it seems to me that the only place where there’s any life, any vigour and growth and love, is in the village and the carvings of the mud-dwellers.  Whatever love is in the castle is warped and puny.  But the villager’s lives are  overshadowed by impending age and death, in much the same way that the village is overshadowed by Gormenghast.

Here’s some questions for you: 

Why does Steerpike pretend to be unconscious when he meets Fuschia?

Why doesn’t Prunesquallor see right through Steerpike?

Do you think Peake identifies with any one of his characters?

A big thank you to Helen Leech for writing this post!

Please let me know if you’d like to write something for a week in this read-along.

 

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2011

Night Waking – Sarah Moss

Night Waking

Five words from the blurb: Scottish, island, family, funny, haunted

Night Waking is an insightful glimpse into the life of a family who move to an uninhabited Scottish island. Anna Bennett is a historian who is trying to write a book whilst looking after her two sons. Unfortunately she is sleep deprived and so beginning to resent the constant demands of her children. She’d love a bit of extra help from her husband, or even just an acknowledgment of her efforts, but he is normally absent – monitoring puffin numbers on the other side of the island. 

The family’s life is complicated when they discover the remains of a baby buried in their garden. The police suspect that the body has been placed there in recent history and so investigations force the couple to suspect their close family, causing added tension.

Intertwined with this story are letters from a woman who came to the island at the end of the 19th century in an effort to reduce infant mortality. These letters, along with snippets from Anna’s book about childhood and institutions provided an added depth that I found fascinating.

I could relate to many of Anna’s frustrations and found myself laughing out loud as she struggled to juggle to the demands of two children – the scenes where she reads The Gruffalo over and over again had a particular resonance with me.

The writing was of a high quality throughout, but I suspect that the subject matter will mean that this book has greatest appeal to women with children.

In theory, I disapprove of cooking. It’s not a coincidence that ready meals and supermarkets appeared at the same time as equal opportunities legislation. In practice cooking means that you can hide in the kitchen wielding knives and listening to Radio Four and still be a Good Mummy, thus achieving a variety of domestic servitude which is still not, I believe, what Mary Wollstonecraft, Emmeline Pankhurst or Betty Friedan had in mind.

This engaging modern story, filled with historical detail, is one of my favourite reads of the year so far. Highly recommended.

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2011 Books in Translation Other Prizes

Visitation – Jenny Erpenbeck

 Translated from the German by Susan Bernofsky

Shortlisted for 2011 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize

Five words from the blurb: house, inhabitants, country, ghosts, chilling

The Visitation is a short, but beautifully written book focusing on the occupants of a house in East Germany. The narrative moves forwards and backwards through time, showing snapshots of different residents throughout the 20th century.

The house, on the shore of a lake, is the scene of many shocking events. The rise of the Nazis, the disappearance of the Jews, and Russian rule are all covered; finishing with the destruction of the Berlin wall.

It sounded like the perfect book for me, but unfortunately the writing was so cold and clinical that I felt distanced from the events.

For two minutes she can feel the sand beneath her shoes along with a few pieces of flint and pebbles made of quartz or granite; then she takes off her shoes forever and goes to stand on the board to be shot.

There was no emotion in the text and I found this lack of sentimentality meant that I had no connection to the characters. This, along with the confusing jumps in time, meant that there was no motivation to turn the page. Reading became a chore. I frequently found myself having to re-read sections in order to work out who was narrating, or which time period was being covered.

I know a lot of people will love this book for the fantastic writing, but I’m afraid I need more than that – especially when I’ve read about the subject matter so many times before.

Recommended to those who appreciate good writing and don’t mind working to understand what is happening.

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The thoughts of other bloggers:

 ….a stunning and brilliant piece of fiction. Lizzy’s Literary Life

The abruptness of of the prose makes some of the descriptions of objects and places quite haunting. My Book Year

there is a lot of joy to be gained in piecing it together and seeing the place enhance the feel of its people. The Mookse and the Gripes

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Other

Links I Like

The Orange Prize

The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht won the 2011 Orange Prize. At 25 she is the youngest person to win the prize. Apparently the judges were up half the night trying to decide who would win, so although I didn’t pick the correct winner I was at least right about the fact they’d have trouble deciding! The Tiger’s Wife wasn’t to my taste, but if you like adult fairy tales and meandering plots then you’re bound to love it!

Bookish Links

Translator Stephen Snyder on Yoko Ogawa, Haruki Murakami, and the Business of International Literature.

Listen to The Gardener – a new short story written by David Mitchell.

Are women’s hardbacks dying?

Tourist sells 3 Euro book for 8000 Euros

A six-year-old boy has raised £17,000 for the hospital treating his baby brother by drawing things in exchange for donations. He has just got a book deal – take a look at his very cute website.

House collapsing under weight of rescued books.

Film News

We Need to Talk About Kevin film is “difficult to watch but impossible to turn away from,”

The Help trailer has been released – it looks fantastic! 

I’m looking forward to watching both of these, but while I’m sure The Help will be entertaining I am a bit worried about how We Need to Talk About Kevin will work on the big screen.

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Gormenghast Read-along: Week One

Titus Groan (Gormenghast trilogy)

Titus Groan

The Hall of the Bright Carvings – Near and Far (p1 – p100)

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Welcome to the first installment of the Gormenghast readalong!

What were your first impressions of this book?

Mine were:

 arrrghhhh! What have I let myself in for?!

The first page was very difficult to follow and I was beginning to regret putting myself forward to host this read-along. I don’t think I could have coped if the entire book had continued in the same vein as the initial paragraph:

Gormenghast, that is, the main massing of the original stone, taken by itself would have displayed a certain ponderous architectural quality were it possible to have ignored the circumfusion of those mean dwellings that swarmed like an epidemic around its outer walls.

Luckily, the writing quickly became easier to read and after about 10 pages I had been drawn into the wonderfully creepy world of Gormenghast castle.  I agree with those who mentioned the vividness of the descriptions in this book. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything that creates an atmosphere as impressive or as visual as this one. I almost feel as though I’ve been there myself, instead of just having read about it.

I have no idea what is going to happen over the course of these four books, but a dark sense of foreboding is building. Evil seems to be everywhere, despite the fact there is no real evidence of it yet.

Photo credit: Poecile05, Flickr

The one thing I am intrigued by is the fact that all the animals seem to be white. I did a double-take when I discovered that the raven was described as “a bunch of feathered whiteness.” I’ll be interested to see if Master Chalk plays a greater role later in the book.

Does anyone know why the animals are white?

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I am finding the cats very creepy:

As they passed through a carved archway at the far end of the room and had closed the door behind them he heard the vibration of their throats, for now the white cats were once more alone it was revived, and the deep unhurried purring was like the voice of an ocean in the throat of a shell.

Photo Credit: Rsndn, Flickr

I am normally more of a dog person, but this book looks as though it will push me further in that direction – those cats are sending shivers down my spine!.

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I was pleasantly surprised to see some gentle humour mixed with the darker sense of foreboding and I particularly liked this quote:

….I said she was wicked, and then she said that everyone was – everyone and everything except rivers, clouds, and some rabbits. She makes me frightened sometimes.

Does anyone know why some rabbits avoid the “wicked” label?
 
I have mentioned a lot of the animals, but I also love the human characters. Every member of society seems to be present – from the new born baby to the elderly; from twins to lonely eccentrics. I’m particularly loving Steerpike at the moment. I always seem to be drawn towards characters that start off with nothing and use their cunning to elevate their position. I have a feeling that he is going to take things a little too far, but I am looking forward to seeing how his character develops.
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Who is your favourite character so far?
 
Which scene have you liked the most?
 
Are you enjoying the book so far?
 
Use the comment section below to discuss any aspect of the first 100 pages, but please don’t mention anything that could be a spoiler for a later part in the book. Thank you!
 
Posts from fellow read-alongers:
 
Dolce Bellezza
 
Books Please
 
Birdie’s Nest
 
2606 Books and Counting…..
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(please let me know if I’ve missed yours)
Categories
2010 2011 Books in Translation Chick Lit Mystery

Rendezvous – Esther Verhoef

Rendezvous Translated from the Dutch by Alexander Smith

Five words from the blurb: mother, life, unravels, tension, twists

Iris is holding A Month of Dutch Literature on her blog. I wanted to join in, but had nothing to hand. I then spotted this book in a little independent book shop and was drawn towards the following sentence in the blurb:

Rendezvous is an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish and an extremely powerful story about how dangerous getting what you want can be.

That is a bit of an exaggeration, but it was a gripping read with some degree of emotional tension throughout.

The book begins with Simone, a young mother, being arrested. Over the course of the book we see how she goes from being a caring wife and mother, to being at risk of losing everything.

Simone and her family move from Holland to a rural village in the south of France. They have to cope with living in the confines of a caravan whilst their house is being renovated, but also learn the numerous differences between their culture and French etiquette.

Simone’s character is very well developed and I had a great deal of sympathy for her, despite her flaws.

Unbelievable how I was able to lie to everyone, how naturally and easily it came to me. All my life I’ve hated that so intensely, that scheming, lying and deceit. Women who cheat on their husbands with their best friends, men who say they have to work late and are actually carrying on with their secretaries – there’s a reason those kinds of clichés are clichés; they’re far too commonplace, they seem to make the world go round.

This book could almost be described as chick-lit, but the mystery surrounding Simone’s imprisonment also gives it a crime/thriller edge.

I found the entire book to be very entertaining. It isn’t groundbreaking or particularly original, but it is perfect for when you need to read something a bit lighter.

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