Categories
Crime Other

Are all Henning Mankell books similar?

Faceless Killers (Kurt Wallander Mystery)

Scandinavian crime fiction seems to be everywhere at the moment. All the authors are compared to each other, despite the fact their books are very different in style. Henning Mankell has been on my radar for a long time and I was interested to see how his books would compare to the likes of Larsson and Nesbo. Unfortunately, I have the feeling that his books are the weakest of the three, but having only read a small section of his writing I wanted to check that I wasn’t missing out on his best work.

I started to read Faceless Killers (the first of the Wallander books) over the weekend, but I quickly became frustrated and abandoned it after 70 pages. Wallander appeared to be a stereotypical cardboard cutout detective and no attempts were made to bring him to life. There was no atmosphere and the plot seemed implausible.

I also struggled with the poor quality of the writing. The simplicity was almost child-like in places.

Overall, I wasn’t very impressed with the section I read.

Does Faceless Killers have a good ending?

Does the Wallander series improve as it progresses?

Are any of Mankell’s other books worth reading?

Or, should I forget the books and stick to the Wallander DVDs?

Categories
2010 Books in Translation

The Housekeeper and The Professor – Yoko Ogawa

The Housekeeper and the Professor Translated from the Japanese by Stephen Snyder

Five words from the blurb: maths, memory, affection, riddles, past

People have raved about The Housekeeper and The Professor ever since its release last year, but although I enjoyed reading it I wasn’t bowled over in the way most other readers have been.

The book centres on a maths professor with a short-term memory only eighty minutes long. He vividly remembers events from his past, but all new information is quickly forgotten. This means that the professor never recognises his housekeeper and she must reintroduce herself each morning. Despite this fact she becomes enchanted by him. He shows her the beauty of numbers and forms a strong bond with her son.

This is a beautiful little book, but I think its main charm is the way that it introduces a love for mathematics.

I ran my fingers over the lines of the formula, a long chain of numbers and symbols that flowed from one page to the next. As I followed the chain, link by link, the room faded and I found myself in a dark, silent place of numbers. But I felt no fear, certain in the knowledge that the Professor would guide me toward eternal, unchangeable truths.

The professor introduces prime numbers, perfect numbers, amicable numbers and many other basic mathematical concepts. The problem was that I was already aware of most of them and so they didn’t produce the magical sense of wonder that they have clearly induced in others.

The writing was simple and engaging, but it wasn’t as emotional as I was expecting. The overall feeling was one of tenderness and I think this is the type of book that you should read if you are in the mood something gentle and heartwarming.

If you can’t imagine enjoying a novel containing mathematics then I urge you to give this book a try, but if you already have a love of numbers it may be a bit too basic.

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The thoughts of other bloggers:

Characters, themes and a gently developing plot are perfectly blended. Fleur Fisher in her World

I would never have believed that mathematics could be so seamlessly woven into fiction that I hardly questioned its presence there. Erin Reads

The Housekeeper and the Professor is a very quiet, very subtle book. At the same time, it’s a page-turner, a book you just don’t want to put down. How often do you come across books like this? su [shu]

Categories
2011 Booker Prize YA

The Testament of Jessie Lamb – Jane Rogers

The Testament of Jessie Lamb Long listed for 2011 Booker Prize

Five words from the blurb: women, dying, girl, innocent, heroism

The Testament of Jessie Lamb is one of the most frustrating books I’ve ever read. I was gripped by the fast paced plot, but internally screaming at the frustrating actions of the narrator, the unlikely global events and the numerous bizarre plot twists.

The Testament of Jessie Lamb is set in the near future, at a time when an act of biological terrorism has caused all women to die during pregnancy. This leads the human race into imaging a time when there will no longer be any children, when the aging population will have to support themselves and when they will eventually have to face the extinction of the human race. The premise appealed to me greatly, but unfortunately the book concentrated on a seemingly bizarre solution to this problem (minor spoiler – highlight to read) – teenage girls who don’t see any point of living if they can’t have children (roll-eyes) decide to sacrifice themselves to create a new generation. ARRRGGHH!!

It is hard to explain what frustrated me most about this book, but I’ll try my best! In a similar way to The Unit, I had problems with the basic premise of the story and I was unable to suspend my disbelief because there were so many holes in the plot. I don’t want to spoil anything for those who haven’t read the book so I’ll just give a couple of examples from the first section: Why would terrorists want to wipe out the entire human race? Normally terrorists just want to kill a certain group of society. Why couldn’t they save the women by using contraception/the morning after pill/hysterectomies?  

The most annoying aspect of this book was the narrator, Jessie Lamb. Her teenage outlook on life had me internally screaming at the pages. Everything problem had a simple solution and she seemed to think she had the power to save the world by herself. Her ideas were one-dimensional and failed to take into account the complexity of the adult world. I have had similar issues with teenage protagonists in the past (eg. The Stars in the Bright Sky, Pigeon English) and can see that people like this exist, but they drive me nuts. Reading about them is not an enjoyable experience. (Also note the awkward sentence structure in this passage).

We had spent hours discussing it. Why shouldn’t anyone over 10 should be able to elect representatives and have them stand up for us in parliament? How else could kids have power? But Nat and Lisa said why would you want to join in their stupid system. And Lisa said why did Iain  care, he already had the vote and it’d done a fat lot of good.

I’d describe this as a good YA book – one that allows teenagers to think about a few issues relevant to them. I admit to being dragged along by the pace of the plot, but as an adult reader I was unsatisfied. My negative reaction to this book proves that it has affected me on some level and that is surely better than the boredom/indifference produced by others. I’d therefore recommend it as the perfect book group choice – I guarantee it will create a lively debate!

If you enjoy reading about life from the perspective of teenagers then I’m sure you’ll appreciate this book, but I can’t understand why it made the Booker long list.

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Categories
Other

Gormenghast Read-along: Week 9

Titus Alone (Gormenghast trilogy)

Titus Alone

One – Fifty-Eight (p759 -p854)

I was worried about starting Titus Alone as I knew that it meant leaving the wonderful setting of Gormenghast Castle behind. I struggled to see how Peake could match the amazing world he had created in his first two books and unfortunately my fears were justified. The writing was just as vivid, but for some reason the new city didn’t spring to life in the same way the castle had. Perhaps this was because Titus moved so quickly through the city that I was unable to form more than a blurred picture of his surroundings?

Another problem was that there were too many characters and they hadn’t been fleshed out as well as those in the previous books. The images I have of them in my head are vague and there are few illustrations in this section to help me out. Can you form a mental image of the characters in Titus Alone?

The only time I found myself enjoying this book was when Titus reflected on his life in Gormenghast. These seem to be the only sections with real emotion behind them – or perhaps I’m just longing for him to return there and so enjoy the reminiscing?

I also love the way that the residents of the city have not heard of Gormenghast. The letter from Willy to Filby was the first section in this book that made me smile:

It is quite clear in my mind that this young man is suffering from delusions of grandeur.

We often see this sort of thing in modern literature – those who time travel or come from far away can be seen as mad. This was the most interesting development in the book and it prompted me to to think about the way our status is only relevant to those who know and uphold it.

As much as I loved their misunderstanding of Titus it created problems for me. How can a population so advanced have no idea that a giant castle exists just a short boat trip away?

I am intrigued about how Titus Alone will end, but I’m not as excited about picking it up as I was with the first two books.

Are you enjoying Titus Alone?

Categories
Booker Prize Other

Two Abandoned Bookers

Derby Day Long listed for 2011 Booker Prize

Derby Day by DJ Taylor

Derby Day instantly transports you back to Victorian England. It is meticulously researched and the dialogue is so realistic that I often felt as though I was reading a book written in the 19th Century.

The story begins with a typical Victorian courtship:

‘But of course he smiles at you in the park, so I had better be silent.’
‘I suppose you are cross because you were not sat next to Mr Happerton,’ Harriet suggested.
‘There are things that make me cross beyond sitting next to Mr Happerton. You are a goose, Harriet, to say such things.’
And Harriet, like Mr Happerton half an hour since, thought that she could not make her cousin out.

The friends and relations of the couple are slowly introduced into the book, along with a race horse and those who work in horse racing circles.

I initially loved the atmosphere, but slowly became bored by the lack of action. I have no interest in horse racing so the snippets of information about it held no interest for me either. After about 100 pages I realised I had no emotional connection to the characters and considered abandoning the book, but for some reason I gave it another chance. I read another 60 pages before finally declaring defeat.

If you enjoy slow, atmospheric books and have a passion for horses then this book may be for you, but I need more action and emotion to excite me.

 

Far to Go Long listed for 2011 Booker Prize

Far to Go by Alison Pick

Far to Go is probably fantastic, but has the disadvantage of being very similar to numerous other books I’ve read. It is different in that it is set in Czechoslovakia, but in reality the country makes little difference – the story of Jews persecuted during WWII has been told so often that I have little tolerance for it now.

Far to Go has a confusing start, but once I got past this I encountered a well written, emotional story. The problem was that I felt I knew exactly what was going to happen. I could see the relationships between the Jews and non-Jews being set up and I knew that the war would change it all. After about 70 pages I started to skim read and then I read the last couple of chapters.

If the premise of this book appeals to you then I’m sure you’ll fall in love with it, but I’m afraid it wasn’t original enough for me.

Categories
2011 Booker Prize

The Sisters Brothers – Patrick deWitt

The Sisters Brothers Short listed for 2011 Booker Prize

Five words from the blurb: Old West, brothers, humour, melancholy, violent

Lonesome Dove is the only Western that I’ve read and although I enjoyed it, I found it a bit too long. The Sisters Brothers has a similar style to Lonesome Dove, but it is like a tightly honed version. All the excessive flabby bits have been removed to leave a well plotted, entertaining tale set during the American Gold Rush.

Eli and Charlie Sisters are brothers with very different personalities. Charlie will do anything to make money – killing anyone who gets in his way; whilst Eli wants to pack in their violent lifestyle and settle down with a wife. Their different outlook on life generates a string of gently humoured arguments, giving a warm banter that made me smile throughout.

‘I don’t like it,’ he said. ‘I think it’s foolish.’
‘Think what you like. Our Dr. Watts says my teeth will never rot if I use the brush dependably.’
Charlie remained skeptical. He told me I looked like a rabid beast with my mouth full of foam. I countered that I would prefer to look like one for minutes each day rather than smell like one all through my life, and this marked the end of our toothbrush conversation.

The brothers are hired to kill a powerful man and set off (on their less than perfect horses!) in search of their victim. They have numerous adventures on the way, but the main focus of the book remains the relationship between the brothers. I didn’t particularly like either brother, but found their banter endlessly entertaining.

The writing was simple, but engaging and I flew through the book in a couple of sittings. My only criticism is that this managed to make the Booker long list. It is an enjoyable read, but apart from a few pages about what makes a man “great” this book has little literary merit.

It is an enjoyable read and the perfect introduction to Westerns, but I’m hoping it doesn’t make the Booker short list.

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The thoughts of other bloggers:

deWitt’s storytelling is head and shoulders above a lot of his better reviewed contemporaries. Book Atlas

…..even when the story becomes more contemplative you can only take the notion of a hired gunslinger with a heart so far. Kevin From Canada

…it was slick, hilariously funny, inevitably sad, and very quirky, as well as being extremely strong visually. Gaskella