Five words from the blurb: village, Jew, war, society, truth
I have to be honest. When I saw this book on the WPF longlist I groaned. Did the world really need another book about hiding Jewish people during WWII? The subject has been covered so many times, often by people who actually experienced it first hand, that I failed to see how another book could add anything new to the subject. Luckily I was wrong. This book looks at the situation from an interesting new angle and I’m pleased that the WFP brought it to my attention.
Ignorance follows two girls from different backgrounds as they grow up in the French village of Ste Madeleine. Marie-Angèle’s father is a grocer, so when WWII breaks out she is one of the lucky ones. She has access to food and when she becomes involved with a man who does deals on the black-market her position in society becomes even more inflated. On the other hand, Jeanne’s mother was born a Jew and her family are desperately poor. Jeanne must deal with all the issues that involve being at the bottom of the social pile, problems compounded when Jews become persecuted.
This book was easy to read and engaging, but I also loved the way it worked on multiple levels. Themes of ignorance ran through the book, questioning whether or not it is better to know the truth or live in blissful ignorance of it.
I also liked the way the book looked at the structure of society. It didn’t concentrate on the horrors of war (in fact these were barely mentioned) instead the book examined how different groups of people were affected by the social changes brought on by war.
Some of the peripheral characters were a bit vague, but the two girls were well drawn and I thought the way different chapters were written from their opposing view points worked very well. The writing was particularly evocative and I especially loved the strong use of smells throughout the book:
Behind me the bakery door opened, letting out gold light, the smell of warm yeast. Soon, people would start arriving to buy their morning loaves. Take them home to their families. Eat breakfast with their mothers, just as they did every day. I wanted to dive into that yeasty scent, that shop full of loaves warm as mothers.
I’d be happy to see this book on the WFP shortlist and recommend it to anyone who’d like to read an interesting story with literary depth.
Five words from the blurb: different, sisters, secret, parents, suspicious
The Death of Bees is a strange book. Strange in terms of premise, but also in my response to it – I can’t decide whether or not I liked it. The book gripped me throughout, but I found the characters, the plot, and the writing style annoying. Perhaps it is one of those books you are meant to love-to-hate? I’ll take the fact I had such a strong emotional response as a positive and try to explain the reasons for my reaction.
The Death of Bees begins with fifteen-year-old Marnie and her younger sister, Nelly, burying the bodies of their parents in the garden. Rather than risk being taken into care and separated the two girls decide to cover up the death of their parents and try to continue life as normal.
Unfortunately both Marnie and Nelly were irritating characters. A stream-of-consciousness writing style is normally enough for me to abandon a book, but even though their teenage thoughts drove me nuts, the ramblings of these girls was strangely mesmerising:
The only reason I know him at all is because he used to go to school with Lorna, but then they kicked her out and now she goes to our school, but he’s still hanging around her and so are we these days. Kimbo and Lorna are pretty tight. Both of them want to be artists and they spend hours in her studio and I don’t blame them. Lorna’s house is amazing.
The plot was weird and unconvincing. Lots of aspects felt unrealistic and I groaned at the plot twists on numerous occasions. The next door neighbour was especially strange and I failed to understand his motivations. But, despite continual issues with the book, I couldn’t put it down. I wanted to know what happened to these strange characters and I guess that proves the book was a good one.
On a positive note, the inclusion of a child on the autism spectrum should be commended. I especially liked the fact this wasn’t included in the marketing and many people will be oblivious to it. *
Overall this book really annoyed me, but I can’t escape the fact that I enjoyed my mental rants at its absurdity. Recommended to book clubs who’d like an animated discussion!
Five words from the blurb: father, died, guilt, unusual, understanding
Big Ray was a morbidly obese man who died alone in his home. His son, Daniel, is distressed that it took several days for anyone to discover his body and over the course of the book we see his grief and the turmoil that results from the difficult relationship he had with his father.
This book is written in an unusual style. It is made up of over 500 mini chapters. This gave the book a fast paced urgency, but also meant I could never become fully immersed in a scene. I found the continual flipping from one idea to another irritating and wished it had settled in a scene for more than half a page.
The writing was of a high quality and there were some lovely moments in the book, but overall the story was too ordinary.
I don’t understand my complicated feelings about my father. I hated him, but I wanted him to like me. I was ashamed of him, but I wanted him to be proud of me.
This is a compelling read, but I’m afraid I reached the end without any new insight.
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Longlisted for 2013 Women’s Fiction Prize
Alif the Unseen by G Willow Wilson
Five words from the blurb: Middle Eastern, mysterious, world, magic, djinn
Alif the Unseen is a unique book that combines computer science with fantasy. Alif is a Middle Eastern computer hacker who inhabits an almost familiar world. He falls in love with Intisar, royalty already promised to another man, but as a parting gift she gives him a special book that opens a door into another world.
This book is clearly genius, but I’m afraid it wasn’t to my taste. Fantasy is a genre I’ve never enjoyed and this book was too weird for me. I think my lack of knowledge of computer programming and Muslim mythology also contributed to my lack of appreciation for this book.
Alif heard Dina turn on music in her room-a cheerful debke dance song-as though she too, found the storm unsettling. He got out of his chair and curled up against the wall they shared. When his computer was on and connected to the grid, he never felt as though he was alone; there were millions of people in rooms like his, reaching toward each other in the same ways he did. Now that feeling of intimacy seemed fraudulent. He lived in an invented space, easily violated. He lived in his own mind.
I became increasingly confused until I eventually abandoned the book on page 75.
From the glowing comments from fantasy authors such as Neil Gaiman I’m sure this book pushes the boundaries for its genre and so I’d love to see it make the shortlist.
DNF
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The Sunshine Years by Afsaneh Knight
Five words from the blurb: Sydney, thirty-somethings, relationships, observations, truths
The Sunshine Years is set in Sydney, Australia and follows a group in their thirties as they come to realise that they haven’t achieved anything worthwhile in their lives and are unlikely to do so.
The book is wonderfully entertaining, contains well developed characters with realistic flaws, and gives an insight into the hopes and fears of a generation who have failed to live up to their childhood dreams.
The book could be described as chick-lit, but it has a maturity and depth that lifts it above the majority of books in this genre. I spent a happy weekend involved in the lives of this group and developed an emotional bond with most of them.
If you can’t be happy in Sydney, you can’t be happy anywhere. Sydney put joy in the water and forgetfulness in the sand, and as long as you drank water and stood on sand, happiness would curl up and stick like heat from a campfire.
It had the perfect blend of light-hearted banter and deeper emotional insight and I recommend it to anyone looking for an entertaining read, especially if you are familiar with Sydney.
Five words from the blurb: Harvard, graduates, lives, twentieth, reunion
The Red Book was longlisted for the Women’s Fiction Prize last week. I hadn’t heard of it before, but it sounded as though it had the potential to be a good read. Unfortunately the plot was too gentle for me, but I can see it appealing to fans of quiet books that focus on relationships.
The plot revolves around the special book that graduates of Harvard University receive every five years. This book details the private lives and accomplishments of each graduate, showing how their lives have progressed since they received the last installment. The Red Book concentrates on four women who were roommates when they studied, twenty years ago. It focuses on their relationships; detailing numerous affairs, the grief of lost loved ones, and the problems of motherhood. It was basically chick-lit for the slighter older woman.
The initial section of the book was fantastic. Each character was developed fully, with an interesting back story and a range of flaws. Unfortunately as the book progressed I began to lose interest. The plot was too ordinary and I failed to form an emotional connection to the characters. If I’d been to Harvard University then I might have enjoyed some aspects of the book more, but as a UK graduate the details left me cold:
Traffic in front of the Microbus has halted, an admixture of the normal clogged arteries at the Charles River crossings during rush hour compounded by the arterial plaque of reunion weekend attendees, those thousand of additional vehicles that appear every June like clockwork, loaded up with alumni families and faded memories, the later triggered out of dormancy by the sight of the crimson cupola of Dunster House or the golden dome of Adams House or the Eliot House clock tower, such that any one of the drivers blocking Addison’s path to Harvard Square might be thinking, as Addison is right now (catching a glimpse of a nondescript window on the sixth floor of that disaster of a modernist building that is Mather House), There, right there: That is where I first fucked her.
This sort of story has been told many times before and I’m afraid that other authors have done a better job. It lacked the depth and insight required to raise this book to the next level. I read the first 200 pages, but in the end I couldn’t force myself to read the remaining third.
Five words from the blurb: believe, world, constructed, books, explain
Calamity Leek lives with 11 ‘sisters’ in a large house. The garden is surrounded by a high wall and the girls are taught to fear life on the other side of it. ‘Mother’ and ‘Aunty’ impose a strict series of rules on the girls. These are explained in a book, along with a twisted version of history, which the children must learn by heart. As the girls grow up they begin to question their surroundings and the reason for their isolated life is slowly revealed.
This book was wonderfully atmospheric! The writing took a little bit of time to get used to, as the girls speak in their own dialect and have invented words for things, but once adjusted it was fascinating to learn about their life.
Aunty’s eye looked over us, and her mouth snapped open in a full-teethed smile. ‘My eye, but I’ve missed you, nieces. It shocks me to say it, but I really have.’Mr Stick went counting down the row one by one, and bounced on the belly of Adelaide Worthing. ‘But where was I? Oh yes, I was saying there’s a wonderful surprise waiting outside. Oh, but hush my mouth, I don’t want to ruin it. Chop-chop, girls, headscarves on, and out with you!’
I was gripped throughout, desperate to learn the reason for their captivity.
The book drew heavily from classic pieces of literature. I spotted similarities to Never Let Me Go, Roomand Lord of the Flies, but I’m sure there were many other literary references in there too.
The First Book of Calamity Leek wasn’t without faults – certain aspects of the plot didn’t quite add up and I was a little bit disappointed with (mild spoiler, highlight to read) the reason for their captivity. I was expecting a more profound, thought provoking revelation of a dystopian nature. But I’m willing to forgive these minor issues because the plot was so compelling. I was totally absorbed in their story, loved their debates about the outside world, and felt their conflicting emotions as they decided who they could trust.
The structure of the book was also very clever. I admired the way that some scenes were flashbacks and these, along with the fact that certain words were given different names, meant that the reader had to work hard to decipher the truth.
The originality of the writing style was refreshing and I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for something a little different.
The longlist for the 2013 Women’s Fiction Prize was announced this morning. I was very pleased to see a few genre books selected and it was nice to be introduced to some books I hadn’t come across before.
Overall the list seems to be very balanced, with a nice mix of literary and mainstream fiction.
I’ve already tried/read half of the longlist and have taken the time to look at the other books selected. I’ve summarised my thoughts below:
The 2013 Women’s Fiction Prize Longlist
Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
Five words from the blurb: genius, Microsoft, child, charismatic, comic
I listened to a dramatic production of this book on Radio 4 (hence the reason that there is no review on this blog). I found it wonderfully entertaining and am very pleased to see it on the longlist.
Five words from the blurb: funeral home, death, mother, deaf, brother This chatty, compelling read had lots of interesting facts about the work of an undertaker, but I’m afraid I found it lacked that special spark.
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NW by Zadie Smith
Five words from the blurb: Londoners, estate, moved, different, lives. The writing in this book is fantastic, but its disjointed nature means that I am struggling to connect with it. I’ve abandoned it two times already, but, given its prize longlisting today, I’ll persevere a little longer and see if it can win me over.
Five words from the blurb: Australia, lighthouse, childless, baby, keep The Light Between Oceans is a book of two halves. Most people seem to enjoy one half, but not the other. I fell into the “loved the beginning” camp, but if you enjoy lighter, faster paced books then you’ll probably prefer the end. I’m surprised to see this on the longlist and can’t see it progressing any further.
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The Marlowe Papers by Ros Barber DNF
Five words from the blurb: playwright, killed, Stratford, Marlowe, exile, Shakespeare I don’t enjoy Shakepeare, but anyone who does will love this ambitious story written entirely in verse. It wasn’t for me, but the skill and originality of the text mean that I am rooting for it in this prize. It deserves to be the 2013 winner.
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The People of Forever are Not Afraid by Shani Boianjiu
Five words from the blurb: Israel, army, guarding, refugees, danger I hadn’t heard of this book until today, but it sounds like an important work of fiction and I’m pleased that the prize has brought it to my attention.
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May We Be Forgiven by AM Homes DNF
Five words from the blurb: quiet, life, family, strange, finding I’m afraid the satirical elements of this book were lost on me and without the humour this book was just a strange string of outrageous consequences. It deserves its place on the longlist, but it wasn’t for me.
Five words from the blurb: kid, reckless, heart, beautifully, idea Lamb is fast paced, gripping and thought provoking. I’m very pleased to see it on the longlist.
Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel DNF
Five words from the blurb: Thomas Cromwell, rise, destruction, Anne Boleyn, Catholic Over the years I’ve come to realise that Mantel isn’t for me, but it is no surprise to see her on this longlist.
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Mateship with Birds by Carrie Tiffany
Five words from the blurb: country, lonely, farmer, observes, life I hadn’t heard of this book until today. It doesn’t sound that exciting, but hopefully it will prove me wrong.
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Honour by Elif Shafak
Five words from the blurb: mother, died, Turkey, betrayal, past Elif Shafak is an author I’ve heard mentioned a lot, but I’ve not read any of her books before. This one sounds as though it could be emotional and so I look forward to trying it.
Five words from the blurb: wife, disappears, police, suspect, secrets It is great to see a fast paced thriller on the longlist – its inclusion will hopefully bring a new audience to the prize. I’m afraid that the irritating characters and the large number of coincidences didn’t appeal to me, but the majority of the population disagree with my point-of-view!
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The Red Book by Deborah Copaken Kogan
Five words from the blurb: power, burden, privilege, reality, woman I hadn’t heard of this book until today, but I’m looking forward to reminiscing about the last few decades. It sounds like an entertaining read.
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How Should a Person Be? by Sheila Heti
Five words from the blurb: self-help, confessional, shameless, conversations, life I had heard of this book and seen the way it divides opinion, but I assumed it was a self-help guide, not a novel. I’ve never been a fan of self-help guides so I’m pretty sure it will annoy me, but I’ll try to keep an open mind and hope I’ll be pleasantly surprised.
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Flight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver
Five words from the blurb: Appalachian Mountains, mother, discovers, nature, miracle I’ve had my eye on this book for a long time. It is next on the TBR pile and I’m hoping it is just as good (or even better than!) The Poisonwood Bible.
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Alif the Unseen by G Willow Wilson
Five words from the blurb: magic, adventure, beasts, Arab, censor I hadn’t heard of this book until today, but I love the fact that a fantasy novel is on the list. This book sounds wonderfully original and I’m looking forward to trying it.
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The Innocents by Francesca Segal
Five words from the blurb: sweethearts, family, intertwined, unexpected, trouble I’d heard of this book, but the troubled family premise didn’t excite me. I’m hoping that the writing will be good enough to win me over.
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The Forrests by Emily Perkins DNF
Five words from the blurb: sensory, flickering, moment, odd, family I’m pleased to see The Forrests on the longlist. I found the meandering, dreamlike prose frustrating, but the quality of the writing was obvious from the start. Recommended to fans of Virginia Woolf.
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Ignorance by Michèle Roberts
Five words from the blurb: society, Jew, war, village, hero I’d not heard of this book and I’m a bit worried that I’ve heard the story of Jews hidden during the war too many times before. Hopefully this book will contain some special spark that enables it to compete with all the other books on a similar subject already out there.
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Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Five words from the blurb: turbulent, events, chances, past, moments I’ve not had much success with Atkinson’s previous books, but this one is receiving rave reviews. Hopefully the originality of the premise with be enough to entertain me.
Longlisted for the 2013 Women’s Prize for Fiction
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