Category: Everything Else

Familiar Wars by Julietta Harvey

Post author By Jackie
Post date July 2, 2015
3 Comments on Familiar Wars by Julietta Harvey

Source: Free review copy received from publisher

Five words from the blurb: Greek, boy, massacre, uprooted, family

Familiar Wars was originally published in 1987, but was re-released last week to coincide with the publication of the sequel, One Third of Paradise. I hadn’t heard of Julietta Harvey until review copies of these books fell through my letter box, but I quickly released she is an author I want to follow.

Familiar Wars begins in 1922 and follows Gregoris, a young Greek boy who flees the Turkish massacre in Smyrna. I loved the way the book combined historical fact with vivid descriptions to create an atmospheric story. Julietta Harvey was born in Greece and her love and knowledge of this country was evident throughout. I knew very little about this period of history, but everything was explained so I could understand the details of this conflict.

The writing quality was excellent and many aspects of the novel reminded me of my favourite book, A Fine Balance. I especially loved the way the descriptions included the sounds and smells of the area, as these added a wonderful depth that too many writers ignore:

But they knew how to eat! The shop flooded with new appetising smells. Hunger for the delicacies appearing behind the counter caught him unawares: it gripped him, he was in tears with sudden total desire. Large green olives swimming in herbs and spices, pickled cabbage fragrant with aniseed, baby aubergines stuffed with dill and basil, pink octopus tenderised in spiced wine, potted prawns as big as mackerels and as fresh and sweet smelling as the sea at dawn, caviar from the Black Sea, each egg as big and juicy as a grape, pastourma – the flower of the Karamanli genius wrapped in layers and layers of cayenne, and underneath, the meat, red and moist and tender, begging to be eaten, ready to melt in the mouth.

The vivid detail meant that some scenes were disturbing, but these were necessary to show how brutal this period of history was. They also helped to show how communities can overcome hardship, harnessing resilience to rebuild a happy life.

The only real negative was that the story contained too many characters. I frequently struggled to remember who some of the peripheral characters were, but in the end I decided this didn’t really matter as the central characters were so strong.

This is an impressive book which highlights an important period of history. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in the way conflict affects ordinary people, especially if you have an interest in this area of the world. I look forward to reading the sequel soon.

Tags Greece, Turkey

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June Summary and Plans for July

Post author By Jackie
Post date June 30, 2015
20 Comments on June Summary and Plans for July

June hasn’t been a very good month for me. I wanted to tell you that Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts is one of the best books I’ve ever read and that Familiar Wars by Julietta Harvey is an amazing book that reminds me A Fine Balance. Instead I’ve been in and out of hospital; both for myself and members of my family.

It started early in the month when my knee swelled up and I became unable to walk. They successfully drained some strange orange gunk from it (which enabled me to walk again) but still haven’t worked out what is wrong with it. Then my husband went in for surgery on his shoulder; and finally my youngest son was admitted to hospital for suspected epilepsy. Things seem to be on the mend for us all, but we still have far too many hospital appointments scheduled for the next few weeks.

Anyway, enough of my troubles…let’s get back to the books!

Book of the Month:

Books Reviewed in June:

An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield

Professor Andersen’s Night by Dag Solstad

The Hunting Gun by Yasushi Inoue

Quicksand by Steve Toltz

Mary Poppins by PL Travers

Plans for July

Hopefully I’ll have time to write a few reviews soon. I haven’t had any thoughts about what I might read next – I’m afraid it will have to be a surprise for you!

Let’s hope July is a much better month!

Tags Monthly Summary

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A Right Royal Weekend!

This weekend I’ve been lucky enough to attend two Royal celebrations and I thought I’d share them with you.

I often want to do a few more personal posts on this blog, but rarely do so as I don’t normally take my camera with me – blog posts just aren’t the same without images. This weekend was an exception and the photos were so colourful I couldn’t resist sharing some of them.

The Garter Ceremony

Today I attended the Garter Ceremony in Windsor Castle. I was lucky enough to win tickets in a local lottery and took my husband, sister and a friend along to see the Royal Family give the Order of the Garter to new knights. It was amazing to get so close to the Royal Family and to see British pomp and ceremony at its best. The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince William, and many other Royals walked within metres of us!

I think this is my favourite image of the day. I love the policemen whispering, the random man in a top hat, and the expression on the guard’s face!

Magna Carta Celebrations

Today marks the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta, a charter of peace that has become an important document in English politics. I live in Runnymede, the borough in which it was sealed, and so there have been many events to celebrate the anniversary locally and they use resources as a teal table runner to give these events the right decoration for these celebrations. Over the weekend a flotilla of boats travelled down the River Thames and I went to watch with my family. We saw the Queen’s boat (with Windsor Castle in the background) and then had a picnic beside the Thames.

So typically English!

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Mary Poppins: In Books and On Screen

Post author By Jackie
Post date June 11, 2015
16 Comments on Mary Poppins: In Books and On Screen

I vividly remember watching Mary Poppins as a child. I loved all the songs, but had no idea the concept had originated as a series of books written by PL Travers. I discovered this recently when I watched Saving Mr Banks, a fantastic film about how Mary Poppins was brought to the big screen.

Travers was born in Australia and had a traumatic childhood. She began writing about Mary Poppins as a way to escape her difficult life; imagining a magical world similar to her favourite book, Peter Pan.

Saving Mr Banks showed the battle Walt Disney faced trying to persuade Travers to give him the rights to the film. Travers was a wonderfully bitter author, viciously protecting her work. I loved seeing her character develop over the course of the film and the way she stood up to Disney. It was so heartwarming to watch and is probably the best thing I’ve seen so far this year. It inspired me to get a copy of the original book, so I could see how Travers portrayed the magical nanny I knew so well.

Mary Poppins , the book, was interesting to read but it felt dated. I was planning to read it to my children, but a quick scan of the first few pages made me realise it wasn’t for them. It was made up of a series of short stories (another reason I didn’t enjoy it) and captured a period of English life that no longer exists. Each short story revolved around a simple concept (eg. a trip to the butchers) and involved Mary Poppins taking the children along, producing the occasional magical moment.

The wind, with a wild cry, slipped under the umbrella, pressing it upwards as though trying to force it out of Mary Poppins’ hand. But she held on tightly, and that, apparently, was what the wind wanted her to do, for presently it lifted the umbrella higher into the air and Mary Poppins from the ground. It carried her lightly so that her toes just grazed along the garden path. Then it lifted her over the front gate and swept her upwards towards the branches of the cherry trees in the Lane.

It was charming (another adjective I avoid in books!) but so simple it was boring. I’m pleased I now have knowledge of this children’s classic, but have no desire to read the rest of the series. This is one of those rare cases where the film is better than the book – in fact where two films are better than the book!

Have you read Mary Poppins? Did you enjoy it as an adult/child?

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May Summary and Plans for June

Post author By Jackie
Post date June 2, 2015
12 Comments on May Summary and Plans for June

Book of the Month: Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin

This book about the difficulties of facing puberty as an intersex teenager was eye-opening and emotional. Recommended to anyone looking for a gripping page-turner.

Books Reviewed in May:

Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin

Colorless Tsukuru and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami

Brilliance by Anthony McCarten

Out in the Open by Jesús Carrasco

School Blues by Daniel Pennac

Euphoria by Lily King

In the Beginning Was the Sea by Tomás González

Demons by Wayne Macauley

The Wolf Border by Sarah Hall

Plans for June

I’m continuing to read Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. It is outstanding and I’m sure it will become one of my all-time favourites.

I have recently finished Quicksand by Steve Toltz, An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield and Mary Poppins by PL Travers and hope to review them soon.

I also plan to try most of these books in the near future:

The Hunting Gun by Yasushi Inou

In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume

Under The Skin by Michel Faber

Professor Andersen’s Night by Dag Solstad

This House is Not for Sale by EC Osondu

I hope that you have a wonderful June!

Tags Monthly Summary, Summary

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Books in Brief: Euphoria, School Blues and In the Beginning Was the Sea

Post author By Jackie
Post date May 30, 2015
6 Comments on Books in Brief: Euphoria, School Blues and In the Beginning Was the Sea

Source: Personal Copy

Translated from the French by Sarah Ardizzone

School Blues by Daniel Pennac

Five words from the blurb: teacher, saved, pupils, education, dunce

School Blues is an important book about engaging with all children, no matter how intelligent they are. There is a lot of wisdom in here, but it is let-down by the language used. Many of the proverbs don’t translate into English well and I found the overuse of words like “dunce” irritating. The differences between the British school system and the French one also means that much of the information is irrelevant/hard to follow. There are some great messages in here, but I’m afraid you have to wade through a lot of text to find them.

Source: Library

Euphoria by Lily King

Five words from the blurb: anthropologist, Margaret Mead, sexual, culture, adventure

I decided to read this book because many people listed it as one of their favorites last year. It is a fascinating story, based on the real life of a famous anthropologist. Unfortunately I think my enjoyment of this book was reduced by the fact I’d recently read The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanigahara, an outstanding book with a similar premise. Euphoria just felt like a watered-down version of The People in the Trees and, although it contained some fantastic passages, the plot was too simple to excite me.

Source: Library

Translated from the Spanish by Frank Wynne

In the Beginning Was the Sea by Tomás González

Five words from the blurb: relocate, Caribbean, decaying, relationship, horror

In the Beginning Was the Sea was shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. It is a novella about a couple who move to the Columbian Caribbean coast with a romantic notion of living a simpler, happier life. I read this book in a single sitting and enjoyed many of the passages about trying to cope in run-down surroundings. Unfortunately I failed to bond with the couple and found the story too predictable. It was OK, but I don’t think I’ll remember much about it in a few month’s time.