Category: 2011

I have read and loved all Joe Simpson’s non-fiction books; torn between admiration of his courage and disbelief at the way he repeatedly puts himself in danger. I was unaware that he’d made the move into fiction writing until this book popped through my letter box, but I’ve since discovered that this is actually his second fiction novel. Once again I’m torn – this time between wanting him to go back into those dangerous situations (so he’s able to write another non-fiction account of his adventures) and being pleased that he has at last decided to stay inside and do nothing more dangerous than sharpen pencils.

The Sound of Gravity begins with a climbing accident in the Alps. A man has to let go of his girlfriend’s hand, leaving her to fall to her death and him with a decade of guilt. The book goes on to cover events leading up to this tragedy and details of his slow recovery afterwards.

I initially loved the vivid descriptions of both the surroundings and the raw emotions.

He held his breath as she died. She vanished with a swiftness that unbalanced him. It snared him from a weary sleep, waking him with icy immediacy. She simply fell away and out of life, dropping noiselessly down into the cold air.

But after a while I began to get snow fatigue. Every page seemed to describe yet another snowy outcrop, each with its own near-death experience.

It seemed to happen with cartoon-like speed. With a grating noise of pulverised rock the slab that had formed the roof dipped down and began to topple from the ridge. He pulled hard on the abseil tape, running on the tipping slab, watching as his crampons kicked sparks from the rock and he made a despairing lunge. His chest pounded painfully against the ledge as he felt the roof fall away below his thighs and his legs plunge into emptiness.

This left me thinking about the differences between fiction and non-fiction. Did I only love Joe Simpson’s previous books because I knew they were true? Were the endless near-misses so much more exciting because they involved the lives of real people? I guess it all comes down to the fact that I just didn’t care about the characters in this book – they had so many accidents that each one began to lose its significance.

If you’re new to Joe Simpson I recommend starting with Touching The Void. The Touching The Void DVD is also very good, especially the extra feature documentary  – it is, in my opinion, the best extra feature I’ve ever found on a DVD.

I’m sure that the technical details will mean that this book will appeal to climbers, but I think the average reader will prefer his non-fiction titles.

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Have you read any of Joe Simpson’s books?

Five words from the blurb: American, college, love, novel, relationships

Jeffrey Eugenides has a special power with words, managing to reduce me to tears just 34 pages into Middlesex. His latest novel, The Marriage Plot, shares this magical character building, but unfortunately it lacks a powerful plot.

The Marriage Plot is an unashamedly American novel. Focusing on college students in the 1980s we see their struggle to form relationships and the pressures placed on them to pair off. The characters come to life on the very first page. I quickly felt as though I knew them all; understanding their motivations and sharing their pain.

The central character is Madeleine, an English major writing a thesis on “the marriage plot” which investigates the way changes in courtship have altered the structure of novels throughout history.

Sexual equality, good for women. had been bad for the novel. And divorce had undone it completely. What would it matter whom Emma married if she could file for a separation later? How would Isabel Archer’s marriage to Gilbert Osmond have been affected by the existence of a prenup? As far as Saunders was concerned, marriage didn’t mean much any more, and neither did the novel.

This was a clever device and I loved the way this theme was reflected in Eugenides’ novel – especially in the final few paragraphs.

I loved the character building of the first 100 pages, but after that I slowly began to lose interest. Very little happened and I became increasingly frustrated. The book had some good themes, but they were too spread out and I think it would have benefited from being at least 150 pages shorter. I suspect that the reminiscing aspects of this book will mean it has a greater appeal to Americans (especially those who went to college in the 1980s), but as someone from outside the country I felt that a lot of the cultural references went over my head.

I’m probably being a bit harsh by awarding this 3.5 stars as it clearly has a lot to recommend it. I think my expectations were a bit too high going into it and so I was disappointed by the simplicity of the plot and the mundane actions of the characters.

If you enjoy getting inside the head of ordinary people then I’m sure you’ll enjoy this book, but I wish something more exciting had happened.

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Everyone else thinks this book is amazing:

The Marriage Plot is humane, subtly humorous, sometimes touching, and always extremely engaging. Things Mean A Lot

….taking things that are MAD TEDIOUS, like people’s scholarly inclinations and the way they intersect with and inform said people’s life-paths and making it FASCINATING! books i done read

Eugenides prose is just as beautiful and detailed as it was in Middlesex, and his characters just as memorable. Literary Musings

 

Five words from the blurb: circus, dark, dazzling, world, imaginative  

About six weeks ago a beautiful book dropped through my letter box. I knew nothing about it, but was immediately impressed by the design and the quotes on the cover. Out of curiosity I read the first page and became so hooked that I ended up reading about 150 pages right then and there. Since then The Night Circus seems to have exploded across the Internet. The hype for this book has been phenomenal and I’m quite pleased that I read it on its own merit, before being influenced by the hundreds of reviews already out there. I can see why so many people love this book, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to add a few words to of caution to the piles of praise. This book is very good, but it isn’t perfect.

The Night Circus is a mysterious black and white circus that appears in towns and cities around the world. Open only at night this “Circus of Dreams” contains a magical array of entertainment, with each tent containing more surprising items than the last. The book crosses into the world of magical realism with the acts portrayed, but the incredibly visual descriptions means that this works really well. I am sure that the Night Circus will instantly jump to the top of most readers “places in literature you want to visit” list.

“You think, as you walk away from Le Cirque des Reves and into the creeping dawn, that you felt more awake within the confines of the circus.
You are no longer quite certain which side of the fence is the dream.”

The main problem with this book is that the setting is so strong it swamps everything else. The characters and plot struggle to make themselves noticed against the stunning backdrop of the circus. This meant that by the half way point the book began to run out of steam. The blurb describes magicians battling with each other and I kept thinking of the amazing book, The Prestige, which makes the twists and turns in The Night Circus look insignificant.

The majority of the characters also failed to come alive. They felt like props in the circus rather than real people and so I failed to form a connection to them. This meant that the romance aspect of the novel wasn’t convincing and I became bored by their interactions.

I’m sure that this book will dominate the end of year favourite lists and I do think it will go on to become a modern day classic, but I’m afraid I need a bit more than an amazing setting to keep me entertained.  Despite my criticisms I recommend that you read this book – your life will be richer for having read about the “Circus of Dreams” and the ability to re-imagine the magical circus displays will surely add to the quality of your own dreams.

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The thoughts of other bloggers:

…..the world that Morgenstern builds is so vivid that you can smell the caramel and popcorn in the air,  and so immediately appealing that I would happily spend my life wandering the circus, visiting tent after tent, lost in its secrets.   Fyrefly’s Book Blog

……there just isn’t enough quality in the writing to satisfy and however impressive the fireworks feel at the time there’s a great feeling of disappointment once the smoke clears and the soggy architecture is all that remains. Just William’s Luck

The Night Circus is about a world filled with unexpected magic, and Morgenstern uses it to hint at the magic we might find in our world if we were just open to seeing it. The Book Lady’s Blog

 

 

Five words from the blurb: Alaska, marriage, unravelling, storms, life

Legend of a Suicide was one of my favourite reads in 2009 and so I was excited about trying David Vann’s latest book. Unfortunately, despite being equally well written, it didn’t have the same impact on me.

Caribou Island is set on a remote Alaskan island and follows one family as they battle with relationship problems and illness.

Gary looked out of the window at the lake through the trees, at the salmon, knew he should feel lucky, but felt nothing except a mild, background terror of how he’d get through the day, how he’d fill the hours. He’d felt this all his adult life, especially in the evenings, especially when he was single. After the sun went down, the stretch of time until when he could sleep seemed an impossible expanse, something looming, a void that couldn’t be crossed.

The book is dark and atmospheric throughout, with fantastic descriptions of the harsh Alaskan landscape.

The pace was much faster than Legend of a Suicide and I flew through it in a couple of sittings.

The problem was that the plot was depressing. Not in the wonderfully original, powerful way of his first book, but in the mundane, soul-sapping way that things happen in real life. There were a few fantastic scenes sprinkled through the novel, but most of it just left me feeling sad. I longed for something to lift the mood, or to shock me, but unfortunately the book continued on its melancholy journey.

Recommended to those who enjoy books that investigate the dynamics of family relationships, but it should be avoided by anyone looking for a happy read.

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The thoughts of other bloggers:

David Vann writes with honesty and sharp-edged realism that is hard to ignore. Caribousmon

It’s a bleak book, yes, but also a beautiful one. Follow the Thread

This isn’t a novel to pick up if you are looking for a happy ending; instead, if you are looking for the beauty in despair and destruction, this is a great book to pick up. S. Krishna’s Books