Rebeki tries again in 2014

This is technically my fourth year in Club Read, but last year's thread never really got going. I spent the majority of 2013 working (from home) and looking after a toddler full-time, which, in addition to turning me into a stressed-out mess, meant I had no time for LT (or much else). This year I will be doing just the one job of looking after my son, which should leave me with a bit more time and energy to devote to keeping up with my own and others' threads on LT. Life just hasn't felt right without Library Thing!

Happily, I still found time to read last year, albeit at a slower pace.

These are the 26 books I read last year (in alphabetical order by author), with my five favourite new reads marked in bold:

Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood (re-read)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (re-read)
The Seamstress by Maria Dueñas
Moi aussi un jour, j'irai loin by Dominique Fabre
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (re-read)
New Grub Street by George Gissing
Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman
The Dream Life of Sukhanov by Olga Grushin
Under the Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy
Daisy Miller by Henry James
The Moomins and the Great Flood by Tove Jansson
Charles: Victim or Villain by Penny Junor
Metro: A Novel of the Moscow Underground by Alexander Kaletski
Call for the Dead by John le Carré
Swimming Home by Deborah Levy
The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham
Bel-Ami by Guy de Maupassant
Ghostwritten by David Mitchell
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Acide sulfurique by Amélie Nothomb
Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
Some Tame Gazelle by Barbara Pym
Good Morning, Midnight by Jean Rhys
The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith
Last Orders by Graham Swift
No et moi by Delphine de Vigan

Last year I set myself no particular goals, but managed, in a busy year, to read Life and Fate (at last!) and Doctor Zhivago, as well as four books in French. Since that worked out so well, I will continue to have no goals or targets this year. In actual fact, I do have a few ideas of books I'd like to read and mini-themes I'd like my reading to follow, but I'm fairly sure that making any public statement of intent on that subject means I'll end up reading something entirely different, so I'll keep quiet for now!

As always, however, I'd really like to reduce my TBR pile, which grew considerably in 2013 following two holidays spent in England (and therefore inevitably involving trips to second-hand bookshops): a staycation in our home city of London and a week in beautiful Northumberland, home to Barter Books and Berrydin Books. A trip to the Gobi Desert would probably be a safer bet this year...

Books read in 2014

May We Be Forgiven by A.M. Homes (TBR, bought in 2013)
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (re-read, reading group choice, library book)
Manhattan, When I Was Young by Mary Cantwell (TBR, Christmas present 2012)
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (re-read, hardback copy bought in 2014)
Washington Square by Henry James (library book)

Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall by Kazuo Ishiguro (reading group choice, library book)
Queen Lucia by E.F. Benson (TBR - in Lucia Rising, birthday present 2011)
The Embassy of Cambodia by Zadie Smith (library book)
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins (reading group choice, library book)
Hangover Square by Patrick Hamilton (TBR, bought in 2010)

The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth (re-read)
The Slaves of Solitude by Patrick Hamilton (TBR, bought in 2013)
The Emperor's Tomb by Joseph Roth (library book)
The Pure Gold Baby by Margaret Drabble (reading group choice, library book)
Der blinde Geronimo und sein Bruder. Erzählungen 1900-1907. by Arthur Schnitzler (in German, TBR, bought in 1997)

Miss Mapp by E.F. Benson (TBR - in Lucia Rising, birthday present 2011)
Story of a Secret State by Jan Karski (bought in 2014)
Is it Just Me? by Miranda Hart (TBR, Christmas present 2013)
Inside the Gestapo by Helene Moszkiewicz (from my husband's shelves)
The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark (re-read)

An Experiment in Love by Hilary Mantel (TBR, bought in 2013)
Memento Mori by Muriel Spark (TBR, bought in 2013)
Lucia in London by E.F. Benson (TBR - in Lucia Rising, birthday present 2011)
Jigsaw: An Unsentimental Education by Sybille Bedford (TBR, present pre-2008 (birthday 2007?))
The Help by Kathryn Stockett (reading group choice, library book)

Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi (library book)
Black Swan Green by David Mitchell (TBR, bought in 2013, reading group choice)
Illegal Liaisons by Grażyna Plebanek (borrowed from a friend)
We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo (library book)
The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party by Alexander McCall Smith (TBR, bought in 2013)

The Grass is Singing by Doris Lessing (re-read, reading group choice)
Lady Baillie at Leeds Castle by Alan Bignell (TBR, bought in 2013)
NW by Zadie Smith (library book)
Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson (present for Mothering Sunday 2014)
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson (re-read, reading group choice)

Expo 58 by Jonathan Coe (library book)
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke (TBR, from my husband's shelves)
Mapp and Lucia by E.F. Benson (TBR - in Lucia Victrix, Christmas present 2012)

Currently reading: Rising '44: The Battle for Warsaw by Norman Davies

Books acquired in 2014 (titles crossed out as I read them - hopefully sooner rather than later!)

A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe
Confessions of an English Opium Eater by Thomas de Quincey
Viennese Romance by David Vogel
The Matriarch by G.B. Stern
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (a lovely hardback copy published to mark the book's 50th anniversary!) (read February 2014)
The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations by John Baylis
Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson (Mothering Sunday present)(read November 2014)
The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection by Alexander McCall Smith
Story of a Secret State by Jan Karski (read May/June 2014)
Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred Döblin
Ich will meinen Mord by Birgit Vanderbeke
Cholonek oder Der liebe Gott aus Lehm by Janosch
Meine russischen Nachbarn by Wladimir Kaminer
Meine kaukasische Schwiegermutter by Wladimir Kaminer
Vollidiot by Tommy Jaud
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr (birthday present)
The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton (birthday present)
A Favourite of the Gods by Sybille Bedford (birthday present)
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (birthday present)
The Gorse Trilogy by Patrick Hamilton (Christmas present)
A Compass Error by Sybille Bedford (Christmas present)
Bombs on Aunt Dainty by Judith Kerr (Christmas present)
A Small Person Far Away by Judith Kerr (Christmas present)
Ukraine Diaries by Andrey Kurkov (Christmas present)

I can't resist a ticker, so I shall attempt to read 12 books this year from my TBR pile as it stands on 1 January 2014 (though I will count the late Christmas present that has yet to arrive (Every Day is Mother's Day) should I get round to it this year!):

Welcome back. Great list of books read last year.

Wow! You did some great reading last year. Life and Fate is one of my favorites too.

Glad to see you back and to see another person who loved Life and Fate. I meant to get to it last year and never did, so it's still on the list for 2014. And I hear you on being busy with a toddler - I have a 4 year old and an 11 month old and also work. Busy but fun!

Vasily Grossman and Olga Grushin are two of my favorite authors. Glad to find another fan.

As I commented elsewhere, I'm a big fan of Life and Fate and Doctor Zhivago too.

Hi Dan, arubabookwoman, Jennifer, Lisa and Rebecca!

In spite of everything, I had a good reading year last year and I'm just sorry that 2013 turned out to be the first year in ages that I failed to keep a proper record of my thoughts and impressions.

Jennifer, belated congratulations on the birth of your second child! I have no idea how you manage to fit in so much reading around work and looking after two young children...

I'm fairly sure I received Life and Fate as a Christmas present in 2004, so it took me rather a long time to get round to it. I wish I'd picked it up sooner, when my life was a little less hectic and I had bigger chunks of time to devote to it, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Lisa, I haven't read anything else by Grossman or Grushin, but I'd like to. My husband, without any prompting, bought me An Armenian Sketchbook for Christmas and I hope to read it this year. I've read Rebecca's review and it sounds like I'm in for a treat!

I bought An Armenian Sketchbook recently too. I'm looking forward to my fourth book by Grossman. Everything Flows and the Road were very good too.

In Bloodlands, Timothy Snyder calls Grossman and Arthur Koestler "moral witnesses of the twentieth century."

#9 - That's good to know, Lisa, and an impressive description of Grossman there.

I would add two more books as "moral witnesses of the 20th century. One is Victor Serge's Memoirs of a Revolutionary, an absolutely clear-headed look at the origins of totalitarianism in pre-Stalinist revolutionary Russia by a man who was himself a participant in the innermost circles of the Revolution but who remained committed to individual freedom; he could see the writing on the wall when others' vision was clouded by wishful thinking. The other is the book I recently finished about what happened in Croatia after first the Nazis and then the Ustasha came to town, 1941: The Year That Keeps Returning by Slavko Goldstein.

It's an interesting question to consider: who are the most important moral witnesses of our time. It would be interesting to compare lists.

ETA: both books are now on my TBR, Rebecca.

This is why it's good to be back on Library Thing! I'm ashamed to say I was only dimly aware of Victor Serge and have never heard of Slavko Goldstein, but I've noted down those titles. Thank you, Rebecca.

#12 - Lisa, I think, between you, you and Rebecca are more qualified to answer that question than me, being so much better read than me in this area. I've read a few works by Solzhenitsyn, who must be a contender, though The Gulag Archipelago remains unread on my shelves. Otherwise, Primo Levi's If This Is A Man springs to mind...

I'm sure there are more . . . but there are huge gaps in my reading . . .

I wouldn't know where to begin with South American or Southeast Asian authors. There are so many places in the world that have had need of moral witnesses this century.

Wonderful reading year for 2013. New Grub Street and Gissing in general are among my top picks for any year.

Hello! Same here - 2013 was the first year that I didn't manage to log all my reading for several years, and I feel quite sad about it. Hoping to do better in 2014 though!

Looking forward to keeping up with your thread.

#16 Thanks for dropping by, SassyLassy! New Grub Street was my first Gissing, but I have The Odd Women and A Life's Morning on my shelves and I'd like to get to at least one of those this year.

#17 - Hi Rachel, good to see you here! Here's to a better year of LTing for both of us!

I finished my first book of the year a few days ago. Hurrah!

May We Be Forgiven by A.M. Homes

Over the past couple of years I’ve tended not to read too much contemporary fiction, so I thought I’d start 2014 with something different. I was aware that this wasn’t a universally loved winner of the Orange Prize (OK, OK, Women’s Prize For Fiction), but someone elsewhere on the Internet whose opinion I trust appears to rate A.M. Homes, and, on a more superficial level, both the cover and the title appealed to me.

To give a very brief outline of the plot, Harry Silver, a middle-aged New York academic and Nixon scholar, has his dull and predictable life turned upside down by a shocking family event, for which he must accept a certain share of the responsibility. In this chapterless but episodic novel, we follow Harry’s encounters with an assortment of characters, from a bored and sexually adventurous housewife to a pioneering correctional official to Julie Nixon Eisenhower (Richard Nixon’s daughter, for anyone as clueless as me about US politics and current affairs), as he attempts to adapt to the new circumstances and challenges of his life.

The plot is, by turns, realistic and bizarre. To my mind, it begins like a particularly dark episode of Seinfeld, before turning a little ‘Hallmark’ three quarters of the way through. This didn’t bother me too much, as I was invested in the story and its characters by that point and the novel’s main theme is redemption, after all. In any case, I found Homes’s writing engaging and refreshing and I would certainly like to read more by her.

By the fifth day of the year, I'd added five books to my shelves. An impulse visit to a charity shop saw me come away with two lovely old Penguins and then I went to an exhibition at the National Gallery entitled 'The Portrait in Vienna 1900', where I picked up two books that I'd never previously heard of but which sounded intriguing (the best kind of purchase!), Viennese Romance and The Matriarch. I then foolishly headed from the National Gallery to the huge Waterstones on Piccadilly, where I had to buy a hardback copy of The Bell Jar, my favourite novel, published last year to mark its 50th anniversary (but without that cover). Fortunately, this worrying trend has not continued and I'm hoping not to add to this total any time soon!

I love your use of "Hallmark"-ish to describe the last part of the book. I know exactly what you mean. I may have to borrow that sometime!

#21 - Feel free to! Although, ideally, I'd hope you'd have no reason to...

Good review of May we be Forgiven

:-)

Homes sounds fun. Enjoyed your review.

Thanks, Barry and Dan!

#25 - It was definitely fun. I wanted to start the year with something I felt sure I wouldn't get bogged down with - it's important for my reading momentum to reach that first-book milestone sooner rather than later! - and May We Be Forgiven was a great choice in that respect.

Staying in New York:

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

I first read this book as a teenager and I think most of it was lost on me, as I had barely any memory of it. Second time around, considerably older and, I hope, a little wiser, I loved it.

The book’s opening, as all of New York high society gathers for a performance of the opera Faust it has little interest in watching, is a perfect illustration of the superficiality and adherence to tradition that characterise this social milieu.

The real performance is that given by the distinguished Archers, Mingotts and van der Luydens throughout the novel, the ‘innocence’ of the title referring, in fact, to their suppression of anything remotely scandalous. The embodiment of this ‘innocence’ is the beautiful, outwardly bland and deceptively steely May Welland, to whom Newland Archer, through whose eyes we see the story unfold, announces his engagement on the night of the opera. Though very much part of this society, he is growing to feel stifled by its conventions and he finds himself increasingly attracted to the Countess Olenska, May’s cousin, who has recently returned to New York after leaving her Polish husband. This very action marks her out as somewhat bohemian and risqué and prompts her family to embark on a damage limitation exercise...

Wharton adopts a wonderfully ironic tone from the very outset and I loved the way she was able to create strong characters with seemingly little descriptive effort; I was reminded of Austen in that respect. This book was also far more amusing than I remembered. It’s not an especially cheery story, but it really was a joy to read.

Excellent review! We read this in a book club ages ago and then watched the movie with Daniel Day-Lewis. I was amazed at how closely the movie followed the book. Something I appreciate.

ETA: if you post your review to the book page, I'll give you a thumb ;-)

#28 - Thanks, Lisa - it's done :)

I read it for my reading group too and it was an excellent choice, as we all had plenty to say about it.

I haven't seen the film, but I'd really like to now!

I keep meaning to read Wharton, and unbelievably I never have. But your review is giving me a little push in that direction . . .

>30 rebeccanyc:, House of Mirth is also brilliant. I keep meaning to read more EW.

I have both House of Mirth and The Age of Innocence, but I'm pretty sure they're both in 1970s editions that may well fall apart if I try to read them.

It's amazing what a little wisdom can do Rebeki. I might just be wise enough to give The Age of Innocence a try

Like rebecca, I've never read Wharton and last year I decided it was getting time to remedy that, although I still haven't. I think she's one of those people you had to be "old enough" to read, and so I missed her completely in my author imprinting days and never went back.

author imprinting days

What a great expression, Sassy! There are definitely authors I imprinted on (if that's the correct way to put it) years ago, but I"m happy to say I keep discovering new ones!

I've read three books by Wharton. House of Mirth I think in 2012, and last year I read The Age of Innocence and The Custom of the Country. I loved all of them. Both from last year landed on my favorites list. If you liked The Age of Innocence, I think you might love The Custom of the Country.

Wonderful review of The Age of Innocence. I loved it, too. It was on my list of bests last year or the year before.

I've never read any Wharton although she's been on my mental 'should get round to' list for years. You've made me think that I DEFINITELY should!

Last year I read House of Mirth & didn't like it at first, but ended up loving it. I'll definitely be reading more EW.

How lovely to have so many visitors!

#30, #32 - Rebecca, The Age of Innocence would obviously have an added layer of interest for you. I hope those books hold together long enough for you to read them just once!

#31 - That's good to hear!

#33 - Ha ha, I'm sure you are, Barry.

#34 - Interesting that you recognised that at the time, SassyLassy. I grew up with parents who loved reading and always encouraged me in it, but never bought books for themselves or seemed to spend much time reading, so, as a teenager, I didn't really know where to start with adult books other than to reach for the classics. While Charlotte Brontë, for instance, wrote books that I could instantly connect with, Edith Wharton was clearly too subtle for me. Of course, our perception of books always changes as we do...

#36 - Hi Colleen, and thanks for bringing The Custom of the Country to my attention! I was planning to look for The House of Mirth and Ethan Frome in the library, but I'm not sure I'd heard of The Custom of the Country. The woman in our reading group who selected The Age of Innocence mentioned that THoM and EF have a more rural setting and I do love books set in cities, so it may be that TCotC appeals to me more.

#37 - Hi lit_chick, and thanks!

#38 - Oh, I'm pleased my review's had that effect, although it doesn't entirely fit in with your African reading ;) In the interests of balance, I should point out that most people in my reading group didn't like The Age of Innocence as much as I did. Some found the setting rather dull or became too infuriated with the characters. They're wrong, obviously ;)

#39 - Hi Susie, how interesting that you had such a change of heart about The House of Mirth. I'll bear that in mind in case I struggle with it at the beginning (once I get round to reading it!).

I should say that while I'm very good at declaring that I must read more by a certain author, I'm actually very bad at following up these declarations, so, please, nobody hold their breath waiting for me to get round to my next Wharton!

Well, I climbed up on the ladder and got my Wharton books off the shelf. They are pretty yellowed with age, but I am hopeful that they might not fall apart. To give you an idea of how long I have had them, my copy of The Age of Innocence cost $0.95, and I probably bought it in the 70s, while The House of Mirth cost a whopping $3.50 and was printed in 1986. Now that they are no longer on a top shelf and are therefore more accessible, I am more likely to read at least one! I also have an NYRB edition of her New York Stories, so perhaps I will start with that.

I've been away from LT for a few days, so I'm just getting caught up on both of your interesting reviews. I'm not sure about the Homes, but I have the Wharton on my shelves, and I think I've attempted to read it two or three times before. I like her writing - I agree with you that she has an Austin-esque feel - but I was just never in the right place to pick up a classic, I think. Hopefully I can finally get into the right head space and focus on it at some point this year. I read Ethan Frome years ago and enjoyed it, though it wasn't a stand-out novel.

>41 rebeccanyc: - Rebecca, your copy of The House of Mirth is as old as I am!

Now I feel old, Cait! I have lots of books that are older than you are!

7-13 On the subject of 'moral witnesses to the 20th century', Vassily Grossman and Ilya Ehrenburg wrote a book called The Black Book about Nazi crimes. Grossman was one of the first to go to Treblinka, where his mother was killed, and his description of it in the Black Book is considered one of the clearest.

Miriam, Grossman's "The Hell of Treblinka" is also included in the NYRB edition of The Road, a collection of stories and essays. That edition also has some illuminating notes.

I'm hoping to buy a copy of The Complete Black Book, but initial forays on the Internet have it at $50-$100. My library system doesn't have it. Timothy Snyder refered to it several times in Bloodlands, and it has been referenced in some of Grossman's books as well. Do you have it, Miriam? Is it first hand accounts or essays or a combination?

>40 Rebeki: You're right...but I might allow myself a quick break from Africa every now and then!

Hi Rebecca, Cait, Miriam, Lisa and Rachel! I'm sorry to have left my thread unattended for so long...

#41 - Rebecca, I'm pleased you found your Wharton books and that they're in better condition than anticipated. They've obviously been sitting hidden away for a while and I'm sure they're pleased to have been moved to a more prominent position!

#42 - Nice to see you here, Cait. I know what you mean about having to be in the right frame of mind for a classic, though I found The Age of Innocence quite a page-turner from the start. Usually I start off very slowly with classic literature and need a while to get into it. It probably does help, though, that I'm not working at the moment. That frees up quite a lot of mental space.

#44 - Welcome, Miriam, and thanks for bringing to my attention a book I'd never come across. I definitely need to read more by Grossman.

#47 - In that case, I don't think you can ask for a more complete change of scene!

So far I've read the first story in the collection Der blinde Geronimo und sein Bruder. Erzählungen 1900-1907. by Arthur Schnitzler and I plan to work through the rest of the stories fairly slowly, reading other books alongside them. It's easiest to jot down my thoughts as I go along though, so I'll keep updating this post as I finish a story.

Leutnant Gustl - This story is the reason I own this book. I was meant to read it during the first year of my Modern Languages degree. Sixteen years on, I've finally accomplished that task! I wish I could go back and listen to what my lecturers had to say about it, but, as far as I can see, Schnitzler is using this story to criticise the practice of duelling and the Austrian obsession with "honour", as well as the anti-Semitism within the Army. The eponymous young lieutenant is slighted by a civilian while attending a concert and, feeling that his reaction to this slight was not befitting of his proud status as a member of the Austro-Hungarian Army, decides that the only course of action is to kill himself. I don't think that can be considered a spoiler, since the insult is delivered and the decision in favour of suicide taken fairly near the beginning of the story, with the rest of the story taken up with Gustl's reflections on the life he has lived and which is about to end. It is told as an internal monologue, which makes for amusing reading, since Gustl is a rather idiotic figure, but also means that, as awful as he is, it is possible to sympathise with him too, and my feelings about him changed several times throughout the story. Very enjoyable and effective and with a sting in the tail.

Der blinde Geronimo und sein Bruder - A story about two brothers living in the Italian Alps, whose relationship is tested by the malicious act of a stranger. More conventional in style than Leutnant Gustl, it was also a less dense read. Gripping and moving.

Die Legende - A very short (apparently incomplete) story about a severely disabled Indian prince who undertakes a pilgrimage in order to pray for healing before a portrait of Brahma. Possibly a comment on religious tyranny/fraudulence. Nothing special.

Der Leuchtkäfer - Amusing holiday correspondence between two students, one of whom writes at length about the affairs of his heart, only to receive pithy and flippant responses from the other. More fun than the previous story, but nowhere near as involving as the first two, longer stories.

Boxeraufstand - An Austrian officer in China during the Boxer Rebellion is perplexed to see one of the captured rebels, awaiting execution, using his last couple of hours to read a novel. I liked this a fair bit more than the previous two stories.

Die grüne Krawatte - Apparently an example of "micro-fiction" and a comment on the fickleness and hypocrisy of society.

Die Fremde - A young civil servant is left by his beautiful and mysterious wife after just a couple of weeks of marriage and looks back on their courtship. Melancholy and with a dream-like quality, but not particularly engaging.

Die griechische Tänzerin - The narrator reminisces about his acquaintance with the late Mathilde Samodeski, who, he believes, was not the victim of a heart attack but of a broken heart. In contrast with my experience of reading Nocturnes (see message 84), I found this story very moving.

Wohltaten, still und rein gegeben - A blackly amusing account of the night a penniless student spends after an aristocrat, mistaking him for a beggar, hands him ten crowns.

Die Weissagung - I hadn't felt like picking up this collection for quite some time, but this eerie story, the English title of which is The Prophecy, has got me back in the mood. Easily the most gripping of the stories so far.

Das Schicksal des Freiherrn von Leisenbohg - Rather chilling story of a man who remains a devoted friend and would-be suitor to an opera singer - to his cost.

Das neue Lied - Melancholy tale about a young man whose affections for his love interest alter when she is left blind following an illness.

Der tote Gabriel - I was expecting something a little different (and more exciting) from this story, in which a complacent young man introduces a woman mourning the loss of her close friend, the recently deceased Gabriel, to the woman she believes was the reason for his suicide, but so, I suppose, was the complacent young man...

Geschichte eines Genies - Charming and effective allegory featuring a butterfly as its protagonist.

Der Tod des Junggesellen - A pleasing end to the collection. Three men are mysteriously summoned to the deathbed of a friend, only to find that their friend is already dead, but has left a letter for them... Ultimately, a rather heart-warming tale.

Sounds intriguing and it's available online in English. Ill have to read it!

How are you feeling?

#50 - I'd definitely recommend it, Lisa. In English, it'd be a quick read too (I forced myself to look up all the words I was unsure of!). Reading around it a bit, it apparently caused Schnitzler to be stripped of his commission as a reserve officer in the Army, and it was also apparently the first use of a stream-of-consciousness style in German. I can see why it would be a good text to include on a university syllabus...

It's nice to have enquiries after my health, but I'm wondering whether you have me temporarily confused with rachbxl ;)

Ha, ha. You're right. Your threads fall next to each other on my page, and I often go between the two. But it's nice to know you are feeling well!

No worries. I confess that every time it goes quiet on Rachel's thread, I wonder what's happening!

Oh, that's kind of you both! Nothing happening right now other than being awake in the middle of the night as I can't get comfortable...

Interesting discussion here; I was charmed by The Custom of the Country last year, and will see whether I can read more Wharton this year.

I did not read Lieutenant Gustl or Flucht in die Finsternis with that much pleasure, rather a bit boring and very traditional. However, I have several more books by Schnitzler on my TBR so will read several more, and wonder what you think of his work, as I suppose you will review more while or after reading Der blinde Geronimo und sein Bruder. Erzählungen 1900-1907.

#54 - Hope you're getting some afternoon naps in to make up for the disturbed nights!

#55 - Hi Edwin, I've seen that my library has a copy The Custom of the Country and I think that's the one I'd like to try next.

I haven't read anything else by Schnitzler, so I don't have a very firm opinion yet. I did enjoy Leutnant Gustl and also liked the second story in the collection, which I'll hopefully get round to commenting on today or tomorrow. I actually found the style of Leutnant Gustl anything but traditional, although the setting could be described that way. I'm particularly interested in the Habsburg Empire and Vienna at the beginning of the 20th century in any case.

>49 Rebeki: I vaguely remember remember reading Leutnant Gustl in college, where I was a German major. Funny that you finally got back around to it.

#57 - Hi Amy (looked your name up on the reference list!), you were clearly a more conscientious student than me ;)
The only reason I held on to the book at all was because I couldn't sell it back to the bookshop I'd bought it from (as I did with other books). I'm glad it worked out that way though!

Manhattan, When I Was Young by Mary Cantwell

This book first caught my eye in a charity shop. I’d never heard of Mary Cantwell, but I thought the title was evocative. Closer inspection revealed it to be not a novel but a memoir, but it began with a pleasing reference to The Bell Jar, my favourite book. Since I was trying to be “good” about book-buying at the time, I left it on the shelf, only to regret it soon afterwards. When I returned to the shop a few days later, it had gone and I ended up putting it on my Amazon wishlist for my husband to buy.

I did some research on the Internet and discovered that Mary Cantwell had been a writer for The New York Times, after spending much of her career working at the now defunct magazine Mademoiselle, a period covered in this memoir, and that she’d died in 2000, at the relatively young age of 69, just five years after this memoir was published. It’s not necessary to know any of that to enjoy this account of a young woman beginning her career and adult life in New York City in the early 1950s.

The memoir is divided into sections corresponding to each of the addresses at which Cantwell resided during the twenty or so years covered here, and Cantwell’s love of Manhattan, in particular Greenwich Village, shines throughout. Although I would count New York as one of my favourite cities, I have visited it just once, seven years ago, spending only an afternoon in Greenwich Village. Nevertheless, with my dim memories of that holiday and just a little assistance from Google Maps, Cantwell’s vivid descriptions put me right there with her. It doesn’t matter that I don’t know the shops, bars or restaurants she refers to. As someone who grew up in a provincial town and who still can’t quite believe she’s living in London, I was able to share in Cantwell’s exhilaration and identify with the feeling that, by living somewhere else, it is possible to become a different person.

One of my favourite paragraphs from the book is this:

"Maybe it’s different if you were born here. Maybe then you are deaf to the buzzing and the beating of wings. But I had come from out of town, and to me New York was a hive. You could not just live here. You had to be somebody, do something, it didn’t matter what. You were not a part of the city unless you were on a bus or a subway and on your way to an office or a factory or a schoolroom. How could you know New York if you had not bolted your lunch in a coffee shop or had not had your subway stall under the East River or had not had to stand on the bus for thirty blocks because it was rush hour? You could not. The best way to know New York, to learn to love New York was to let it wear you out."

This is also an intensely personal memoir. As a young woman, Cantwell is unable to accept the death of her father and continues to worry about whether she is living up to his expectations. Lacking self-confidence, she looks to her husband for guidance, believing she would be nothing without him, while resenting the fact that she has never really been allowed to be herself or to be by herself. Cantwell unflinchingly lays bare her younger self, managing to write in a way that is both moving and drily amusing.

So there we have it: if you’re in a second-hand bookshop and come across an unfamiliar title that somehow speaks to you, you should probably buy it. It just may turn out to be an unexpected gem.

Good review of Manhattan, When I was Young. Us experienced delvers into bargain and second hand book stalls can usually avoid the real dross.

And moral number two: if you see a book that speaks to you, buy it right away! It might have gone when you go back...(good for your husband though).

Nothing intelligent to say, but I liked your review of Manhattan, When I Was Young.

Manhattan When I Was Young sounds fantastic. But I have very little luck in just picking up a book I know nothing about. It doesn't stop me, but they are usually lackluster. Of course, the exceptions keep me doing this.

Lovely review of Manhattan When I Was Young, Rebecca.

#60 - Thanks, Barry - you're right about that and I shall listen to my instincts in future!

#61 - Absolutely! Especially as that book is out of print over here...

#62 - Thanks, Dan! (No need for intelligent comment - I often struggle with that myself ;))

#63 - Thanks, Kay! I don't think it's a book everyone would find interesting, but it was perfect for me. Oh, and you clearly just need more practice at book-buying ;)

#64 - Thanks, Chris!

Hi Rebecca! Just de-lurking to say I'm enjoying your thread. Really interesting review of Manhattan When I Was Young. That title would've caught my eye as well I must admit. Curiosity's getting the better of me though, being a Londoner who has now left that city, which part of town are you now living in if you don't mind my noseyness? And how are you finding it?

#66 - Hi Paul, and thanks!

Well, I have to say I'm not living in one of the most buzzing areas. I'm in the "Queen of the Suburbs", out in zone 3, and perhaps you, as a real Londoner, wouldn't even consider it "proper London" ;) It has some lovely parks and pubs though and it's easy enough to get into the centre. After six years here, maybe because I've been working from home throughout that time, I still get a rush of excitement every time I go into central London or explore a new area. I'm originally from Shropshire and, for me, the best thing is having easy (and often free) access to a seemingly unlimited supply of "culture" (museums, exhibitions, shows, concerts, festivals etc.) and knowing that I'll never run out of new places to discover!

Echoing everyone about your wonderful review of Manhattan, When I was Young, which I hope you will post on the book page.

So there we have it: if you’re in a second-hand bookshop and come across an unfamiliar title that somehow speaks to you, you should probably buy it.

Truly words to live by!

Ealing! I once lived in East Acton (then Ladbroke Grove for about 5 years before coming to Wales), and worked for Ealing council for quite a while. I was one of the Tree Officers - (and I used to climb trees with the guy who is now the Trees Manager in the borough) so I hope you enjoy the trees in those fine parks - Walpole Park, Pitshanger Manor, etc., and not forgetting the wonderful street trees. Ealing in many ways is a quintessential London district - it has a bit of everything. I used to like that area near the Ealing Film Studios in particular, and 'Ealing Back Common' over near Chiswick.

#68 - OK, Lisa, it's done! I wasn't sure whether I hadn't made the review too personal somehow, but I don't want to take anything out of it, so I've added it as it is.

I tend to be a bit "all or nothing" with book-buying, either abstemious or prone to a spree. I think I need to learn that it's OK to buy books that I may not come across otherwise, but that I don't necessarily need to buy all those classics or recent bestsellers all at once!

#69 - What a great job to have! Ealing does, indeed, have wonderful trees. Walpole Park is our nearest park and where I spent much of my maternity leave! There's a big redevelopment going on at the moment, meaning that it won't be fully open again until July. That's a long time to wait, but I'm sure it'll be great once it's finished. And, yes, Ealing Green is one of my favourite parts too.

I'm glad you did post it "as is". It's the personal recommendations that speak to me most. I truly want to think what people thought of a book. The professional describe-and-put-in-context sort of reviews have their place, but when I am trying to decide whether to read or buy something, the heartfelt comments are what sway me.

I have a feeling I'm going to be a little "all" at Powell's tomorrow. I have been waiting a long time to visit there!

#71 - Ah, if you're making a special trip to a bookshop, it's only right to go a little crazy. It's "accidentally" dropping into a bookshop on the way home that is my undoing. Have fun!

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

After reading Manhattan, When I Was Young, I felt the urge to re-read this favourite novel of mine, especially as I recently bought a new, hardback copy of it. It's the fourth or fifth time I've read it, which makes it virtually impossible to review. Every time I re-read The Bell Jar, I worry that its shine will have begun to fade, but I'm happy to report that, for me, it's still a perfect book.

When I read it as a teenager, it was the way it made me feel that made the strongest impression. I now read the story with more detachment, but am able to appreciate the writing (and the dark humour) all the more.

Somehow I built up The Bell Jar in my mind as a difficult book and have been hesitant to open it up. But, reading your post, I'm thinking I should just get to it. At least I'll go hunt down my copy and keep it within reach.

I am going to say something similar to Dan. I had thought The Bell Jar would be a book too depressing to read. You have made me rethink that.

Hi Rebeki - I especially enjoyed your reviews of Innocence and Manhattan - excellent and thumbed!

ETA: loved the quotation from Manhattan.

#74, #75 - There's certainly nothing difficult about the writing; as for the subject-matter, Plath writes very matter-of-factly and, I'd venture to say, is even amusing on the subject of attempting suicide.

Without wanting to say too much, I think it's important not to let Plath's death shortly after the publication of the novel overshadow the story it's trying to tell. For me, reading The Bell Jar is an emotional experience, but not really a downbeat one.

#76 - Thanks, Merrikay!

Washington Square by Henry James

Reviewing Reading Lolita in Tehran back on my 2012 thread, I concluded that:

"While I learnt something of life in Iran from 1979 onwards (including that going out for coffee and ice cream seemed to be one of the last remaining public pleasures open to women), I would need to read a different sort of book to understand fully the politics of the country. What has stayed with me, however, is the desire to read Vladimir Nabokov and Henry James for the first time and to re-read The Great Gatsby, so I'm very grateful to Azar Nafisi for that."

After tackling Reading Lolita, my reading group went on to read Daisy Miller and Lolita last year, while I managed my re-read of The Great Gatsby, ahead of seeing the film. Since I seemed to have started 2014 with an NYC mini-theme, I thought I'd try the other work by Henry James that Azar Nafisi discusses in her memoir.

This is a short novel with a fairly simple plot: girl meets boy, girl's father disapproves of boy, conflict ensues; however, it is a far richer read than that outline may suggest. For a start, it's the 1840s and there are matters of money and inheritances to consider; the girl is well off, and set to become extremely wealthy, and the boy is poor. Secondly, Catherine Sloper is an unusual and unlikely romantic heroine and is introduced to us as an obedient daughter who wishes only to please her father, the authoritarian Dr Sloper. It is only once the handsome Morris Townsend begins to pursue her that she is forced to re-evaluate her relationship with her father. Matters are further complicated by Catherine's meddling, manipulative and misguided aunt, Mrs Penniman.

This is supposed to be one of James's more accessible books and I found it a quick and enjoyable read. At various points, I wanted to shake each of the four main characters, especially Dr Sloper, but that's a good thing, I think! I also liked the way James toys with the reader slightly as he narrates the tale, and how he manages to reveal so much about Morris Townsend's character and intentions simply through the words spoken by the latter.

I wonder now whether I'm ready to graduate to the more "difficult" James. The introduction to Washington Square gives the impression that The Europeans, another of his early works, may be easier than some of his later novels, so perhaps I'll try that one next.

I haven't read Reading Lolita in Tehran, but maybe I should if it will inspire me as it has you to tackle some of those unread classics on my shelf. I've read Lolita and I remember disliking Gatsby when I read it in college, but it was a long time ago, as was my reading of Daisy Miller. The only other James I've read is The Turn of the Screw, also quite accessible. I've never ventured into deeper James water.

I had listened to Reading Lolita in Tehran when it first came out. It has been a long time, so I may be forgetting something, but I think I was impressed by the courage the women had in order to meet and read these books that they were not supposed to have. It did also encourage me to buy a few of the books that they were reading. :)

Interested to see that you liked Washington Square, Rebecca and I enjoyed reading about how you came to it. I read What Maisie Knew last year and found James' sentence structure difficult to come to terms with. I didn't really enjoy the read.

>78 Rebeki: - I thought the novel was quite moving, Catherine doesn't really deserve her fate. What's funny is that despite its success, and its reception as the James' novel everyone likes, he held the novel in near contempt.
The 1947 film adaptation (technically an adaptation of a play which adapted the novel) The Heiress is worth watching if it pops up on television.
I'm not sure I'd leap straight from Washington Square to What Masie Knew, probably best to stop off at The Portrait of a Lady first.

I've had no time for LT lately and need to do some catching up, and I think my own thread is the best place to start!

Hi Lisa, Colleen, Barry and Turner, thanks for your comments.

#79, #80 - I was expecting Reading Lolita to focus more on the lives of the individual women than on the books in question (although I understand why it didn't), so it was surprising to me that it should end up influencing my reading so much. I'm sure that, as a professor of literature, Nafisi would be delighted!

#81 - When I read Daisy Miller last year, I really struggled through James's three-page preface, but raced through the novella itself. The preface served as a warning of what I might expect from some of his other books. The difference in style was astonishing...

#82 - Turner, it doesn't come through in my "review" at all, but I also found Washington Square moving. I admired Catherine's dignity and resolve, but did feel sad for her. I've never heard of The Heiress, so thanks for mentioning that. I know there's a more recent film adaptation, but I'm not sure how good it is.

Ha, yes, based on Barry's comments alone, I'll leave What Maisie Knew for a while. Yes, I'd read that Henry James wasn't at all pleased with Washington Square. Again, that worries me in terms of what to expect from his later novels!

Catching up on a couple of books I finished a while ago:

Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall by Kazuo Ishiguro

This was our reading group book for February and my first (semi-)dud of the year. It wasn’t that I was disappointed as such – I much prefer novels to short stories, so I didn’t have high expectations – and it’s not a terrible book; I just didn’t feel it was worth reading.

As the title suggests, it consists of five relatively long short stories on the same theme. Apart from one recurring character and similarities in the setting of the first and last stories, they are unconnected. Each deals with failing relationships and the power music has to transform our feelings and perception; the effects of this power are only temporary, however, and reality soon reasserts itself. This may sound rather serious, but a couple of the stories feature some very comical episodes. I enjoyed the comedy, but ultimately it was all too silly for me.

When I read a book, I like to be drawn into it, to inhabit it. I don't need to like the characters, but I do need to care about them. Another member of the reading group pointed out that short stories don’t necessarily set out to engage the reader in this way and I think she’s right, but, for me, the writing in Nocturnes kept things particularly superficial. A quote on the back of the edition I read referred to Ishiguro’s deceptively simple language and indicated that the reader who took time to savour it would be rewarded. For me, though, it wasn’t the kind of prose I wanted to savour, so I couldn’t help rushing through it.

I enjoyed Never Let Me Go, the only other book of Ishiguro’s I’ve read, far more, but I didn’t love it, so it may be that I simply don’t get on with his writing. Since he’s an acclaimed author, however, I’d like to persevere with him, at least to the extent of reading The Remains of the Day...

Queen Lucia by E.F. Benson

This was much more like it! I've had the two omnibus editions of the Mapp and Lucia stories, Lucia Rising and Lucia Victrix, on my shelves for a couple of years now and I've finally decided to dive in.

The first of the six books, Queen Lucia introduces us to Emmeline Lucas, a.k.a. Lucia, queen of the social and cultural scene in the village of Riseholme. She is assisted in her reign by her easy-going husband, Pepino, and good friend Georgie, although the latter, like his neighbour, the credulous Daisy Quantock, sometimes harbours "revolutionary" feelings. These feelings are brought to the surface with the arrival in Riseholme of the talented and popular opera singer, Olga Braceley, and much social comedy ensues.

It's hard for me to review this sort of book, but suffice it to say I loved it! I look forward to becoming acquainted with Miss Mapp before too long.

I'm still working my way slowly through the stories in Der blinde Geronimo und sein Bruder and I've started The Woman in White, the choice for our next reading group meeting (although I won't be there for it). The latter may be long, but it's also proving lots of fun and I'm making fairly quick progress so far.

I too am not a short story fan and am lukewarm on Ishiguro. I liked Never Let Me Go, but gave When We Were Orphans 2.5 stars.

I have an E.F. Benson waiting for my next book funk: Mrs. Ames. I keep persisting in thinking that E.F. is a woman, so it's a bit of a shock to see his picture on the book page each time I open it!

Lisa, I'm reassured to know I'm in good company when it comes to Ishiguro!

Having read just one of his books, I'm surprised E.F. Benson isn't a woman, but, with no basis whatsoever, I wonder whether there's some of him in the character of Georgie (this will make no sense if you haven't read any of the Mapp and Lucia books). I'll be interested to see what you think of Mrs Ames. I'd only heard of the Mapp and Lucia series, but Benson seems to have been an incredibly prolific author.

I loved the entire Mapp and Lucia series. I spaced them out last year, and wished there had been more.

Colleen, I can see myself reading them all this year and then feeling the same way...

The Mapp and Lucia series is high on my TBR pile after seeing so many great comments around here (starting with Colleen!). I think I'll get to the first one in the next month or so.

And I really liked Remains of the Day, but I also loved Never Let Me Go - the only other Ishiguro book I've read.

Hi Jennifer, I hope you enjoy the M&L books as much as everyone else!

I'm definitely going to give The Remains of the Day a go at some point, as I loved the film. My reaction to the book will probably determine whether I bother with any more Ishiguro. There's a woman in my reading group who really rates him and she suggested that the rather flat quality to his writing may be a Japanese thing, which, when coupled with a British setting, may be what jars with me. I haven't read anything by a Japanese author, but it's an interesting idea...

The Embassy of Cambodia by Zadie Smith



I had a couple of hours to myself a few Saturdays ago (something to be relished!) and, armed with a copy of Zadie Smith’s short story from last year, which I'd recently pounced upon in the library (Who wants to pay £7.99 for a tiny 69-page book?), I ventured to an unfamiliar part of London to see the eponymous building for myself.

The story begins as an unnamed observer expresses surprise that the Embassy of Cambodia should be a fairly ordinary-looking house in the otherwise unremarkable suburb of Willesden. Every Monday morning, a young Ivorian woman named Fatou walks past the embassy on her way to the health club next door. Fatou works as a housekeeper for a wealthy family who live in the area, but never sees any of the money she supposedly earns. Her life outside the house consequently consists only of illicit visits to the health club (using visitor vouchers stashed in a drawer in her employers’ house) and weekly attendance at church with her Nigerian friend Andrew.

This is a charming, bittersweet story full of little details that, with great economy, create a vivid picture of Fatou’s past and present life. Zadie Smith’s writing is natural, effortless and instantly engaging, and somehow seems even more accomplished than in her longer works, though perhaps I should put that to the test by re-reading White Teeth or On Beauty, or trying The Autograph Man (which I own) and NW...

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

This was the (extremely lengthy) reading group choice for March, although I wasn’t able to attend the meeting. In any case, I was grateful for the little push in the direction of Wilkie Collins, whom I’d long wished to try.

Many will know the story already, but, to give a short summary, Walter Hartright, an art teacher, is approached one night by the mysterious title character. Shortly afterwards, he takes up a teaching post in Cumberland, where he falls in love with one of his pupils, whose fate turns out to be entwined with that of the shadowy woman in white.

Based on this one novel, I’d say Collins doesn’t stand up to Dickens in terms of use of language (it’s hard not to compare the two), but he’s definitely far more readable and instantly enjoyable. Both the writing and the story seemed far more “modern”, somehow, not least because Collins seems capable of writing a varied range of female characters. Walter’s love interest, Laura, proved less drippy than I’d feared, while her sister, Marian, is pleasingly witty and resourceful, even if rather deprecating of her own abilities.

I bought my husband The Moonstone as a present a few years ago (at his suggestion, I hasten to add) and he still hasn’t touched it. I think I may just get to it first!

Hangover Square by Patrick Hamilton

After really enjoying Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky back in 2010, I’ve finally got round to reading Hangover Square, Hamilton’s best-known work, as far as I am aware. The square in question is really Earl’s Court Square in London, in whose pubs the aimless George Harvey Bone and his even more aimless “friends” are to be found whiling their days as the 1930s draw to a close and war looms on the horizon.

Unlike the crowd he hangs out with, George still hopes to break free of the cycle of drinking and sleeping and make a new life for himself outside London, although I knew by now that Hamilton’s novels depict worlds in which hope cannot survive for long. George’s weakness is the beautiful but self-serving Netta, and then there is the matter of his “dead moods” (undiagnosed schizophrenia), preceded by a click in the head, in which his thoughts take an entirely different course.

It is impossible not to root for gentle giant George, whatever his mood, and, as with Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky, I found myself doing the readerly equivalent of shouting at the screen. Sadly, Hamilton’s characters never seem to listen, yet there was still something uplifting about the conclusion of the book.

The only fault I could find was the seeming heavy-handedness in making the characters of Netta and Peter, already completely unlikeable, Fascist sympathisers, but the novel is set in 1939 and was published in 1941, so I am probably being unfair to Hamilton here, as he no doubt encountered real-life personalities with the same sympathies.

Enjoyed reading your thoughts on The Woman in White

>94 Rebeki: Now that you've tried him, you may well find him addictive! The Moonstone is another good one.

#96 - Thanks, Barry! They're not especially detailed thoughts, but I'm struggling to keep up with LT at the moment.

#97 - That could well be, SassyLassy! I'm now curious about Collins's less well-known works and whether it's for good reason that The Woman in White and The Moonstone are far more widely read...

Lately I have been hearing a lot about Wilkie Collins and especially The Woman in White on the book podcast The Readers. Your review gives me an added push in that direction. I'll actual add it to my TBR list now.

Lisa, it's good fun and would make a welcome break from any depressing books you might be reading ;)

I really need to hop over to your thread and catch up on what you are reading...

Quite a rebound, with some great classics!

>100 Rebeki: Caught! At the moment I do happen to be reading a book set at Auschwitz.

Thanks, Edwin! I'm still reading away, but just seem to be having difficulty writing "reviews" and keeping up with other people's threads. I've recently finished two excellent books, The Radetzky March (a re-read) and The Slaves of Solitude, but am putting off writing about them...

#102 We cross-posted! Ha ha, I should have known ;)

>103 Rebeki:

I am still held back from writing reviews, as I am going through a very busy period of work. I haven't written any reviews since late February, which to me seems like half a year ago...

I badly need to catch up with myself. It will result, once more, in reviewing "in batches" (Thanks, Barry ;-)

I haven't been writing reviews either. Maybe it's catching...

>105 edwinbcn:, >106 labfs39: Ditto.

The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth

I first read this book back in 2005, shortly before a wonderful couple of weeks spent in Vienna, Budapest and Bratislava, and it became an unexpected favourite of mine. I’m planning to read some of the Central European fiction on my shelves this year and thought I’d begin (although you could count my currently-stalled attempt at reading a book of Arthur Schnitzler stories as the real beginning) with a re-read of this beautiful tale of the decline of the Habsburg Empire.

The novel begins with a description of how the Trotta family, originally Slovenian peasants, came to be ennobled, after one of their number saves the life of Emperor Franz Josef at the Battle of Solferino. It is chiefly concerned, however, with the subsequent two generations of the Trotta family, for whom this ennoblement is a bittersweet legacy. While the son of the Hero of Solferino enjoys a distinguished career and comfortable, if rather rigid, life as a high-ranking civil servant, his son, the young Carl Joseph, a soldier like his grandfather, fantasises about a humbler but more virtuous existence, of the kind led by his Slovenian forebears. All the time the dark clouds of war are gathering...

The Radetzky March demands to be read slowly and carefully, and really rewards the reader for doing so. I’m not usually one for long, descriptive passages, but the descriptions of the easternmost fringes of the Habsburg Empire, where Carl Joseph comes to be posted, are especially beguiling, all the more so since Roth is writing about the region of his birth.

Though not without moments of humour, this book is a heartfelt and melancholy ode to a lost time and place. Highly recommended.

The Slaves of Solitude by Patrick Hamilton

After the rather ponderous and poetic Radetzky March, I opted for something plainer in style and returned to Patrick Hamilton. This time, the Second World War is well under way and the setting is not London, but a fictional town to its west called Thames Lockdon (based on Henley-on-Thames). The novel’s heroine, Miss Roach, finds herself exiled in a boarding house there after her Kensington flat is damaged in the Blitz. Forced to share a dining room with the pompous and vindictive Mr Thwaites, this claustrophobic and hum-drum existence only becomes worse with the arrival in the house of the self-styled femme fatale/ Vicki Kugelmann.

Hamilton is great on characterisation and dialogue, which made this a quick, fun read, in spite of the bleak setting. His books tend, in my experience, to be extremely boozy and The Slaves of Solitude is no exception, but Miss Roach is a refreshingly amateur (and infrequent) drunk (and then, only under the influence of a charming but slippery American lieutenant) and a far more sensible and grounded protagonist than I was expecting. Consequently, this novel is more uplifting than either Hangover Square or Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky, albeit that, with no end to the war in sight, it offers the reader hope rather than certainty.

#105-107, Hi Edwin, Lisa and Darryl. It's a disease that's obviously catching... Although if we're all too busy reading, that's not such a bad thing!

Fortunately (in one sense) for me, I'm a much slower reader than all of you, so my "batches" are much smaller :) I'm going to enjoy the feeling of having caught up while it lasts!

I thought I owned Radetzky March, but LT contradicts me. Hmm.

Are the Hamilton books meant to be read in a certain order?

I really enjoyed The Radetzky March too (and I think you would too, Lisa).

#111 - Lisa, I can see how I may have given that impression, but no, they're totally unconnected books with completely different characters (although it's interesting that Hamilton featured bullying characters with Nazi sympathies in both novels).

#112 - Rebecca, I'm now reading The Emperor's Tomb and am enjoying entering that world again, although the book has quite a different feel from The Radetzky March.

Yes, i agree about The Emperor's Tomb.

Well, it is a fact that for about 3 weeks now, Club Read has fallen out of the Top-3 most active groups, which means fewer reviews and less talk on the board.

115 -
I know that I've lost motivation to review but I'm happy 'cause I'm reading at a rate I haven't read at in a long time. I've already read twice the amount of books I read in all of last year! No time to review and chat on LT, got to keep reading!

>116 lilisin: I can identify with that feeling. When I'm on a reading roll, I'm reluctant to pause and the spoil the momentum - it's onto the next book! That said, I generally feel much better for reviewing each book I read. My inability to keep up with reviews last year resulted in my absenting myself completely from LT, which can only be a bad thing...

The Emperor’s Tomb by Joseph Roth

The Emperor’s Tomb is a companion piece, rather than a sequel, to The Radetzky March. It is shorter and faster-paced and the prose less dense (though just as elegantly written), a sign that these are different, more unstable times.

The narrator, Franz Ferdinand Trotta, is a second cousin of Carl Joseph, the anti-hero of Roth’s earlier work, and, though unacquainted with him, of a similar age. Prior to the First World War, he and his friends, other privileged young men, idle away their days in the cafés of Vienna. Like his cousin, however, Franz Ferdinand appears to yearn for greater authenticity, which he is happy to find in the companionship of another cousin, the Slovenian peasant Joseph Branco, and his friend, the Galician Jew Manes Reisiger.

With the onset of war and the demise of the Habsburg Empire everything changes. Branco and Reisiger are now foreigners, and Trotta, having to adapt to the changes in his personal fortunes, is unable to recognise as home an Austria that seems to be heading, inexorably, towards disaster.

More mournful than The Radetzky March (after all, Trotta knows just what is coming), The Emperor’s Tomb packs a lot into its relatively few pages, almost too much for me to take in in just one reading. It looks like I may have to buy my own copy...

Great review, Rebecki. Which book did you like better?
FYI The touchstone is going to the wrong book.

>119 labfs39: Thanks, Lisa, I've fixed it now!

I definitely preferred The Radetzky March, as it's a more detailed, fully-formed work, allowing you to take time to get to know the characters and enjoy the setting, whereas there's something elusive about The Emperor's Tomb - lots of characters make brief appearances without much introduction and there are sudden shifts forward in time (the story begins in 1913 and ends in 1938). Although it's not absolutely necessary to read The Radetzky March first to enjoy The Emperor's Tomb, I think it's advisable.

ETA: The translator, Michael Hofmann, refers in his introduction to the "glorious Tolstoyan fullness of {the} realization" of The Radetzky March, compared with the "scribbled, spur of the moment, skittish, distrait" nature of The Emperor's Tomb.

The translator, Michael Hofmann, refers in his introduction to the "glorious Tolstoyan fullness of {the} realization" of The Radetzky March, compared with the "scribbled, spur of the moment, skittish, distrait" nature of The Emperor's Tomb.

I like that comparison.

I liked The Radetzky March better than The Emperor's Tomb too, but I thought it packed a lot into its fewer pages.

>121 labfs39: Yes, it expresses what I feel in a much more interesting and eloquent way than I was able to!

>122 rebeccanyc: I agree completely, Rebecca, which is why I can already see myself wanting to re-read it. There's a lot to take in.

The Pure Gold Baby by Margaret Drabble

I didn’t know what to expect from this book and was initially put off by the title, but I ended up finding it an enjoyable read, although it’s hard to say what, exactly, it’s about.

The narrator, Eleanor, now in late middle age, sets out to tell the story of her friend Jess, who becomes a single mother in the 1960s, following an affair with one of her lecturers at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. The arrival of Anna, the eponymous pure gold baby, curtails an adventurous career as an anthropologist, though Jess will long remember the one field trip she made as a young student, to Zambia (then Northern Rhodesia). The title refers to Anna’s kind and sunny disposition, but also to the unnamed mental disability that causes her not to develop like other children and to remain permanently dependent on Jess. While Jess leads a somewhat bohemian lifestyle, enjoying fleeting love affairs, Anna is always her priority, and the two of them form a self-contained unit.

We learn very little about Eleanor over the course of the book, but a little about the circle of friends to which she and Jess belong and I enjoyed reading the little details of everyday life in North London during the 1960s and 1970s. Drabble, through Eleanor, also treats us to snippets of information about the way in which the treatment of people with mental health problems and disabilities has changed, both over the course of the last couple of centuries and in the last few decades, as well as touching on missionaries, such as Livingstone, and their work in Africa. This is done in a meandering and matter-of-fact way that could prove irritating to some readers, although I was happy to turn to Google or to let the references wash over me, depending on my mood.

There is never the sense that Drabble is telling us what to think about these subjects; we are told what Jess, who has a passionate interest in them, probably thinks, but through the medium of Eleanor, who is less exercised by them and cannot possibly have access to all Jess’s thoughts. The latter circumstance is readily admitted by Eleanor, who nevertheless adopts the style of an omniscient narrator. In some other books I’ve read, I've found this discrepancy a problem, but Drabble is a skilful enough writer that it really didn’t bother me here.

Overall, this is a meandering and undramatic tale that left me wondering what to think about it all, and many readers would probably consider it dull. However, I enjoyed Drabble’s writing and observations very much and am therefore curious to read more by her.

ETA: This was May's reading group choice and most of the group felt far more negatively about the book than I did. One criticism I would agree with wholeheartedly is that the title suggests that the book will be about Anna, but really the focus is on Jess. Some felt that this was a self-indulgent and elitist book, with Drabble writing about North London intellectuals for the benefit of North London intellectuals and receiving rave reviews from North London intellectuals. There was also the suggestion that Drabble had run out of ideas and that what ideas she had didn't really amount to a novel. We all agreed, however, that Drabble's writing was excellent and I was encouraged to try one of her earlier novels.

My wishlist is positively bursting at the seams. :) So many great suggestions. The Radetzky March is on my daughter's bookshelf, so I may try to get to that one sometime later this year. There are so many books that I want to read. I have a couple of shelves worth of books that I've borrowed from Chris, and I really need to get to those before I start asking for more. But I am tagging them to borrow so that I don't forget. It is a great problem to have, isn't it.?!?!

Excellent review of The Pure Gold baby. How come your book club got to choose it ?

Thanks for stopping by, Colleen and Barry!

>125 NanaCC: I'd definitely recommend The Radetzky March when you've worked through some of your other loans - yes, having close access to an extensive library of wonderful books and with no return dates is a pretty good state of affairs!

>126 baswood: We each take it in turns to choose a book and lead the discussion. In this case, the member who chose The Pure Gold Baby is generally a fan of Margaret Drabble and was keen to read this, her latest work, although she was also a little disappointed by it.

>124 Rebeki: I read a lot of Margaret Drabble in the 80s and 90s, but haven't read anything by her recently. Interesting to read your review.

>128 rebeccanyc: Rebecca, do you remember enjoying any titles in particular? I was encouraged to try A Summer Bird-Cage...

I don't think Margaret Drabble is going to end up being a writer I love, but I'd like to give her a proper chance, as I don't think The Pure Gold Baby was the best introduction to her work.

Der blinde Geronimo und sein Bruder. Erzählungen 1900-1907. by Arthur Schnitzler

After nearly four months, I've finally finished this collection of short stories. It was a slog at times, but I think that was really to do with forcing myself to read in German, which was undoubtedly good for me, even if it was a slow process.

My comments on the individual stories can be found in post >49 Rebeki:. As with all short story collections, there were hits and misses, but definitely more of the former. Death and ill-fated love affairs were recurring themes, and Vienna at the dawn of the 20th century the setting for many of the stories, which made them more appealing to me than might otherwise have been the case.

Yesterday, I was all set to give this book to a charity shop, but today I feel strangely reluctant to do so, as I can imagine wanting to read some of the stories again. Back onto the shelf it goes!

After this (to me) considerable reading achievement, I'm cleansing my palate with Miss Mapp, before I get started on Story of a Secret State.

Yay for reading in German! I've been working on that, too, and I am a much slower reader in German. I think that awards should be given, maybe in the form of cake, for every German book completed.

>132 RidgewayGirl: Yay indeed! Am I right in thinking you're living in Germany? That must help a little. In my case, it's quite shameful, as I studied French and German at university and have used them in my job ever since, yet I still find it difficult to read books in German (I generally prefer German to French, but find it much easier to read in French). I was actually thinking of rewarding myself in some way for completing five tasks I'd been dragging my heels over, one of which was finishing this book. I know I've completed two of the tasks, but unfortunately can't remember what the other three were - perhaps I should just eat some cake while I'm trying to remember ;)

Yes, I'm currently in Munich. I like having a German book for the U-Bahn, so that I look less like a foreigner. This is a picture from the Rischart bakery, which is my favorite. Their bread is also amazing.

It's a long time since I've been to Munich, but I can imagine it's a great place to live (other than the struggle to understand the Bavarian accent)! And thanks for the virtual cake - it looks delicious!

>134 RidgewayGirl: Oh boy, you just killed my diet. :)

I am so impressed with those of you who read in multiple languages. I took 3 years of French in high school many many many years ago, and it helps me get through phrases that are used in conversation in books, but I could never read an entire book.

>136 NanaCC: To be honest, Colleen, reading anything as long as a book in German seemed an impossible task even when I'd started my university studies (after five years of learning German), hence my choosing to dodge those books I could, such as Der blinde Geronimo! I don't think what we're taught at school is really enough to get us up to that level; it's spending time abroad, immersed in the language, that really boosted my vocabulary. I still need to look plenty of words up though and it's great that I can now do this quickly and easily on my iPad, instead of having to leaf through a heavy dictionary.

Miss Mapp by E.F. Benson

This is the second in the Mapp and Lucia series and our introduction to Elizabeth Mapp and the town of Tilling. I think I enjoyed this even more than Queen Lucia, and Mapp certainly seemed more awful than Lucia, though perhaps I'll really find that out when they meet in the fourth book, Mapp and Lucia. There's a great cast of characters - Mapp's arch-rival Diva Plaistow, bickering co-conspirators Major Flint and Captain Puffin, and the vulgar Mrs Poppitt, MBE - and the precision of Benson's descriptions is such that I have a perfect image in my head of Tilling and its most notable streets and residences, as well as the desire to visit Rye, the town on which it is modelled.

I'm now reading the excellent Story of a Secret State, as recommended by labfs39, and, for light relief, Is it Just Me? by the British comedian Miranda Hart.

>137 Rebeki:, the advancements in language learning technology between when I first started studying arabic 7+ years ago and now are astounding. everything is so much easier now - I have electronic flashcards instead of a million little squares of paper!

>140 fannyprice: Ha, yes, I used to paper my parents' bathroom with vocabulary lists! On the other hand, I think I may have learned more effectively when I had to write everything out by hand...

Story of a Secret State by Jan Karski

It’s quite rare for an LT recommendation to prompt me to buy a book straight away; it’s also unusual for me to read a book very shortly after purchasing it (as illogical, as that may sound!). However, labfs39’s comments about Story of a Secret State have had me do both those things.

Jan Karski (born Jan Kozielewski) was a young officer in the Polish Army at the start of the Second World War, but was captured by Soviet forces just a few days into the war. He managed to engineer his inclusion in an exchange of prisoners that saw him handed over to the Germans, before escaping and making his way back to Warsaw. On looking up an old university friend, he was invited to join the Polish underground. In this memoir, originally published in 1944 and expanded in 1999, he not only describes his work as a courier, propagandist and liaison officer, including his capture by and escape from the Gestapo, but also reveals to us the structure and organisation of the Polish underground state, as well as describing the conditions in occupied Poland for both Jews and non-Jews.

Much of this book reads like a thriller, although there is no danger of forgetting that the events described were all too real, but the sections concerning the workings of the underground state, operating under the authority of and in close communication with the Polish government-in-exile, were also fascinating. In spite of knowing that Poland would go on to suffer for another 50+ years after its “liberation”, I was greatly impressed, and moved, to read of the authorities’ efforts to maintain a fully-functioning representative state that would be ready to take over following the Allies’ victory, in which Poland continued to believe. The wholesale non-recognition of the Nazi occupation and refusal by the Polish people to collaborate in any way is awe-inspiring. These firm principles and this self-belief and strong sense of nationhood help to explain how Poland was able to make such a successful transition to democracy after 1989 and why it is the strong and stable country it is today.

By far the most painful sections to read are those towards the end of the book detailing Karski’s observations during a visit to the Warsaw Ghetto and to a Nazi extermination camp, and his subsequent, unsuccessful, pleas to the highest authorities in the UK and US to do something to stop the sickening mass murder of the Jewish people.

This is a highly important book and I am so glad I have read it.

Is it Just Me? by Miranda Hart

This was my bedtime reading while I was working my way through Story of a Secret State and some much-needed light relief. It is a memoir of sorts by the British comedian Miranda Hart, whose eponymous TV show I am a fan of.

Over 18 chapters, she addresses such subjects as hobbies, work, diets, Christmas and dating, through a conversation with both the reader and her 18-year-old self. None of this is world-shattering stuff, but Miranda's appeal is in her silliness, unpretentiousness and extreme likeability. It appears, from this book, that she is much like the TV version of herself, though more self-confident, and I found it best to imagine her saying the words I was reading (I think this is a case where the audio version would be even better than the physical book). I think Is it Just Me? would be mystifying to those not familiar with Hart's TV show, but for those who are fans of it there is much to enjoy.

Excellent review of Story of a Secret State

If I hadn't already added Story of a Secret State to my wishlist, your review would have put it there.

>145 NanaCC: What Colleen said.

Thanks, Barry, Colleen and Rebecca!

Inside the Gestapo by Helene Moszkiewicz

I decided to follow up Story of a Secret State with Inside the Gestapo, which I had spied (unintentional pun) a while ago among my husband’s books. In 1940, Moszkiewicz, a Belgian Jew, was invited to join the Belgian underground by a friend and, thanks to her fluent German, was able to inveigle her way into the Gestapo headquarters in Brussels under the identity of a patriotic young German woman. Once there, she took part in operations to warn those who faced imminent arrest and was also sporadically involved in rescue and courier missions.

This book was quite different in flavour from Story of a Secret State. For a start, it is a far more personal account and does not provide much of an overview of the Belgian Resistance. I felt slightly disappointed not to have learnt more in this regard, but, by the end of the memoir, it was clear that the particular circumstances of Moszkiewicz’s involvement did not permit her to gain the same depth of knowledge as Jan Karski in Poland. However, my general impression from reading this account is that the Belgian Resistance was far less organised than its Polish counterpart and far less rigorous in its approach. Indeed, I’m not sure Moszkiewicz would have been recruited quite so readily in Poland. She comes across as a brave and spirited young woman, but one who was also prone to recklessness; on one occasion she fails to follow orders, with almost disastrous consequences.

Like Karski, however, she was blessed with a great deal of good fortune and hers is an exciting tale of near misses and reliance on her good looks and personal charm, as well as her quick wit. In fact, as a Jew, she suffered great personal tragedy, but that is glossed over – unlike Story of a Secret State, written while the Second World War was still very much under way, Inside the Gestapo was written forty years afterwards and that is presumably not the story she wished to tell. Overall, a highly readable and enjoyable account of one woman’s astonishing contribution to the work of the Belgian Resistance.

I suppose if she had not had good fortune we would not be reading her memoirs. Interesting Rebecca.

Catching up. Your last two WWII books fit well into my mindset, as I'm listening to A Train in Winter, which is about a group of women in the French Resistance who wind up in Auschwitz...and leaves a deep impression.

>49 Rebeki: I'm so struck by your description of Boxeraufstand . How interesting for someone to read on the brink of execution and yet it kind of makes sense. Maybe too dark a question for our questions for the avid reader thread, but...if you were locked up and had a week to live and unlimited access to books, what might you read? Of course, first we would have to ask ourselves whether we would read, and then, if the answer was yes, we would have to ask ourselves, why?

>108 Rebeki: thanks for the reminder that I want to read The Radetsky March, which is one of my shelves.

Hi Dan, I added A Train in Winter to my Amazon wishlist after seeing you mention it on the WAYR thread and am looking forward to seeing what you think of it. What helped me to get through the last two WW2 books was knowing that their respective authors had survived the war, but I'm guessing the book you're reading may not be quite so uplifting in that sense?

I've been thinking about your question and I'd like to think that, under those circumstances, I could accept my fate fairly quickly and free my mind up to do some reading. I'd probably go for some classic literature. A re-read of Anna Karenina, perhaps...

>150 dchaikin: Interesting idea for the avid reader thread; if I remember, I may ask it after the one I'm determined to ask next.

>151 Rebeki: - A Train in Winter was remarkably powerful. I wrote a review in Goodreads, but I haven't posted it here yet. I'll give myself some time to think about first.

>152 rebeccanyc: - cool.

Hi Rebecca! I am so glad I've found your thread and caught up on it. I will try to visit here more often - I've been non-existent on LT lately.

Great that you have been reading in German. I haven't read a single novel in German since we got back from Switzerland and even my newspaper reading has slowed. It's on my vague list of things to get back into when school calms down a bit (ha ha ).

I too put The Story of a Secret State onto my WL after Lisa read it so I really enjoyed reading your review, and now I've added Inside the Gestapo too. Have you read A Life in Secrets by Sarah Helm? It's a biography of Vera Atkins that I finished last month - I haven't done a review yet. It had loads of fascinating (and depressing) detail about the resistance in France and SOE.

>154 cushlareads: It's really good to see you here, and I'm sorry that I've been non-existent on LT since you posted.

We had a holiday last month that involved spending a couple of days in Wiesbaden in Germany and I bought a few (mostly easy) German books (see post #2), so I'm feeling fairly enthusiastic about reading in German at the moment. Unfortunately, a Polish friend has lent me a Polish novel she thought might interest me, which is going to take me FOREVER to read. I've never yet managed to read an entire book in Polish and my Polish is in a pretty rusty state, so I think that's all the foreign-language reading I'll be able to manage for a while. On the plus side, German will seem very easy in comparison! Maybe I'll finish the Polish book at about the same time that school calms down for you ;)

I'd never heard of A Life in Secrets, but it looks good. I'll head over to your thread later, as you may have had time to review it by now!

ETA: putting this vague grumble about reading a Polish novel into writing has made me realise that życie jest za krótkie and that, although I'd like to read a whole book in Polish some time, this is neither the book nor the time for it, so I've decided that the least painful thing to do is to buy a second-hand copy of the English translation. Without the language obstacle, it should be a pretty quick read, meaning I can devote myself to some German instead. Apologies for the self-indulgent rambling!

My reading slowed down towards the end of last month, as we were on a fairly hectic holiday, but picked up again once we were back home. However, a couple of birthdays and having family visiting us have meant that I've had little time for LT. I'm hoping there'll be no more long absences this year.

In order to catch up, I'm going to keep my comments on my last four reads fairly brief...

The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark

I decided to re-read this book, as I was keen to read An Experiment in Love by Hilary Mantel and had heard that the latter was, in part, an homage to the former. I’d not enjoyed it all that much first time round, so I also thought it would be interesting to see whether my opinion had changed several years on.

The story concerns the single young women living at the May of Teck Club in Kensington in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, from the young and excitable, freshly out of boarding school, to their slightly older, more sophisticated peers to those who can no longer be accurately referred to as “girls” at all. It is both gently amusing and rather melancholy.

It’s still not a book I love - there remains something a little cold and elusive about it – but I certainly enjoyed it far more on second reading. My mistake, originally, was to think I could race through it, owing to its short length. This time, I read it more slowly and carefully and was able to appreciate its subtleties and the quality of Spark’s writing.

An Experiment in Love by Hilary Mantel

This, however, was a wholly satisfying reading experience. There are undoubtedly parallels with Spark’s novella in terms of plot and setting and a general lack of sentimentality in the storytelling, but An Experiment in Love is narrated in the first person and consequently packs far more of an emotional punch.

Carmel McBain (who appears to be the same age as Mantel) looks back on her childhood in northern England in the 1950s and 1960s and her first year at university in London in 1970, where events come to a climax. It is a story of friends and foes and class differences, but is also a portrait of an era in flux, with women’s new-found sexual freedom not necessarily matched by equality in their relations with men.

Carmel is a spiky sort of heroine, a little troubled, not always pleasant, but one whom the reader can’t help but root for and, in this respect, I was reminded of Esther Greenwood in The Bell Jar or one of Margaret Atwood’s heroines. The depiction of her rather austere childhood in Lancashire, meanwhile, had me thinking of Oranges are not the Only Fruit. These are books and writers I love, so I was delighted to find something similar in An Experiment in Love.

The only thing to add is that, for me, Mantel’s writing is just perfect and that this is one of the best novels I’ve read this year.

Memento Mori by Muriel Spark

After my re-read of The Girls of Slender Means, I thought I’d read the other Spark sitting on my shelves, about which I’d heard nothing but good things. It didn’t disappoint.

It is London in the late 1950s and a loose circle of friends and acquaintances, all in their 70s and 80s, start receiving anonymous phone calls, each of them being warned, “Remember you must die”. In between the characters’ exertions to find out who is responsible, the reader gradually becomes acquainted with their respective foibles and their less than honourable conduct in their younger days.

Although it deals with ageing and death, and is rather dark in tone, Memento Mori is an often laugh-out-loud funny social comedy. The characters are wonderfully drawn, my favourites being miserly Godfrey and his novelist wife Charmian, apparently senile but actually sharper than most. The machinations of the unscrupulous Mrs Pettigrew are also great fun to read about.

Although I wasn’t keen on The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and was lukewarm about The Girls of Slender Means, on the strength of Memento Mori, I will definitely seek out Spark’s other books.

Lucia in London by E.F. Benson

After reading Miss Mapp, the previous book in the Mapp and Lucia series, I was convinced that I preferred Tilling to Riseholme, but, ironically, given its title, Lucia in London had me falling in love with Riseholme all over again.

When Pepino inherits a house in Brompton Square, Lucia disregards her previous reservations about the barbarous and uncivilised metropolis and, with her characteristic energy and guile, sets out to conquer the very highest echelons of London society. She manages to alienate her old friends in Riseholme in the process, but they, inspired by contact with the spirit world, are busy with a new venture.

I am enjoying this series more with every book and will most likely move on to Lucia Victrix, containing the final three titles, before very long.

As an aside, I had reason to be in Kensington recently and decided to wander up to 25 Brompton Square, Lucia and Pepino's London residence. Sure enough, there was a blue plaque informing me that E.F. Benson had lived there. This made me very happy!

>157 Rebeki: An Experiment in Love wasn't one of my favorite Mantels, but I did think it was well worth reading.

I am a big fan of Hilary Mantel and I have not read An Experiment in love. It appears from your review that I will enjoy it.

Hi Rebecca and Barry, this is only my third Mantel (like many others, I came to her through Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies), but I gather that her books are all quite different from each other. The others may well prove not to appeal to me so much in terms of plot and setting, but her writing is so impressive that I'm sure I'll find they're all worth reading.

I'm so glad you enjoyed Story of a Secret State as much as I did.

I too recently purchased a biography of a resistance fighter, The Quiet American: The Secret War of Varian Fry. I was thinking it was the one Rebecca had recommended, but I later realized that she had recommended Fry's memoir. Oh, well, it still might be worth reading.

And finally, I will add my accolades to Dan's for A Train in Winter. You are correct in assuming that it is a bit more depressing. Although some of the women that the author writes about survived, the majority did not. It is very well written, however, and gives a wonderful overview of the lives and work of women in the French Resistance.

>162 Rebeki: It is true that Mantel's books are generally quite different from each other and this is one of the things I admire her for. However, it does mean that some are more appealing to different readers than others, and that some seem to work better than others. I do appreciate her taking risks and, as you say, her writing is always impressive.

>163 labfs39: Hi Lisa, nice to see you here. I hadn't heard of Varian Fry, but I can see that his story would be fascinating to read. I hope the biography you've bought turns out to be good.

I saw a copy of A Train in Winter on the shelf at my local library the other day, so I'll tackle that when I'm feeling up to it. My current WWII reading is Rising '44 by Norman Davies, which I was prompted to try again (I stalled a couple of hundred pages in a few years ago) after a visit to the fascinating Sikorski Museum in London, which was, in turn, prompted by my reading Story of a Secret State, so I have you to thank for that!

>164 rebeccanyc: Yes, the three Mantels I've read have been hits as far as I'm concerned, but I fully expect not to like some of the others to the same degree...

Jigsaw: An Unsentimental Education by Sybille Bedford

I read Bedford’s first novel, A Legacy, four years ago, and liked it a lot, while feeling slightly out of my depth at times. I had no such problem with this, her final novel, which reads as a straightforward memoir and is a largely autobiographical account of “Billi’s” early childhood in Baden with her eccentric father and her adolescent years with her vibrant and no-less-eccentric mother in Italy and the south of France in the 1920s, punctuated by periods spent in England, where she was supposedly getting an education (undoubtedly she did receive an education, but not of the formal kind).

Billi is a hugely sympathetic narrator, both stoical and vulnerable, and wonderful at describing the various characters she encounters, the habits, virtues and flaws of whom serve to shape her outlook on life as she grows into adulthood. I particularly enjoyed the sections set in the south of France, which are a lot of fun to read, although things take a far more melancholy turn towards the end of the book.

All in all, this is one of my favourite reads of the year so far and I’m now keen to return to A Legacy and to read Bedford’s other novels, as well as her memoir, Quicksands, which should shed some light on her semi-autobiographical works.

Going back to Hilary Mantel, I've only read her historical fiction so far and love it so much that I'm a tiny bit afraid to try her other books. You've given me a nudge, though, so thanks! I've also never read any Muriel Spark, but she's on the radar and I hope to get to her in the next year or so.

Great reviews!

>163 labfs39: >165 Rebeki: Oops, I forgot to respond to Lisa about Varian Fry. I did read his memoir, Surrender on Demand. I read it after having it on the TBR for decades because I read the novel Transit by Anna Seghers which deals with escaping through Marseille. Someone on LT then recommended Villa Bel-Air, which I bought but have yet to read.

>166 Rebeki: Thanks for the review of Jigsaw. I've had it and A Legacy on the TBR for a couple of years, and you've given me a nudge to get to them.

>167 japaul22: I certainly allowed myself a bit of a gap before trying any of Mantel's non-Tudor novels (A Place of Greater Safety will have to wait until I've done the requisite background reading!), which helped, I think, along with deciding to treat her in my mind as an author completely new to me.

And thanks!

>168 rebeccanyc: I'd heard of Transit, but I had no idea of the plot. That's a book I'd like to read at some point.

I'm very glad to have given you some encouragement to move the Sybille Bedford books higher up the pile!

>169 Rebeki: I highly recommend Transit. It was one of my favorite books of last year.

I've been rather preoccupied with various things, which has meant that both my presence on LT and my ability to concentrate on a book have suffered. The last book I finished was the excellent Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi and before that I read The Help for my reading group.

I've just started Black Swan Green by David Mitchell for September's reading group meeting and am hoping that I can concentrate on it enough to finish it in time.

In other news, I went to see the RSC theatre productions of Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies on consecutive nights a couple of weeks ago and thought they were truly brilliant. I couldn't really imagine beforehand how they would translate to the stage, but the result far exceeded my expectations. Both plays were often laugh-out-loud funny, which I hadn't really expected, in spite of the humour in the novels, and really pacy and exciting. Although I knew the plot from having read the books, I couldn't wait to see how the drama would unfold on stage. I originally thought I'd made a mistake in booking tickets for consecutive nights, worrying I'd be tired out after the first, but Wolf Hall was so enjoyable that I was itching to go back the next night for Bring up the Bodies. I hope these plays continue to be performed long after the current run has ended, so that as many people as possible get to see them.

both my presence on LT and my ability to concentrate on a book have suffered. Same here...

I wonder if Wolf Hall and Bringing Up the Bodies will make it to Seattle? I would love to see them.

>172 labfs39: - Hi Lisa, I certainly hope so. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to see them.

Attempting to catch up a bit:

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

In case anyone doesn't know, The Help is set in early-1960s Mississippi and is told from the point of view of two black maids, Aibileen and Minnie, and a young white woman, Skeeter, who find themselves working together to challenge the prevailing racial segregation and racism of the Deep South.

I doubt I'd have picked this book up had it not been my reading group's selection for August. I read The Secret Life of Bees a few years ago and didn't like it very much and I assumed that The Help would be as two-dimensional and saccharine. Its bestseller status didn't do much to persuade me otherwise, snob that I am. I was also vaguely aware of some controversy surrounding the novel, which put me off too. That The Help turned out to be well written and engaging was a pleasant surprise.

Nickelini posted this link on one of the WAYR threads, which is an interesting read. I admit I did feel slightly uncomfortable at first reading the parts of the story told by Aibileen, more at the idea of a white author trying to write "black" than because the language actually felt inauthentic - as someone not from the US, let alone Mississippi, I wouldn't have a clue - but I was ultimately able to put that aside and enjoy the story. I also feel that although the story is set before Stockett was born, there are similarities between her experiences and Skeeter's, and the afterword suggests, I seem to recall (the book has long since gone back to the library), that this novel is inspired by the author's affection for "the help" who brought her up. This leads me to think that Stockett is seeking to write what she knows rather than about the wider civil rights movement, which is probably fair enough. I have no idea what to think about the lawsuit though...

Anyway, while The Help is not the greatest book I've ever read, it's very far from being the worst and I'm glad I've read it. I reckon I could even bear to watch the film!

Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi

A debut novel that caught my eye last year and that I was happy to find on the re-shelving trolley at the library. At just a few years younger, Taiye Selasi has been compared to Zadie Smith, and there are certainly similarities in writing style and subject-matter. However, for me, Ghana Must Go rings a little more true than either of the two full-length novels I've read by Smith. I think Selasi draws heavily on her own experiences in this portrait of an "Afropolitan" family living on the East Coast of the US: Ghanaian surgeon Kweku, Nigerian florist Fola and their four US-born and incredibly (inpossibly?) gifted children.

The novel begins in Ghana with the death of Kweku, with the two subsequent sections dealing, respectively, with the family's reaction to his death and their journey to Ghana for his funeral. This is not a straightforward linear narrative, however; there is much to-ing and fro-ing in time (and space), as we learn about Kweku and Fola's early lives and are introduced to each of their children, all of whom have their own particular set of troubles.

I think the three-part structure works really well and I liked how Selasi chose to reveal information about the characters very gradually, so that behaviour that might seem puzzling at first becomes plausible and understandable.

This is a rich, accomplished and beautifully written novel and I hope there is plenty more to come from this author!

Black Swan Green by David Mitchell

This was my reading group's choice for September and, happily, also a book on my TBR pile - I love it when that happens.

I read Ghostwritten last year and really enjoyed its originality and Mitchell's effortless writing style, but was also more than a little confused by the final section. Black Swan Green was perhaps not so original, but, to me, far more readable. It's the semi-autobiographical account of 13 months in the life of a 13-year-old boy living in rural Worcestershire in 1982. Jason Taylor has a vivid imagination and a talent for poetry, but he is also preoccupied with the more everyday concerns of fitting in at school and his parents' deteriorating relationship.

I'm 10 years younger than the protagonist, but the age gap is close enough that I enjoyed all the references that placed the action in the early 1980s and could identify very much with both the provincial English setting and Jason's struggles at school, in particular that horrible need to suppress anything about you that is at all interesting or distinctive, so as not to appear "uncool" or become a target for bullies.

Most of the other reading group members didn't like this novel anywhere near as much as I did, but I found it moving, humorous and impossible to put down.

Illegal Liaisons by Grażyna Plebanek

Hmmm. I can't really recommend this one. A friend lent me a copy of this novel in the original Polish, but it was proving far too much of a challenge to read, so I cheated and bought the English translation.

What I liked about this book - and probably the main reason my friend thought to lend it to me - was that it was set in Brussels among the EU expat community. I enjoyed the descriptions of Brussels and discussion of the issues faced by Polish EU officials keen to dispel any unfair preconceptions about them and feeling a growing sense of alienation from family and friends in their home country.

The main character, Jonathan, is on the fringes of this milieu, fitting his career as a writer around childcare and household chores, while his lawyer wife, Megi, works hard to prove herself at the European Commission and win a promotion. He meets Andrea, a Swedish-Czech journalist, at a party and soon it is not just writing and domestic tasks that fill his days. There is a lot of sex in this novel, which is not normally something that appeals to me in a book, but I think I might have enjoyed it a bit more, so to speak, if the book had been a bit more fun overall or the characters more fully fleshed (not that like that!). Instead, there is a lot of philosophising and various vaguely misogynistic conversations about women between Jonathan and his best friend, which struck me as a bit strange given that the author is a woman. I couldn't work out whether we were supposed to sympathise more with Jonathan or with Megi; I fell into the latter camp, but I found it hard to care very much either way

However, I did pass the English copy of this book on to another friend and she seemed to find it quite a page-turner, so perhaps I was just the wrong reader for it...

Black Swan Green is my favorite Mitchell. I also found it impossible to put down.

As for Illegal Liaisons, it sounds a lot like The Expats, although there wasn't much sex in The Expats. It was a sort of thriller set in the expat community in Luxembourg, but not well-written.

>178 RidgewayGirl: That's interesting. Black Swan Green seems a very British novel to me and I thought it might not have such wide appeal as Mitchell's other novels. I'm glad to know that's not necessarily the case!

Hmmm, The Expats was vaguely on my radar because of the Luxembourg setting, but it sounds like it's best avoided...

We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo

I've managed not to buy any books for almost four months now (I'm not counting the English copy of Illegal Liaisons, which I've since passed on!) and it helps that I've been coming across books at the library that I might otherwise have been tempted to buy. With its striking title and appealing cover, We Need New Names is a case in point.

Ten-year-old Darling lives in the grossly misnamed district of Paradise, a shanty town in a country that is never named but is clearly Zimbabwe. With no school to attend, she and her friends spend their time hunting for guavas to assuage their constant hunger, playing games, chasing aid lorries and dreaming of a better life elsewhere. Darling is lucky in that her dream is fulfilled: halfway through the book, the action switches to Michigan, where, now a teenager, she is living with her aunt, uncle and cousin.

The novel is episodic and the first half has chapters dealing with such subjects as Aids, elections and political violence and the mob seizure of property. It isn't cheery reading, but somehow not unrelentingly miserable either. Inevitably, the United States turns out not to be the land of universal wealth Darling and her friends had imagined and, reluctant to reveal the reality of her life there, she soon becomes alienated from them and from a country she misses terribly and can no longer call home.

I thought We Need New Names was compelling and powerful as well as being highly readable, and a worthy inclusion on last year's Man Booker Prize shortlist.

I remember being interested in We Need New Names when it showed up on the Booker list last year, but I never got around to reading it. Glad to hear you enjoyed it - maybe I'll get to it sometime soon!

>180 Rebeki: I have We Need New Names on my Kindle. Your review has put it back on my radar for sooner rather than later.

Hi Jennifer and Colleen, thanks for stopping by. It's definitely worth reading!

Hmm, I'll have to keep an eye out for We Need New Names...

I'm now extremely behind with reviewing books, so I'm going to attempt a "five-minute review" for the last six books I've read.

The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party by Alexander McCall Smith

In this case, I don't need even five minutes as I find the No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series impossible to review, beyond saying that the books are enjoyable, likeable and good comfort reads for me. This book was no exception!

The Grass is Singing by Doris Lessing

My third read in succession set in southern Africa and definitely the most harrowing, but also the most memorable. This was a re-read for my reading group and once again I appreciated Lessing's perfectly-judged prose. The ill-matched city-loving Mary and hapless farmer Dick Turner are hardly sympathetic characters, but it is very easy to empathise with them in their struggle, and failure, to make their married life and farm a success and to understand their growing mutual resentment. I could also feel the unbearable heat and all-round oppressiveness of Mary's new rural life. Brilliant.

Lady Baillie at Leeds Castle by Alan Bignell

I visited the wonderful Leeds Castle last year and thought the castle's last private owner, the late Lady Baillie, sounded an intriguing character. An Anglo-American heiress married and divorced three times and with a passion for collecting exotic birds, she spent her life restoring the castle, making it into a grand, but comfortable, country retreat, famous for its weekend parties. Sadly for me, she seems also to have been a very private person, so this slim volume is really as much about the castle buildings and grounds and its staff as it is about its owner. I'm glad I read it, but it was a little dry and dull, truth be told.

NW by Zadie Smith

An original and disquieting novel looking at the lives of four Londoners originating from the same council estate in Willesden. They have each taken rather different directions, but have ended up trapped by their respective backgrounds. It's well written and really got under my skin, though it's hard to say it was enjoyable as such.

Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson

Aside from Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, a favourite book of mine, I've not really felt compelled to read Jeanette Winterson's fiction, but I've always found her likeable and interesting when I've listened to/watched interviews with her, so I was keen to read this autobiography, a companion piece to Oranges that also deals with her decision to look for her biological mother.

I soon learnt that the fictionalised version of Winterson's childhood is the sanitised version and that the truth, or rather the truth as presented here (Winterson reiterates throughout the book that there is never any one truth and no such thing as objectivity), is far harsher and sadder. For all the difficulties of her upbringing and their inevitable impact on her emotional and mental wellbeing in later life, Winterson remains an upbeat and resilient person, so this book was never hard-going to the point that I wanted to stop reading. There is much that is enjoyable and I particularly liked the accounts of her visits to the library, interaction with the librarian and her English teacher and her attempts to read English literature right through from A to Z.

Incidentally, the title was Winterson's mother's response when Winterson tried to explain to her how happy she was in one of her early relationships (with a woman). It seems that Winterson's mother, herself, was neither happy nor normal.

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson

A re-read of a favourite for my reading group. I was able to see it in a new light after reading Winterson's autobiography and to discern where fictional elements had been inserted. I was struck once again by how humorous the book is, in spite of everything. A couple of people in my reading group strongly liked this novel, a couple hated it and everyone else was somewhere in between, but most people said they'd never read another book like it, so I think that means it was a good choice!

I, myself, now feel tempted to try some of Jeanette Winterson's other novels.

I've put Rising '44 on hold until the new year and, as December approaches, am going to limit myself to undemanding books. Right now, I have Expo 58 by Jonathan Coe and Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke on the go and I'm hoping to make it to 40 books by the end of the year.

ETA: I'd also like to catch up on everyone else's threads at long last!

Well, I only made it to 38 books by the year's end, but that's a vast improvement on 2013 and I'm pretty pleased with it. I never did manage to catch up on everyone else's threads, but I'll start afresh in Club Read 2015 and hope I can keep up.

Anyway, I'm going to dash off some very short reviews of my last three reads of 2014 and then I can set up a shiny new thread for this year :)

Expo 58 by Jonathan Coe

I always find Jonathan Coe extremely readable and this novel was no exception. Thomas Foley, an unassuming but apparently rather handsome civil servant, is posted to Brussels for six months to keep an eye on the British pavilion at the 1958 World Exhibition. It's part-spy-novel, part-romance, part-family-saga and part-comic-novel, but not really any of those things by themselves. I found it rather insubstantial compared with other books I've read by Coe, such as What a Carve Up and The House of Sleep, but it was good fun and I enjoyed the setting/subject-matter (Coe had clearly done a lot of research).

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

I regret the fact that, owing to other reading commitments and lack of reading time, it took me two months to read this novel, as it really is the ideal book in which to immerse and lose yourself. Set during the time of the Napoleonic Wars, this is a rich and engrossing fantasy-cum-alternate history novel written in a style reminiscent of Jane Austen. In fact, a (relatively minor) character in one of Austen's novels makes a cameo appearance and I've no doubt there are loads of other literary references I'd have picked up on if I were better read in 18th- and 19th-century literature.

I loved the intricate storytelling and the characterisation. The title characters make a wonderfully contrasting pair, although my favourite character had to be the brusque and maverick Duke of Wellington. A really fun and rewarding read that I was sorry to see come to an end.

Mapp and Lucia by E.F. Benson

I managed to finish E.F. Benson's most celebrated novel just in time for the new BBC adaptation (although I've only had time to see the first episode so far). Lucia, Queen of Riseholme, relocates to Tilling, the dominion of Miss Mapp, for the summer, and it's not long before war is declared.

I'll definitely be reading the final two books in the Mapp and Lucia series in 2015. I just wish there were more of them...

I've had a very good reading year, in terms of both quality and quantity (38 is pretty good for me) and managed to buy just 14 books this year, including none in the second half of 2014. OK, so I received 10 books as gifts, but that's different, right? I would have made quite a dent in my TBR pile if I hadn't read so many library books, but it's also good that I managed to find in the library copies of books I might otherwise have been tempted to buy. In any case, my TBR pile is certainly no bigger than it was this time last year.

In terms of fiction, my favourite new reads were An Experiment in Love by Hilary Mantel and Jigsaw: An Unsentimental Education by Sybille Bedford, while my favourite non-fiction reads were Manhattan, When I Was Young by Mary Cantwell and Story of a Secret State by Jan Karski. My favourite new discovery was undoubtedly E.F. Benson's Mapp and Lucia series.

I look forward to another good reading year in 2015 and to making sure I keep chipping away at that TBR pile!

I have Jonathan Steange and Mr Norrell on my kindle. You've reminded me that I wanted to read it. I also loved the Mapp and Lucia series. Delightful!

Looking forward to your 2015 thread.

Thanks, Colleen. I hope I'll be able to follow your 2015 reading much better than I have this year's!

In any case, my TBR pile is certainly no bigger than it was this time last year.

That counts as a resounding success in my book!

I have Rising '44 on my TBR, too. I look forward to finding out what you think of it.

>196 RidgewayGirl: Kay, please don't hold your breath! I stalled after three chapters, but am hoping, since I made some notes on those two chapters, to jog my memory, that I'll be able to pick up where I left off and actually get through the book before spring arrives!