The Book Thief ~ by Markus Zusak

There are so many reasons why I just LOVE this book:  the characters... the characters … the characters... I just can’t seem to get them out of my mind.  Right now I can’t even bring myself to find a home for this book on my shelf.  I just can’t bear to say goodbye, not yet.

But there is another reason why I love ‘The Book Thief’: so much of the book is about books, writing them, stealing them, reading them - it’s not surprising considering that Hitler’s power began with words and a book - Mein Kampf - translated as My Struggle.  Hitler’s own book becomes part of Liesel’s story when it is painted over and re-used as blank paper for others to write on.  In this wonderfully symbolic way, Hitler’s ideas are erased,  obliterated and replaced by a story of love and hope. What a wonderful piece of literary justice!  

The book is all about the power of words, to warp and twist, as with Hitler, or to save and heal, as with Liesel.   Liesel uses the words of the ’Word Shaker’, a short story within the text, to empower Max.  The words ‘climbed onto him’, and so he grew in stature, remembering his own story, the courage moving from her to him.  She reminds him of what he has written, words that he wrote to make her feel better.  She sends  them back to him.  The result is powerful and liberating.  

Hitler’s so-called ‘struggle’ is counterbalanced by the real, daily struggle of ordinary people in Germany during World War Two, a major theme of the book. So many characters are living on the edge, living day by day until the next meal, usually consisting of mama’s unpalatable, watery, pea soup.  For the entire book the central characters are starving.  Rudy is constantly talking about food and finally it is this ceaseless hunger that leads the children into thievery.  They raid an orchard and then make themselves ill from over-eating, but they daren’t take their loot home, for fear of a beating.  Like a scene from ‘Huckleberry Finn’, or ‘Oliver Twist’,  Zusak explores the universality of childhood; the adventure, the skulduggery and the fun, yet choosing war-time Germany for the setting.

It’s refreshing to see this brutal war from the German perspective.  We learn that there is much diversity of wealth, from the Mayor on the hill, to the lowest, starving Jew, bending to pick up a crust of bread on the street.  We see varying degrees of anti-sematism too: the children are made join the Hitler Youth organisation on turning 10, and must attend even if they do not wish to do so.  All adult men, even those secretly hiding a Jew in the basement, must join the Nazi Party.  Mr Steiner does not hate the Jews, but he is not unhappy when their businesses are destroyed, for as a tailor, it means more work for him.  We learn that not all Germans were Nazis, that such sweeping statements reveal nothing of the many subtleties that made up German society in WWII, which was as diverse as any we have today.  There are heroes and villains as always, but how novel to have some German heroes to consider for a change.  
 
The characters are beautifully drawn, so memorable: a boy who paints his face black and runs like Jesse Owens; a neighbour who spits on the door every time she passes; a mayor’s wife who silently sits in a library missing her son; Alex Steiner, alone in his tailor's shop, missing his whole family; neighbours crowded together in the basement, listening to a little girl reading a story.  Like the best loved creations of Charles Dickens, each of Zusak’s characters have a visual symbol that we associate with only them.  Consider Max, hair like feathers or twigs; Mama, a wardrobe; Papa, a silver eyed accordion; Rudy, with hair the colour of lemons; Ilsa, her fluffy hair and bath robe; and Alex Steiner, a wooden man, with hair like splinters.  Their descriptions are so very visual that these characters are etched into our memories. I cannot think of Rudy without a lump forming in my throat, or Hans, wonderful, darling papa, without the distant sound of an accordion playing or the scent of tobacco rising somewhere in my mind. Even tough, booming Rosa crept under my skin and as for Liesel, I think I will always carry a piece of her with me, most noticeably present whenever I visit a library.

And finally, if you read the book blurb and learn, with horror, that Death is the narrator, please fear not.  He is warm, considerate and simply charming.  He seems to love the characters as much as we do.  He, too, is a book-lover, an idea which really made me smile. How could we fail to like a fellow book-lover?  He has re-read Liesel’s story thousands of times.  In fact, he is a rescuer of books!  We see him peeking over people’s shoulders, picking up parts of their stories and returning to them over the years, just to find out how their stories end.  He cannot resist a good tale and gently leads us through the plot, holding our hand at the sad bits and delighting in the joy of human laughter.

This book is brimming with optimism and life, not bad for a book narrated by Death!  The unspeakable horrors of WWII are touched upon lightly, but in the main this book deals with life in a small German town, when times were hard and strange.   It’s easily one of the best books I’ve read in years.  Indeed, Zusak has given me a treasure and as such I will place it at eye-level in my book case, so I can catch glimpses of it as I pass, hearing the soft sigh of an accordion and knowing that it is close at hand whenever I feel the need to visit to Liesel or Rudy, and part-take in a little book thievery.    

From 'Mansfied Park' ~ by Jane Austen (1957 ) (Second Illustration)

  

"Sitting Under Trees With Fanny....."

Here are some Austen Toys to die for.... (husband pay attention!!!)

Mister Pip ~ by Lloyd Jones

What is so odd about a book about a book?... I find it a little irksome; like having one author piggy-backing on another so as to appear all the more impressive.   A thief of language, plot and character perhaps?  A quick reference, a nod in the author's direction is usually allowable but there is so much of 'Mister Pip', by Lloyd Jones that depends on one's knowledge or interest in 'Great Expectations', by Charles Dickens that it provokes comment. 

 Yet, this is the story of Mathilda a 15 year old girl, living in Papua New Guinea with her mother Dolores in 1993, in the middle of a civil war. They live on an island on the outskirts of a jungle, so they are at once in and out of the modern world. Airplanes fly overhead,yet they sleep on mats made of leaves and live off whatever the jungle and the ocean provides. The jungle is crucial to the story. It is the source of great fear in the text; the fear of the unknown. Horrific atrocities take place there. It is the door from which the boogie-man can at any time appear, where people are taken, never to be seen again. 

In a way, parts of this book reminded me of 'Lord of the Flies', where we see mob rule erode all vestiges of human kindness and civility. Yet the book also tells the story of Pop Eye, also known as Mr Watts, who is the only white man on the island and who takes on the role of teacher when war breaks out. He uses only one book, 'Great Expectations', by Charles Dickens, to entertain and instruct his pupils. We can see clear parallels between his life and Mathilda's, and that led by Pip, the hero of Dickens's novel. 

However, 'Great Expectations' is the cause of much trouble, violence and even death on the island, something which brings into focus one of the main themes of Jones's text: how a book can influence a reader, how reality and fiction can sometimes get confused and how a book can change your life. As such, this is a very interesting text for those of us who love reading and get carried away by novels.  Yet,as 'Great Expectations' is one of my favourite books, it was difficult to read about how one book can have such a devastating effect on a community. I did not enjoy having it tainted by such ugliness.

I also did not like the ending of the book. The author added on a couple of unnecessary chapters, as if desperate to keep the story going and unable to bring it to a close. We see how the narrator came to research and write the book, which does not add anything to the text, in fact it contradicts earlier assertions.

Parts of this book are quite poetic. The adults from the village visit the classroom and give the children some words of wisdom. These sections are beautifully written and have wonderful originality:

'You need to know about hell. Don't ask your father. His geography is limited. Hell is less important to him than London or Paris. All you do is shit and take photos in those places. Heaven and hell are the cities of the soul! That's where you grow!' (Extract from 'Mister Pip'.)

Jones has created some very memorable characters too and they come to life across the pages of this short novel. However, overall, this text seemed a little too contrived for my liking. It as if the author was desperate to blend 'Great Expectation' with another story, as someone might do for a school essay: "'Great Expectations' and 'Lord of the Flies' have many things in common, discuss!"

So, would I recommend this book to a friend?  Yes, I think I would, even though  it portrays such a bleak view of the world: the weak, humble and mannerly can only perish in the face of brute, animal force. It does not bode well for humankind. Yet, I suppose it could be read as a story of survival and I do think this would make a great book for a book club.  Everyone would have opinions on it.  A good friend of mine, who recommended the book to me, thought it was one of  the best book she had read recently.  It certainly makes for a great discussion - in fact we have one about it and it was very interesting.  'Mister Pip'  is by no means  a heart warming tale - which 'Great Expectation' is.  Their plot-lines might parallel one another, but the writing style certainly does not.  Still, you might like to give 'Mister Pip' a try.   After all, not everyone can be Charles Dickens.

    

The Enchanted April ~ by Elizabeth von Arnim

Chocolate - there is something about this book that reminds me of chocolate.  Yes, I loved this book and when better to read it than during the month of April. I never wanted it to end.

The characters are so warm and real, the whole premise so dream-like. Set in the 1920s when two strangers meet in a woman's club on a rainy afternoon and decide to rent a medieval castle in Italy.  There they bring together a collection of characters (for two more ladies must join them to reduce costs, and some servants etc.) each with their own set of worries and anxieties.
Lotty is uncertain in here dreary London life - fearful of speaking her mind to her husband, ignored by their social set.  On arrival in Italy she finds certainty, confidence, and inspires those around her.  Rose, is a very respectable woman whose charity work with 'the poor' keeps her busy and helps her forget her broken-down relationship with her husband.  The effect that San Salvatore has on her is equally momentous.  She begins to allow herself to feel again, to remember what it is to love and be loved.  Rose begins to bloom!  In London Lotty tells her that they have been so very good for so very long - you can see it on their tired faces - that it is no wonder they are exhausted and need a holiday.
Then there are the other ladies who come to stay.  They too are similarly transformed.  Mrs Fisher, who in England is surrounded by photos of famous dead authors, comes to appreciate those who are still living, and comes to life herself. (Her beloved 'stick' is suddenly made redundant).  Finally, Lady Caroline Dester, the spoilt, cold but beautiful socialite, once under the Italian sun, learns to appreciate friendship, say thank you and to think of others.
But these miraculous changes are a slow-blooming, rather than a sudden one and, like the dawning of Spring, act as a renewal or rebirth.  Happiness is contagious with this novel and even the reader begins glow in a reflected joy.
Philosophically, this novel is about finding happiness within.  Once the characters decide to be happy, to follow Lotty's vision, they become happy.  Yet, I believe that Von Arnim was asking the reader to consider if we really need to travel to Italy (or anywhere) to learn to be happy?  I think that this what the novel is all about and explains why it is such a feel good read.  Happiness is within - we ultimately make ourselves happy.  Lotty's husband is possibly still a 'cold fish' of a man by the end of the text, but the difference is that she does not SEE him as such.

The Italian landscape is described in glorious detail; the flowers are almost characters in themselves, mirroring the dazzling flowering and blooming of the women. We see each woman surround herself with the part of the landscape that most reflects her character:  the old battle-axe, Mrs Fisher, keeps to the castle battlements, like some sleeping beauty in her tower, half dead, waiting for a kiss to re-awaken her.  The dreaming Lotty takes to the hills to fill her mind with lofty ideas.  Rose, barren and bereft after the death of her child and the loss of her estranged husband, sits among the hard, grey stones, longing for someone to hold.  And then there is Lady Caroline, the beautiful, blooming girl, who sits with her feet in the lilies, a flower amongst the flowers.  They each become part of the Italian landscape itself.

Von Arnim's writing style is very much in the Jane Austen vein.  It may appear that very little is happening, but an observant reader will see that there is much going on between the lines.  There are many subtleties and subtexts that are so much a part of how woman communicate.  It is simply delicious to observe.  And although I think this is a great book for women, I feel that men should enjoy it too.

'The Enchanted April' is pure escapism to be sure, yet there is something quite interesting about this book, especially what is says about relationships, happiness and love.  I know I will return to it again and again. This is a great read, a real jewel of a book, and the perfect present for all your book-loving, chocolate-eating girl friends, who long to escape on a rainy afternoon.

     

Sister ~ by Rosamund Lupton

A friend recently popped 'Sister', by Rosamund Lupton, into an envelope and sent it my way. It's from the crime/thriller genre, not my usual choice for bedtime reading, but it came with a good recommendation from a good friend and that is hard to resist. 

Firstly, let me assure you that I will not reveal anything in this review that will spoil the book for you. It contains a great many surprises and twists, which I love in a novel, so I will confine myself to discussing the style and theme used by Lupton in this, her first novel. 

It is, simply put, a story about a 20 something, London girl, called Beatrice, living in New York, who gets a phone call to tell her that her younger sister, Tess, is missing. She leaves her job, apartment and fiancé to go and find her sister. During the course of the book, sensible Beatrice, not unlike Elinor in Jane Austen's classic 'sisters' novel,'Sense and Sensibility', becomes more and more like her missing sister Tess - who is very like Austen's Marianne, being impulsive and carefree. They begin to merge into the one character. The narrator herself refers to it as the 'mirror idea'. Beatrice moves into her sister's apartment, wears her clothes, takes over her sisters old job and old friends and begins to look more and more like her. This clever swapping of identities is central to the story, though not in any way that the reader might expect - but you will have to read the book yourself to find out more! 

On returning to London, Beatrice finally has to come to terms with the death of her younger brother, Leo who, many years before, died from childhood Cystic Fibrosis. Although Beatrice and Tess have remained close, their parents' relationship did not survive Leo's death and so the survival of family relationships is at the center of the text. The book also deals with genetics, specifically the ethical issues surrounding gene therapy and gene replacement.  It considers the impact of big business on medical research and as such it reminded me of the film, 'A Constant Gardiner', whose central character 'Tessa' is similarly named. The story is also reminiscent of that movie in that the structure is not in chronological order and is told in a series of flashbacks, with time itself becoming an interesting theme - how it can grow and shorten depending on our perception at different moments of fear and stress. 

Although the cover, of my edition at least, is black and white with a smattering of Red, the colour that I would mostly associate with the book is actually yellow. It is not just the yellow and black of the police tape demarcating a crime scene; it is much less sinister than that. It begins and just about ends with the scent of lemons, and references to yellow daffodils punctuate the story: Amias puts daffodil bulbs outside Tessa's flat and later in the story we watch them bloom; Mrs Crush Secretary presents them to a oblivious Mr Wright as a sign of her undying love; and Tess tells her sister Beatrice that it is the Vitamin A in Daffodils that make them yellow, so it is the yellow in daffodils that stops children from going blind. 
But daffodils are not the only floral reference in the text. We find flowers on display on the steps outside Tess's flat; placed outside the public toilets; the roses planted in Tess's garden and beside Leo's grave. When Beatrice first meets Simon is he is carrying a big bunch of flowers and both Tess and her mother find great comfort in gardening when they are grieving for Leo. I think that the reason for the many references to flowers is that the writer is, firstly, trying to introduce some colour into the text, which in a snow-covered London, is quite bleak and, secondly, that yellow is traditionally associated with madness, which is a key theme in the novel. 
The text is equally dotted with many literary references: Austen, Donne, Coleridge, Christie, Shakespeare, Auden, Lewis, Barrie (Peter Pan), Hawthorne, to name but a few. Lupton's main character Beatrice, like the author herself, has studied English Literature at Cambridge, and it shows. It can seem sometimes a little contrived to suddenly seg-way into an explanation of the Music of the Spheres, as described by the Seventeenth Century poets, but isn't that how the mind works in reality? Doesn't King Lear come to mind whenever we are contemplating what it must be like to live with mental illness? Well that is how the narrator's mind works in this novel. I suspect Lupton uses the technique to add weight to her text and give depth to her main character. 

This is not a predictable novel. It's a page-turner that will keep you up later that you planned. Here is my favourite line from the book - I thought you might like it too... 
'... your mind can play all sorts of tricks... There's no monster in the wardrobe. But you and I know he's real'.    Devilish good! 

I'd recommend this book to my friends, as a good, escapist-read, and am thankful to one such friend who recommended it to me. 

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Ghost Light ~ by Joseph O'Connor

I've just finished reading 'Ghost Light', by Joseph O'Connor and my mind is still ringing with the sound of it, the music and words of Molly Allgood's voice, but let me not race ahead.  Let me do the thing properly.

In brief, the story bridges two worlds, the past and the present. It is partly set in Edwardian Dublin, in a time before the outbreak of World War One. It tells the tale of a teenage, working class, Catholic, Dublin girl, who was born above a rag and bone shop. She begins work as an actress in the Abbey theater and falls in love with an older, Protestant, Trinity-educated, wealthy playwright, John Millington Synge (He of 'Playboy of the Western World' fame.) They begin courting and become engaged. Despite family disapproval, both are steadfast in their attachment, regardless of the fact that John becomes ill. 

The plot hops from the present - London 1952 - to various moments  and places in the past, Dublin, London,  New York, Galway, Wicklow etc., all places of importance in Molly's story, for this is Molly's story.  

Although it is also a love story between herself and J.M. Synge, it is Molly who narrates the tale, but not in a normal way.  It is as if we ARE Molly, so closely are we immersed  in her character. It is as if we are her conscience, her soul, and she is talking to herself and us simultaneously.  Instead of using 'I', the first person narrative voice, he opts to use the second; 'You'.  It is surprisingly effective :

'You take a sour sip. Medicinal... you wear a dead man's boots. Well, no point if wastefulness.'  

And so it continues for most of the book.

It could be that there is a ghost that goes where Molly goes and sees everything that she sees - and if that is so, then that ghost might be the reader or indeed John Synge.   The 'ghost light' of the title is mentioned in the book as the tradition kept in theaters to leave one light burning at night, so that the ghosts can act on the stage and see each other.  It's a wonderfully evocative title, suggesting that the very book itself is a ghost light, allowing the ghost of Molly Allgood and J.M. Synge to relive on the stage of our imaginations.

The story itself is a great one, a love story at the very heart of it, with such haunting, memorable characters that I think they will be with me forever: nice Mr Duglacz, from the book-shop, whose love letter came too late; Mr Ballantine, the publican who heartbreakingly sneaks a bottle of milk into her carpet bag; Grannie, emerging from a pile of rags on the bed; John Synge, the rain dripping from his hair. Yet is is the character of Molly that is so wonderfully presented to us, that I do not wish to forget. Not unlike Joyce's Molly from Ulysses, this Molly bears her soul to us; her decency and her vulgarity, her innocence and her arrogance. We love her for her playfulness - she would flirt with the Pope himself, but there is an earnestness about her too that is bewitching. 
O'Connor has conjured up a woman, half real, half his own invention, that surely will become one of the great female characters of modern Irish fiction. Yet that is not all he has achieved. He has brought to life a world long gone, a Dublin of the past that seems vaguely like home to me.  That being so, it was a thrill and delight to step back in time between the pages of this book, to hear the vernacular and Dublin-isms that my grandparents might have known. Witness this conversation when J.M Synge comes to Molly's house for tea: 
' Grannie: Do you know what it is they need? The fine Irish people. 
A good kick in a place wouldn't blind them. 
Molly: Grannie, for the love of Jesus... 
Mother: And our Molly's a holy terror for the books, Misther Synge. 
She's that many o' them read, I don't know where to look. 
If she isn't a scholar, she met them on the road... a quare 
one for the books.' 

Note how this section reads like a play. Others are take the form of a letter, one of a headstone transcript. But mostly the book is written in a prose style that is anything but ordinary. Almost every sentence contains some evocative image, some witty insight that builds, layer upon layer, until the story unfolds, in the way a poet might deliver meaning. As an example:

' Your impulse was to hurry away.  You felt doors opening inside you, and you didn't want to go through any of them again'.

So this novel, surprisingly, possesses something of the feel of a poem, where meaning comes between the lines and lingers with you long after the story has been told. 

I recommend this book to everyone who loves a well-crafted, good story. The language alone will happily keep you up late into the night. I had it finished in 2 days because I simply fell in love with it and could not bear to put it down. I give this book my 'Blooming Brilliant' award and envy anyone who has not yet delved into its pages, and the promised delight that awaits you there. 

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Alone on a Wide Wide Sea ~ by Michael Morpurgo

This is a book for young readers: age 10 - 14 perhaps.  It tells the story of 6 year old Arthur Hobhouse, who is orphaned during the Blitz in London and is sent across the ocean to Australia to find a new home. He experiences lots of difficulties adjusting to his new life: like when he is placed on a work-farm, which in reality is something akin to a concentration camp, from which he tries to escape.   He meets some interesting characters along the way; like Mighty Marty, his one true friend and protector from home; Piggy Bacon the cruel tyrant who, like a character from Dickens, bullies the children to within inches of their lives; Wes Snarky, the badie turned goodie; and Aunty Megs, the female Doctor Doolittle who lives in the Ark and dishes out love wrapped up in words of poetry to nourish the soul.
Many of the most memorable characters are animals, like Big Black Jack, the loyal, old  horse who helps them escape from Cooper's Station; Henry the Wombat, who will steal your socks and hat if he gets half a chance, and  Barnaby the donkey, who doesn't like to talk much.  Arthur lives to tell the tale, and it is this very tale which makes up the first part of the book.
The second part of the novel is narrated by Arthur's 18 year old daughter, Allie, who, armed with lap-top and Skype-phone, decides to retrace her father's steps, as it were, and sail solo across the sea to England in search of possible family there.  That is the basic plot, but this story is about so much more... family,friends, belonging, searching for home, love, faith, hope and the human spirit.
It has to be said that death is a major theme of the book too, but it is very matter of fact - someone dies, we are sad but the next day life goes on.  It is not at all sentimental.   There is no wallowing in grief. That said, hope and the ability of the human spirit to succeed is also central to the text.  The sections where Allie is adrift on the ocean, struggling to stay sane with nothing but an albatross to keep her company is very uplifting.  So the overall mood of the book is one of optimism.  Like Arthur, she too has difficulties to overcome and so the two stories have many parallels, though they are set many years apart. This prompts the reader to consider the relationships between generations and how struggle is a part of human existence, regardless of time.
There is also lovely poetry motif running through the book, which I enjoyed, with many references to Samuel Taylor Coleridge's  poem, 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'.  It really encourages the reader to research not only this poem but others too, such as 'The Second Coming' by W.B. Yeats.  So, the book works on many levels, with something for adults as well as younger readers.
Similarly, there is historical weight to this incredible story.  Children actually were shipped thousands of miles to unknown countries during the Second World War and this is a great way to teach young people, and adults too, about history, in a personal, moving way.

There is a section at the back of the book about the transported generation and some website addresses for  for those interested in further research.  I think young readers, teachers and parents will like the short, manageable chapters which make this a great book for classroom study, as well as night-time reading.

I would certainly recommend this book, especially to eager young readers who like a good story with a dash of adventure. 

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Love me... love my bookcase

From Jane Austen's 'Mansfield Park' 1957 Edition

~ Can I speak to you Fanny? ~ 

Mistaken ~ by Neil Jordan

A story about a couple of look-a-likes who get mistaken for one another and step in and out of each others lives... a good idea? The premise has promise, but something in the delivery of the story gets in the way. The prose style is very image-driven; (not surprising for a film-director such as Neil Jordan) reading like a series of blurred images, not unlike an impressionist painting, all building to create an overall sense of the relationship between the two main characters, Kevin Thunder and Gerald Spain. I yearned for some concrete prose to balance the fleeting ideas and half-suggestions, especially in the first half of the book. For the first 100 pages or so, Jordan was merely considering all the possibilities of mistaken identity, just joining the dots as it were, and the plot suffered as a consequence. Thankfully, the second half of the book was more eventful with more interesting twists and turns to keep the reader engaged.  

Also, the various scenarios that arose because of shared facial characteristics were at times downright implausible. People seemed able to mistake them because they shared the same 'musky smell' as well as the same face, even in the most intimate of circumstances. I think women are more discerning than the author gives them credit for!
However, I did like the way Jordan described Dublin and took us across the city, from north to south, in minute detail, which cannot but to remind the readers of Joyce's Ulysses. Indeed, there was something about Kevin's house in Marino Crescent, with it's house full of quirky tenants, such as Tommy the Clock, that reminds me of Joyce's short story, 'The Dead'. I think this novel would have made a cracking short story itself, and should have been whittled down at the editing stage. There were other references to Joyce in the text, such as when Gerard wanted to consummate his relationship with his future wife on a hillside on Bloom's Day, as Joyce had done with his beloved Nora. 
I think any Dubliner living abroad who was comes across this book will enjoy it for that very reason. 
Yeats too gets a mention, as do the swans on the Tolka river, many times. However, it is the literary reference to Bram Stoker which features most in the novel, with vampires in the night, some blood gurgling in the throat and a lot of stalking going on throughout, clearly revisiting imagery featured in his hugely successful movie, 'Interview With A Vampire'.  This adds a darkness to the text which I really liked. (Hence the rather grim, dark book-cover).  The eerie quality it produced was more akin to 'The Portrait of Dorian Grey' than Dracula, more haunting than blood-thirsty, with references to soul-sharing, dopplegangers and demons. 

I also enjoyed the way Jordan describes Kevin's relationship with his mother. There is clearly a deep connection between them , but as the boy gets older, we see them deal with the slow, bitter-sweet separation that must come with adolescence. He treats this whole area with great tenderness and sensitivity, as he later does when Kevin's father is in hospital. Both highlight the authors talent as a writer, in capturing and exploring human relationships. 
Without giving the ending away, I think there are wonderful ideas suggested in the last chapter of the book that perhaps Jordan might have elaborated on, especially regarding the true identity of the narrator. It was my favourite part of the book. 
I would not tell a friend NOT to read the book, as there were parts that I did enjoy... but I would not eagerly recommend it. 

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Me and Mr Darcy ~ Alexandra Potter

Ok..I have to admit that I bought this in a moment of madness because I loved the cover and knew it would look good on my bedside locker... and it was my birthday! A few chapters in and it was a bit silly... but by the end it really was disappointing.
 Nothing very much happened except that the central character, Emily Albright,  kept meeting Mr Darcy, the actual, literary character from Pride and Prejudice. He was from the 18th century - britches, coat tails and riding crop included - and was very confused by her dress, her language and the fact that she didn't have servants.   Of course there was a delightful scene where he takes her for a midnight horse-ride to a castle, and I'm sure there was a moment when the poor man fell into a pond and got his shirt all wet... but when she began to think him a bit boring and wished they could have a good natter about the 'X Factor or American Idol... or something' , that was when I should have called it a day.  I only finished it because I hate to leave a book unread and how I begrudge those wasted hours now! 
One line from the text reads something like: '...there are Jane Austen fans and there are Jane Austen FANS...'  Here, the narrator admits that she wasn't the latter.   It says so much.  
I think this is a book for those who have watched the Kiera Knightley movie of Pride and Prejudice perhaps and have heard of Colin Firth - not for those who actually love  the book.  I spent most of my time thinking why am I reading this when I could be reading Jane Austen!  A good title, but a wasted opportunity. Stylistically, it was quite teenage in it's simplicity, although the central character is meant to be almost 30 years old.  It just shows the power of a good cover to sell books... which was by far the best thing about this one.  What can I say, I was sucked in by the marketing.  My apologies Miss Austen, for ever going astray .  
My advice to you would be to give it a miss and read the original text instead

      

Purple Hibiscus~ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

I’ve just finished re-reading Purple Hibiscus, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and I found it much more enjoyable second time around.  The story is completely engaging.  Corruption, and violence are central themes.  Yet the atmosphere that Adichie creates is not one of fear and oppression, but of vitality and vibrancy.  This is a book full of human warmth.  The characters are wonderfully drawn: Obiora with his glasses slipping down his nose; Papa Nnukwu praying to the dawn; Kambili learning how to smile.  Nigeria itself is also brought to life in the pages of this text: the colours; the smells; the tastes and the sounds of it.    It is so evocative that I feel like I have travelled there myself and have sat in Aunty Ifeoma’s kitchen, with the fuming kerosene stove, where I peeled vegetables with exoctic names and listened-in on conversations.  It’s a moving and honest depiction of life in Nigeria and it is not surprising to learn that it was written by the author while in America, sick for home.  

Adichie uses sensual description to delight the reader, but also to add symbolic meaning to the text.  For example, consider how the colour red is often associated with Eugene and their home place in Enugu.  There we find the red hibiscuses, the blood on the stairs, Father Benedict’s robes, the words of Kambili’s textbook turning into red, even Papa’s red satin pajamas, ‘ that lent a slightly red shimmer to his eyes’.   The colour often suggests anger and passion and so is perfectly in keeping with the plot.

In contrast, the colour blue, often associated with feelings of calm and solitude, is repeatedly connected to the characters of Father Amadi, and Aunty Ifeoma and other positive figures.  Of the former Kambili says, ‘Father Amadi’s car smelled like him, a clean scent of a clear azure sky’.  Her grandfather, Papa Nnukwu, dressed in a wrapper, with ‘faded blue edges’.  Indeed, even Aunty’s purple hibiscuses, which inspire the title for the book, are actually described as ‘a deep shade of purple that was almost blue’, and which come to symbolise the struggle for freedom that each member of the family must embrace.  When Kambili suffers an horrific attack at the hands of her father, she copes with the pain by thinking ‘about the doors in Nusukka and their peeling blue paint’.   
Colour is everywhere in Nsukka.  As she introduces Kambili to the healing power of her garden, Aunty Ifeoma says, ‘ Look at that, green and pink and yellow on the leaves. Like God playing with paint brushes’  I think the same can be said of  Adichie.  (It is interesting to note that when red and blue are mixed together, they produce the colour purple, which is also an important colour in the text.)
But at Kambili’s home in Enugu, the property is surrounded by barbed wire, the walls and marble floors are off-white, the curtains are beige, the tables are made of cold, hard glass, the sofas are of cream leather.  The home is devoid of warmth and colour, as much as it is of love, except for momentary blasts of red which are as shocking as the violent outburst that accompany them.  

Yet, in reality, this story is not the sole preserve of Nigeria; it could be any place or any where. The problems facing this group of characters, are universal: a family learning to deal with a terrible secret, hoping to heal itself; people struggling to protect one another, trying to make ends meet; or simply just growing up; all these things are the stuff of everyday life that we can all relate to.   
The section of the book based in the University town of Nsukka, feels just like a typical home to me, so it is no wonder that Kambili and her brother Jaja begin to blossom while they visit there.  It is their spiritual home, where they learn what it is to be loved. Nsukka is a healing, nurturing place for them, as they reconnect with traditional African culture, learn about their grandfather’s customs, hear his stories and learn to cook!  So much of this novel centres around food; the preparation of it, the sharing of it and the eating of it.  (I wonder what jollof rice actually tastes like!) Even the act of tea-drinking plays a significant role in the plot and as such you can see that the novel is told from a distinctly female point of view.  Although there is often little food on the table and much talk of shortages and corruption, the tone of the book, in general, would suggest that Nigeria has much to offer; where happiness is lying on a damp veranda after rains or sipping lemonade with friends on a top floor flat while you try to catch a breeze; where friendship and laughter is a-plenty.

This is a book to recommend to friends and anyone who is ready to take an unforgettable trip to Nigeria.

Birthday Letters - Ted Hughes

This book had me mesmerised when I first read it and even now I like to return to it occasionally. If you ever wondered how Ted Hughes felt about Sylvia Plath's suicide and how he coped, this collection of 88 poems reveals so much and may answer some of your questions. -  It certainly did mine. No one knew these poems for Plath existed until they were published shortly before Hughes's death in 1998.  He thought them too "raw and unguarded" for publication. 

Sylvia Plath married Ted Hughes and they had two children together.  Both were poets.  Hughes had an affair with another woman and left Plath and the young children for her.  In 1963, Plath left food beside her childrens' beds and gased herself in an adjoining room.  Ted went on to marry his mistress, but in a bizarre twist she later also committed suicide.  These events read like bad fiction, but something of the inner-drama experienced by Ted Hughes is revealed in the poems contained in this collection.
Here's a taste from 'A Pink Wool Knitted Dress', where Hughes is remembering their wedding day in 1956:

'In that echo-gaunt, weekday chancel
I see you
Wrestling to contain your flames
In your pink wool knitted dress
And in your eye pupils – great cut jewels
Jostling their tear-flames, truly like big jewels
Shaken in a dice-cup and held up to me. '

I recommend it for all poetry lovers or just for all lovers.

 Off the bookshelf...

'It is difficult to know at what moment love begins; it is less difficult to know that it has begun.'

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“That is the function of books… They take you out of yourself and put you down somewhere else from whence you never entirely return.” 

from Consequences - by Penelope Lively

A Book of Lost Opportunities. 'Consequences' - by Penelope Lively

status: Read from February 17 to 24, 2011

This is a light read. Basically the book begins just before the start of the Second World War and moves up to about 2004? It follows the lives of three generations of women in the same family and tells their stories. However, it leaves a lot out and skips over some interesting events that I would love to have read about. There are some characters that floated in and out - male characters mostly: Lucas, James, Peter, Sam - that were sadly neglected and let fall by the way-side. How did they feel? What were they thinking? How did they get through life? They are lost opportunities, I think, and are what I miss most about the novel, now that I have finished it. As a result, I feel that the book lacks detail; racing ahead of itself, telling three stories speedily, instead of creating one, weighty tale.

The three generations of women have a lot in common, raising children alone and having two major love- relationships in their lives. One idea that the novelist, Penelope Lively, seems to be suggesting is that the father of your children doesn't have to be the love of your life, and that marriage is not necessary if you want to be a mother. Indeed it is quite dismissive about the whole notion of marriage - suggesting, to me, that love and marriage don't really go hand in hand, at least not always. There is a dichotomy in the text. Firstly it seems to suggest the great love between a man and a woman can alter your life, your very soul. But then, it also suggests that, sometimes, men are not really necessary to one's happiness.
Over all, I'd suggest, that this is really a book about mothers and daughters, although not in the usual, intense way that you might expect. This creates a cyclical structure to the text, although I will not ruin the story by discussing that further.

The title,'Consequences', I think, refers to one's children: the consequences of one's relationships, one's actions, one's feelings. After all, children are the things that move one's story forward - the making of future generations secures our genetic presence into the future. This is one of the main themes of the book, as one female protagonist merges into the next. One minute Lorna is the central character, then the novel suddenly becomes Molly's story and then, finally, it is through Ruth's eyes that we see the world. It is as if the three women are in fact the same woman, just living in different periods of history, dealing with different social pressures but the same isses: motherhood, finding love, and a place to belong.

I would recommend this book to a friend, for a nice read; nothing too challenging - but not to anyone considering leaving their husband/wife/partner... I wouldn't want to be the one to push them over the edge.

Also by Penelope Lively: 

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

What a phenomenal read! This book is a bit of a challenge, especially at the start, where the language being spoken is 'sort of' English!! There are several stories, which read like short stories, going on at the same time in this novel - I say at the same time, but each story is set in a different period in time, some in the past, other in the future. Each has it's own style and diction, it's own vernacular and vocabulary. It is mind boggling how one person wrote this book. And yet there is a thread running through each story which links them all. You will be amazed at the talent and skill of this author. This is a GREAT book and I think I will have to return to it at some stage to take it apart more thoroughly and analyse it. It wasn't a very popular book with my book club, but if you are prepared to stick with it, I think you will think it's worth it.  It is a novel to really get your teeth into and I know that there is an excellent audio book version of this available too. YES I recommend it to everyone!!

 Cloud Atlas: A Novel

The best gift you could ever give...