Gone with the wind & The Little Prince

Two for the price of one on this post!

Ok, first - the Little Prince. My friend lent me a beautifully illustrated version of this, and I read it in about half an hour. It is a children's book, and is a lovely fanciful account of the Little Prince's travels from planet to planet, learning about what is important. It has some sweet imagery in it - his home planet is tiny, so he regularly rakes out his active volcanoes in order to avoid an explosion (the problem with our planet, you see, is that our volcanoes are too large to rake and so they tend to erupt). By taming a fox, the Little Prince learns that a friend (the fox, his flower) doesn't have to be the only one in the world, but when you love something, it becomes the only one in the world to you. Cute, and well-realised - the translation I read, from the original French, was also nicely written.

Secondly - Gone with the wind, or GWTW from now on. I can't believe I have never read this before - it's very much the kind of book I enjoy, and I absolutely loved it. It took me a while to get into it - for the first 100 pages, I found that the casual references to darkies, field negroes etc, and the associated attitudes ("they're like children, they need to be told what's good for them") really grating and offensive. I decided that I needed to put these to one side and accept it as being a reflection of the period, in order to give myself a chance of appreciating the work whilst not actually agreeing with the attitudes therein. Once I'd made that decision, I found it much easier to read!

So, what to say about GWTW? Scarlett O'Hara is a fantastic heroine - I think I liked her in the same way as I appreciated Becky Sharp in Vanity Fair, in that Scarlett is consistently portrayed in her true light - she is not "good", she doesn't do what is expected of her, and she is full of life. Rhett Butler is also a brilliant male romantic lead - dashing, bad, thrilling, but with a heart. The story itself is gripping, with unexpected ups and downs, and it is absolutely brutal - Margaret Mitchell doesn't shy away from tragedy(perhaps an understatement!). I wanted it to end differently, but having said that the resolution of the story is great, and unexpected to the end...

I'm not sure I can write much more about it that hasn't already been written and said. I feel like I've learnt something about the American Civil War - I've studied it in the past, but very much from the point of view of the north, and the Confederate experience was obviously very different. Not sure how accurate it is, but it felt enlightening at the time. I think it is sufficient to say that GWTW fully deserves its reputation for being one of the great romantic novels of all time - if you haven't read it, please do, although you may need to set aside a few weeks to do so! I may even go on to watch the film...

Chosen

This post is a slight departure from the usual. A random Twitter contact asked whether any book bloggers would like a book to review and, as I have seen various other contacts say lots of very positive thing about this book, I was intrigued and volunteered.

I'm not intending to move in this direction, particularly - certainly not before I've finished this top 100 - but I am reading Gone with the Wind at the moment, and needed the satisfaction of completing a book more quickly! During one week, I was working my way through GWTW, this book, and a Marian Keyes I picked up in a charity shop. Thankfully they are all very different so I think I've managed to maintain a pretty clear idea of what happens in each one!

So, this book is called Chosen, and is by Jerry Ibbotson. If you would like to know more about him or the book, his website is http://www.jerryibbotson.co.uk.

Jerry has self-published this novel, and it is gradually achieving some exposure - according to his website it is now stocked by all branches of Waterstones, which seems like a great achievement with a self-published work. He describes it as a combination of fantasy and coming-of-age, which (as you will know from earlier posts) is not entirely my usual genre. However, the novelty of reviewing a book by a local author, which he kindly hand-delivered to the door (beats Amazon any day!) had me interested and involved before I even read the first page.

The basis of the tale is that Alex, a man with two small children who is feeling generally disillusioned and, I think, disappointed with life, finds his way into an alternate world via a corridor in his office basement. He finds himself drawn repeatedly back to this world, eventually setting off on a quest with his annoying colleague to explore and reach a city which is "far, far away". Armed only with a sleeping bag and his cagoule, and not without a sense of guilt at leaving his wife & children, he heads off into the unknown. The adventure then develops into something of a quest, as he learns more about his own identity, the world he is in and the people he meets on his travels.

It's difficult to say too much more about the story without giving it away; I'm conscious of not dropping any spoilers, as one of the really strong points of this book is the element of surprise and unexpectedness. There is a strong sense of Narnia/CS Lewis at the start - inevitable, I think, given that it begins with passage through into another world - and I guess potential similarities could be seen in that they both address themes of salvation and religious identity. However, given this crossover, they really could not be more different and my initial concern that the work would be derivative of CS Lewis was not realised!

Jerry creates some very strong concepts in this book. His depiction of the Lezard, a many-headed monster, is particularly vivid, and I also thought that the descriptions of the scenes where the village defended itself against "the undead" using only their lights were well-realised. The characters do not greatly develop, but I seem to remember making a similar criticism regarding Lord of the Rings, and I think the same principle applies here - the central concept is the quest, and what the characters represent, rather than their actual characteristics as such.

It kept me interested all the way through to the end; it is well-plotted and structured; and I may read it again to see whether I have missed anything in terms of references, underlying messaging etc. So, on that front, I would definitely recommend it as a fairly quick, fun read - particularly if you live in York, as helping to promote and encourage local talent seems like a good thing to do! You may also note the mention of the Mitre pub, which perhaps has its parallel in York.......

One criticism, though - I think this may be something to do with the fact that the novel is self-published. Ideally, when reading, the writing should be so smooth as to allow you to almost forget that you are reading, and to be drawn into whatever fictional world you are inhabiting - I don't know if that makes any sense? From time to time, I found that my enjoyment of the story, and involvement in Alex's world and adventures, was jolted by a clumsy sentence or description, kind of kicking me out of my belief in the tale because I had to think about what the author was trying to portray. I don't think that this is bad writing as such, but it struck me that those are the kind of passages that an editor might pick apart with an author - i.e. can the language be tightened up, does this metaphor actually work, what exactly are you trying to say there? This sent me musing about how great the difference is between published and unpublished authors, and whether it is a good editor that can make the difference between a bestseller and something which achieves lesser acclaim...obviously not wanting to take anything away from the author, and the creative process, but I do think that Chosen could have benefitted from someone with a red pen and some constructive criticism.

Even bearing that in mind, though, definitely worth a read. Well constructed story, which has the ability to grip you even if you have very little interest, generally, in the fantasy genre!

And I've just discovered that it is also available on Amazon...go nuts!

Progress check...

Just thought I'd have a quick count up - 35 to go!

Dune

The next project was Dune, by Frank Herbert. I interpreted this as being the novel, Dune, rather than the whole series which goes under that name - apologies if this is cheating but we would be waiting rather a long time for me to finish the list if I have to read them all.

Dune is acclaimed as a seminal work of science fiction, and I can see why. The world is convincing, well-thought out, and totally different to life as we know it. The world is placed on a planet where water and "spice" are the commodities - or, actually, necessities - of highest value, and it is seen through the eyes of characters who come from a planet of plentiful water. This allows the reader to feel the shock and acclimatisation experienced by the characters as they adapt to the different economic and, more significantly, cultural behaviours driven by the water supply.

A mark of successful science fiction is the seamless suspension of disbelief - everything that happens within Dune requires this suspension, whether it is the highly developed communication/observation techniques, the transition from one Reverend Mother to the next, weapons and transport, scientific research and methods...the list goes on. I would say that Dune is very much successful in this regard - the principles and world are so well thought through that there is nothing to jar the reader back into reality. I found the characters slightly unconvincing - each and every character operated with a constant awareness of their role in society, and the "baddies", for want of a better word, are little more than caricatures. However, I think this novel/series is far more about creating the alternate reality and global events, than it is about character.

If you have read Lord of the Rings a number of times, and you love it, I would venture to suggest that you would also enjoy Dune. In fact - you've probably already read it. I won't be rushing to read it again, or to read subsequent episodes in the series, but this is a reflection on me and my lack of interest in sci-fi rather than the quality of the writing. This is very well-written, and I have read it within a couple of weeks (pausing along the way for a quick Jane Green pitstop) which, given the level of interest I have in the genre is very much a compliment to Mr Herbert...but I do find it difficult to care about what happens to the characters in this kind of novel (partly because life is so cheap) and, as I've already discovered in the pages of this blog, it is caring about what happens next that drives me to read!

Gone with the wind next - expect a long radio silence and perhaps some interim posts...

Cold Comfort Farm

Cold Comfort Farm, by Stella Gibbons, is (according to the back of the book) "a hilarious and merciless parody of rural melodramas". Unusually for books which claim to be hilarious, it actually is - I laughed out loud a number of times which is rare for me when reading.

CCF was written in the 30s as a parody of novels by the likes of Mary Webb, which were popular between the wars. I suspect that many of the references are lost on me, being completely unfamiliar with the genre, but it can be appreciated despite this.

Each character is an embodiment of a cliche - not hidden beneath the surface, in the usual way of cliches, but out & proud. The cows are called Graceless, Pointless, Feckless and Aimless (presumably taking issue with the prevailing fashion for naming people & animals after desirable qualities). There is a strong & silent son called Reuben, another son, Seth, who is the brooding embodiment of the farmer's son with the animal instinct (fathering a child per year with the kitchen maid); Amos, the father, a hellfire and brimstone preacher, and Elfine, the daughter of nature who drifts around in the fields and woods. The Starkadder family are trapped on CCF by Aunt Ada Doom (more subtle naming), who saw something nasty in the woodshed when she was a girl and hasn't been right since. Flora Poste, a sophisticated 19yr old, comes to live at CCF when she is orphaned and decides to take the family in hand. It's difficult to say much else without giving the story away...so, read this book.

This is one of the few books I've read so far from the list that I know I will read again - Gibbons' ability to put together evocative phrases which are just slightly over-stated and therefore both striking and funny is rare and makes it an immensely rewarding read. Enjoy it! It's such a shame that none of the rest of her books are in print.

This week, I am mainly modelling myself on Miss Flora Poste...

Oops...but a little bit of progress

I'm quite ashamed to admit that my progress through the list has kind of halted in July. It's my usual approach to long term tasks - a burst of enthusiasm followed by extreme slacking off. I'm not a completer-finisher any more - I think I may have been once in the dim & distant past! However, a long break and resurgence is as good as a new task, and so I will shortly be back with renewed enthusiasm!

I think I went wrong in two ways: first, believing that I could sit and read Shakespeare plays on my own at home. It's not going to happen, and I'm going to have to find another way of doing this. I'm thinking a Shakespearean version of a book group. Second, I finished one book without lining up the next one. The only list books that I have in the house, as yet unread, are Ulysses and a Gabriel Garcia Marquez - can't remember which one - and neither of these grabbed my attention. I am constitutionally incapable of not having a book on the go so have been revisiting Philippa Gregory, with a sense that I am capable of greater things! However, some time alone with Amazon helped with my supply issue, and I now have Gone With the Wind, Dune and Cold Comfort Farm on the way. In a brief plug, could I also say how fantastic the second hand option is on Amazon? I got the above three for a total of £9 including postage - charity shop prices without having to trawl through 7000 Maeve Binchies! (is that the plural of Binchy? It looks wrong).

Anyway - they have been dispatched, so I should be back in the reading saddle by the end of this week, with Philippa Gregory safely back where she belongs...handed on to someone else!

Progress...

Progress on the list has halted somewhat over the last few weeks. This is, I think, due to a few factors. I decided that Shakespeare was my next project, made it through one play, and can't quite bear to pick it up again - so if anyone would like to spend a few evenings drinking wine and reading Shakespeare aloud, let me know - I think it's the only way I'm going to make any progress on it!! Also, for the first few months of this challenge I have been incredibly disciplined and not read anything that wasn't on the list. I relaxed this on holiday, and gave myself a couple of trashy treats and now, faced with Ulysses as my next book, I can't quite bring myself to put the trashy treats aside and return to the discipline of the list. I will do it though - I have a train journey this afternoon, and Ulysses is my only companion so I will either read it or (more likely!) have a nice long nap!!

Finally, whilst dipping into non-list literature, I found myself reading Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I normally resist this kind of thing, partly just from stubbornness - I object to reading the books that everyone else is reading - but picked it up at the airport. I have to say, reluctantly, that the hype is probably justified. There is one horrific scene in TGWTDT, which I found quite shocking when I got to it, but it isn't gratuitous, and it plays a pivotal role in the workings of the trilogy. I liked it so much that I went on to read books 2 and 3 of the trilogy in quick succession, almost unheard of for me - and, although they were slightly samey in that they deal with the same characters, it was definitely the right way to read it. I was left with the impression that the trilogy was one grand story, split into three novels for readability, rather than three novels loosely linked together. So, definitely worth reading, particularly if you like the thriller/crime genre. As for me, it's back to the list!