Reading - current

Havent read either of John Boyne or Jennifer Connolly. I re-read Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald which is pretty stunning. Also read The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark. A very finely written book - straight out of the top drawer.

Now reading the Collected Memoirs of Julian Maclaren-Ross - who I think may be something of a find. Thanks to good friend Peter for this. Ross has faded from view but was very highly esteemed by Evelyn Waugh and John Betjeman. He died in 1964 at only 52.

Pyjamas

I haven't got the new book yet, but have been reading some pretty goof stuff. John Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas was a wonderful little story about a nine-year old boy who talked about his father's job and his move to 'Out-with' and has very powerful ending which had me sitting in stunned silence. I can't say anything about the storyline or the ending but read it. You see a particular world through a child's eyes.

Previous to that, I read The Winter Rose by Jennifer Connolly, set in the early 1900s about a doctor in the East End, who falls for a gangster. Loved it. It was full of intruigue, and some pretty good sexy bits too!

Everything is Illuminated

Have finished the book. I was very impressed. Some might be put off at the beginning, but it is a book to persevere with. Astonishing technical command for a young writer. The way he manages dialogue and molds the writing to suit his purposes is dramatic and very effective

Have returned to John Harding - reading his second book - While the Sun Shines. Reading his work is something to make you feel better - you can almost live with sorrows even those as horrific as I have suffered lately when you have a companion like John Harding.

Painted Veil Discussion

Everyone seemed to have enjoyed the book and agreed it was very readable. Alison raised the question do emotionally repressed characters like Walter who devote themselves to their careers and marry unsuitable women exist in real life or only in fiction? (Homework: try and find such a person and bring to next Bookgroup meeting) I was sorry that Kitty didn't fall in love with Walter as she did in the film but this was more true to life; there are some people you just can't love as much as you try to and as much as they'd like you to love them. We then digressed into discussing bridesmaids and Julian opted out and reread bits of the book (Alison holds the current British record for being a bridesmaid the most times). I found the book really dramatic - the opening scene where Kitty and Charlie are in bed and Walter's trying the door; Kitty being forced to stay with Charlie and his wife where Charlie seduces Kitty again though she desperately wants to be a better person. I also liked the way Maugham tried to understand his characters motivation. I will definitely read some more of his novels in the future.

Bookgroup June 7th 2007

We had a good discussion about the Painted Veil. I think the reception was generally enthusiastic.
I adored the book. For me it was a 24 carat classic

Gaby's list last night was as follows

1. Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer

2. Poppy Shakespeare by Clare Allan

3. Weeping Women Hotel by Alexei Sayle

4. Two Caravans by Marina Lewycka


It was a very closely fought contest going through several rounds!!

The winner was Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer

Next Meeting is July 19th. We are thinking of having a picnic in Regents Park

Claire is preparing the list for next time.

The Painted Veil and Gilead

I am most of the way through The Painted Veil. It is so accomplished. I had not read Somerset Maugham before and I had no idea he was this good. It is hard to find any faults with this book. It reads with total conviction. Rarely have I seen human motives and thought processes so mercilessly anatomised.

Before this I read Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. The style was totally different from Maugham. This was also a stunning book - with prose that seemed as inevitable as water issuing from a mountain spring. A very deeply felt work - it made think again about faith and what it means to people.

I also enjoyed Walden by Henry Thoreau - very good natural description and much eloquence on how to live your life.

Painted Veil - a short but fascinating read

Well, this month's reading was a doddle compared to the hundreds of pages I read for the previous month's book. I had been to see the film The Painted Veil with Lorraine, and it was fascinating to see the difference. Essentially, they are similar in that Walter takes his revenge on Kitty for her infidelity, by taking her to a cholera striken Chinese village. But what was most interesting about the book was that it focussed on Kitty's internal life, her thoughts, feelings and spiritual ponderings. The film shows Kitty falling in love with Walter, with a suitably steamy love scene. This is not the case in the book, there is no falling into each other's arms...in fact, we can only hope that Walter forgave Kitty and himself, in his last moments.

The film shows something of the relationship between Kitty and her parents, but the book's depiction of this is quite heartbreaking. There is pretty much no love between Kitty and her mother. And the final scene between Kitty and her father, well, it's just so sad when she sees her father struggle to be free of family duty.

I had never read anything by Somerset Maugham, and I thought he was brilliant. I'll have to have a look in the library for some of his other novels.