Brooks' Year of Wonders

I love a good historical fiction novel. Something thick - perhaps doorstop worthy - with great scenery descriptions, historically consistent characters and characterization, an absorbing plot, spot on dialogue, and I'm set. Historical fiction gets a bad wrap from a lot of people; many of them thinking that historical fiction is a really just romance in long dresses or history's more stupid little sister.

When I was in college, I took a few courses with a talented 16th Century British historian. I decided to work on an historical fiction project for my independent study, and she was skeptical. She said that in order for it be historical, it must have an argument. One could argue that all historical fiction has an implicit argument; each writer presents the history the way they think it was and the novel itself argues for its version of the truth. I think she meant something a little more academic and thesis oriented in the way she used it, and the point is relevant, but I think good historical fiction can be good and not go that far. Often HF, merely needs to reflect the past, present consistent characters and a viable plot (perhaps something that even happened) for it to be good.

Geraldine Brooks is successful in Year of Wonders in the most satisfying and academic ways, even though her narrative trots along sans historical argument. Her depiction of life during the plague years is full-bodied and real. Many historical fiction writers fall on the spike with the dialogue (and I really can't stand this...if you can't nail dialogue, you can't nail writing), but Brooks' characters sound convincing and it works.

She bases her novel on real events, and I found myself thinking at the end that the Reverend (forget his name now) who inspired the Reverend in the novel would probably be none too pleased at his fictional transformation. :)

(In the vein of good historical fiction)
If you like this, you might also like:
Brooks' The People of the Book
Michael Faber's The Crimson Petal and the White
Gil Adamson's The Outlander

84, Charing Cross Road

This short book of 20 years worth of correspondence between an American writer and a British bookseller is a wonderful treasure trove of bookish insights. Helene Hanff, an American writer, is in need of antiquarian books, but is dissatisfied with the offerings at American bookstores. She finds Marks and Co. and 84, Charing Cross Road in London, England and writes to have certain books sent. What begins as a mere business transaction blossoms into true friendship between Helene and the people at the shop. Her primary correspondent is Frank Doel, and she becomes friendly with him, his wife and their children. England during the early years of their correspondence, so Helene sent boxes of meat, eggs, and other items that were impossible to get during that time.

The letters are funny, kind, and informative. In this day and age of computers, emails, and busyness, one wonders if this type of epistolary relationship will ever happen again. We have surely lost the art and emotion of letter writing, and after reading this little book, you will see that it is a great loss in deed.

Textiles and Tales

A.S. Byatt elucidates the connection between spinning, weaving, and thread to stories in her June 21 article in The Guardian. From Greek myths to African folkstories, thread and weaving (in all its various forms) are present in stories. Ariadne helped Theseus find his way through the labyrinth by way of a thread; Arachne incured the wrath of Athena and was transformed into a spider, cursed to spend the rest of her days weaving; Lady of Shalott was entranced to spin all day and watch the world through her mirror, until she spied Lancalott, fell in love with his image, turned to see him in the flesh and died in pursuit.

The article at The Guardian introduces an exihibit opening in Compton Verney, which clearly I can't go to, but the article was so full of wonderful vignettes and analysis of the history of thread and literature, that it's worth reading even if you are stuck in Atlanta, Georgia with no hope of seeing one lick of the exhibit. More here.

Best Summer Reads

Leave it to the Brits to have some meaty, intelligent fare on their best ever summer reads list. The Telegraph covers everything from the The Time Traveler's Wife to The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire to a history of the Spanish Civil War. Who says summer reading has to be mind-numbing? I always thought it was a great time to dig into something great. Read the list.

This cracks me up

Movie Reviews

Short Story

When he woke up, the dinosaur was still there.

Augusto Monterroso

(When you let your mind wander about who 'he' is, where 'he' is, what 'sleep' means, and the multifarious interpretations of 'dinosaur,' it becomes a rather satisfying little story.)

Letters to a Young Novelist

Mario Vargas Ilosa's analogue to Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet is a concise, informative investigation of novel writing. In 12 letters, Ilosa examines the various elements of the novel, including style, narrotor, time, shifts, and stories within stories. The style is informal and chatty, and he peppers his advice with examples from across world literature. He uses examples primarily from Latin American novelists, which is both helpful and burdensome. Unless you are aware of many of these writers, Ilosa's explication of their work can be tough. He makes up a bit of the distance by explaining some plot, but Latin American fiction, like any body of literature from any culture, has its own rules, conceits, and influences. I found myself wishing I were more familiar with these texts so that I could better understand Ilosa's points. Regardless, though, he does an expert job of dissecting the essential parts of the novel, ones that must be contemplated before anyone sits down to write serious fiction.

If you like this, you might also like:

Dillard's The Writing Life
Forster's Aspects of the Novel
Smiley's Thirteen Ways of Looking at the Novel
Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet

More Aviary Gate Love

The Aviary Gate by Katie Hickman is an entertaining, vivid historical novel. If you haven't run out to get it, you should.

My review.

A video of Katie Hickman talking about the inspiration for the novel.

Curried Book?

I think Red Room Library has met its first retraction:

Although The Enchantress of Florence was listed as one of the new and good books for June, this is no longer the case. Despite Rushdie's fame as one of the best writers of our time, the RRL is going to have say that this book is a stinker.

John Sutherland prepare to eat curried book.

The novel opens with a mess of an introduction. It's not even pretty. The sentences are long, confusing, and I don't really care that the boy riding around the lake has golden hair. Whatever, I say to myself, this is Rushdie, and we must wait for the brilliance. I kept waiting. I waited until I turned to the final page, and I can tell you, there was no brilliance.

Rushdie makes the profound and (gasp! original) statement that we are all alike. Prostitutes in Italy are the same as prostitutes in the MidEast. Rulers, women, men, sorcerers, and cheats are the same in both countries. Duh. I could have told you that. The Enchantress of Florence ends up being a beautiful Arabic woman who seduces all around her (including her 'mirror,' her servant who looks just like her...it just gets weird) and leaves them all feeling happy. Nice. Meanwhile, back at the ranch - the Sultan's palace - the great Sultan is trying to figure out why he no longer loves his wife WHO IS A FIGMENT OF HIS IMAGINATION and no else can see. Hmm. Seems like an easy fix to me: if she's a figment of your imagination, and you can't see her, there's nothing to love. Maybe he's selfish? Maybe he's delusional? Maybe he's on drugs? Maybe this is just a bad book.

Plus, to add to my real consternation, the prose was just a bad regurgitation of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's beautiful and lilting language.

Aside:
Let me say that there are books out there that divide readers into two camps: one large camp that is dancing behind the naked Emporer and one small camp that is the bewildered child in the crowd, trying to figure out why everyone isn't horrified at the Emporer's naked, hairy arse. The folks in the child's camp are often few in number and fairly quiet. Who wants to be the loud mouth who's wrong? So, they say nothing and let the other idiots marvel at the beautiful brocades that don't exist.

Sometimes books come along that mean nothing, but to say so would mean that others might call you stupid. You might run the risk of being ridiculed for "not getting it." Just remember John Sutherland and his curried book business.* Though there is plentiful room for personal opinion, it just seems hard to imagine that anyone could actually wade through this book, let alone like it.

*I was excited to read Enchantress because John Sutherland said that "if this book does not win the Booker [he] will curry his review copy and eat it."

Finding George Orwell in Burma

In light of the disaster in Myanmar, I was interested to find this memoir by Emma Larkin, pseudonym for an American journalist who spent some time in Myanmar researching George Orwell's experiences in that country. Orwell was a policeman for the British government in the 1920s when Myanmar was known as Burma (I always think of the King and I when I say that name). Interestingly, his mother was also from Burma.

I always thought that Orwell's political fiction was motivated by his hatred of Communist Russia, but Larkin suggests that Orwell's novels - Burmese Days, 1984, and Animal Farm - form a trilogy that is rooted in Burma. Larkin suggests that Orwell had his first tastes of autocracy and tyranny while stationed in British colonized Burma. Russia and Communisim did impact Orwell's work, but these were not the only influences. At the end of his life, Orwell was planning to write a story about Burma. Some suggest, as would make sense, that Orwell started to write Burmese Days when he was in Burma, despite the fact that Down and Out in Paris and London made it to print first. Clearly, Burma made a significant impact on young Orwell, one that he would never entirely forget.

Larkin blends Burmese history, Orwellian philosophy and literary criticism, with insights into modern day Myanmar life in Finding George Orwell in Burma. It is a scary sight. 1984 is unfortunately alive and well in this small Asian country.

When the news about Myanmar broke a few months ago, I, like many others, wondered why the Myanmar government refused foreign help. After reading this memoir, it is clear why they did. Any outside influence or uncontrollable situation could loosen the choke-hold of the autocratic government lodged in power in Myanmar, and the ruling generals refuse to let that happen.

Larkin closes the book with a supposition about the end of the regime by referencing the truth that terror cannot reign forever. After watching the way the Myanmar government has (not) handled the devastation that befell their people, I hope it ends quickly. I know George Orwell would agree.

What's New and Good: June 08

Check these titles out in a book store near you this month.

The Aviary Gate by Katie Hickman

Resonant of Possession, though slightly more gritty and slightly less literary, this split historical narrative and modern mystery is a great summer read to sink your teeth into. Hickman is best known for her engaging history of courtesans in Courtesans. This novel is no less full of historical detail. The modern bit is not as good as the bit set in 16th century Constantinople, but it's all worth a few afternoons. For my review.

The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie

This full-bodied and heady novel will make you scratch your head in wonder and catch your breath. The descriptions of 16th century Florence and the MidEast are beautiful. The characters are engrossing and their plights engaging, but this is a very challenging book. This is not to be taken lightly, but if you do think you might want to take the plunge, you'll be glad you did.

The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston

The true story of one journalist's investigation into the worst serial crime in Italy. As Preston and his Italian counterpart, Mario Spezi, delve deeper into their research, they find themselves the targets of police pursuit for the Monster of Florence. In a bizarre twist of fate, Spezi is accused of being the Monster of Florence and thrown into prison, and Preston is told to leave the country.

The Other by David Guterson

From the author of Snow Falling on Cedars, comes a dazzling novel about adulthood and compromises. When Neil and John meet as children, they are from diametrically different backgrounds, but they both share a love for the outdoors. As adults, Neil becomes a schoolteacher, but John is convinced that surviving alone in the woods is the only true way to live. When John decides to recede into the woods forever and asks Neil for help, Neil is soon involved in a deep, intertwined web of tragedy and deceit.

December by Elizabeth Hartley Winthrop

Isabelle has not spoken in over a year. Four therapists have abandoned her, and her parents are desperate for a resolution to the problem. From the author of Fireworks, comes a highly affecting, passionate and gripping tale about one girl's battle and a family's efforts to heal.