Brisbane Book Club Newsletter, January 2016
Our January Meeting
Theme: I must read that some day!
General Comments:
Often the list of what we want to read is long, and the summer holiday break was a perfect time to tackle one of those books on the list (or in the pile!). The first meeting of 2016 brought much discussion, quite a few new members and plenty of laughs. The book list was diverse, however it was pointed out that many of the books people had read were heavy weights of the literary world – either classics or books that require much thought and dedication. I guess the books we set aside for later are those we feel require dedication! Overall, it was a great meeting and a wonderful start to a new year.
Janette E.
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski(Pantheon Books: 2000)
" . . . this novel requires an inordinate amount of work from the reader in order for it to be anything other than a confusing collection of disconnected writings. The book contains several parallel stories and is written in the style of a research project with journal and newspaper articles, letters, footnotes and appendices, all held together by an increasingly bizarre narrative." Laura MacKenzie at everybodysreviewing.blogspot.com.au
Janette thought that the saying 'going down the rabbit hole'was apt for this literary work. It is a fictional non-fictional manuscript documenting a documentary film called The Navidoon Filesthat is found by the protagonist who then reads it and makes notes. It tells of an apparently haunted house that has rooms that appear out of nowhere. This novel goes beyond the standard story structure, with footnotes, art and appendices. It is a scary story delivered in a very imaginative way, but this makes it difficult to follow at times. 7/10
You by Zoran Drvenkar(In German, 2010; English trans by Shaun Whiteside, 2011)
"You is at once a road novel, a thriller that actually thrills, and a stylish experiment in point of view. It is also a novel of character, and it’s this aspect that lifts the book above the level of most contemporary crime fiction. As the narrative proceeds, we learn more and more about the inner lives and buried histories of more than a dozen characters, major and minor. As the slowly unfolding back stories proliferate, secrets come to light, lies are revealed, and we encounter some of the darker corners of human sexuality." Bill Sheehan at washingtonpost.com/
Alex considered this a 'must read'. It is a mystery-thriller written entirely in the 2nd person (as suggested in the title). Each chapter is from a different character's perspective. The central story concerns five teenage girls who try to find out what happened to a friend who went missing. The second storyline is about a serial killer. 9/10
Monkey Grip by Helen Garner(McPhee Gribble: 1977)
" Set amongst the bohemian community of inner Melbourne in the late 1970s, Monkey Grip tells the story of a young teacher, Nora, a divorced single mother struggling to look after her young daughter. Nora lives in a sharehouse with a motley crew of artists, and finds herself falling into a relationship with Javo, an attractive but unreliable musician who is hooked on heroin. The novel traces the intersections of these two characters, from passion to betrayal, to reconciliation and the inevitable breakdown that will always follow." Sophia Barnes at nswwc.org.au
Danielle found this to be 'right up her alley'. It was set in surroundings familiar to her and she found the parenting dilemmas were conveyed realistically. It employed a playful use of local language mixed with academic language and contained lengthy self-analysis. Danielle recommended it highly. 8/10
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin(Dial Press, N.Y. : 1956)
" James Baldwin’s literary voice is not just the epitome of writing as social criticism and art in the 20th century, it is prophetic. . . . [The book] is still relevant after all these years. It calls us to ponder questions of individual and collective identity – of who we are and what we might be in the post-modern world." Scot Nakagawa at racefiles.com/
Danielle thought that the main characters were somewhat superficially constructed. There also seemed to be an excessive amount of foreshadowing of events in the early stages of the novel, which meant that the plot was quite predictable. Despite Baldwin being an Afro-American, the main character is a white American in Paris. The story is about his relationship with a fellow migrant from Italy. 5/10
The People Smuggler by Robin de Crespigny(Viking Australia: 2012)
" Derived from three years of interviews with Al Jenabi, the book is written as his first-person account, starting with his childhood in the southern Iraqi city of Diwaniyah during the 1970s. It reads as a frank story, of an ordinary and sometimes troubled man, confronted by terrible events. . . . [It] puts a human face on those involved in the boat voyages. What emerges is a harrowing picture of a man whose only “crime” was to escape severe repression in Iraq, and seek safety for his mother and six younger brothers and sisters." Mike Head at wsws.org
Glennoted that the case of Ali dates from before the recent head-line political controversies surrounding 'border control'. Ali is tortured by the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq but manages to escape and flee with his family to Indonesia. He tries to get to Australia but is thwarted, so he takes on the 'people smuggling' role. Because it is written in the 1st person, it gives the reader an insight into the rationale of people in desperate situations and the hardships they face. This story is one piece in the jig-saw of the asylum-seeker debate. 8/10
Trackers: How technology is helping us monitor & improve our health by Richard MacManus (David Bateman Ltd: 2014)
" . . . this book was an opportunity to get answers to some of the questions about the technology. What sort of measurements could I record? How easy are these things to use? How accurate is the data collected? More importantly, once the data is collected, how should it be interpreted? Is this useful, or just an exercise in narcissism?" Gordon Findlay at booksellersnz.wordpress.com
Bronwynfound this fascinating stuff! It was an interesting account of the growth in health-tracking apps and devices that allow you to monitor your own health. Each chapter is themed around similar devices (e.g. one covers pedometers and fitbits) and contains interviews with users of the technology, entrepreneurs producing devices and doctors who need to work with their patients. It also outlines both the limitations of the data and possible future trends in the technology. 8/10
True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey(UQP: 2000)
"This Ned Kelly is a convincing and intriguing individual; Carey has indulged his appetite for language and imaginative construction in making him so. It does not matter that we are unable to pin Kelly to the facts of his life, only that we are willing and prepared to accept him as Carey reveals him to us, and to trust the kaleidoscopic array of characters and situations and the often startling images employed by Carey to create them." Robert Edric at theguardian.com/books
Patrick didn't like the diary/museum framing device used by Carey but otherwise found the book powerful and really enjoyable. Perhaps it has been over-promoted but it is an excellent and evocative retelling of the Kelly myth. It has colourful and imaginative incidents and incidental characters. 8/10
Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman(Headline: 2015)
" "Are fictions safe places?” Neil Gaiman wonders in his introduction to Trigger Warning. “Should they be safe places?” The popularity of Gaiman’s writing can be attributed to many things. His skill as a storyteller, infinite imagination, experiments with multimedia, and the ability to envisage new paths for characters that seemed trapped in their old tales all mark him out as an extraordinary talent. Roisin O'Connor at independent.co.uk
Anna confessed that she likes everything that this author has written. In this collection, the story that impressed her most was one of the Calendar Stories, July Story. It was beautifully written, poetic and poses the question of where we go in our mind when we are desperate or when something happens to our normal life. 10/10
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky(First published in Russian, 1866)
"[It] is a remarkable work by one of the most important writers in history. The book presents a unique psychoanalysis of an individual plagued by moral and mental traumas during a point of great uncertainty and change in Russian history." Daryl Worthington at newhistorian.com
See also an article by A.N. Wilson on a recent English translation of the novel at spectator.co.uk/
Ian found this as an incredible story describing the torments of a man after he commits murder. There is lots of human frailty, nasty brutish and short lives but, in the end, a kind of redemption. 10/10
The Holy Qur'an an Englishtranslation(1934)and commentary by Abdullah Yusuf 'Ali
"Among those Qur'an translations which found Saudi favor and, therefore, wide distribution, was the Abdullah Yusuf 'Ali (1872-1952) rendition that, from its first appearance in 1934 until very recently, was the most popular English version among Muslims. He sought to convey the music and richness of the Arabic with poetic English versification. While his rendering of the text is not bad, there are serious problems in his copious footnotes; in many cases, he reproduces the exegetical material from medieval texts without making any effort at contextualization. Writing at a time both of growing Arab animosity toward Zionism and in a milieu that condoned anti-Semitism, Yusuf 'Ali constructed his oeuvre as a polemic against Jews." Kahleel Mohammed at meforum.org/
Sue explained that, as in the Bible, there are many books and the messages are repeated many times. The two main 'themes' seemed to be that there is only one God and that all people will be judged at the end of time. Sue noted that there was a useful index in the back of this version. This allows you to find references to certain topics within the books, or to follow up on comments about Islam in the media.
Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar (in French, 1951; English trans by Grace Frick, 1954)
"Mme. Yourcenar has taken what we know of the life of Hadrian and from this sketchy knowledge produced an utterly convincing full-blown portrait. One feels that one is reading a remarkable historical document, an account of the intricate meanings of power by a man who has held vast power." Joseph Epstein at wsj.com/articles
David was impressed by this very different book. Based on detailed research, Yourcenar produces an imagined memoir from this Roman Emperor (117-138 A.D.), written in the form of a long letter from his death-bed. Although it is plot-less, it is surprisingly absorbing as a reflection on Hadrian's life and an explanation of the philosophy that informed his rule. 7.5/10
Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov(George Putnam's Sons: 1962)
" Pale Fire is the most Shakespearean work of art the 20th century has produced, the only prose fiction that offers Shakespearean levels of depth and complexity, of beauty, tragedy and inexhaustible mystery." Ron Rosenbaum at observer.com/
" Nabokov not only constructed a workof genius, but anticipated virtually all of the mainthemes of the post-modern novel in this multi-layered conundrum of a book." Ted Gioia at postmodernmystery.com
Davidtried to explain some aspects of this very complex work; something that has kept many experts in debate. It is about the final long and great work of a fictional poet and his strange new associate who absconds with the manuscript after the poet's death to prepare it for publication, along with lengthy notes and commentary. But just who is this commentator and what is his agenda? You do feel as if Nabokov is toying with your inferior literaryknowledge and language ability and deliberately confusing you, but the experience is rewarding, especially if you like words and language. It was quite a different reading experience. 8/10
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Spanish, 1985; English trans, Knopff: 1988)
[It] is an “anatomy” of love. One of its most ingenious portrayals (in an anatomical and a visionary sense) is the growth of love out of the profane environs of “convenience.” All the meaningless details of everyday life shared by two people bound together (all the unpleasant smells, degrading tasks, and dulling routines; all the unspoken bitterness and rancor; all the sullenness and gloom engendered by unlived possibilities) are unmercifully catalogued. Love’s power to grow in such dark interstices–and to transcend life’s profanity and to remain unscathed–is one of the more skilfully rendered themes of this work." Rob Couteau at tygersofwrath.com"
Jocelyn hadn't quite finished this book but found it an entertaining and enjoyable story about love in all its forms. It contains a very romantic, unconventional love triangle between the main characters and it spans five decades. Jocelyn's favourite character was Fermina Daza who was spirited and did things her own way, even if she occasionally regretted some of her decisions. 8/10
Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta(Penguin: 2003)
" In Looking for Alibrandishe showed us she could get inside the head of a teenage school-girl. In Saving Francesca she shows us she can do an equally good job at portraying the feelings and actions of boys as well. Her characters emerge from their initial sketchy stereotypes to become rich mixtures of dependable and mercuric, understandable and unfathomable traits. This book will do much to help teenagers understand themselves and their friends, and remind parents that they too were teenagers once." Sarah Mayor Cox at latrobe.edu.au
Jodie believed that the author hadreally nailed teenagers' feelings in this young-adult book. It is a coming of age story where Francesca (Year 11)finds herself at a previously all-boys school that is just starting to include a few girls. She struggles to find her way. At the same time she needs to help her Mum, who is having a nervous breakdown. She feels the world on her shoulders. 7/10
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen(T. Egerton, Whitehall: 1813)
[When I 'Googled' Pride and Prejudice I got 37 100 000 results; when I qualified it with the words book and review it reduced to 10 100 000. I think I will leave it to the reader to find something that suits! Wikipedia will give you a summary. Of course, back in November, Sarah herself introduced us to David Bader's book,One Hundred Great Books in Haiku. The entry for Pride and Prejudice reads: " Single white lass seeks landed gent for marriage, whist. No parsons, thank you." Is that helpful? David]
Sarah didn't particularly enjoy this classic, most of the time thinking: 'Thank goodness I didn't live in that period!' It is an important book, especially in the history of women's writing and for its window on society at the time. But it was witty without being funny and Sarah got bored with the conversations, where the humour was often mean-spirited. 8/10
Upcoming Events
JanuarySocial Meetup. Join us on Sunday 24th for a coffee break during Bookfest. (details)
Our February Meeting(Monday 1st)has been announced on our home page.
News
A 24 hour Bookshop
A new bookselling venture in Brisbane uses an 'honesty' system. (brisbanetimes.com.au)
Italian Intrigue
The enigmatic Italian author, Elena Ferrante, and her books are discussed at smh.com.au
Can there be a Perfect Novel?
Laura Miller of The Slate nominates Jane Austen's Emma. She concludes that, "Emma is flawed, but Emma is flawless".
What was Your Best Read during Last Year?
The Guardian writers and readers nominate their favourite reads in 2015 ( theguardian.com/books).
Fiction to Watch for in 2016
Alex Preston lists some of the novels about to be published that you should watch out for.
In the Madhouse
Max Nelson looks at the poetry of John Clare and Christopher Smart in a series at theparisreview.org/
Future reading themes
Don't forget, you can check out future monthly Book Club themes. A document among the files under the 'More' tab on our website (here) outlines our monthly programme for the first half of 2016.This allows you to plan your reading and find those library books in time for our meetings.
Happy reading,
Janette E