Out of respect and passion for Atwood, I've read all three of her speculative fiction trilogy despite this really not being my favoured genre. And I was disappointed with this last book. It seemed forced to me - like she really wanted to wrap up the story but didn't have a lot to say. It lacked the imaginative language created in the other two books, particularly the religion and even hymns found in the The Year of the flood. Maybe if I'd read the other two books more recently, I'd have had more interest in the characters as I'd have remembered their pasts more clearly. But, even with the brief summaries of the other two books at the start of this one, I felt a bit lost and disconnected from the characters.
That being said, Atwood's writing is, as usual, intelligent and engaging. But her political messages were less cleverly disguised than usual and, in my view, detracted from the story somewhat. This book takes place months after the Waterless Flood pandemic that wiped out most of humanity. We follow the lives of some survivors as well as a the Crakers, a quasi-human species engineered by the deceased Crake, as they gear up for battle, allied with pig like creatures, against some of the less desirable survivors. And, despite, the downsides, I was drawn into the story and really did want to see how it ended.
So the master again wrote a great book, but I wouldn't say it's one of her best.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Monday, October 7, 2013
The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan
I think this was my favourite of Sullivan's novels. The book alternates between five different stories and a lot of the fun is trying to figure out how they will fit together in the end. I guessed some, but not others.
The book starts with Frances Gerety, who we first encounter in 1947. Frances was an actual copywriter with the advertising firm, Ayer and Son. She is credited with coining the slogan "A Diamond is Forever" which, in 1999, was named by Advertising Age magazine as the the slogan of the century. This is a fictionalized account of her personal life spanning from 1947 until 1988 but is based upon factual accounts gathered through interviews, annual reports, advertising campaigns and personal correspondence. Some of the other characters Frances interacts with at Ayer were also real people. It appears that Ayer, on behalf of its client De Beers, is largely responsible for engagement rings becoming an everyday phenomenon.
The remainder of the stories deal with diamonds, engagements and marriage. We next meet Evelyn and her husband Gerald in 1972. They have been married for forty years and Evelyn is fretting over the failure of her son's marriage to a daughter in law she adores. As Evelyn worries about her son she reveals some of her marital history, including her earlier marriage to Gerald's Harvard roommate, Nathaniel. A key character is, of course, the diamond ring Gerald gives her when they become engaged - an expensive two diamond platinum ring that had belonged to his mother.
Jumping forward to 1987, we encounter James, an EMS with a temper who has never lived up to his potential. Despite this he is married to his highschool sweetheart, Sheila and they have two little boys. It is Christmas time and Sheila has just been mugged, losing everything in her possession, including the engagement ring with the tiny diamond that James had made for her when they got engaged. The couple is struggling financially and much of James' time is spent figuring out how to replace that ring.
In 2003 we are introduced to Delphine. She is a forty year old woman who abandoned a stable, if unexciting, marriage and business in Paris to follow a 23 year old violinist who proposes to her on a whim. We learn about their happiness after it has occurred as she has now discovered the worst of him and is exacting revenge on his apartment and his life. She does have good intentions of returning the engagement ring to his mother (as it had been hers) but loses it. We only learn much later what happened to the ring, though Delphine never does.
Finally, in 2012 we meet Kate. She is in a stable relationship with Dan and they have a 3 year old daughter but she is politically opposed to marriage and refuses to enter into it despite pressure from her mother and sister. She is busy preparing for the upcoming marriage of her cousin Jeffrey to his long time partner Toby now that gay marriage has been legalized in New York. One of her jobs is picking up the rings at the jeweller and bringing them to the wedding. She finds the diamond rings tacky and obsesses over whether they might be blood diamonds. When one goes missing she wonders if she was subconsciously responsible for its disappearance.
In the end all of the stories do tie together. And along the way, Sullivan creates likeable and interesting characters that I came to care about.
The book starts with Frances Gerety, who we first encounter in 1947. Frances was an actual copywriter with the advertising firm, Ayer and Son. She is credited with coining the slogan "A Diamond is Forever" which, in 1999, was named by Advertising Age magazine as the the slogan of the century. This is a fictionalized account of her personal life spanning from 1947 until 1988 but is based upon factual accounts gathered through interviews, annual reports, advertising campaigns and personal correspondence. Some of the other characters Frances interacts with at Ayer were also real people. It appears that Ayer, on behalf of its client De Beers, is largely responsible for engagement rings becoming an everyday phenomenon.
The remainder of the stories deal with diamonds, engagements and marriage. We next meet Evelyn and her husband Gerald in 1972. They have been married for forty years and Evelyn is fretting over the failure of her son's marriage to a daughter in law she adores. As Evelyn worries about her son she reveals some of her marital history, including her earlier marriage to Gerald's Harvard roommate, Nathaniel. A key character is, of course, the diamond ring Gerald gives her when they become engaged - an expensive two diamond platinum ring that had belonged to his mother.
Jumping forward to 1987, we encounter James, an EMS with a temper who has never lived up to his potential. Despite this he is married to his highschool sweetheart, Sheila and they have two little boys. It is Christmas time and Sheila has just been mugged, losing everything in her possession, including the engagement ring with the tiny diamond that James had made for her when they got engaged. The couple is struggling financially and much of James' time is spent figuring out how to replace that ring.
In 2003 we are introduced to Delphine. She is a forty year old woman who abandoned a stable, if unexciting, marriage and business in Paris to follow a 23 year old violinist who proposes to her on a whim. We learn about their happiness after it has occurred as she has now discovered the worst of him and is exacting revenge on his apartment and his life. She does have good intentions of returning the engagement ring to his mother (as it had been hers) but loses it. We only learn much later what happened to the ring, though Delphine never does.
Finally, in 2012 we meet Kate. She is in a stable relationship with Dan and they have a 3 year old daughter but she is politically opposed to marriage and refuses to enter into it despite pressure from her mother and sister. She is busy preparing for the upcoming marriage of her cousin Jeffrey to his long time partner Toby now that gay marriage has been legalized in New York. One of her jobs is picking up the rings at the jeweller and bringing them to the wedding. She finds the diamond rings tacky and obsesses over whether they might be blood diamonds. When one goes missing she wonders if she was subconsciously responsible for its disappearance.
In the end all of the stories do tie together. And along the way, Sullivan creates likeable and interesting characters that I came to care about.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
The Headmaster's Wager by Vincent Lam
I don't want to say too much about this book, because a lot of my enjoyment came from the surprises. Set in Vietnam in the 60s and 70s, it centres on the life of Percival Chan, the headmaster of a respected English school in Saigon. Ethnic Chinese, he moved to Vietnam as a young man to be reunited with his father following the death of his mother. He discovers his father is indeed wealthy but addicted to opium and living under the control of his second wife, a Vietnamese woman, which prejudices Percival against Vietnamese women for much of his life.
With the Japanese occupation, Percival is no longer able to continue his father's rice import/export business so instead starts the school with the help of his neighbour and friend, Mak. Percival is extremely naive, a gambler and a womanizer, but is forced to see some of reality when his son gets into trouble and must be rescued and eventually smuggled back to China. Lonely following this (and his divorce) he turns to a Vietnamese/French woman, Jacqueline, and, despite his hesitations, falls in love with her and their son born shortly after.
But as civil war rages on in Saigon, and eventually the Americans evacuate, nothing comes easy to Percival, Jacqueline or their son. The novel is a troubling story of war, desperation, betrayal and the difficulties of love. It took a while to get into it, but by the end I had trouble putting it down.
With the Japanese occupation, Percival is no longer able to continue his father's rice import/export business so instead starts the school with the help of his neighbour and friend, Mak. Percival is extremely naive, a gambler and a womanizer, but is forced to see some of reality when his son gets into trouble and must be rescued and eventually smuggled back to China. Lonely following this (and his divorce) he turns to a Vietnamese/French woman, Jacqueline, and, despite his hesitations, falls in love with her and their son born shortly after.
But as civil war rages on in Saigon, and eventually the Americans evacuate, nothing comes easy to Percival, Jacqueline or their son. The novel is a troubling story of war, desperation, betrayal and the difficulties of love. It took a while to get into it, but by the end I had trouble putting it down.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
The Lawgiver by Herman Wouk
Herman Wouk certainly deserves the praise he's received over the years - calling him a legendary author is no exaggeration. This is particularly true when you take into account that his latest novel was penned at age 97 - and it all takes the form of e-mails, text messages, meeting and Skype transcripts, letters and diary entries.
Apparently Wouk has wanted to write about Moses for more than 50 years - and he picks a really interesting way to tackle it. The story centres on an elderly, wealthy, Australian Jew, Mr. Gluck, who jets around the world on his private plane following his investments. One of his investment partners, Hezzie Jacobs, is about to lose a fortune unless the movie studio he has invested in, WarshaWorks, can be saved. Gluck agrees to save it only if the studio produces a movie about Moses - and the script must be approved by Herman Wouk, who, together with his wife Betty Sarah, are characters in the novel.
The studio turns to a relatively unknown writer-director, Margo Solvei, to write the script, subject to Wouk's approval. Margo is the daughter of a Hassidic Rabbi, estranged from her father since she left her religious life. The main thread of the story is about Margo. We follow her writing efforts as she struggles with her mentor, Wouk and the studio; her attempts to enlist an unknown Australian sheep farmer turned part-time actor to portray Moses; her budding pen pal relationship with a woman she's never met in person but with whom she shares intimate details of her life; her letters to her brother and former classmates and, especially, her renewed love life with her former boyfriend Josh.
There are admittedly parts of the book which I didn't think needed to be there - a lot of correspondence relating to a legal dispute between geneticists about the patent for turning algae into fuel. As far as I could tell they were only there to facilitate Margo and Josh being in Australia at the same time - if they added more, I missed it.
But generally Wouk's insights into people and his character development are fantastic. His use of Yiddish expressions and biblical references are fabulous. It's really a shame his wife did not live to see this book published - his love and respect for her are evident in every passage she's in.
The characters in this book frequently wish each other the Yiddish blessing of living until 120. If Wouk does, he's got at least a few more good writing years ahead of him!
Apparently Wouk has wanted to write about Moses for more than 50 years - and he picks a really interesting way to tackle it. The story centres on an elderly, wealthy, Australian Jew, Mr. Gluck, who jets around the world on his private plane following his investments. One of his investment partners, Hezzie Jacobs, is about to lose a fortune unless the movie studio he has invested in, WarshaWorks, can be saved. Gluck agrees to save it only if the studio produces a movie about Moses - and the script must be approved by Herman Wouk, who, together with his wife Betty Sarah, are characters in the novel.
The studio turns to a relatively unknown writer-director, Margo Solvei, to write the script, subject to Wouk's approval. Margo is the daughter of a Hassidic Rabbi, estranged from her father since she left her religious life. The main thread of the story is about Margo. We follow her writing efforts as she struggles with her mentor, Wouk and the studio; her attempts to enlist an unknown Australian sheep farmer turned part-time actor to portray Moses; her budding pen pal relationship with a woman she's never met in person but with whom she shares intimate details of her life; her letters to her brother and former classmates and, especially, her renewed love life with her former boyfriend Josh.
There are admittedly parts of the book which I didn't think needed to be there - a lot of correspondence relating to a legal dispute between geneticists about the patent for turning algae into fuel. As far as I could tell they were only there to facilitate Margo and Josh being in Australia at the same time - if they added more, I missed it.
But generally Wouk's insights into people and his character development are fantastic. His use of Yiddish expressions and biblical references are fabulous. It's really a shame his wife did not live to see this book published - his love and respect for her are evident in every passage she's in.
The characters in this book frequently wish each other the Yiddish blessing of living until 120. If Wouk does, he's got at least a few more good writing years ahead of him!
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Americanah
This is another fantastic novel by the Nigerian-American author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. She follows the stories of Ifemelu and Obinze, from the time they fall in love as teenagers, through to their difficult reunion as adults.
Ifemelu grows up relatively poor, the daughter of an educated man who speaks formal English but gets laid off for refusing to call his boss, "Mummy" and a fanatically religious mother. Obinze is slightly better off, being raised by his widowed mother who is a professor. Obinze obsesses about immigrating to the United States but it is Ifemelu who moves there for University - joining her aunt and cousin who are also fascinating characters. Obinze hopes to follow but post-911 restrictions mean he is unable to obtain a visa so instead moves to London where he lives and works illegally until he is deported moments before entering into a sham marriage.
Ifemelu nearly starves trying to put herself through college and unable to get a job. In desperation she accepts money in exchange for sexual favours, once. She is so humiliated she cuts off all contact with Obinze - who is hurt and puzzled but never angry.
Ifemelu's life turns around when she gets a job as a babysitter for a white family, falls for one of their relatives who helps her get a job and a green card. She lives happily for some time but then, disaffected she sabotages the relationship and quits her job. But finds success as an anonymous blogger making insightful observations as a non-American black on being black in America. She then enters a relationship with a black Yale professor but never quite fits in with his left leaning academic crowd (though they do bond over Obama's election campaign).
After this she decides to give up her blog and her relationship to return to Nigeria. There she is reunited with Obinze who is married with a young child and must figure out what to do now that the love of his life has returned. We are left in doubt, but with hope, about how things will work out.
Ifemelu grows up relatively poor, the daughter of an educated man who speaks formal English but gets laid off for refusing to call his boss, "Mummy" and a fanatically religious mother. Obinze is slightly better off, being raised by his widowed mother who is a professor. Obinze obsesses about immigrating to the United States but it is Ifemelu who moves there for University - joining her aunt and cousin who are also fascinating characters. Obinze hopes to follow but post-911 restrictions mean he is unable to obtain a visa so instead moves to London where he lives and works illegally until he is deported moments before entering into a sham marriage.
Ifemelu nearly starves trying to put herself through college and unable to get a job. In desperation she accepts money in exchange for sexual favours, once. She is so humiliated she cuts off all contact with Obinze - who is hurt and puzzled but never angry.
Ifemelu's life turns around when she gets a job as a babysitter for a white family, falls for one of their relatives who helps her get a job and a green card. She lives happily for some time but then, disaffected she sabotages the relationship and quits her job. But finds success as an anonymous blogger making insightful observations as a non-American black on being black in America. She then enters a relationship with a black Yale professor but never quite fits in with his left leaning academic crowd (though they do bond over Obama's election campaign).
After this she decides to give up her blog and her relationship to return to Nigeria. There she is reunited with Obinze who is married with a young child and must figure out what to do now that the love of his life has returned. We are left in doubt, but with hope, about how things will work out.
Monday, September 9, 2013
The Midwife of Venice by Roberta Rich
I had read this book a few years ago, but picked it up again because it's on my book club reading list. Though I remembered some of the story, it was interesting enough to keep my attention a second time around. This is the first novel by a former lawyer and she writes very well. She tells the story of Hannah, a midwife in sixteenth century Venice who gets herself into trouble when she is beckoned to save the life of a non-Jewish noble woman who is suffering from a difficult labour. She manages to bring the child into the world safely, but this puts her in danger of the jealous brothers of the baby's father who stand to lose a significant portion of their inheritance with the arrival of a new male heir. We see the former "ghetto mouse" fight off the brothers, the plague and other dangers - sometimes with the assistance of her sister, a courtesan who has converted to Christianity.
At the same time we are told the parallel story of Hannah's husband Isaac who was captured at sea and sold into slavery in Malta. He survives by his wits alone - and Hannah delivers the baby to earn the money for his ransom.
Some of the encounters are rather fantastical, as is the happy ending, but this is still a well written, entertaining story.
At the same time we are told the parallel story of Hannah's husband Isaac who was captured at sea and sold into slavery in Malta. He survives by his wits alone - and Hannah delivers the baby to earn the money for his ransom.
Some of the encounters are rather fantastical, as is the happy ending, but this is still a well written, entertaining story.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Vacation Reads
Beautiful Day by Elin Hilderbrand
I always like to read one of Hilderbrand's books on summer vacation. This wasn't really one of her best in my view. The book deals with the wedding of Jenna - she plans it all based on a notebook left by her deceased mother who wrote out plans for the wedding when she realized she would not live to see the day.
We learn about the wedding from many perspectives, Jenna, her sister Margot, her father Doug and his new wife, her fiance Stuart and his parents as well as various friends. There are the usual liaisons and relationships, misunderstandings and reconciliations. All of it is frankly a bit morbid as it alternates with excerpts from the dead mother's notebook. But the book was, as always, an easy vacation read.
Under the Afghan Sky by Mellissa Fung
This is a memoir by the Canadian journalist who was kidnapped by thugs in Afghanistan and held in a hole for about a month. The story includes various letters she wrote to friends and family while in captivity as well as letters written to her by her journalist boyfriend. The story is horrifying but Fung's courage, faith and even humour carried her through. It was interesting to hear how she developed a sort of friendship with one of her captors - to the point where he suggested exchanging e-mail addresses to keep in touch. This read more like a long magazine article than a book but it was well written and I recommend it.
22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson
This is a very interesting story of a Polish couple and their child who were separated during World War II when the husband went off to fight the war, lost his division before he even trained then escaped through the underground network to France and eventually England where he fought with the RAF. Meanwhile, his wife was forced to flee her apartment when a Nazi officer took advantage of her and survived with her son in the forest until she was found by her husband in a displaced person's camp. They reunite in England and you can tell early on that both husband and wife harbour terrible secrets from their time apart. The past is slowly revealed as the chapters alternate between present day England and the War. Once the secrets come to light the family is finally given the chance to properly heal. This is not the best written book but it is an interesting story and an easy read despite the difficult subject matter.
I always like to read one of Hilderbrand's books on summer vacation. This wasn't really one of her best in my view. The book deals with the wedding of Jenna - she plans it all based on a notebook left by her deceased mother who wrote out plans for the wedding when she realized she would not live to see the day.
We learn about the wedding from many perspectives, Jenna, her sister Margot, her father Doug and his new wife, her fiance Stuart and his parents as well as various friends. There are the usual liaisons and relationships, misunderstandings and reconciliations. All of it is frankly a bit morbid as it alternates with excerpts from the dead mother's notebook. But the book was, as always, an easy vacation read.
Under the Afghan Sky by Mellissa Fung
This is a memoir by the Canadian journalist who was kidnapped by thugs in Afghanistan and held in a hole for about a month. The story includes various letters she wrote to friends and family while in captivity as well as letters written to her by her journalist boyfriend. The story is horrifying but Fung's courage, faith and even humour carried her through. It was interesting to hear how she developed a sort of friendship with one of her captors - to the point where he suggested exchanging e-mail addresses to keep in touch. This read more like a long magazine article than a book but it was well written and I recommend it.
22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson
This is a very interesting story of a Polish couple and their child who were separated during World War II when the husband went off to fight the war, lost his division before he even trained then escaped through the underground network to France and eventually England where he fought with the RAF. Meanwhile, his wife was forced to flee her apartment when a Nazi officer took advantage of her and survived with her son in the forest until she was found by her husband in a displaced person's camp. They reunite in England and you can tell early on that both husband and wife harbour terrible secrets from their time apart. The past is slowly revealed as the chapters alternate between present day England and the War. Once the secrets come to light the family is finally given the chance to properly heal. This is not the best written book but it is an interesting story and an easy read despite the difficult subject matter.
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