Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Love in the Time of Cholera was written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a Colombian author, and originally published in Spanish in 1985 and since translated into English.

The story is set on the Caribbean coast of South America and sprawls across a period of 50 years spanning the late 19th and early 20th Century. The language is dense and the tale is complex with a host of characters. On the surface, this is a story of a long running love affair - bordering on the obsessive - between a somewhat indifferent woman and her ardent suitor.

Underneath the surface, this is a story of social constraints, of class structure and racism, of shifting values and sexual morals, of contradictions, of obsessive love, of the different faces of affection and desire, of disease and decay and, above all, it is a tale about the ageing process and mortality.

What I liked about the story: I liked the density of it, the complex moral questions it posed, the depth and scale, the lovely language, the settings, the vivid descriptions and, I have to admit, the eventual happy ending.

What I didn't like about the story: It was, in my opinion, too long. I kept reading only to find out what happened in the end and found the early middle section rather slow. So, I confess, I would have enjoyed the book far more if it was much shorter and it came alive for me in the final third. I was not convinced by the main female character who failed to generate much sympathy in me and I didn't really understand the hero's preoccupation with her. (He met many more far more interesting women as the book progressed and I wanted to shake him and shout at him "Ditch the bitch!".)

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All in the Mind, by Alastair Campbell

I tried to be as neutral as possible when reading this book.

 Alastair Campbell, for those who don't know, was the Director of Communications and Strategy for Tony Blair, during the years 1997-2003, a period that culminated in the ill conceived Iraq War of 2003. So, my main reason for reading the book was to see if Alistair Campbell's fictional work was as strong and persuasive as the literary efforts of the infamous 'dodgy dossier'.

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What I liked about this book:

Alastair has, famously, battled both depression and alcoholism. It is good to read a story that takes these themes but avoids being overtly autobiographical. I liked the sympathetic portrayal of patients, and their psychiatrist, as flawed human beings with strengths and weaknesses, doing the best they can.

The story worked particularly well when dealing with matters of which Alastair Campbell has some personal experience; the alcoholic M.P. being particularly sympathetically portrayed.

The narrative structure was rather complex, involving the individual stories of multiple patients, but the various strands  were drawn together into a more-or-less satisfactory conclusion.

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What I didn't like:

For my simple tastes, there were too many characters to empathise with and this led, perversely, to feeling less empathy with any of them. 

He failed to avoid some stereotypes: the pushy wife of the alcoholic MP and the nagging wife of the psychiatrist were both very two-dimensional. In fact, none of the female characters were particularly authentic, despite valiant attempts.

Some of the resolutions at the end (and I am thinking particularly of the scarred young girl) were unconvincing.

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Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

This is what I wrote about Blink on the Shelfari review site, a few months ago:

'Interesting book and very readable. It explores the role of intuition in our thinking (the blink being that sudden feeling or understanding; rapid cognition) and how this may contribute to great decision making, but can also lead us astray.

I would have, personally, found the book more useful if there has been some guidance on when to trust the "blink" and how to develop the ability to "blink" more successfully. '

Recently, I picked up the book and re-read the final chapter and realise I had missed the point.

Blink ends with a "conclusion" involving a tale about a female trombone player, Abbie Conant. Abbie was chosen for an orchestra on the basis of an audition where she played the trombone behind a screen. As they listened, everyone knew she was the one trombone player they wanted for their orchestra.

Abbie's problems began when she stepped in front of the screen and the music director realised she was a woman. Since she was a woman, his eyes told him, she could not have the strength to play a 'masculine' instrument like the trombone. She was demoted and given less pay than her male colleagues. Although she was picked because of her effect on the ears of the music director, she faced discrimination because of her effect on his eyes.

She took the case to court. And won. Now many orchestras conduct screened auditions and the number of women in orchestras has increased as a direct result.

What was the point I missed?

The first point is: we should encourage and allow the blink moment to happen, by keeping our minds free of prejudices and preconceptions.

The second point is: as we may not know what these prejudices and preconceptions are, we should be prepared to expend some effort creating situations to enable the blink to happen.

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Do you believe your perceptions are always logical?

Do you believe you can hear clearly without being distracted by what you actually see ?

I was fascinated by a recent Horizon programme on the BBC that proves you can't.

Don't believe me? Try the McGurk effect for yourself.

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Black Dogs, by Ian McEwan

This is a book about two obstinate old people with a failed marriage - and how dangerous challenges can shape our lives.

I had previously read Ian McEwan's more recent book, On Chesil Beach, and had not particularly enjoyed it. Since Ian McEwan is one of our most respected British authors, I was determined to have another go.

What I liked about this book:

• The sympathetic portrayal of the main female character, who we first meet as an old woman. Later we learn of her experiences when young and how these shaped her life. (To start with, I thought the narrator was going to favour the analytical, but cold, husband.)
  
• The underlying tension created by the vague menace of the episode of the 'black dogs', introduced early into the narrative, but not revealed in full until near the end.
  
• The linking of the fall of the Berlin wall into the narrative - as this was such a powerful news story and had such tremendous resonance for those of us who lived through the age of the Wall and saw its fall.
  
• The fact that walking plays an important role in the story. (As I am a keen walker and involved in my own epic walk around the coast).
  

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What I didn't like about this book: The book starts with an interesting preface. I would have liked to know more about the narrator, his family and, particularly, what happened to his neice, Sally. The main story opens at a languid pace and, being told through the eyes of a third person, I felt somewhat distanced from the main characters and the events that slowly enfolded, until the pace picked up and the story came alive in the second half of the book.

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Farewell Summer, by Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury is one of my favourite science fiction authors. And his non-science fiction books are pretty good too.

I have to confess, I found Farewell Summer hard going. But, in the final few chapters, the book finally came alive for me – so alive, I started it again and read it through from the beginning. (This is the first time I have ever read a book through, twice, all in one sitting).

This is a book about growing up and growing old, set in a small American town during a long, hot, Indian summer. Here the young boys, led by 13 year old Doug, decide to wage war against the old men who dominate the life of the town. After the first shot is fired (from a cap gun) and, inadvertently, causes a real death, the boys set about trying to stop time; stealing the old men's chess pieces and stopping the clock in the town hall.

The old men and the boys grow older. Eventually, the season turns and the warring generations reach an uneasy truce.

This is book about youth, old age and the realisation of mortality. At only 159 pages, and with plenty of white space due to the shortness of the chapters, this is a novella, rather than a novel. I wasn't surprised to find this is actually an extension to Ray Bradbury's original book, Dandelion Wine - snipped by the publishers as being too long.

The book may be short and the writing sparse, but don't be fooled. The prose is thick; with poetry, with references, with characters, with imagery, with nostalgia, with poignancy, with universal truths.

Read it slowly. Then read it again.

The book (in my edition anyway) ends with an 'Afterword', where Ray Bradbury describes his writing techniques and talks about the background to the book - all fascinating stuff and worthy of another post. (Visit Ruthless Scribblings.)

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Talyn, by Holly Lisle

I have been following Holly Lisle's excellent short courses and bought her PDF book, Create a Plot Clinic.

Then it occurred to me. I am learning from a writer whose books I have never read. What if I hate her novels? What if her writing is poor, sloppy, uninteresting or just plain bad?

I was seized with an immediate need to find a Holly Lisle novel and read it.

This was not as easy as it sounds. Holly is American and I couldn't find her books in our local bookshops. Neither was she on our library's shelves. But, I tracked one of her books down to a library in deepest, darkest Lincolnshire and ordered it.

So, what's it all about?
Talyn is a female soldier experiencing a crisis of national and personal identity. The story is set in a world Holly Lisle has created. There is magic and Talyn uses magic to defend her city and her country. There is also sex - quite a lot of sex and some violent sex - so this book is not for children or for prudes.

Points of View
Although Talyn herself narrates the story, some parts of the book are written from the point of view of another person; an enemy soldier. There is no device used to do this and sections of the story flip-flop between Talyn's first person narrative and the soldier's third person sections. (I believe this story structure is unusual and, indeed, can't think of another book where this happens.) Initially, this caught me by surprise, but the shifts were handled elegantly and I found the story was enriched as a result.

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What I liked about Talyn.

• The alternating point of view.
• The page-turning adventures.
• The sex scenes with a definitely female perspective.
• The strong female lead.
• The incredibly real world, created for this novel.

Holly Lisle talks in details about world building, for this book and others, on her website.

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What I didn't like about Talyn.

• Um..
• ... hang on, let me think.
• Maybe the book was a bit too long.
• Maybe the villain was a little bit OTT evil.
• And I am never keen on magic as a device in books - although this is all the rage these days.

I am back on a mission again - to find another Holly Lisle book to read.

Don't interupt me - I'm reading a book

You know how frustrating it is when you are reading a book and people interupt you?

'I see you are not busy ..'
'Do you want to do something?"
'If you've got a minute...'
'Glad I caught you while you are doing nothing...'

Do you want to shout out loud?

'I am busy, I am doing something, I haven't got a minute, I'm not doing nothing; for the love of all that's holy, can't you see what I'm doing?

I'm READING!'

Found this on YouTube, by the wonderful Julian Smith - and love it.

The Undomestic Goddess, by Sophie Kinsella

This is not the type of book I usually read.

Science fiction, action adventure and psychological thrillers are my usual choices. I am not a 'girly' girl and I don't like literature that is marked as 'chick lit'. The cover alone would put me off picking this one of the shelves.

But, I am making a real effort to broaden the genres I read. And have read one of Sophie Kinsella's books before and found it entertaining. So, when I found this for sale in a charity shop, I bought it.

What I liked about the book

Told from the point of view of the main character - a young female lawyer who falls from grace and ends up doing something completely different - this was frothy fun. The story moved at a pace and there was always something happening. The language chosen was easy and clear, without being patronising. So, I will confess to enjoying this amusing (but ridiculous) story.

What I didn't like about the book

I just couldn't quite picture the main character as a seriously good lawyer - she was more a Bridget Jones character, dippy and scatterbrained. The basic plot was unlikely. The love interest was too obvious. The ending was predictable.

Who would enjoy it?

Young women (probably younger than the main character) who like the idea of being seriously successful, while living a wildly crazy sort of life with no ties. Great for holiday reading, reading while travelling; or for cheering yourself up when life gets just a bit too serious.

Stephen King's Bag of Bones

I am not a fan of the horror genre and Stephen King is a best selling author so - my illogical thought processes reasoned - I couldn't possibly enjoy his books.

But other authors acclaim his story telling skills and I decided I should read at least one King novel, if only to prove my own prejudices
correct. So I picked this book off the shelf of my local library.

Well, I was wrong. He is not a good writer. He is a great writer.

I read "Bag of Bones" - during daylight hours only! The story was complex, the characters believable and the supernatural elements were woven into the plot with such skill that disbelief was easily suspended (by this reader anyway).

Anyway, back to the library for more ......

Choosing a book?

Try this site:
www.whichbook.net

Free ebooks

Wow. I had no idea this site existed. What a wonderful project.

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