Let's browse, shall we?

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

East, West by Salman Rushdie



After years of side stepping his books, I finally settled on this short story collection to become better acquainted with Mr. Rushdie. Though very much aware of him since the eighties, I must admit that I have never had it clear in my mind if it was his notoriety or his status as an author that piqued my curiosity. I would rather think it was the latter, of course, and dismiss any notion that I am as easily swayed by the scandal press as any tabloid subscriber. Whatever the case may be, let me say in my defense that I only just purchased a couple of his books within the last year, so any case that may be made for my being influenced by a person's simple celebrity would be somewhat tempered by the fact that it's taken over two decades for said influence to have taken any marked effect over me.

East, West is a volume rich in color and filled with several tales on varied themes, some, I might add, quite unexpected. His writing style seems to fluctuate from one story to the next, going from plain storytelling with little embellishment - almost as plain as one might expect in a fable - to erudite analysis and speculation on popular legend. His prose is very elegant and flows gently, and he paints lovely portraits of his characters. At times I found him long winded though, and tiresome. There were a couple of stories that I considered skipping past at the halfway point, but I stuck it out due to their shortness in length. I wonder if perhaps those particular stories were intended for a purely scholarly audience, since their frame of reference seemed to require prior understanding and in depth knowledge of the matter at hand. Regardless, I have walked away with a pleasant impression of Mr. Rushdie and I look forward to reading one of his novels.


Read from May 23 to 28, 2013

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Thursday, May 23, 2013

Swag by Elmore Leonard



An enjoyable read! Swag moves right along, never slowing its fast paced rhythm and never dwelling on boring details. Every so often I like to just dive into a book that has no pretensions or delusions of grandeur. With Elmore Leonard you get what you came for: a good crime novel.

My only caveat with this edition is the huge amount of typos. I could hardly get past a page without finding one or two. It's hard to believe a publishing house like Center Point would not do a better job of proofreading their works before going to print.

Regardless, this book was a lot of fun and I highly recommend it to anyone who doesn't want to think too much and enjoys a little action.


Read from May 17 to 23, 2013

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Monday, May 20, 2013

Fatelessness by Imre Kertész





Fatelessness takes its readers on a devastating ride through the hell of life in Nazi death camps. The most intriguing aspect of this particular tale, in contrast to others before and after, is the chance to view such a miserable experience through the eyes of a fifteen year old boy. His understanding of the events as they unfold before him is painful to witness and is underscored by his innocence and youth.

The novel is masterfully written and reads like a report. There is little in the way of sentimentality and the narrative is hardly (if at all) slanted to arouse a visceral reaction from the reader. We are only offered descriptions of what the boy sees and feels. All conclusions are left to be arrived at on our own.

A fantastic read and one I highly recommend.







Read from April 30 to May 17, 2013

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Swallows of Kabul by Yasmina Khadra



An interesting book, if only because it deals with Kabul under Taliban rule. It's a sad tale, as one might expect, but somehow I feel it fails to reach its intended apex. The sense of suspense one would expect to find as the story approaches its announced climax was absent. Yet the novel contains lovely prose and descriptive narrative. The main characters come in differing degrees of interesting; some dull, others grotesque, and one of them startlingly fascinating. But the author fails to fully flesh them out. The same with the plot. It doesn't take off completely, and so falls short of fulfilling its promise.

My feelings regarding the author's intent may be that he was merely trying to offer the reader a slice of life in the Taliban's Afghanistan. That much was well managed. It's a short read, so if you are at all curious about life under Sharia law, I won't hesitate to recommend it.


Read from April 21 to 30, 2013


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Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee



A true page turner, Disgrace grabs you early on with an effortless narrative of unspectacular events, which eventually develop into more consequential moments. Coetzee's writing is magnificent. The words drip from his pen like so much honey; drawing images and scenarios with ease. Reading his text is magically unconstrained, but the subtext is rife with symbolism throughout.

Without divulging events that might spoil the read for others, certain incidents occur that turn the plot drastically in the direction of professional disgrace for the main character. This leads him down other paths and he ends up visiting his only daughter, who lives alone on a farms of sorts, out in the country. Certain matters converge and, this being South Africa in the early post-apartheid years, a series of unfortunate situations unfold that reflect the struggles for all involved when adapting to a new set of rules for cohabitation. Particularly the consideration of past harms done to a people and the inevitable resentment that persists within those generations that follow.

As the novel proceeds we can read into many events a reflective measure of David's (David Lourie, the novel's central character)past actions, and find the balancing act nature creates in our lives to carry a certain sense of inevitability. Others do unto us what we do unto others.

A wonderful read with much to tell us. It is a novel of devastating insight that poses many questions and offers few answers. As any good novel should do, it leaves the pondering to the reader.


Read from April 12 to 20, 2013


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Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson



This novel follows an interesting tale and it tells it in good enough fashion. A death at sea occurs, the evidence found indicates the possibility of foul play, a suspect is arrested and a courtroom drama unfolds. Beneath the surface though, there are prejudices and long standing feuds between several of the involved parties that make for a fascinating yarn. Particular attention is given to Japanese/American relations in the wake of World War II, and how this affected everyone's views in American communities with sizable colonies of Japanese immigrants. This is a very shameful episode in American history and it is handled deftly by the author.

The problem is that Guterson is horribly long winded. Too much time is spent on little daily details that don't add anything to the central narrative; they go well past the need for context, rendering the book tiresome at times. I found myself not looking forward to picking up my book, as I usually would, when my precious few moments for reading came up. This drew out the story even longer, and it was only my stubborn need to try and finish every book I start that forced me to read to the end. I wouldn't recommend it if asked.


Read from March 06 to April 12, 2013


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Blindness by José Saramago



Blindness takes you for a spellbinding ride from the first page all the way through the end. This book draws you into a possible reality where an epidemic of blindness quickly affects a city's population. A quarantine of those affected is imposed, but due to the astounding limitations of those inside absolute chaos soon ensues. The living conditions deteriorate at breakneck speed and food rationing gives way to organized bullying. It is a startling world Saramago imagines, but one we might all envision as all too probable.

The author uses no names, as if those who are blind needn't names to identify them. Thus they are referred to by their link to the story, or a remarkable feature they had when they first entered the picture, e.g. the Doctor, the first blind man, the girl with sunglasses. I don't believe I'd ever read a human tale that included no names before.

An excellent read. I highly recommend it!


Read from February 17 to March 06, 2013


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The Untouchable by John Banville



An intriguing account of the Cambridge spies. Interesting, amusing and somewhat impertinent, it makes the entire pre-World War II and Cold War era of intrigue seem little more than a playground for the privileged; spying as a cure for boredom and socialism as a lofty objective, albeit somewhere deep in the horizon and far from their extravagant lifestyles.

The narrative can be a little heavy at times, but overall a gratifying read.


Read from January 19 to February 03, 2013


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Everything Was Good-bye by Gurjinder Basran



Fascinating read and very engaging. It will draw you into a frustrating world of Indian culture in a western land, where those subject to its rules are enriched by its benefits yet crushed by its narrowness. 

Very well written and a definite harbinger of greater works ahead.


Read from December 21, 2012 to January 19, 2013


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Dolicocéfala Rubia by Pitigrilli



An interesting read. Not exactly what I expected, but then I'm not quite sure what it was I expected. The author has a cynical manner of narrating the events. Somewhat similar to Ayn Rand, in that sense. Events unfold and cause and consequence are exposed, but there is a dryness to the way in which we witness everything. I'm not sure I would read anymore of his books, but I don't regret having read this one.

The story revolves around the main character, Teodore Zweifel, and the family, associates and friends within his immediate circle. He is a petulant, self-absorbed non-conformist who is loathe to suffer fools - and we are all fools - but who finds himself under constant legal challenges (though they should by all means be of a civil nature, they appear to be criminal proceedings) to his trade, which is essentially the practice of alternative medicine. The novel covers ten years of his life, from forty through fifty years of age. The conclusion is puzzling and the ending unsatisfying, though I'm frankly at a loss imagining how it might have been done better.


Read from February 03 to 17, 2013


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