Let's browse, shall we?

Monday, June 24, 2013

Women as Lovers by Elfriede Jelinek



This book will challenge your perception of how a novel must read. Jelinek's style is uncommon and thus hard to digest in the way we've been conditioned. But her point seems to come across.

The story contains the tales of two young ladies in the Austrian Alps: Brigitte and Paula. They have similar backgrounds; working class families, destined to struggle throughout their lives with menial jobs for unskilled laborers, and subject to society's double standard regarding men and women's sexual activities. Both girls take differing approaches to getting a man, though both ultimately seek the same thing: security.

There is quite a bit of male bashing going on. In fact, all men in this book are self centered oafs, looking for nothing in life beyond their personal satisfaction. But the women portrayed here are not much better, as they lie and scheme and go to extreme lengths to get their men.

I wouldn't completely exclude a certain degree of cynicism on Jelinek's part, but most of her portrayal rings true, even though hers is a culture that differs from mine and I'm definitely no expert in the social habits of Austrian villagers. There are universal truths in the basic premise of the human species' male/female interaction that can be found even in the remotest parts of the world. There is one dominant and one subservient gender in most households, although we may kid ourselves into believing that in our home power is distributed evenly. The balance is usually upset to one side or the other. In less cosmopolitan settings, the physically stronger party will most often take the dominant role.

As cumbersome as Jelinek's writing can be - she uses no capitals (not even for proper names), there is much repetition for the sake of stressing a point, her basic grammatical structure deviates from what we've come to expect, and the narrative is overflowing with negativity - this book reads in a fairly easy manner and is not entirely unpleasant. That and my admiration for her craftiness should explain my willingness to rate Women as Lovers four stars.

Not a book for everyone, but most should give it a try.

Read from June 11 to 21, 2013

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Monday, June 10, 2013

TransAtlantic by Colum McCann



History surrounds us, always taking form. Rarely are we those who take a part in its making; most us are nothing more than unwitting witnesses to events that will later be determined to have been meaningful.

In TransAtlantic, Colum McCann ties the tales of multiple historical figures with fictional everyday people, those that came and went leaving a less indelible footprint. The story takes place on two continents, Europe and North America, and spans a good many years. The narrative begins in 2012, moves to 1919, onto 1845, then moves back and forth some more. There is no seeming reason for the particular disarray of the chronological order, but with the passing of the pages we are gradually shown the connections between the characters, and with them, perhaps, the author's purpose for jumping around erratically in time.

Slices of the daily toil and routines abound throughout. It's as if McCann hopes to contrast the mundane details that our lives are made of, between those who've accomplished great things and those of us who've only just passed through life. To a certain degree, it is while those little moments happen that both paths cross, and the distinctive humanity displayed by the great ones during those menial tasks is what leaves the strongest impression upon those with fates of lesser historical impact.

There are moments of sheer beauty in this book, when you force yourself to read slower, that you might savor each passing reference and description a little more. His characters, even the non-fictional ones, are fully fleshed out and carefully drawn to show us every dimension of their beings, blemishes and all. It is an extraordinary achievement. The novel pushes you to turn each coming page, to keep reading until you're done. I highly recommend this book. McCann is spinning gold with his writing.


Read from June 05 to 10, 2013

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Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Robert's Rules of Writing by Robert Masello



Loved it. Every writer, or prospective writer, should take a glance at it. Mr. Masello puts a lot of emphasis on dispelling writing myths and taboos in favor of clear and precise advice that will allow you to move past most of the issues modern fiction writers face at some time or another. The book reads easily and is laid out in a very simple format: each rule is its own chapter. You don't have to follow it in any particular order. Just open it up at any given page and read that rule. They're all written with clarity and injected with amusing anecdotes, so you'll have a hard time finding anything boring in there. I borrowed this copy from the library, but I'm thinking of purchasing my own just to have one to browse over when the mood strikes me or when I feel stuck during a writing project.


Read from May 15 to June 04, 2013

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Monday, June 3, 2013

Bestiario by Julio Cortázar




Not my style. Could not get into it. I read through four of the stories and found the subject matter wanting. I can see how many might find this appealing, but it simply did not work for me. I will revisit one or two of the remaining stories in the future to see if time and my mood alter my perception.


Read from June 02 to 03, 2013

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Sunday, June 2, 2013

The Poor Mouth by Flann O'Brien



A very humorous first person account of a young Gael's (Bonaparte O'Coonasa) life of squalor and misery in the village of Corkadoragha, Ireland. Originally written in Gaelic, translated to English in 1973, O'Brien masterfully uses satire to expose the lamentable existence and sorry conditions these people live in from their day of birth. It is a funny telling and very entertaining, though those of us not familiar with this particular life might find ourselves often shaking our heads in disbelief at the utter ignorance with which most situations are addressed. I've read some reviews by those that have had some connection to this land, and they all seem to find the events to ring outrageously true, albeit to the point of exaggeration. That being the case, and if they can laugh at it themselves, I encourage others to partake in the amusement.


Read from May 28 to June 02, 2013

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