Review: Anil’s Ghost

Anil’s Ghost by Michael Ondaatje
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I had a really hard time getting in to Anil’s Ghost. In fact, I really didn’t ever get into it – I finished it in a marathon of reading more just to get through it than because I really cared about the characters or story.

I think it was the style that made it difficult for me. The chapters jumped around from character to character as well as in time. I found it disorienting and fragmented. There was a dreamy, detached sense to the narrative that didn’t work for me – I imagine that it was certainly intentional, to convey particular emotions, but for me it just had the effect of keeping me from getting truly engaged.

The storyline of Anil’s Ghost is pretty depressing. I don’t mind reading books about heavy topics if they engage me and I feel that they carry some truth I can relate to. Since I could not connect to this book, it seemed even more heavy than I expected.

After two not-so-great books in a row, I need to do some careful searching at the library this weekend!

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Review: Medea and Her Children

Medea and Her Children by Lyudmila Ulitskaya
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Most of the way through this book I mildly enjoyed it, although I was not strongly drawn in. The stories of various family members of the sprawling Sinolpy family are told in separate chapters, almost like separate vignettes or short stories. There is good detail and I felt that I could picture the lives of these people in Russia, so different from my own. However, I really did not like the ending of the book. As the book progressed, it became more and more focused on one character and her involvement in a love triangle. The book seemed to switch from a general depiction of these people’s lives to an exclusive focus on one woman’s love madness. I did not like the way the characters in the love triangle behaved, as it seemed quite thoughtless and even irrational. Perhaps this was the intent of the author – to convey the sense of these people completely swept up in their passions and emotions, but to me it felt overdone and so completely different from my own experience of life that I could not relate to it at all. It was not the direction I expected the book to go and overall I can’t say that I really liked the book.

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Review: The Curse of Chalion

The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this fantasy/adventure novel. The characters were interesting and unique, the plot was captivating, and the world was creative and compelling. I feel that it is a “mature” fantasy in that it does not rely on stock patterns or characters; there is a complexity and uniqueness to it that distinguishes it from your run-of-the-mill fantasy. The main character is not at all your typical handsome, perfect hero, and there are very strong female characters. There is romance, but it is subtle, lovely, and believable.

I was so drawn in to the story and the world that when I finished the book I felt as if I was still partly living in the world – I wasn’t ready to leave it and I certainly wasn’t ready to start a new book. Books that do this for me are my favorite ones, and that is really the highest recommendation I can give a book. Needless to say, I am looking forward to reading the two subsequent novels set in the same world!

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Review: Corrag

Corrag by Susan Fletcher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Corrag, by Susan Fletcher, is the story of a young woman in Scotland in 1692 who is accused of witchcraft for her supposed involvement in a massacre. It took me a little while to get into it, but once I did, I really enjoyed it.

The style and plot are different from your typical historical fiction novel. Corrag, the main character, is imprisoned and telling her story to an Irish Reverend who wants to learn more about the massacre for political reasons. Corrag’s first-person narrative is interwoven with letters from the Reverend, Charles, to his wife in Ireland. During Corrag’s narrative she sometimes talks directly to Charles, saying “you”, but we never read an actual dialogue between the two of them. It was an unusual and effective narrative style, combining with Fletcher’s beautiful, lyrical writing to convey a sense of dreaminess and timelessness.

The story did not have a grand, sweeping scale, but instead was almost like a snapshot into two people’s lives. Both characters grow during the novel and through their stories Fletcher addresses themes of love (of places and people), loneliness, friendship, and kindness. The sense of place is also strong during Corrag’s narrative in particular.

Overall, I thought Corrag was a beautiful book and I highly recommend it.

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Review: In the Bleak Midwinter

In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a fantastic mystery! The characters were interesting and realistic, and the mystery itself was complex and well-done. It was fast-paced, I didn’t want to put it down, and I was disappointed when it ended. But luckily there are six more books by the author featuring the same characters!

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Music, the Brain, and Ecstasy (thoughts)

I was fascinated by Music, the Brain, and Ecstasy: How Music Captures Our Imaginations, by Robert Jourdain. Writing for the layperson, Jourdain presents a broad overview of how our brains and bodies process music, both in listening to and performing it. In the first half of the book he builds up from the basic processes chapter by chapter, starting with simple sound, then moving on to tones, melody, harmony, and rhythm. The later chapters discuss performing, composing, listening, understanding, and finally ecstasy. He presents the physics and neurology involved in music processing (as well as the evolution behind some of it) in easily understood terms. Much of the brain is not well understood, and he made sure to make that clear as well, often presenting multiple theories and the arguments for and against each one. Along the way he provides an overview of the history of (mostly Western) music, highlighting various famous and less well-known music personalities. His analysis of the way in which we process music is quite thorough and includes discussions on the relationships to math, language, and physical movement.

This book was perfect for me because it combined two things that particularly interest me: music and the brain. Music has been a part of my life as long as I can remember; I currently sing in a choir, take voice lessons, and dabble in piano and composition.  In college I enjoyed my cognitive psychology class, but I never took neurobiology. However, every time I read a book about the brain I am reminded of how interesting I find it. The complexities and the things that it can do are mind-boggling. I also find that I can be deeply moved by both listening to and performing music, and thus I was extra-intrigued by the inclusion of “ecstasy” in the title of the book. Jourdain did not disappoint me. His musings on why music can be an experience of ecstasy made a lot of sense to me and I appreciated that they were based in science.

I do have a few criticisms of Music, the Brain, and Ecstasy. The first is his bias towards Western, classical music. He actually does mention non-Western music quite a bit, and I thought he made it quite clear that the Western scales are just one possible way of organizing tones. However, he definitely had an overall bias towards Western music (partly understandable, since that’s obviously what he knows). Additionally, there is a strong bias towards classical music. I do agree that contemporary popular music is not as complex as classical music, so this bias again makes sense in certain ways. However, I could see how it could bother some readers. My second criticism is that he focused too much on the virtuoso musicians and unusual cases such as idiot savants rather than on the everyday individual. This particularly bothered me in the section on composition, since I would like to understand what is going on in my brain when I write music – and I am certainly no Mozart.

Overall, I really enjoyed Music, the Brain, and Ecstasy, and I highly recommend it if you are interested in the topics. I take away from it a sense of awe at the complexities of our brain, a renewed understanding of the way in which our “mind” is a part of our physical body, and a deep appreciation for my own ability to experience music.

Brief thoughts on recent non-fiction reads

Here are some brief reviews of non-fiction I have read recently.

5 star reads

The Tiger Ladies: A Memoir of Kashmir, by Sudha Koul: With lyrical and evocative writing, Koul describes her childhood growing up in a beautiful and somewhat idyllic Kashmir before the ravages of war took over. I enjoyed this lovely window into another time and place, as well as the latter part of the book which touched on the immigrant experience in the United States.

4 star reads

Contemplative Living, by Joan Duncan Oliver: Interesting overview of different ways to engage in mindfulness, meditation, prayer, and contemplative living.

Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women, by Geraldine Brooks: Interesting and thoughtful investigation into the lives of Islamic women, primarily in the Middle East, but also with some attention to Africa. Although Brooks is Caucasian (Australian) and not Islamic (actually, she converted to Judaism as an adult), I felt that this was a well-balanced portrayal of women very different from herself. She lived in the Middle East for many years as a journalist and this book is reflective of her training in that field.

No Turning Back: The History of Feminism and the Future of Women, by Estelle B. Freedman: This is a thorough presentation of the history and development of feminism around the world. The aspect I most appreciated about the book is Freedman’s nuanced cultural analyses. She does an excellent job of setting context, discussing the variety of “feminisms” and feminist movements that exist through-out the world, and pointing out the ways in which race, class, and nationality affect women’s experiences and perspectives. In fact, from reading this book I gained a new understanding of the way in which my identity and my view of my relationship to the world are culturally determined. My biggest criticism of the book is that it was a bit dry in places. At times I felt that the historical facts dominated and I wished there was more analysis of the reasons behind the events and perspectives she was presenting.

3 star reads

where we stand: class matters, by bell hooks: bell hooks makes a lot of important points and connections in these essays on class, as well as on the intersections between class, race, and gender. However, I found it rather repetitive; since each chapter was apparently written as a separate essay it felt as if the same thing was said many times through-out the different essays. Within each essay, I sometimes felt that the writing meandered and it was difficult to follow the train of thought at times. This was my first book by bell hooks and I would definitely like to read more by her, but unfortunately my library does not have many of her books.

The Drunkards’s Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives, by Leonard Mlodinow: An engaging review of probability and statistics, but I sometimes wished he would explain the mathematics behind things in more detail. Also, there was more historical information than I was expecting, which I wasn’t that interested in.

Brief thoughts on recent fiction reads

Nothing I’ve read recently has inspired me to do a full review, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t read some good things. Here are some brief thoughts on the recent fiction I’ve read.

5 star reads

The Horse Whisperer, by Nicholas Evans: This was a really, really good book. I had avoided it for a long time because I thought it was over-hyped (due to the movie) and I knew parts of it were sad. But although both of those things may be true, it is still a really good book. I was strongly drawn in to the characters and story and found it hard to put down; among other things, Evans is excellent at conveying emotions of situation and place.

The Cookbook Collector, by Allegra Goodman: I’m not always that interested in books that address the trials and tribulations of contemporary life, especially a high-tech, Silicon Valley life. But this was one of those books that grabs hold of me and won’t let go – I read most of it over one weekend. The characters are interesting and unique and feel like real people, and the story is engaging.

A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving: Another great read by John Irving. I never feel like his plots sound all that interesting, but his writing, descriptions, and characterizations are superb. While often he addresses the unusual and even absurd in life, he portrays people who,  more than anything, feel real and human, and through that touches on the big questions in life.

4 star reads

Bachelor Brothers’ Bed & Breakfast, by Bill Richardson: These interconnected short stories about a B&B run by two brothers in rural Canada are very light reading, but well-written and entertaining.

An Artist of the Floating World, by Kazuo Ishiguro: I enjoyed this short early novel by Ishiguro. It is a quiet book, not that much action, but beautiful in its way. I’m not sure how I feel about unreliable narrators in general, but Ishiguro does them very well and this book is no exception.

A Thread of Grace, by Mary Doria Russell: This is an intense and complex novel about the Italian resistance during WWII. I enjoyed it, but not as much as the first book I read by Russell, The Sparrow. The plot followed a large cast of characters with complex relationships between them, and there were frequent changes in perspective. At first I found it particularly difficult to follow who was who, but as some of the initially distinct storylines started to overlap I enjoyed it more. Although the story was quite painful at times and many of the main characters die, one thing that Russell did very well is make her characters human; they made realistic and difficult choices in desperate times. Overall it is a strong, well-written book that portrays with compassion a dark and difficult time in human history.

A Mind to Murder, by P. D. James: Another delightful, tightly woven, and well-written murder mystery by P. D. James.

3 star reads

Sea of Poppies, by Amitav Ghosh: I didn’t really get into this book as much as I expected. For one thing, much of it is written in the vernacular, which I found difficult to read and therefore harder to engage with. After finished it, it did not feel especially memorable. However, it did end with the sense that there is more story to come – I believe a sequel is on the way and I may well read it.

The Country of the Pointed Firs, by Sarah Orne Jewett: These sparse, vignette style stories about early 20th century coastal Maine were mildly interesting to me, but not strongly captivating.

Fire on the Mountain, by Anita Desai: A short novel about a old woman living our her remaining years in the mountainous region of India, very atmospheric and reflective on themes such as motherhood and solitude. It is very well-written but I did not get that engaged by it – it was more about atmosphere and themes than storyline.

Gifts, by Ursula K. Le Guin: It was not the greatest book I’ve read by Le Guin; it is definitely geared towards a teen audience. I will probably read the remaining books in the series eventually but I don’t feel an urgent desire to.

2 star reads

Death of a Snob, by M. C. Beaton: I usually enjoy the light, small-village style of mystery, but this one was a bit too light even for me. Additionally, the writing was not particularly good and the protagonist was not especially compelling.

The Walking People (thoughts)

The Walking People, by Mary Beth Keane, was a wonderfully lucky random find on the shelf at the library. One day the title just caught my eye as I walked down the aisle. I pulled it off the shelf and was still intrigued after reading the inside flap. Although I did not actually check it out that day, I took note of it and a few weeks later finally decided to give it a try. Reading random books I have never heard of is definitely hit or miss, but this one was a hit!

The storyline follows Irish immigrants to the United States from their childhood in Ireland in the 1950s all the way up to 2007. The main character, Greta, leaves her mother behind in Ireland when she takes a ship to New York as a teenager with her sister and a boy named Michael. Although she was awkward as a girl, in New York she grows into adulthood and creates a life for herself, working and raising a family. Although she continues to think of Ireland as “home”, she at the same time harbors a secret that keeps her from maintaining contact with her family. Years later, she still fears losing everything she has gained when her children contrive to bring the two worlds together.

My description of the plotline may not sound like much, but the beauty of this book is in the details. The snapshots into each time period – 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 2007s – made me feel as if I was really in that time and place. I felt as if I went on the immigrant journey myself along with Greta and Michael. The contrast between their lives in rural Ireland in the 1950s and New York City in the 1970s was immense and expertly conveyed. The writing is crisp and engaging and I thought the use of multiple third person voices was effective in giving the whole picture of these people’s lives. I also liked the use of time: mostly the story is linear, but it starts with a prologue set in 2007, and at the start of each section (each set in a different year) flashbacks are used effectively to convey what happened during the missing years. Another detail that I really appreciated is the fact that all of the characters had flaws. They were mostly all likeable, but neither were they perfect. In short, they seemed human.

The Walking People is one of those books where I just sat and read and didn’t notice time passing. I lived in the world of the characters while I was reading (and a bit after I finished it as well). Really, what higher praise can I give a book?

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (thoughts)

(Yes, it’s been awhile since I last posted anything here. What can I say other than that other things in my life took forefront? And, like with many activities in my life, I go through phases and cycles with blogging. I can’t make any promises about upcoming frequency of posts, but I’m sure there will be some, sometime. So if anyone has stuck around and is reading this, thanks for still reading even with my irregular posting!)

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewski, started out very promising. I looked forward to a great American tale – a “modern classic,” as the book flap said – and for the first 200 pages or so (out of 562), it seemed to be living up to those expectations. I was engaged, it had potential, and the 200 pages had gone by quickly, in that good way of great long books. However, as I got further into it, it started losing me. It began to feel long and my interest in the storyline dwindled. I read in little bits and pieces but did not feel compelled to keep reading. The story became quite painful at times, and also introduced an element of the paranormal, which was unexpected and a bit odd. Not surprisingly, it ended tragically (I don’t feel that I am giving too much away here, as it was fairly predictable that it would end in tragedy).

Overall, my sense of the book is that Wroblewski set out to write a “great” novel, but he did not fully succeed. His efforts were a little too forced. I didn’t quite get what grand meaning he was trying to convey through this story.

In terms of style, his writing is quite good and flows well, but does not stand out to me as superb. He does not strike me as an author I would read specifically for the writing. However, his descriptions were quite evocative and he did make me want to visit that part of Wisconsin (and almost made me want a dog – but I am not a dog person, so not quite). If the writing had not been good, it is likely I would not have finished the book.

I realize that this has been a very popular book, on bestseller lists, so I am curious to hear from some people who really liked it. If you have read it, what did you find great about it? What was the meaning to you?