Book Review - Notwithstanding

Notwithstanding

Louis de Bernieres

This collection of short stories is based on the author’s recollection of life growing up in an English village and of a way of life that has pretty much all but disappeared. It’s funny, quirky, eccentric as only the English can be and moving, often all at the same time.

To me it felt like the English weather, covering all the seasons of life. Permeating through all the stories, though, was this sense of loss, not innocence exactly, more of a way of life that was simpler, more connected to people, a community and the land.

A book that pushes the reader to reflect on the passage of their own life.

I highly recommend it.

The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair by Joel Dicker

English: the forests in new hampshire in autumn (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is the author (and book) that has been touted as the new European bestseller in the vein of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. 

Written by Swiss author Dicker and set in America, it has garnered lots of accolades even before being translated into English. So what’s it all about?

Thirty-three years ago , fifteen-year-old Nola Kellergan is glimpsed fleeing through the woods, never to be heard from again. According to the plot that was the day Somerset, New Hampshire lost its innocence.

Today Marcus Goldman, successful young novelist is visiting Somerset to see his mentor, Harry Quebert, one of Americas most respected writers, to find a cure for his writers block. But Marcus’s plan ends when Harry is implicated in the cold case murder of Nola Kellergan.

As the national media  convicts Harry, Marcus launches his own investigation, following a trail of clues through Harry’s books, the backwoods and beaches of New Hampshire and the hidden history of Somerset.

I found his to be an interesting read and compelling as the various plot turns unfold using interesting and different ways of treating the storyline. For example scattered through the book are tips that Marcus received from his mentor about how to write – each of which gives a hint of how the next section of the story will unfold.

I did feel though that the author’s ‘voice’ was somewhat naive which maybe attributable to the translation.  Overall though an extremely readable and enjoyable book, one of those that you look for any excuse to pick up (hide to read, if you will!).

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God Is Not Great (How religion poisons everything) by Christopher Hitchens

Christopher Hitchens (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In this book Hitchens even-handedly skewers most of the major religions of the world and also many of the well known religious figures, contemporary as well historical.

To quote the Sydney Morning Herald “This easily the most impressive of the present crop of atheistic and anti-theistic books: clever, broad, witty and brilliantly argued”.

 His primary target are the three major mono-theistic religions in the world with the major target being Christianity. And just reading the chapter headings gives some insight into his arguments. (and I wish I could articulate an argument as succinctly as Hitchens does – any argument).

For example: Chapter Three - A Short Digression on the Pig; or, Why Heaven Hates Ham. Hitchens browses over fish on Fridays before moving onto Judaism and Islamic hatred of pigs and managed to bring in a discussion on Animal Farm and its banning in all Muslim countries and the irony thereof.

And; Chapter Nine – The Koran Is Borrowed from Both Jewish and Christian Myths

Then; Chapter Thirteen – Does Religion Make People Behave Better

 And lastly; Chapter Sixteen – Is Religion Child Abuse?

I think you get the idea.  Hitchens argues against religion and for a secular life based on science and  reason, and calls for a renewed enlightenment based on the proposition that the proper study of mankind is man, and woman. And further that we no longer depend on a few heroic souls but that today  it is within the reach of the average person.

Read this, or not, it’s your choice.

Highly recommended 

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Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Thomas Cromwell, chancellor of Henry VIII (Photo credit: lisby1)

England in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the king dies without a male heir the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years and marry Anne Boleyn. The pope and most of Europe oppose him. The quest for the petulant king’s freedom destroys his advisor, the brilliant Cardinal Wolsey and leaves a power vacuum and a deadlock.

Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell the son of a blacksmith, a political genius, a briber, a bully and a charmer. Cromwell has broken all the rules of a rigid society in his rise to power and is prepared to break some more as he picks his way deftly through a court where ‘man is wolf to man’. Pitting himself against parliament, the political establishment and the papacy he is prepared to reshape England to his own and Henry’s desires.

Mantel ‘s approach I found interesting as she delves into the thought processes of Cromwell as he copes with court intrigues, political manoeuvring and also personal disasters. We see through his eyes what life may have been like in Henry’s reign and also his thoughts about the part he played, his plans and schemes and his views on the historical figures of the time. I particularly liked his take on Anne Boleyn, who she was as person/character.

So it’s a large book and easy to read. If you are interested in history, politics and how life was lived in the time of Henry VIII this book is for you.

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The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling

Een Goede raad (Photo credit: Djumbo)

I put off reading this for a while as I was nervous about how JK Rowling could make the transition from wizarding to writing ‘adult’ fiction. I’m happy to report that my fears have been allayed.

So, a brief overview of the book - when Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock. Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty facade is a town at war.

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, and teachers at war with their pupils…Pagford is not what it first seems.

And the empty seat left by Barry on the Parish Council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen.

Well, in addition to my nervousness, the blurb on the dustjacket put me off for a little while but this is definitely worth the read. Rowling has assembled a large cast of characters, all clearly delineated and all fit in well to the design of the story.

 It's a book of discovery as we find out how each character interacts with others and it has a rising tension that culminates in a final tragedy that I never saw coming. This book shows that Rowling has moved out the shadow of the boy wizard and onto a broader stage befitting of her talent. This is definitely a good read.

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The Fault In Our Stars

Iodine-123 whole body scan for thyroid cancer evaluation. The study above was performed after the total thyroidectomy and TSH stimulation with thyroid hormone medication withdrawal. The study shows a small residual thyroid tissue in the neck and a mediastinum lesion, consistent with the thyroid cancer metastatic disease. The uptakes in the stomach and bowel are normal physiologic findings. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Fault In Our Stars

John Green

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now. 
Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault. 
Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

Well, despite the grim topic, this is a celebration of life, warts and all.  It’s funny and yes it’s also sad but I found it uplifting.  It deals with a teenager with cancer just trying to live as normal a life as possible but at a higher level of emotional awareness.  But still just a girl, looking for a boy, wanting to go on dates, but limited in her choices.  I enjoyed this book immensely.

Must read.

Seven Types of Ambiguity by Elliot Perlman

Cover of Seven Types of Ambiguity

This 600+ page story is made up of seven sections which have at their core an impulsive act by which one of the main characters, Simon, attempts to win back the attention of his ex-girlfriend Anna, who has long since left him, moved on to someone else, married and had a child.  

Ten years after their relationship, Simon — an unemployed and directionless ex-teacher — can’t move on. And when he does make a move, his action has consequences for Anna, for her husband, for Simon’s psychiatrist, for Simon’s hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold girlfriend, and of course for Simon himself.  

Each of the seven sections is narrated by a different character and gives us a slightly different angle on the central story, and all these angles explore the ambiguities of human relationships. 

I found the book too long and sometimes pretentious and occasionally preachy.  But I still found a lot of it compelling and the long read was worth it in the end. 

Recommended

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The Irresistible Inheritance of Wilberforce by Paul Torday

Wilberforce is a computer geek who turns his teenage hobby into a multi-million-pound software business, working long days and spending the nights at home alone with a takeaway. By his 30s, he is rich and successful but restless and bored. When he stumbles into a local wine shop and is befriended by the smart, sophisticated owner, he finds everything that he has been missing: a father figure, a new obsession, interesting friends and a woman to love.

Torday tells the story in four sections, each describing a different year, but he has chosen to reverse the chronology. The book begins with Wilberforce as a befuddled drunk, staggering around Mayfair, drinking 250 units of alcohol every week. His wife is dead, his friends have deserted him and he is losing his grip on reality, regularly slithering into weird hallucinations about a kidnap in Colombia.
By the end of the novel, Wilberforce is a hopeful young man, embarking on a new and thrilling phase of his life. He's never drunk much except Diet Coke and the odd beer, but now he's learning how to taste wine. For the first time in his life, he's made some friends and even entered the charmed circle of the ridiculously wealthy. He feels sure that he's on the brink of great things.
This is the complete antithesis of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, its dark take on addiction does not produce many light-hearted moments.  At the end of the book I found myself disliking Wilberforce for wasting his life in such a manner which I guess was a result of being completely drawn in by the story. 

Very readable

The Fire Gospel by Michael Faber

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Theo Griepenkerl is a scholar of ancient languages and is resigned to a life of obscurity.  Then on an artefact-finding mission to Iraq he ‘rescues’ some Aramaic scrolls from a bombed museum and smuggles them home to Canada.  What his translation reveals is the work of a scribe called Malchus: an early Christian and contemporary of Christ himself.  The scrolls give a frank eyewitness account of the Crucifixion which could have incendiary implications for the faith of millions and Theo now has a publishing sensation to promote.

This is a great little book, a combination of theological satire and book-world farce and Faber does not hold back on stirring things up.  It’s funny and thought-provoking as we follow Theo on a rollercoaster ride as a newbie author with a publishing sensation on his hands.  At the same time we are treated to the warts and all writings of Malchus.  It’s a celebration of human fallibility.

Highly recommended.

The Hopeless Life of Charlie Summers by Paul Torday

Hector Chetwode-Talbot, Eck to his friends, has left the army and is slightly at a loss as to what to do next, when he is approached by an old army pal, Bilbo Mountwilliam.  Bilbo runs an investment fund company and persuades Eck to join the company as a 'greeter'.  All Eck has to do is supply the contacts with entertainment and large G&Ts and then the fund managers will do the rest. Soon Eck is able to buy himself a luxury sports car and a decadent flat in the city.

It is on a golfing trip to France with his friend Henry Newark that Eck first meets Charlie Summers, a fly-by-night entrepreneur who is hiding out in France after a 'misunderstanding with Her Majesty's Customs and Revenue'. Charlie's latest scheme is to import Japanese dog food into the UK.  Henry casually mentions that Charlie should 'look us up' if he is ever in Gloucestershire. Not only does Charlie Summers look Henry up, he arrives with his suitcase, intent on staying with the Newarks and relaunching his dog food business in their area.

Torday’s novel contrasts dog food and fund management and in the end they both come out smelling rather ‘off’.  Charlie and Eck both have to make decisions about their ethics when it comes to making money and have to suffer the consequences.  The book is a comfortable read but the underlying message is unmistakeable and lives up to its predecessor “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”

Recommended

Anzac Fury by Peter Thompson

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Anzac Fury commemorates the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe when 8900 Anzac prisoners of war captured in Greece and Crete were released from captivity.

In 2010 it was exactly 70 years since the 2nd AIF arrived in the Middle East to begin their extraordinary adventures in battles against the German and Italian armies in North Africa, mainland Greece and Crete prior to the outbreak of the Pacific War. Anzac Fury tells the riveting story of how the legendary Anzac Corps was reformed in the heat of battle during World War II to fight a powerful and merciless foe. Dramatically combining personal memories with combat action, it gives voice to the experiences of young Australians and New Zealanders who were sent on Churchill's orders from the victorious battlefields of Libya on a disastrous mission to Greece and Crete. A companion volume to the author’s 2008 publication Pacific Fury, this book celebrates the Anzac spirit of sacrifice, mateship, courage and endurance.

In my view this is a much better book than Pacific Fury. It’s more emotionally engaging, I think because it deals with a specific campaign and this allows Thompson to include a lot more detail from a lot more of the participants from both sides. As a consequence the story flows better and I had a better grasp of the issues.

Highly recommended

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Pacific Fury by Peter Thompson

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Pacific Fury is written from a (mostly) Australian perspective and the book brings to life the barbarity, sacrifice and the bravery of the Pacific War, from Pearl Harbour to Kokoda to Hiroshima.  This account places Australian voices and action at the heart of the struggle and recreates the battles of land, sea and air that they were involved in.

Pacific Fury is a valuable general account of an enormous and complex subject, the Pacific War and Australia’s part in it.  It also lays to rest the slurs and smears from US and British leaders about the quality and bravery of the Aussie fighting men and women.

Now, while epic in its scope, I believe that Pacific Fury would have been better served with some severe editing of the accounts of the Americans involvement which tended to dissipate the Australians contributions.

Recommended (especially if you like military history)

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Surface Detail by Iain M Banks

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‘The New Culture Novel’
Surface Detail begins in the realm of the Real, where matter still matters.  It begins with a murder.  And it will not end until the Culture has gone to war with death itself.  Lededje Y'breq is one of the Intagliated, her marked body bearing witness to a family shame, her life belonging to a man whose lust for power is without limit. Prepared to risk everything for her freedom, her release, when it comes, is at a price, and to put things right she will need the help of the Culture.  Benevolent, enlightened and almost infinitely resourceful though it may be, the Culture can only do so much for any individual. With the assistance of one of its most powerful - and arguably deranged - warships, Lededje finds herself heading into a combat zone not even sure which side the Culture is really on. A war - brutal, far-reaching – is already raging within the digital realms that store the souls of the dead, and it's about to erupt into reality.
Iain Banks is one of my favourite SF writers and Surface Detail is one his best Culture novels yet.  I think this quote sums it up nicely "...what sets this book apart is the quality of the writing and the depth of the author's imagination. Amongst all the mayhem, Banks raises some interesting questions about identity, death and the whole point of Hell."  I found Surface Detail absolutely engrossing.
A Must Read

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What The Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell

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What The Dog Saw is the third book that I have read of Gladwell’s and in it he presents nineteen researched and provocative essays, each with a narrative that leads to a thought-provoking analysis. The explorations here delve into subjects as varied as why some people choke while others panic; how changes meant to make a situation safer — like childproof lids on medicine — don't help because people often compensate with more reckless behavior; and the idea that genius is inextricably tied up with precocity.

In each essay, he offers a glimpse into the minds of an array of fascinating characters. What The Dog Saw is organized into three categories:

Part One contains stories about what Gladwell calls "minor geniuses," and what drives them and why they get the results they get.

Part Two demonstrates theories, or ways of organizing experience. For example, "Million-Dollar Murray" explores the problem of homelessness — how to solve it, and whether solving it for the most extreme and costly cases makes sense as policy.

In Part Three, Gladwell examines the predictions we make about people. He writes about how educators evaluate young teachers, how the FBI profiles criminals, how job interviewers form snap judgments. He is candid in his skepticism about these methods but fascinated by the various attempts to measure talent or personality.

These are a sampling of the stories that Gladwell wrote the formed the basis of his previous two books, ‘The Tipping Point” and “Blink’.  And again it’s a fascinating read as the author presents a topic, explains how it works and then examines its success or failure in the real world.  What The Dog Saw is thought provoking at its best.

Highly recommended.

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The Widow Clicquot by Tilar J Mazzeo

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This is the fascinating story of Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin who, after her husband’s death, defied convention by assuming the reins of the fledgling wine business they had nurtured together.  Steering the company though turbulent financial and political periods, including the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, droughts and depressions, she became one of the world’s first great businesswomen and one of the richest of her time.
It’s also a look inside the social conventions and the role expected of women of that time.  It also covers the transformation from cottage industry to industrialisation that was happening in Europe over that period using the champagne industry as an exmple
Recommended

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Wicked by Gregory Maguire

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When Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, we heard only her side of the story. But what about the villainness, the mysterious witch? Where did she come from? How did she become so wicked? And what is the true nature of evil?  Wicked is about a land where animals talk and strive to be treated like first-class citizens, Munchkinlanders seek the comfort of middle-class stability and the Tin Man becomes a victim of domestic violence. And then there is the little green-skinned girl named Elphaba, who will grow up to be the infamous Wicked Witch of the West, a smart, prickly and misunderstood creature who challenges all our preconceived notions about the nature of good and evil.

This book is really very very good.  It tells the tale of the life of the Wicked Witch of the West before she was murdered by Dorothy.  It covers most of the major themes – being born different, alienation, love, intrigue, relationships and the desire for forgiveness.  Throw in murder, lust, tyranny, revolution, and magic among other things and you have a recipe for a fascinating, enthralling and wicked book.  I loved it

Extremely highly recommended

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Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

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Julia and Valentina Poole are normal American teenagers except for the fact that they are identical ‘mirror’ twins – but they do have no interest in college or jobs or leaving home.  This all changes though when an unknown aunt, living in London dies and leaves them her flat overlooking Highgate Cemetery.   So the twins decide to take possession of the flat and so fall into the lives of the other inhabitants of the apartment, including the dead aunt who can’t quite seem to leave her flat.

Well, this is a fascinating book and a great ghost story.  I just loved the way it continued to build the tension thoughout, how the various subplots were neatly interwoven and the really neat ending which had my skin crawling.  Just as good as ‘The Time Traveller’s Wife’

A Must Read                

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Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

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Blink is all about those moments when we ‘know’ something without really knowing why, and how this ability could be one of the most powerful we possess.  A snap judgement made very quickly the author believes can actually be far more effective than one made deliberately and cautiously.  By blocking out what’s irrelevant and focusing on narrow slices of experience we can read a seemly complex situation in the blink of an eye.
This book shows us how we can hone our instinctive ability to know in an instant helping us to bring out the best in our thinking and become better decision-makers in our homes, offices and everyday life.
The author uses several case studies and scientific studies to explain his findings, one of which demonstrates how the ‘blink’ approach can go tragically wrong and another which demonstrated how separating the senses can give a truer result especially where women are challenging a male dominated industry (orchestra’s)
A fascinating book not least for what it says about entrenched and inflexible thinking and attitudes.
Definitely recommended

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The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

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An intriguing book that threw out a good number of new ideas and concepts quickly and clearly.  I found his ability to draw a connection between things that, on the surface seem very divergent, was quite interesting.

The thrust of the book is that there are three things that can converge to bring about dramatic and perhaps unexpectedly fast changes in our society.  These are the context (the situation), the idea, and the people involved.  His point is that very small changes in any or several of the three areas of context, the quality of the idea (which he calls 'stickiness', i.e. how well the idea sticks), or whether the idea reaches a very small group of key people can trigger a dramatic change in society.

The one concept that stood out for me was the rule of 150.  This rule states that "At a bigger size you have to impose complicated hierarchies and rules and regulations and formal measures to try to command loyalty and cohesion.  But below 150...it is possible to achieve the same goals informally." (p.180).  This has proven applications in religious military and business environments.  The informal environment just seems friendlier to me.

I liked this book, it was thought provoking.

Recommended

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Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

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A best-selling book and now a well known movie the plot is well known already. Briefly the American author suffers a painful divorce and painful love affair, has an emotional crisis, and decides to take a year off to find some balance in her life (or just to get a life).

First stop is Italy (because she loves the language) and discovering food, making friends, learning to live as a single person and restoring a physical balance.

Second stop is in India at the ashram of her guru where she achieves spiritual balance assisted by an interesting cast of fellow seekers.

Lastly to Indonesia (Bali) where the physical and spiritual lessons enable her to find emotional balance as love comes out to play.

I was expecting a self absorbed “chick lit” book (based on a movie review!) but I enjoyed this book –it was funny (mostly at her own expense) and insightful in so many ways. And also certainly courageous. Gilbert has the gift of engaging the reader with her friendly style and making the potentially mundane shine.

Rcommended.

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