This is one of those novels where the truth of the story is just dancing around our peripheral vision. It's beautifully written, and we are drawn in by the unusual setting and the unusual family in the centre of it.
On an island, isolated from the world, three sisters live within the stories the parent's weave to keep them safe from all evil and men in particular.
To say the stories and rituals are weird doesn't go far enough, but they are normalised within the context of the island, the family dynamics and the sisters' loyalty to each other.
It's best to suspend belief and just read the story, and enjoy it for it's own sake. Things make sense in the end.
Well worth reading.
Thursday, November 1, 2018
Monday, October 15, 2018
The Killing of Butterfly Joe | Rhidian Brook
This is such a great story, populated by eccentric characters, in an American dream that was believable of the ''80s.
It's a surreal landscape and a very weird story, but a real pleasure to read.
The narrator of the story is a sad Welshman Llew Jones who decided a cure for his grief is to go to America and write about his experiences. He meets Butterfly Joe and they go on a road trip to sell rare butterflies and re-establish the fortunes of the Boscoe family.
Things get weird. The Boscoe family has a huge collection of rare butterflies collected by the mythical Father, who abandons the family in search of adventure. The matriarch rules with a rod of iron and fear. She is heavily scarred from a fire in the family home.
Joe's siblings and hangers on work in the family business of mounting and selling butterflies. Things get weirder...
Overall this is a fun book to read, the belief in the American Dream driving them through the landscape and educating Llew. It's a little like the Budapest Hotel, if you enjoyed that, you'll love this.
It's a surreal landscape and a very weird story, but a real pleasure to read.
The narrator of the story is a sad Welshman Llew Jones who decided a cure for his grief is to go to America and write about his experiences. He meets Butterfly Joe and they go on a road trip to sell rare butterflies and re-establish the fortunes of the Boscoe family.
Things get weird. The Boscoe family has a huge collection of rare butterflies collected by the mythical Father, who abandons the family in search of adventure. The matriarch rules with a rod of iron and fear. She is heavily scarred from a fire in the family home.
Joe's siblings and hangers on work in the family business of mounting and selling butterflies. Things get weirder...
Overall this is a fun book to read, the belief in the American Dream driving them through the landscape and educating Llew. It's a little like the Budapest Hotel, if you enjoyed that, you'll love this.
Monday, September 3, 2018
A Great Month of Books
I've been recording all I read for the last forty years. It's a great way to remember what I've read as there are over 1762 entries! Each record has the basic information about the book with a one-word lasting impression: excellent, very good, good, boring...
In the last month I've read 10 excellents in a row. Never before has there been such a long string of great reads so I thought I'd share the list, and review them all here over the next few days.
The List of Ten great reads:
The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh
Hanoi, Adieu by Mandaley Perkins
The Mercy Seat by Elizabeth H Winthrop
Second Sight by Aoife Clifford
Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton
Warlight by Michael Ondaatje
Past the Shallows by Favel Parrett
Lie Still by Julia Heaberlin
Balck-Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin
Paper Ghosts by Julia Heaberlin
I hope you can enjoy some of these titles.
In the last month I've read 10 excellents in a row. Never before has there been such a long string of great reads so I thought I'd share the list, and review them all here over the next few days.
The List of Ten great reads:
The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh
Hanoi, Adieu by Mandaley Perkins
The Mercy Seat by Elizabeth H Winthrop
Second Sight by Aoife Clifford
Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton
Warlight by Michael Ondaatje
Past the Shallows by Favel Parrett
Lie Still by Julia Heaberlin
Balck-Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin
Paper Ghosts by Julia Heaberlin
I hope you can enjoy some of these titles.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Border | Kapka Kassabova
This book is a page turner from the start. Not in a conventional way, but because of the people you meet in it's pages, the landscape which speaks with a unique voice and the beauty of the writing.
The Border refers to the only remaining patrolled, fenced border in Europe, that between Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey. Throughout history it has been a region of conflict and violence as people try and escape into Europe. The conflict between Islam and Christianity has waged war in the valleys and deep forest of the area, creating displaced people, abandoned villages and many life histories altered by the Border.
Kassabova lived in Bulgaria, later emigrating with her family to New Zealand. From there she returned to Europe as an adult and pursued a writing career.
She has an amazing ability to meet people, empathise with them and in turn tell their stories in a beautiful way which enlightens the reader. There is so much history in this area.
Kassabova travels mainly by car around the region engaging local guides to show her the local sights and personalities. There is a very useful map in the front, where you can follow her travels.
I'd love to see an illustrated version of this book as the landscape is a character in itself.
The Border refers to the only remaining patrolled, fenced border in Europe, that between Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey. Throughout history it has been a region of conflict and violence as people try and escape into Europe. The conflict between Islam and Christianity has waged war in the valleys and deep forest of the area, creating displaced people, abandoned villages and many life histories altered by the Border.
Kassabova lived in Bulgaria, later emigrating with her family to New Zealand. From there she returned to Europe as an adult and pursued a writing career.
She has an amazing ability to meet people, empathise with them and in turn tell their stories in a beautiful way which enlightens the reader. There is so much history in this area.
Kassabova travels mainly by car around the region engaging local guides to show her the local sights and personalities. There is a very useful map in the front, where you can follow her travels.
I'd love to see an illustrated version of this book as the landscape is a character in itself.
Best of 2017
Another year rolls by and another list for you to enjoy. These are my favourite reads of the year, which I will review individually as soon as possible. Here they are:
Border by Kapka Kassabova
Home fire by Kamila Shamsie
Tess by Kirsten McDougall
Risingtidefallingstar by Philip Hoare (note the tittle is correct, one long word!)
Cause of Death by Cynric Temple-Camp
The Longevity List by Merlin C Thomas
Island Home by Tim Winton
The Dry by Jane Harper
The Good People by Hannah Kent
The Ocean at the end of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce
The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery
See you in September by Charity Norman
Under a Pole Star by Steph Penny
One of us by Tawni O'Dell
The Friendship Highway by Charlie Carroll
Don't close your eyes by Holly Seddon
A voyage for madmen by Peter Nichols
Moonglow by Michael Chabon
The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel
The Double Blind by Chris Bohjalian
Close your eyes, hold hands byChris Bohjalian
Perfect Little Life by Kevin Wilson
The Story of a New Zealand River by Mary Jane Mander
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land
Rush Oh! by Shirley Barrett
The Infinite Air by Fiona Farrell
Enduring Grace by Carol Lee Flinders
A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline
Four Seasons in Rome by Anthony Doerr
The Telling room by Michael Paterniti
About Grace by Anthony Doerr
The Sleepwalker by Chris Bohjalian
The Party Line by Sue Orr
Flood of Fire by Amitav Ghosh
The Village at the End of the Empire by Fiona Farrell
Border by Kapka Kassabova
Home fire by Kamila Shamsie
Tess by Kirsten McDougall
Risingtidefallingstar by Philip Hoare (note the tittle is correct, one long word!)
Cause of Death by Cynric Temple-Camp
The Longevity List by Merlin C Thomas
Island Home by Tim Winton
The Dry by Jane Harper
The Good People by Hannah Kent
The Ocean at the end of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce
The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery
See you in September by Charity Norman
Under a Pole Star by Steph Penny
One of us by Tawni O'Dell
The Friendship Highway by Charlie Carroll
Don't close your eyes by Holly Seddon
A voyage for madmen by Peter Nichols
Moonglow by Michael Chabon
The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel
The Double Blind by Chris Bohjalian
Close your eyes, hold hands byChris Bohjalian
Perfect Little Life by Kevin Wilson
The Story of a New Zealand River by Mary Jane Mander
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land
Rush Oh! by Shirley Barrett
The Infinite Air by Fiona Farrell
Enduring Grace by Carol Lee Flinders
A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline
Four Seasons in Rome by Anthony Doerr
The Telling room by Michael Paterniti
About Grace by Anthony Doerr
The Sleepwalker by Chris Bohjalian
The Party Line by Sue Orr
Flood of Fire by Amitav Ghosh
The Village at the End of the Empire by Fiona Farrell
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)