Youthful eccentric, charmingly quirky, moves from Ontario with a literal train-car load of possessions, animals, and family, to a property located in Youthful eccentric, charmingly quirky, moves from Ontario with a literal train-car load of possessions, animals, and family, to a property located in rural Nova Scotia, which was purchased on a whim.
What could go wrong?
Much indeed does go wrong but many things also eventually turn out just right. These tales are told with humour, self-deprecation, insight, warmth, and compassion.
Completely charming, and a glimpse into the escapades of a remarkable life....more
Not sure what happens in the first book, "Mama's Boy" (original title, La Bête à sa mère, has a differeIt's normal to read the sequel first, isn't it?
Not sure what happens in the first book, "Mama's Boy" (original title, La Bête à sa mère, has a different meaning), but the narrator here is self-absorbed, delusional, ignorant, arrogant, and occasionally very funny. It took me a while to figure out the "mistakes" in the text were intentional, were meant to reflect how the narrator believes he knows much more than he actually does.
One particularly annoying element here was the attempt to approximate the narrator's speech. He was missing teeth, and so an "s" was replaced by "f" and so on. There were many "ff"s. The word express was rendered as "ekfpreff"; the word chance was shown as "ffhhanfe". I found such expressions awkward and unreadable, and resented the need to puzzle them out.
The plot was often farcical, charmingly satirical, and there were laugh-out-loud moments. I'm giving this one 4 stars, minus one for how words were ekfpreffed.
Also, I fully intend to read the first book in this series. Hopefully his teeth have not yet been knocked out. ...more
If a hostess doesn't choose to take the hint and send me an invitation to her garden party it's not my fault, is it?
Oh Saki the Sublime, a short storyIf a hostess doesn't choose to take the hint and send me an invitation to her garden party it's not my fault, is it?
Oh Saki the Sublime, a short story from Beasts and Super-Beasts featuring a niece in a medlar tree, a huge Yorkshire boar named Tarquin Superbus, a Princess (offstage), and uninvited but determined guests who "went all over the place last year when the family were away."
Oh yes, and also an unexpectedly locked door from the gooseberry garden into the shrubbery.
There's more: force-fed raspberry trifle, the need to speak French all afternoon as a punishment, and funds collected for the Children's Fresh Air Fund (which is an actual charity).
As is to be expected with Saki, the tone is everything, and the conglomeration of details and circumstances most pleasing....more
Sent to the country for your nerves — who hasn't dreamt of that?
Poor Mr. Nuttel did not find the remedy so agreeable, and yet dutifully used the letteSent to the country for your nerves — who hasn't dreamt of that?
Poor Mr. Nuttel did not find the remedy so agreeable, and yet dutifully used the letters of introduction to meet some new people, and perhaps settle his rattled nerves.
Oh dear. The "niece of the moment" was a finely tuned instrument, and a creative genius....more
Clovis strikes again, saving the day in an improbable way, all while delighting the audience.
Servants are very useful foils; they absorb blame like spClovis strikes again, saving the day in an improbable way, all while delighting the audience.
Servants are very useful foils; they absorb blame like sponges, while remaining ignorant of how they have been deployed: such is the wit and tact of the inimitable Clovis.
The Brogue is a quirky high-spirited unmanageable horse: The unkinder wits of the neighbourhood had been known to suggest that the first letter of itsThe Brogue is a quirky high-spirited unmanageable horse: The unkinder wits of the neighbourhood had been known to suggest that the first letter of its name was superfluous.
This horse story is from Saki's collection Beasts and Super-Beasts. It is a marriage story too, so perhaps it truly canvasses the intersection of horses and matrimony — in a certain class.
Saki's droll humour and pleasingly snarky asides can comfort a weary reader, and bring joy to a jaded reader.
A series of panels concocted with the following recipe:
—one part, Take common object, rename awkwardly —one part confusion of purpose —one part emotionaA series of panels concocted with the following recipe:
—one part, Take common object, rename awkwardly —one part confusion of purpose —one part emotional contradiction
Stir with a Cute Stick, and remix until done....more
Originally published as "Parrots I Have Known" this is an excerpt from "Their Heads Are Green and Their Their Heads Are Green and Their Hands Are Blue
Originally published as "Parrots I Have Known" this is an excerpt from "Their Heads Are Green and Their Hands Are Blue." So many titles, and so many birds.
And so many opinions about birds. We can see the source of feral parrots now roaming many cities worldwide — bird companions who travel with their servants and are never caged. "There is not much point in having a parrot" Paul Bowles writes, "if you are going to keep it caged." But then he does describe a parrot who loved his cage, for sleeping, and would ask to be tucked in for the night.
African parrots are known to be exceedingly clever, and Bowles speaks about that. He talks about all types of birds, including a macaw that made a great ruckus every morning at 5 o'clock, disturbing the entire neighborhood (some anecdotes are more amusing than others; the humour here can be dated and observed from a position of privilege).
Rounded up to 4 stars, because, birds. Also because droll. Also because many quirky details, of people and animals and their many complicated interactions....more
A follow-up to the popular Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris; herein the irrepressible Mrs. Harris goes to New York, with an entourage.
Surprisingly, everythinA follow-up to the popular Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris; herein the irrepressible Mrs. Harris goes to New York, with an entourage.
Surprisingly, everything works out so well! My reading pleasure was somewhat stunted because I had been exposed to numerous plot spoilers before reading this. However, given the way these books are written, how predictable the outcomes, the telegraphing of every development,—the spoilers really did not spoil much.
This was okay, for what it was, a light entertainment, saccharine and frothy, heavily dependant on character types and happy endings....more
Originally published as "Flowers for Mrs Harris" this novel was written in the 1950s and evokes an even earlier, simpler time, when people knew their Originally published as "Flowers for Mrs Harris" this novel was written in the 1950s and evokes an even earlier, simpler time, when people knew their place and the class system was firmly entrenched.
"Mrs Harris Goes to Paris" is a much better title, although the Brits do insist on the apostrophe in order to telegraph the accent (and the class).
While this short novel somewhat redeems itself by the end, it is riddled and infused with the attitudes of the time regarding gender roles and (dare I say it again) class.
Honestly, I mostly hated this book, had never even heard of the "major motion picture", but one or two of my withered sentimental heartstrings managed to be tugged, at least a tiny bit, and that was enough to give this 3 stars. Also — it is a cultural artifact of the 1950s, a land so far away and long gone. (But may be coming back. Gulp)....more
Modern writing, it is hoped, has passed the stage where simple events are stated in the void without any clue as to the psychological and hereditary fModern writing, it is hoped, has passed the stage where simple events are stated in the void without any clue as to the psychological and hereditary forces working in the background to produce them.
A playful narrative, a writer playing with the reader, teasing our notions the nature of storytelling, acknowledging how much interaction is necessary (and normally unmentioned) between readers and writer.
We now approach the really important part of the plot, the incident which gives the whole story its significance.
I was utterly charmed by this declaration; in equal parts I was pleasantly baffled by the events of this story. It is such thin gruel to have formed the basis of a satisfying meal, and yet O'Brien manages a narrative miracle....more
When one is in the mood for harsh humour, some biting satire, a dash of irreverence, and lashings of crude and rude, The Simpsons never fail to hit thWhen one is in the mood for harsh humour, some biting satire, a dash of irreverence, and lashings of crude and rude, The Simpsons never fail to hit the spot.
An old-fashioned type of tale, which presents a story told to a traveller in a tavern after buying a loquacious local a pint or two. We don't learn muAn old-fashioned type of tale, which presents a story told to a traveller in a tavern after buying a loquacious local a pint or two. We don't learn much about the traveller, but that is normal in this type of short story.
The story we hear, rendered in the dialect of the story teller is (unsurprisingly) about a white cat with one blue eye and "one yaller eye" who is at the centre of a dispute about inheritance. Local personalities, jealousies, lies and tricks — and that is just the people in the story. The original owner of the cat — "the fuss 'e made o' that cat was sinful."
(Such a cat is likely to be deaf, but that is not a feature of this tale.)
I thought I didn't know this author, but it turns out he wrote The Monkey's Paw which has been widely anthologized....more
Are Christmas stories only to be read in season? (Asking for a friend)
Here a sick boy, isolated in Simpson's Bar, further isolated by a flood "as largAre Christmas stories only to be read in season? (Asking for a friend)
Here a sick boy, isolated in Simpson's Bar, further isolated by a flood "as large as the State of Massachusetts", mentions he has heard a tale about a man named Sandy Claws. It’s Christmas Eve and the boy asks his father: "Wot's Chrismiss, anyway? Wot's it all about?" "Oh, it's a day." This exhaustive explanation was apparently satisfactory, [because silence ensued].
Suitably sentimental, slightly outrageous, pleasingly satirical, generous in mocking, rich in description of characters and set in the mining camps of Gold Rush California, 1862, this piece from Outcasts of Poker Flat is good enough to enjoy in early February, while snow-bound in a raging blizzard and only modestly deranged from cabin fever.
Bret Harte honed his craft writing "parodies of current fiction" and this tone permeates what I have read of his own work....more
I'm calling this memoir, although I don't really know. The story mentions the "Day" family, and the boy's name is Clarence, so either it's memoir or tI'm calling this memoir, although I don't really know. The story mentions the "Day" family, and the boy's name is Clarence, so either it's memoir or the author is playing with a fictional memoir.
This is an amusing story, but feels like an excerpt from a larger work. Indeed it was first published as part of the series Life with Father and I'm sure these additional stories would have contributed more context to complete the characters and setting.
As a stand-alone story, it is a slight achievement, which left me wondering about class privilege and unexamined servants....more
This story leans heavily on the reader's knowledge of gold extraction: "placer diggin's", "pocket-mining", and "putt'n' down a shaft".
Dick Baker was "This story leans heavily on the reader's knowledge of gold extraction: "placer diggin's", "pocket-mining", and "putt'n' down a shaft".
Dick Baker was "slenderly educated" and his cat possessed a profound knowledge of gold-extraction — at least according to the way Dick Baker tells the story. The story, however, never really goes anywhere or amounts to anything.
A new book from Sedaris that feels "up to the minute". I guess I haven't read that much pandemic literature (I mean about covid, not The Plague) so thA new book from Sedaris that feels "up to the minute". I guess I haven't read that much pandemic literature (I mean about covid, not The Plague) so those parts felt very fresh.
It's a serious book at times, serious and funny both. I sometimes felt this wasn't as "good" as some of his other books, but by the end (and laughing several times) it won me over.
I also admire that Sedaris doesn't try to pretty things up, to make his life appear more virtuous and admirable. He doesn't seem to care what people think, as long as they are laughing....more
A story so very short, I read it in English and in French.
What to say about a story, where the introduction is longer than the text?
I've already said A story so very short, I read it in English and in French.
What to say about a story, where the introduction is longer than the text?
I've already said too much, about this ancient tale illustrating the futility of trying to escape fate. This tale is not one created by Cocteau....more
While perhaps the story is culturally resonant, it is a simple tale, discovered by Manguel in a French children's book, and translated by him into English.
The plot is not at all complicated, and the appearance of the ghost is not the most significant element in these stories (according to Manguel) — in fact the presence of ghosts is taken for granted. The most important development is the information conveyed by the ghost when it appears....more
He had a sort of weak doggedness which I could not but admire. Neither he nor his work received the slightest encouragement; but he persisted in behavHe had a sort of weak doggedness which I could not but admire. Neither he nor his work received the slightest encouragement; but he persisted in behaving as a personage: always he kept his dingy little flag flying.
This makes for some painful, awkward reading; those unfortunate beings sentenced to literary circles will recognize the type — or, if cursed with self-awareness, might spot that dingy little being in the mirror.
Failure, if it be a plain, unvarnished, complete failure, and even though it be a squalid failure, has always a certain dignity. . . No man who hasn't lost his vanity can be held to have altogether failed.
Soames, a squalid failure with a certain dignity, made "Max Beerbohm" feel vulgar.
The awkward insights into the nature of competitive literary cliques introduce the characters and setting, but then this story veers off into another direction, as one might anticipate as it is included in Black Water: The Anthology of Fantastic Literature.
3.5 stars, rounded down, because the main plot point is a hackneyed literary device.
As a side note, searching for this story I found A Bibliography of Enoch Soames, a short work which purports to catalogue the literary achievements of Enoch Soames — at long last, recognition!...more
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