Throughout The Yellow House, Gayford comments on Van Gogh’s penchant for the novels of Émile Zola, especially the Rougon-Macquart series. This remindeThroughout The Yellow House, Gayford comments on Van Gogh’s penchant for the novels of Émile Zola, especially the Rougon-Macquart series. This reminded me of an aborted project that I planned some while back in which I was going to read the Rougon-Macquart novels but I never began. I did however buy the first two and, encouraged by Van Gogh himself, I read The Fortune of the Rougons (1871). Vincent Van Gogh gives some brilliant book recommendations. The novel follows the story of Silvère and Miette – young lovers who are caught in the midst of violent coup d’état. However, this being Zola and the beginning of a twenty book cycle, the plot takes the back seat about fifty pages in and you must very slowly and meticulously read on as Zola attempts to explain the family tree of the Rougon-Macquart family. I know that sounds horrible but… it isn’t. Zola somehow makes genealogy interesting. It is a joy to learn about the origins of the Rougons and the dastardly Pierre and his siblings. Whilst the lineage actually takes up most of this novel, the plot is really wonderful despite its brevity. There are some passages that make you want to just die with their utter beauty. Instead of thinking, “oh no there are nineteen more of these books”, I’m thinking of the wonderful time I am going to have travelling through these reticulate novels....more
P.G. Wodehouse was one of the most prolific authors of the 20th century. The jacket of my copy of Joy in the Morning (1946) states that he wrote ‘moreP.G. Wodehouse was one of the most prolific authors of the 20th century. The jacket of my copy of Joy in the Morning (1946) states that he wrote ‘more than ninety novels and some three hundred short stories’. Joy in the Morning features Wodehouse’s most popular creations, Jeeves and Wooster. I’m always apprehensive about comic novels. Many of them have dated horribly and some lampoon tropes that haven’t existed for decades. Jeeves and Wooster seems to have a timeless quality to them however. This is one of the reasons why Wodehouse is as popular today as he was during his heyday. Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed the word-play, the farce, and the utter ridiculousness of it all, I did have some reservations about Joy in the Morning.
Here I present my opinion on Sherlock Holmes. Holmes is an intense character to read. I can only stay with him for a couple pages at a time before I wander off. For me, the Holmes novels don’t work. There’s too many pages and not enough content to keep me entertained. This is why I think the Holmes short stories are far superior, there’s no room for unnecessities or exposition. Jeeves and Wooster fell into this as well. Whilst the novel is a comic romp, it also hits the three-hundred page mark. Some people may never want Wodehouse novels to end but for me it ran out of stream in the middle. I felt that things were happening purely to aid a joke and not the plot. This may have only been a problem with Joy in the Morning however. All the other Wodehouses (Wodehomes?) may be perfectly balanced comic masterpieces. I don’t know. But I will try more because I’ve got a veritable lake of novels to choose from. And of course there isn’t just Jeeves and Wooster. There’s Psmith, there’s the Blandings novels, there’s Ukridge and so, so many more....more
The Yellow House: Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Nine Turbulent Weeks in Arles (2006) by Martin Gayford is a biography of the brief period in which two of theThe Yellow House: Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Nine Turbulent Weeks in Arles (2006) by Martin Gayford is a biography of the brief period in which two of the greatest painters of the late 19th century attempted to live together. It sounds like the plot of some failed sitcom – Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin share a house and the result is a rip-roaring romp! Or not. Both artist had famously large personalities and quite differing styles and ideologies so the combination of their lifestyles in the same dwelling looked less like a post-impressionist composition and more like Jackson Pollock. Being a student of Art History I was already quite familiar with this period in both Van Gogh’s and Gauguin’s lives so my overall reward from this book was wholly unsatisfactory. However, I am aware that I am writing from a position that the common reader might not have so I will praise this work. It follows a lucid timeline and never gets confused with its surprisingly vast premise. The book’s main source were the letters Van Gogh wrote during the period of the Yellow House and these have been published in many formats over the years so if you want the primary source, read the letters. Nevertheless, if you are more interested in reading a narrative and learning a lot more about Gauguin and Van Gogh then I would recommend this book. There are reproductions of the works that were painted by both artists during the period plastered throughout the book as well which can only aid in one’s understanding of the conceit....more
There aren’t many novels that can define a decade but Marilyn French’s The Women’s Room (1977) is truly a defining book of the 1970s. Recent editions There aren’t many novels that can define a decade but Marilyn French’s The Women’s Room (1977) is truly a defining book of the 1970s. Recent editions of this famed feminist novel claim that is has sold over twenty-one million copies so chances are you have this book somewhere in your house. The Women’s Room tells the story of Mira, a housewife of the 50s and 60s, who rages against societal norms by leaving the life of married ‘bliss’ and going to university midlife. The novel also follows the lives of Mira’s friends who she meets throughout her life. All of the women in this novel have utterly terrible lives all because of one thing – men.
When this novel was first published it received universal praise from leaders of the feminist movement whilst a lot of literary critics accused the novel of being too anti-men. I devoured this 600-page monolith. The novel is very tough at times but it is never boring. It’s so refreshing to read a novel in which nearly every character is female. One of the most memorable characters is that of Val, the outspoken feminist who Mira befriends at Harvard, who famously states that ‘all men are rapists’. The Women’s Room is one of the most memorable novels that I’ve read in a couple of months. It’s going to be on my ‘you MUST read this’ list for at least a decade....more
Jamaica Inn (1936) is an early novel by Daphne du Maurier, the famed writer of Rebecca. I’ve read books by du Maurier before, The Birds and Other StorJamaica Inn (1936) is an early novel by Daphne du Maurier, the famed writer of Rebecca. I’ve read books by du Maurier before, The Birds and Other Stories and Don’t Look Now and Other Stories, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed but I had yet to read a novel by her. Jamaica Inn reads like a Brontë novel. Our protagonist, Mary, loses her mother and is sent away to live with her aunt in Jamaica Inn, a Cornish inn. However, strange things are going on in Jamaica Inn. There hasn’t been a guest in months, stage coaches gallop passed, and many locals fear even talking about the place. It’s quite hard to believe that this novel wasn’t written in the 19th century. Du Maurier writes with such authority and authenticity that, in many scenes, it out Brontës the Brontës. I’m glad I read this before Rebecca because I’ve heard literally so many amazing things about that novel that I fear every other du Maurier novel that I read after it will be unfairly compared. Thankfully my edition of Jamaica Inn is actually part of a bind-up which also includes Rebecca, Frenchman’s Creek, and My Cousin Rachel which is basically block of literary cocaine. Lucky me....more
Everyone has that one author they can always fall back on. After reading two one-star novels and DNFing another I felt akin to Beckett’s Estragon and Everyone has that one author they can always fall back on. After reading two one-star novels and DNFing another I felt akin to Beckett’s Estragon and Vladimir just waiting for nothing in a barren wasteland. These situations call for a literary kick and the author with the yams to set me free from this runt is Vladimir Nabokov. I never casually read Nabokov, I savour him for these situations. I fear the eventual day when I’ve read all of his work and I hit a bump, I guess that’s when I die. My panacea this time is Nabokov’s third novel, The Luzhin Defence (1930, trans. 1964). Originally written in Russian, the novel follows the life of a Russian chess grandmaster, Luzhin, his brilliant career, and his eventual descent into madness.
What I found so wonderful about this novel is that it is a simple story. It is a narrative of man’s life, nothing else. The novel is also an insight into the mind of young Nabokov at a time before he became one of the greatest literary minds of the 20th century. It shows a writer who is concerned with telling a good story. Nabokov’s trademark prose isn’t as apparent here (probably down to the fact that his is a translation) but one still reads the novel with ease. The Luzhin Defence hauled me out of the literary chasm, it was moment of peace that lasted about… two hours....more
Isherwood has been a hit and miss author for me. All the Conspirators (1928) was his first novel and a big miss. The novel follows these siblings who Isherwood has been a hit and miss author for me. All the Conspirators (1928) was his first novel and a big miss. The novel follows these siblings who basically just do everything in their power to reject their mother. This novel was written in the 1920s for a 1920s audience. It is just so utterly boring. Nothing happens. It is plotless. It’s your typical inter-generational class war novel. All the Conspirators reads like all the worst chapters of Forster filled with characters that Wodehouse would have a field day with....more
One of my dirty little secrets for years now has been that I haven’t read any Virginia Woolf. I have tried though. I began The Waves and then realisedOne of my dirty little secrets for years now has been that I haven’t read any Virginia Woolf. I have tried though. I began The Waves and then realised that transcribing the Bible into Wingdings would probably be easier. Mrs Dalloway (1925) has sat patiently on my bookshelf for many years now. I mean I’ve heard only good things and how could I hate it I love modernism and it was influenced by Joyce and it’s stream of consciousness I usually like that and it’s feminist and kinda gay and I’m sure Virginia Woolf was a very nice woman butIdidntreallyenjoyMrsDallowayallthatmuchatall. I’m probably wrong though, I always am. I mean, I get it, I get what Woolf was doing but for a novel that was less than 200 pages it just never seemed to end. It can’t be the framing, it can’t be the style – they’re some of the things that I really liked about this novel. It must be the story. Carol Ann Duffy wrote the introduction to my edition and she says that Woolf wrote this after reading Ulysses. Whereas Joyce can write about nothing for almost 1000 pages and make it all so good, Woolf’s shorter attempt just falls flat for me. Thankfully I’ve yet to meet a die-hard Woolf fan who admits that Mrs Dalloway is her best work, it’s always either To The Lighthouse or The Waves and I’m not attempting that one again. Woolf may have to wait for another couple of years....more
Schindler’s Ark is a Man Booker Prize winning novel by the Australian writer, Thomas Keneally. It tells the true story of factory owner Oskar SchindleSchindler’s Ark is a Man Booker Prize winning novel by the Australian writer, Thomas Keneally. It tells the true story of factory owner Oskar Schindler and his (successful) plan to emancipate imprisoned Jews during the Holocaust. It’s also a film but it didn’t do very well so you’ve probably never heard of it. This is one of those “real people – fake story” novels, in that the main plot points of the novel did actually happen but all the conversations and other trivialities are complete fiction. As with any Holocaust novel, Schindler’s Ark has the Promethean task of attempting to fit the horrors of war into a neat 400-page narrative. It ultimately works in this novels because Keneally dedicated literal years to interviewing the “Schindlerjuden” about the man and his “ark”. There are a lot of WWII novels out there, it’s probably the most saturated literary genre next to fantasy, but this is really one of the gems of the genre....more
It may have taken nearly two and a half years but I’ve finally finished The Chronicles of Narnia. The Last Battle (1956) is the end of days in Narnia.It may have taken nearly two and a half years but I’ve finally finished The Chronicles of Narnia. The Last Battle (1956) is the end of days in Narnia. The land is being run by a donkey wearing a lion’s skin (really) and four-armed creature named Tash is killing all it sees. Enter Eustace and Jill from the last book. They, along with Narnia’s last king Tirian, must attempt to save Narnia from evil. It’s hard to write about the seventh book in a series without giving away any spoilers. So I’ll say this. It is overall a satisfying ending to the series but the allegory is really pungent throughout this one and I’m just really sad about Susan Pevensie (you all know what I’m talking about). So they’re done now. Narnia is finished. I’m glad I read them. Now what....more
The Silver Chair is the sixth novel in The Chronicles of Narnia and a penultimate high in the series. Eustace is back again but this time a girl namedThe Silver Chair is the sixth novel in The Chronicles of Narnia and a penultimate high in the series. Eustace is back again but this time a girl named Jill joins him. Thankfully none of the Pevensie are in this one so that’s probably why I enjoyed it so much. Eustace and Jill meet Aslan who says “Uh about 80 years have passed and Caspian’s really old now and his son’s been kidnapped so go find him BYE! oh and btw I’m Jesus”. This book has everything that makes Narnia great. After a series of middling-to-boring novels (The Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian, and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) The Silver Chair is such a breath of fresh air. Puddleglum is a wonderful character who nearly carries this novel on his spindly shoulders and Jill is a welcome female voice in this less than feminist series. At the current rate this is the second best book of the series, I just wonder why Lewis took so long to get here....more
I’ve really been taking my time with The Chronicles of Narnia. I read the first one (The Magician’s Nephew) over Christmas of 2013 and I’ve been workiI’ve really been taking my time with The Chronicles of Narnia. I read the first one (The Magician’s Nephew) over Christmas of 2013 and I’ve been working through the seven books on-and-off since. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the fifth book in the series but not one of the best. The introduction of Eustace as a character is one of the the series’ highlights because he is possibly the only child character who isn’t punchably irritating. Lewis ditches Peter and Susan in this book because they’re probably too busy shagging and buying lipstick and leaves us with Lucy and Edmund, the shit ones. Anyway they all get into Narnia via a painting and they find themselves on the Dawn Treader with a giant mouse and yer man from the last book. It follows the same formula as all the others, something bad has happened, Aslan is like “I’m Jesus” and the children must save Narnia once again. I got bored of this one quite quickly. I think it’s because Prince Caspian is such a boring character and he’s on nearly every page of this. I was utterly disappointed with it. I doubt I’ll ever reach the heights of The Magician’s Nephew ever again....more
Angela’s Ashes has become so ingrained into Irish culture, both nationally and internationally, that it’s hard to believe it only came out twenty yearAngela’s Ashes has become so ingrained into Irish culture, both nationally and internationally, that it’s hard to believe it only came out twenty years ago. Frank McCourt’s story of growing up in the slums of Limerick received nothing but astonishing praise upon its publication, even Michiko Kakutani raved about it. Exploiting the fact that McCourt was born in the US, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Memoir in 1997. My copy once belonged to my grandmother who apparently received it for “Xmas 1999” according to my aunt’s inscription on the title page. The story is an extraordinarily bleak one. If abusive fathers and cot death aren’t your thing then I doubt you’ll get much out of this. McCourt’s genius however lies in his ability to write about the most heartbreaking of subjects and then make you cry with laughter on the very next page. It’s very Irish of him to be able to bring humour to poverty and death. I’m not sure if I can say I “enjoyed” this novel, it is aggressively melancholy, but I appreciate and applaud it. It’s a fascinating story that I cannot wait to continue in its sequel, ‘Tis....more
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