Minimal plot. Annoyingly short on necessary background details. An extremely peculiar writing style. Deliberately and frustratingly oblique. Short as Minimal plot. Annoyingly short on necessary background details. An extremely peculiar writing style. Deliberately and frustratingly oblique. Short as it was, a slog. Not what I value in literary fiction, and I really don’t get the to-do about it. “Beautiful writing� (according to some). I think not. Pretentious? Yes. Not a keeper....more
33 Place Brugmann is a skillfully written and intellectually stimulating work of historical fiction centring around the residents of a small, eleg33 Place Brugmann is a skillfully written and intellectually stimulating work of historical fiction centring around the residents of a small, elegant apartment building in Brussels in the time leading up to and during World War II. Austen’s novel presents the German occupation of Brussels, antisemitism and the plight of Jews (focusing on one cultured Jewish family in particular) within that city, the operations of the resistance network that returned downed airmen to England, and the importance of art to civilization (one character is intimately involved in the transporting of the treasures of Britain’s National Gallery to mines in Wales, where they’re protected from bombing). Philosophy (Wittgenstein), mathematics (especially risk, chance, probability), and love also figure in this rich and sophisticated creation.
Initially, I found the novel fragmented and rather slow going due to the presentation of multiple points of view, but I’m glad I held on. It’s an ambitious work, perhaps too much so. I did not understand the author’s purpose in including so many abstruse passages from Wittgenstein’s Tractatus. Most were well beyond me. Furthermore, the central character, the completely colourblind ethereal young artist Charlotte, did not convince, a major flaw in the work in my view.
In the end, though, I felt rewarded and changed by reading this. With its mixture of realistic and surreal elements and its European flavour, I can imagine it as the basis for a motion picture. This is unusual historical fiction. It won’t be for everyone, but I do recommend it.
Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an advance reading copy of the book....more
A few standouts; a few inconsequential pieces. A few absolute duds (the podcast story, and the TV series story.) I was not consistently engaged. Fo2.5
A few standouts; a few inconsequential pieces. A few absolute duds (the podcast story, and the TV series story.) I was not consistently engaged. For this reader: although the prose is technically proficient, some essential quality is just lacking. A lot of the book is, quite simply, ugly....more
During the last months of World War I, Toby Havenshaw, a Halifax Evening Mail crime reporter in his mid thirties, is sent by his editor to Parrsboro, During the last months of World War I, Toby Havenshaw, a Halifax Evening Mail crime reporter in his mid thirties, is sent by his editor to Parrsboro, Nova Scotia to attend a preliminary hearing for an unusual crime. On the night of their wedding, twenty-four-year-old Elizabeth Frame killed her husband Elliot, shot him three times with the military revolver he was inexplicably carrrying in his satchel, apparently because he declined to “come to the window� to see a massive whale that had beached not far from the inn where the couple were staying. The hearing, it turns out, is as bizarre as the crime: the stenographer, Peter Lear, was at Passchendaele, and is shell shocked, and the demolitionist, brought in to “remove� the whale’s carcass by explosives, is suicidal (he, too, was at the front). The plot of the novel mostly revolves the murderess’s flight from justice —with Lear, the stenographer—part way through the hearing. It also considers Elizabeth’s peculiar romance and prior marriage to a Bavarian music teacher almost two decades her senior, who was once held under suspicion of seditious activity. (view spoiler)[Elizabeth, it turns out, is guilty not only of murder but also of bigamy. She married Oscar, the Bavarian, in March and Eliot, a Parrsboro native returned from the front, a month later. She’s also carrying Oscar’s baby! (hide spoiler)].
Norman is a very quirky writer, and I love his deadpan voice, philosophical musings (Heraclitus is big in this book, so is sleeplessness), and general marvelling at the strangeness of life and human behaviour. Having said that, I should add that a very significant part of this novel is dedicated to Toby’s marriage to a female surgeon who has served at the front. She, too, suffers from PTSD. And this is the issue for me: as much as I enjoyed reading about their relationship and delighted in their conversations, I was not convinced that this pair were of their time. They seemed far too modern in many ways. Spanish Flu also plays a big role in the novel (particularly in the story’s resolution); however, the epidemic isn’t convincingly handled. Amelia, Toby’s surgeon wife, says influenza is rampant at her hospital, but the Halifax papers aren’t reporting on it, and life seems—very strangely—to carry on almost entirely normally. The virus’s lethality basically seems bent to suit the plot.
I’ve really liked what I’ve read from Norman. It’s his point of view, sensibility, and unique take on the human condition that appeal to me. I’m quite willing to suspend disbelief and go along for the ride. In this case, however, I found it hard to overlook that Toby and Amelia seem to be a present-day couple dropped back in 1918. They didn’t quite fit....more
Small Rain needed to be reined in and made smaller—by at least a third and perhaps as much as a half. Too much minutiae; overall, a long-winded, ramblSmall Rain needed to be reined in and made smaller—by at least a third and perhaps as much as a half. Too much minutiae; overall, a long-winded, rambling, and tedious work. While Greenwell does capture the pain, shock, and subsequent transformational nature of pulling through a sudden, dire, and rare medical condition, less would certainly have been more. I’m surprised an editor didn’t take him in hand....more
I liked this a fair bit more than I thought I would, given that I’ve not been able to get on with Michaels in the past. I can’t count how many times II liked this a fair bit more than I thought I would, given that I’ve not been able to get on with Michaels in the past. I can’t count how many times I attempted and abandoned her much acclaimed Fugitive Pieces. The thing is: I like a plot, complex characterization, and clear prose. Michaels, essentially a poet, likes to play with language a lot more than I enjoy reading the resulting product. Some—many—describe her writing as beautiful, and I’d agree that it often is. I appreciate it as art, but, for me, the density and too-muchness of it create barriers to understanding and reading pleasure. I sometimes find myself more annoyed than moved. I have the same trouble with Michael Ondaatje’s novels. They, too, seem self-consciously literary and a bit precious.
In Held, whose themes concern love, death, and the ongoing bond between the living and the dead, Michaels employs many oblique and sometimes opaque metaphors, many of which draw on physics—its theories, processes, and apparatus. These, along with the experiences of some of her characters, underscore the mysteriousness of life and the limits of science. Much of what we know is not visible to our eyes. The author suggests that just as no one can see an atom, never mind protons, neutrons, and electrons (yet we now know they’re there), so it is for the soul. Connected to the body for a time, it is possible that it continues to exist (and may even yearn for loved ones left behind) once detached from matter. For those who remain on the physical plane, the beloved can often be sensed. Deep, passionate love that is somehow destined is also a thing for Michaels. The lovers—and there are a few pairs in this novel—are fatefully, mystically, and spiritually connected. Enduring love (unlimited by death) between parents and children (and between friends) is also acknowledged.
I no longer read much poetry, but when I do, I appreciate its economy, compactness, and precision. This perhaps explains my difficulty with the poetic novel: those rules are breached; plot and characters are often underdeveloped. There’s a cloying surfeit of images. Nevertheless, in this case, I was mostly “held� by the themes Michaels explores....more
A novel centred around boxing, a sport I abhor? I would never have guessed I’d love it. Bullwinkel’s canvas is small, but her ideas are big, and her wA novel centred around boxing, a sport I abhor? I would never have guessed I’d love it. Bullwinkel’s canvas is small, but her ideas are big, and her writing and imagery are startling and fresh. She addresses matters of female adolescence, identity, aggression, athleticism, and the ways in which events shape us (including the events we forget). I would never have read this had it not been long listed for the Booker. Yes, a few things niggled, but this held my interest throughout....more
A fascinating study of sisters, betrayal, silence, and living with the suppression of truth. An older sister married to a prosperous farmer sponsors hA fascinating study of sisters, betrayal, silence, and living with the suppression of truth. An older sister married to a prosperous farmer sponsors her younger sister’s immigration from Ireland. Her husband has an affair with the younger woman, who becomes pregnant. The three adults and the child born of the illicit affair live grimly and uneasily for years under the same roof without ever acknowledging what has occurred. I found the novel quietly gripping....more
A quiet, intimate novel about a lot of things, but mostly the consequences of not trusting your gut. Homesickness, loneliness, youth, inexpRating: 3.5
A quiet, intimate novel about a lot of things, but mostly the consequences of not trusting your gut. Homesickness, loneliness, youth, inexperience, ignorance, lack of self knowledge all work together to have the main character make a bad marital match....more
I read a full third of this book and was very bored. I found the prose and the characters quite bland, and there was little momentum to the plot. It cI read a full third of this book and was very bored. I found the prose and the characters quite bland, and there was little momentum to the plot. It centres around a 40-something man, Nayan, vying with a younger ideologically Woke woman for leadership of a union.
Nayan has a sad past: over two decades ago, his mother and child were killed in a fire, and his marriage subsequently fell apart. There is a mystery around those deaths, and there’s every indication that the fire was a criminal act. A woman who’s returned to Nayan’s northern town may know something about it. Unfortunately, I didn’t care enough about any of these characters to stick around to find out more.
I found this novel a great disappointment after Sahota’s Booker-nominated China Room from a few years back....more
It’s possible that if I’d been in a more open and receptive frame of mind I’d have persisted with this novel, which focuses on two mothers: one who seIt’s possible that if I’d been in a more open and receptive frame of mind I’d have persisted with this novel, which focuses on two mothers: one who searches for her 17-year-old undocumented daughter in a tourist city—with a beach and a repeatedly mentioned corniche—that has seen better days; the other, an expectant mother who’s discovered she’s carrying a child who’s no longer alive. Maybe it would’ve gained momentum had I hung on, but this melancholic, vague (unnamed country, unnamed characters), and floaty novel just did not engage me. It felt like a dreamlike mood piece, not particularly grounded in reality, and more concerned with making statements about motherhood, migration, and politics than fleshing out characters and building a plot. I quickly grew impatient with its pace and decided to leave it incomplete. I’m doubtful I’ll pick it up again or anything else by Karam for that matter....more
Really disappointed in this. I found the prose loose, vague, and uncontrolled. I often felt I was guessing at what Orange wanted to communicate. As faReally disappointed in this. I found the prose loose, vague, and uncontrolled. I often felt I was guessing at what Orange wanted to communicate. As far as I read—to page 55–the text lacked energy, clarity, and direction. I found the novel dull, and I just couldn’t sustain interest. ...more
This slim novel focuses exclusively on Sy Baumgartner, a 70-year-old philosophy professor at Princeton. Ten years before the story opens—when BaumgartThis slim novel focuses exclusively on Sy Baumgartner, a 70-year-old philosophy professor at Princeton. Ten years before the story opens—when Baumgartner and his wife were on holiday—Anna, a strong swimmer, was drowned by a rogue wave.
The two were soulmates, and the novel mostly documents the protagonist’s bereavement and efforts to go on without his beloved. Some of Anna’s poems and autobiographical pieces, Baumgartner’s own writing projects, and the couple’s family histories are included in the book. Baumgartner also tells the story of his falling in love (over the past two years) with a younger friend of Anna’s and his hopes for a second marriage to this woman. Alas, it is not to be. As the story nears its conclusion, he looks forward to the arrival of Beatrix “Bebe� Cohen, an intelligent and sensitive Michigan University graduate student (the child he and Anna might have had, were they able to). She hopes to make Anna the subject of her doctoral work, and wants to go through the poet’s papers. Baumgartner is excited at the prospect of sharing these and seeing his wife recognized.
This is the first novel of Auster’s I’ve read. I was scared off his work for some reason, expecting it to be intimidating. Some years ago, I attempted reading something by his wife, Siri Hustvedt. I don’t even remember which book it was—possibly the one about her neurological condition. I recall finding it cerebral, chilly, and difficult, and I believed I would encounter something similar in Auster. To my surprise, Baumgartner was remarkably accessible. I enjoyed it, but didn’t find it a particularly moving, invigorating, or memorable read. There really isn’t much to it. I have no idea if it is representative of his other work. It’s possible I’ll try others . . ....more
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