A LITTE RESPITE

Well, I'm still between books. Fiction that is. While, for the time being, I don't have as much time to read something seriously I have not abandoned books altogether.

I have looked at stacks of crochet books. Learned new patters, stitches, etc. 

I found an old Spanish 3 high school text book at the jail library and have been using it for a little refresher in my spare time at work. 

Gotta go, more later.

Dispirited Dilemma

It has happened once again. I have been lost in an alternate universe and now that the journey has ended I cannot find anything else to make up for it. I have recently finished the sixth book in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. While A Breath of Snow and Ashes will never live up to Gabaldon's freshman masterpiece, I am still feeling very dejected at finishing this latest installment. I love the world of Jamie and Claire Fraser. In a sick way I yearn for the life that they lived, the hardships 17th century America and the rest of the world required. Their's was a busy, labor enduced society with war and fighting being second nature, as was working for every luxury needed to survive. Gabaldon paints a much realer picture than is often thought of when looking back on civilization. It is through her books that I see how hard and precious life really is. Disease could take out a whole community in several days. Crops don't grow and the family starves. Drunken bandits kill a family for a few animals or possessions to trade. These are worries I have never thought of and yet, this world Gabaldon created is a part of me.

What I find equally disappointing is that I have not yet moved on. For the time being, no other books are quite as good. Nothing can hold my attention quite as well as, and I find myself day-dreaming about past Fraser adventures and checking Gabaldon's web page for more news of her next installment.

I even tried reading Gabaldon's Lord John and the Private Matter mystery in hopes that the story would be equally stimulating. But, to no avail. It just does not capture my attention the same.

So, I will keep searching for that next great book to read. Unfortunately, I might be passing up some goods one's while my temperament readjusts. In time I will move, but I will never forget Jamie Fraser.

Angels and Demons, oh no!!

While I was driving home from work the other morning, I heard on the radio that Dan Brown’s first conspiracy theory flop, Angels and Demons, is being filmed. Apparently there is some controversy because several churches/cathedrals are not allowing them to film in their holy buildings. The funny part is that while I did enjoy reading The Da Vinci Code, the movie absolutely stunk. The radio DJ’s, who I don’t normally appreciate, hit the head on the nail with similar claims. Rightly so, Tom Hanks’ hair piece usually ends up being the brunt of most jokes. Along with the question of why wasn’t "Angels and Demons" filmed first since it came before "The Da Vinci Code"?

Continuing that question, why make a sequel, or prequel in this case, if the first movie stunk? What or who decides that more time should be invested in another potential flop? "Angels and Demons" barely got read until after the success of The Da Vinci Code, and some critics would say that was totally lucky also. While I’m not denying the appeal factor of the latter, I am sick of being inundated by Hollywood’s feeble attempts at movie making in the 21st century. Also, why would Tom Hanks, a well-known, reputable actor, sign on for another round of poorly scripted confusion when he clearly did not need to. Where are our standards?

While it is no doubt, hard for movies to live up to their written counterparts, could the directors at least try to make the movie good? Do I need mention Harry Potter movies 3 - 5 ? If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand time, they should have kept Chris Columbus as the director for all the movies. Anyway, I’m sure I’ll rent it from the Public library when it finally comes out on DVD, but until then, I’ll keep searching for another good book.

P.S. By the way, I have read Angels and Demons, and for me, it just didn't have that fast-pased drive that I was looking for. Sorry Dan.

I Will Persevere !!

This is just a quick update to let you know that I  am still alive. I haven't posted any new reviews in a while and I wanted to share the reason why:  I'm currently reading Anna Karenina and that book is slowly killing me. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying it. It's lengthy, some 900+ pages, detailed and has multiple plot lines to play around with, yet it is some of the slowest reading I have subjected myself to in a long time. So, I just wanted to say that I will get through the book eventually. However, when a story and the actual reading moves that slowly, I often read a couple other books  at the same time, as well. I may have diverted slightly, but I will return to Anna shortly and hopefully I can finish it before the summer is over. 

Anna... is supposed to be one of the greatest love stories of our time. I will see her through. 

Bored to Death?

The Flanders Panel
-Arturo Perez-Reverte

In the realm of literary mystery, Perez-Reverte provides a modern, sophisticated and unfortunately shallow look at art, history, mystery and the prototypes of the business.

I chose this novel randomly after studiously perusing the shelves of Barnes and Noble for a smart, interesting mystery. I was tempted to go with a traditional Agatha Christie or Janet Evanovich, but I opted for the quasi DaVinci Code read alike.

The premise is a painting with three subjects and an unfinished game of chess set in the 15th century. Julia, art restorer and protagonist uncovers the real mystery of this painting, an unsolved murder and the unlikely murderer. Soon enough a 20th century game of chess begins and she becomes a living piece on the chessboard.

While the mystery is seemingly interesting in the beginning, shortly enough the plot becomes a mess of poorly orchestrated chess plays and a set of characters that are clunky and pretentious.

Despite the bland plot it is the stereotypical characters that really disappoint. There’s the flaming homosexual, the older, slutty crack addict and the beautiful, independent, single and searching, protagonist. None of these characters would ever associate with each other in real life and I was appalled at the casual use of heroine and alcohol by the cast.

The novel gets two thumbs down from this reader. If this is what “literary” mysteries are all about, I’ll stick to M.E. Braddon or Agatha Christie.

Note: I read the Publisher’s Weekly review after I wrote this and while theirs may be a little more eloquent, I’m glad to see that we’re eerily on the same page.
http://www.amazon.com/Flanders-Panel-Arturo-Perez-Reverte/dp/0553377868

Disgraced...

DISGRACE

J.M. Coetzee

Haunting. Yes, that is the best word to describe this Booker Award winning novel by South African - born Coetzee. This was another random selection off the reading cart one slow graveyard shift at the jail. Although, to be honest, I have heard of Coetzee and have been wanting to read some of his work for quite some time.

Bad news first: this is not a piece of fiction that will be remembered for its great storytelling ability. On the other hand, it will be recognized for its stark realization of society in post-apartheid South Africa. It is a wake up call to many who are not familiar with the terrifying political climate still alive today.

With a text that bleakly deals with rape from two different angles and the comparison between the actions of men and animals, this is not a “light” read. Like many of Coetzee’s contemporary’s, protagonist David Lurie is not an overly likeable character. His almost-rape of a student, questionable personal morals and inability to help his daughter are frightening. Coetzee analyzes not only politics but two sides of modern man; those who take by force and the weak intellectual. While this branches out on a bigger issue that Coetzee may not be trying to cover with this title, where are the dependable, honest, strong men in our society?

Overall, it was a text that left me sad. Sad of how “real” it was and how easy it is to overlook what is still happening in third world countries that do not make the news quite as much as the middle east.

Coetzee as an author has sustainability. It was a hard book to read due to content, not length or lexicon (a quick read, I think it took me two sittings). That said, it has a place in the canon of future generations primarily due the stark social and political implications.

Travels in the Scriptorium

“That was my crime. Take it for what it was, but don’t let it interfere with the reading of this report. Trouble comes to all men, and each man makes his peace with the world in his own way.”

"Travels in the Scriptorium" –Paul Auster, p. 52.

This epithet is misleading. It is also a perfect example of why I am so critical of contemporary literature. Nothing in Paul Auster’s latest work gives any sense of conclusion. The crime is never explained. The protagonist, Mr. Blank, is exactly that, blank and boring. If you like reading literature that is about as interesting as a blank white wall than you will appreciate Auster’s austere piece. No questions are answered, only raised. Mr. Blank has no epiphany because his memory is gone. The reader is left in a whirlwind of confusion that is supposed to be mysterious and modern. Yet, the writing is too cold and automated to find interest in.
Other critics praise Auster for his storytelling abilities. Granted there are a few brief parts where Mr. Blank adlibs the end of an obscure manuscript, but this lasts a few paragraphs. What does this say about character development and leaving a lasting impression on the reader’s mind? Nothing. Nothing at all. There is no lasting impression. No profound conclusion that stays with the reader and passes on from generation to generation. When you can’t respect the main character despite his flaws then what is really the point of the novel? Instead of reveling in his economically written 140 pages, Auster should spend a little more time developing a storyline that intrigues. Saying this story is not so unlike the US today is insulting and unjustified given the few random similarities that were thrown in for good measure. Instead of trying to write to win like other contemporaries such Amis and McEwan, write something worth remembering, something readers won’t feel is a complete waste of time.

Divisadero and the Curse of Writing a Masterpiece

DIVISADERO

- Michael Ondaatje

“He pushed the glass doors open and walked into the night so the coldness filled his shirt. He noticed the square of a window on the slope of the hill. There was a tightrope between the two farms, and below it an abyss.”
p. 221. DIVISADERO

Anyone who knows me knows that The English Patient is not only my favorite movie, but also my favorite book. Ondaatje uses his skill as a poet to write beautiful lyrical prose that simply carries the reader away to the mysterious worlds of Herodotus, Caravaggio and turn of the century France.

Yet, Divisadero is not without its problems. The beginning of the text, which is unusually set in the 1970’s is clunky and without much direction. The plot is slow if not non-existent. Ondaatje focuses on Claire, Coop and Anna who are raised like family since childhood. Anna and Coop have an innocent liaison and then a tragic separation takes place thanks to her father. Then, the story jumps several years down the road to Coop’s self-destructive behavior. The problem is, it isn’t until this section of the novel that the reader really gets hooked onto the characters. Up until then, the reader feels passive, like they are on the outside, looking in. A reader doesn’t want to be on the outside, they want to be there, transformed to where the action is happening.

The final part of the novel transports the reader to turn of the century France, following the life of a recluse writer whose life subtly parallels that of Anna. This was the best and most interesting part of the whole story. Ondaatje’s writing remains beautiful and excels in this section. It is his fluid verse that gives life to the story. Ondaatje also has that gift for weaving history into the mundane and making the whole world seem like one big canvas. Unfortunately, when the writer’s section ends, so does the novel. Anna says a few last words as she reflects on her time spent researching in France, but aside from that there is no conclusion. Part of Ondaatje’s style is that he doesn’t visualize things linearly. The plot starts in the middle, moves backwards and then ends in the present. He also does not feel the need to wrap things up. This vague conclusion leaves the reader hanging in a most disturbing way. Sometimes the unknown is good, but this is too much.

Overall, the characters all have the beginning of what makes well-developed characters. Unfortunately, the segmented style that guides the text keeps the reader from gaining an attachment to the text. While this method works in The English Patient because the characters come full-circle, it doesn’t work for this novel. In fact, so