Excellent book! Life in England for a man in the 1920's and how his philosophy on life changes after a month in the country whilst searching for a medExcellent book! Life in England for a man in the 1920's and how his philosophy on life changes after a month in the country whilst searching for a mediaeval painting in a church. So amusing too....more
If it had not been for my book club I would never have come across this book. Well I’m glad I did and I, like my other seven club members, thought theIf it had not been for my book club I would never have come across this book. Well I’m glad I did and I, like my other seven club members, thought the same, that of a magnificent book. I actually don’t think I have read such a splendid book for a long time”.
When I first started reading this book, I immediately thought, oh no, another pedestrian book. I have had a string of these recently. Well suddenly in paragraph 2 the book enticed me and I couldn’t wait to turn each page to see what was going to happen next.
Ebenezer Le Page (not pronounced as in French but the English “page”) had decided to write a book of his life on Guernsey. He was a grumpy curmudgeon, dry, extremely witty, with a dry sense of humour but also fair. I also found Guernsey English to be quite quaint. My only complaint, and it is minor, is that the glossary should have been at the front of the book. I had no idea it was at the back as every now and then he threw the French patois into the text and people only speaking English were at a loss to understand these conversations.
The people involved in the book, his family and friends, acquaintances, individuals met occasionally or hardly at all, were so exquisitely described and what with family feuds thrown in as for example, his Aunties Prissy and Hetty, who incidentally lived in houses called Timbuctoo and Wallabaloo, respectively, were constantly at odds with one another; with their respective husbands Percy and Harold looking quite bemused by these goings-on. Also the descriptions are excellent.
The Great War and the Second World War are covered and his views on the German occupation are rather interesting.
I cannot describe at all the way I feel and so all I can say is read this book and give yourself a super treat!...more
This is a most remarkable book written by a German forester and author about trees. They come given with incredible attributes that appear to make theThis is a most remarkable book written by a German forester and author about trees. They come given with incredible attributes that appear to make them almost human. The only thing they cannot do is walk.
To enter into this world of trees is something else. When you consider the flora and fauna and then one becomes so aware of other ecosystems that are burning and burning, such as the Amazon rain forests. So really we must not forget all of these aspects of nature that can give so much pleasure.
Beautiful surroundings, the society of learned men, the charm of noble women, the graces of art, could not make up to him for the loss of those light-Beautiful surroundings, the society of learned men, the charm of noble women, the graces of art, could not make up to him for the loss of those light-hearted mornings of the desert, for that wind that made one a boy again.
These are the thoughts of a man who is deciding upon whether to retire to live in the country of his birth, France, or remain in New Mexico.
This is the most perfect and exquisite book that I have ever read. I actually don’t know however why I purchased it in the first place. The title was enough to discourage me and the blurb that mentioned two French priests going to New Mexico in 1851 to reawaken its slumbering Catholicism was not that exciting. Well when I finished page 1, I was well and truly hooked and became more captivated as I finished each page.
The writing style was all that I could wish for. The novel, actually more of a narration, is multi-faceted with its descriptions of the mountains and deserts, especially with the different colours in the landscape, situations with the local population, whether they be Indian, Mexican or American, and religious and spiritual aspects but it all nevertheless coalesced into one. The interesting fact is that most of the Indian practices were unknown to people outside the tribes.
The two priests, Father [Jean Marie] Latour, consecrated Vicar Apostolic of New Mexico and Bishop of Agathonica in partibus and Father [Joseph] Vaillant had known each other for many years in France and in the States. But what a difference in their personalities. Father Latour was an academic and looked one with a refined facial expression and elegant behaviour; and also a book lover. Whereas Father Vaillant, who spent a great deal of time, in a huge parish, visiting everyone on horseback to try and convert them, and though eventually highly liked, was extremely ugly with a wart on the end of his nose, short and bow-legged. He was also of a sickly disposition and several times in the book it looked as if “his number was up” but survived. He was known as “trompe-la-mort” – literally death cheater. This in fact happened several times when he was travelling in New Mexico and the only way he could be reached, normally in isolated places, was of course by horseback.
Over nearly forty years, the two friends leave converts and enemies, crosses and occasionally ecstasy in their wake.
The case with ecstasy was wonderfully portrayed in that of a Mexican slave to an American family, who kept a very close eye on her as they were concerned she would try and escape back to her family. Because of this she was not allowed to go to church. Father Latour then finds this old woman outside the door to his church in the middle of the night. He gently leads her into the church and the tears of joy and the look of ecstasy of her face of being in a church for the first time in nineteen years quite overwhelms him.
Father Latour, who spent most of his life in Santa Fe, was eventually made an archbishop, whilst Father Vaillant, latterly an archbishop, spent most of his time in the saddle firstly in Albuquerque and latterly in Colorado. Certainly extremes between the two regions with the earlier region greatly preferred.
In that period of the 19th century with the two priests, especially Father Vaillant, spending most of their time on horseback to visit their “parishioners”, it was not until the arrival of stage coaches (the first regular stage service for New Mexico was not inaugurated until 1850. In July of that year, a coach left Independence, Mo., for Santa Fe) but I guess they were insufficient for the two priests’ needs and requirements, as well as the train, of which the official arrival celebration was held 22 April 1880, were indeed two greatly welcome changes in their already enriched lives.
The tales that the local priests tell Father Latour and Father Vaillant are fascinating to say the least, especially that of Friar Baltazar at some time in the very early years of seventeen hundred, nearly after the great Indian uprising, in which all the missionaries and all the Spaniards in northern New Mexico were either driven out or murdered, after the country had been reconquered and new missionaries had come to take the place of the martyrs, a certain Friar Baltazar Montoya was priest at Arcoma.
He was ambitious and exacting and ruled the puebla of Acoma. The Indians there had to more or less put up with him until one fine day he accidentally killed an Indian boy working in his house. And what a delicious and yet incredible ending to that spectacular tale!
I could go on ad infinitum about this book and have already started a second reading. So I had better close here....more
Having lived in Saudi Arabia for sixteen years, I was looking forward to reading Jokha Alharthi's booWinner of the Man Booker International Prize 2019
Having lived in Saudi Arabia for sixteen years, I was looking forward to reading Jokha Alharthi's book on Oman, especially Muscat, a place I always wanted to visit but never did.
But what a disappointment reading this book! I cannot believe that the author has won the Man Booker International Prize 2019. I'm always rather nervous about translations but evidently the translator Marilyn Booth is excellent and so I should imagine she has followed the book in all aspects.
The story is about three sisters Mayya, Asma and Khawla who live in the village of al-Awafi. Briefly, according to the blurb "... Celestial Bodies is the story of the history and people of modern Oman told through one family's losses and loves."
Another problem for me is the structure of the book. Each chapter is about one individual, sometimes, two and I found them very confusing. I actually skim read very quickly through the book to see who was who, and who was doing what with whom. I then started from the back! Crazy I know. The book is a mixture of first and third persons; there is also direct and indirect speech as though added through a mixer.
However in spite of this, there are memorable sections. Why Mayya decided to name her daughter London; the birthing procedure was incredible involving a pole; and all aspects on slavery and those individuals involved in the story were quite amazing.
Perhaps I am reading this book at the wrong time in my life? I will try it again and because of that I cannot rate it. I both love and hate this book! Bizarre.
Nevertheless, many people love this book and so don't let me put you off!...more
I came across Richard Bunning's review purely by chance and I'm enclosing the link here so that you can get a proper perspective of this book that wasI came across Richard Bunning's review purely by chance and I'm enclosing the link here so that you can get a proper perspective of this book that was published during the Second World War:
I love gardening and cannot think of a greater pleasure than digging a hole, feeling the soil falling through my fingers and looking at the size of the worms. There's something so soothing about gardening, planting shrubs and then seeing how they develop and it's even better when you grow your own vegetables.
Such a well-written book and everything that you need to know about bees! It's interesting to compare bees in relation to mankind too.Such a well-written book and everything that you need to know about bees! It's interesting to compare bees in relation to mankind too....more
I reread this book for our Book Club yesterday. Indeed there are poetic parts, the writing style is excellent and the idea of a fabulous 133 carat diaI reread this book for our Book Club yesterday. Indeed there are poetic parts, the writing style is excellent and the idea of a fabulous 133 carat diamond, with supposed magical qualities and connected with a blind girl in France and a German boy, who is fascinated by radios, all add to give a brilliant read.
But I found the backdrop of the war, although necessary, rather depressing and the book was far too long.
I know that it is an excellent book but it lacks something. I don't know what either....more
An excellent book by Hamsun! He does some rather scary things, especially with his beloved dog...
I'm cheating I know but I will quote the blurb on theAn excellent book by Hamsun! He does some rather scary things, especially with his beloved dog...
I'm cheating I know but I will quote the blurb on the book here as is far better than I could manage.
"Set in a dense, wild forest on the Norwegian seacoast, PAN is the intense, passionate chronicle of a doomed and all-consuming love affair. Lieutenant Thomas Glahn, a man possessed by the magnificence of sea, sky and forest, spends dream-like days hunting and fishing - until he encounters the beautiful Edvarda. At first their passionate affair mirrors the supreme ecstasy of the Nordland summer. But when Edvarda spurns him, Glahn becomes a frenzied, desperate thing ... and the lovers' idyl turns to tragedy."...more
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