Torontoc's Reading ( and some films) in 2013

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Torontoc's Reading ( and some films) in 2013

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1torontoc
jan 1, 2013, 11:26 am

This book has been sitting on my TBR shelf for a long time. My choice is really not based on a theme- it is about random selection and the feeling that the opening words lead me to continue reading.

Wild Swans Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang. This memoir is also a history of the revolutionary times in China as seen through the stories of the author, her mother and grandmother. Chang's father was a distinguished revolutionary who was an important official in Sichuan province. Her grandmother was originally a concubine to a general, and her mother was a communist leader. The story tells about the life of the author's very " purist" father who followed the Communist way in a very stringent manner and his downfall, her mother and her own history as a Red Guard, worker on a commune and the family's " rehabilitation" after the Cultural Revolution. A very history of life under Communism in China from 1909-1978.

2arubabookwoman
jan 1, 2013, 8:47 pm

When I read Wild Swans a number of years ago, I loved it. It was also the first book for me that put 20th Century Chinese history in perspective.

3rebeccanyc
jan 2, 2013, 7:40 am

I read Jung Chang's biography of Mao, Mao: The Unknown Story several years ago and, even though I had never read anything else about Mao, I felt it was biased in its presentation. She had access to some previously unavailable resources and it's not that Mao didn't do terrible things, but the way she told the story made me feel her hatred of him on almost every page (plus, as I recall, she focused a lot on his sexual activities). It made me want to go out and read other books about Mao to gain additional perspective and, although I bought some, I still haven't read them.

4japaul22
jan 2, 2013, 7:55 am

Rebecca, I also felt the Mao biography was biased, but having read Wild Swans let me understand why. Wild Swans is a better book, in my opinion, because it is a personal story of the havoc the regime wreaked on one family. I found it gripping and well done.

5rebeccanyc
jan 2, 2013, 8:03 am

Thanks, japaul; that makes sense!

6charbutton
jan 2, 2013, 11:39 am

I couldn't finish the Mao book. I found the lack of footnotes and references made me doubt the objectivity of the information she was presenting. I understand that the people she spoke to didn't want to be named but it made me feel that she could be making up the opinions and stories to fit her purpose.

7The_Hibernator
jan 2, 2013, 3:01 pm

I wanted to read Wild Swans last quarter, but I didn't get around to it. But I'm sure eager to read it someday. Maybe this year. :)

8torontoc
jan 3, 2013, 8:11 am

I have read Life and Death in Shanghai, books by Simon Leys, and years ago The Execution of Mayor Yin by Chen Jo-hsi. The narratives about Jung Chang's life are interesting to me because of the differences in the three generations of women.

Dance of the Happy Shades by Alice Munro. For years I wouldn't read Alice Munro. I think I did this because of my work as a teacher in a small town ( soon to become a suburb of Toronto) and Munro's stories had resonance with the lives that I observed . Now I am reading this wonderful author's work and enjoying her descriptions of small town Ontario and the lives of women and children there. She captures the sense of rural towns in the 1950's. Excellent short stories

9rebeccanyc
jan 3, 2013, 8:59 am

I enjoy Munro too -- don't have that particular collection.

10Nickelini
jan 4, 2013, 12:22 pm

My choice is really not based on a theme- it is about random selection and the feeling that the opening words lead me to continue reading.

Cyrel - that's why I started reading Wild Swans too. It was in a stack of 5 books, and I read the first paragraph of each of them. Wild Swans was the one that grabbed me.

11torontoc
jan 7, 2013, 5:29 pm

My next book
I read because a very good friend loved it.
I think that she liked it more than I did.

Canada by Richard Ford. This is an interesting book. However, I did find that although the story was engrossing ( boy's parents are put in jail after holding up a bank and the subsequent adventures of the boy-Dell- in Saskatchewan), the narrative was very long. Ford's minute descriptions of the parents, their background and the events that led up to the bank holdup that changed Dell's life and that of his twin sister forever seemed to take half the book. When I finally enjoyed this slow and meticulous style, the horror of the story and the abrupt foretelling of some of these events was a good read.

12torontoc
jan 7, 2013, 6:27 pm

Hereville How Mirka Met a Meteorite by Barry Deutsch. I like graphic novels and found this one a little unusual. The story and series ( there is an earlier book) is about a 14 year old Orthodox girl named Mirka. She tangles with a monster in the first book, and was grounded by her stepmother at the beginning of the second. The story of her family is presented without any critical comment. The reader can see that the stepmother has a very different personality than Mirka's mother. She is not cruel just no nonsense. Mirka's sisters and brothers are helpful and Mirka's life as a religious Jew is important to her. In this book a witch changes a meteorite into a " better" Mirka. The challenges of having a duplicate who takes her place, and how the problem is solved with the help of her brother and sister is fun to read. The graphics are clear and well designed. There are many graphic novels where the artist/ narrator is rebelling against his/her background and family life. This one presents an adventure where the heroine has issues with her life but not her family. A good read for those interested in graphic novels for young adults.

13judylou
jan 7, 2013, 10:22 pm

I like graphic novels too, but I tend to read very few of them. Even though ones that I have read, such as Maus, were quite amazing, I think I still have a bit of a block when it comes to choosing books to read.

14dchaikin
jan 10, 2013, 12:47 pm

I love the concept of Hereville. I've only skimmed them, but found them cute. My 8-yr-old seems to like them a lot.

Cyrel - I'm always following, but usually lurking on your thread. I really enjoy your comments.

15torontoc
jan 11, 2013, 11:35 pm

Thank you! I do want to read the first Hereville book.

The Flea Palace by Elif Shafak. I have mixed feelings about this book- the idea is intriguing. Shafak writes about the people who live in an apartment building in Istanbul named Bonbon Palace. After introducing the history of how that building was constructed on the supposed site of the grave of one saint with two graves and the story of the first owner, the lives of the people who live in various flats and their problems are featured in the chapters. There is one narrator and the rest- the Blue Mistress who waits for her olive oil merchant, the grandfather who tells outrageous tall stories to his young grandchildren, the twin hairdressers, and the lady who collects garbage live in small constructed dramas. The one main theme is the mystery of the garbage smell. Sometimes the author digresses with details that detract from the stories and seem to go on and on. I wonder about the translation with one descriptive phrase that is offensive but may have another meaning in Turkish. The end has a twist that is not expected and might have been featured a little more in the main text. Still an interesting read. I did like the author's later book , The Bastard of Istanbul more.

16torontoc
jan 17, 2013, 10:41 pm

The Churchillsin Love and War by Mary S. Lovell. I have always liked the biographies written by this author. She lets the reader know right away that her book is not an exhaustive study of the politics of the Churchills. Instead, Lovell follows the family from John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough and his wife Sarah to Randolph and Jennie, the parents of Winston, and then the life of Winston Churchill, his children and relations. The reader finds out who had multiple affairs ( almost everybody except for Winston and his wife Clementine) and how the Churchills and their contemporaries influenced the politics of the time. The gossip is great and the history of the early twentieth century is covered through the lives of those who governed England. A very informative and good read.

17torontoc
jan 20, 2013, 11:56 am

Travels with a Tangerine :A Journey in the Footnotes of Ibn Battutah by Tim Mackintosh-Smith. The author, an English writer who lives in Yemen but has not converted to Islam( a source of some interesting encounters in his travels) decides to follow the travels of Ibn Battutah, a traveller and writer born in Tangier in 1304. Ibn Battutah reached Oman, India, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, the Crimea and further to India, Zanzibar and later Spain. In fact this book just covers the journey to the Crimea. Mackintosh-Smith covers the rest of his travels in two other books. The author spends most of his time trying to discover the whereabouts of the various tombs and palaces and uses Ibn Battutah's books to repeat his experiences. Some of the places have disappeared. The author's encounters during his trip to find the lost civilizations are interesting. The tone is not as adventurous as in some other travel memoirs but the book is a valuable story of past history.

18dchaikin
jan 20, 2013, 8:25 pm

Will you read all three? It sounds terrific.

19torontoc
jan 20, 2013, 10:33 pm

I will put the other two books on my wishlist and look for them in my book store travels.

20SassyLassy
jan 21, 2013, 9:58 am

Is this more like Robert Byron, or like Rory Stewart's The Places in Between? I enjoyed both, so this sounds like a good shelf companion for them.

21torontoc
jan 22, 2013, 9:07 am

More books that I have not read and will have to put on my list to read!

22torontoc
jan 22, 2013, 5:42 pm

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker This is an amazing story. The author has captured the feelings and actions of an 11 year old girl in California. Julia is not only dealing with friends, first crushes, and school. She and her family confront a major and catastrophic change as the Earth's rotation had started to slow down. The environmental and geographical changes have huge implications for her life and relationships with her family and friends.The panic, the hoarding of food, the prejudice and discrimination against the group that deals with time differently is deftly handled by the author. Beautifully written, the story perhaps serves as a warning to the way we deal with the planet but also becomes an elegy for a way of life that will end. Excellent novel.

The Eleven by Pierre Michon. Oh, dear. This is an Early Reviewers book that has been translated from the French by Jody Gladding and Elizabeth Deshays. The brief novel relates the background of a painter who has been charged with producing a painting/mural showing the eleven leaders of the Committee of Public Safety during the time of the French Revolution. However the body of the book deals in a poetic way with the background of the painter, Corentin and later the reaction to the artwork. The prose would best be listened to as opposed to reading this dense network of long sentences. For all the intense writing on the feelings and opinions on the artist and his family and the reaction to the art years later, the reader learns very little about the artist and his work. The characters portrayed in the painting were real-the painter and his work are pure fiction. I found that knowledge of artists of the time period did help but the writing style was a bit pretentious for me.

23torontoc
jan 24, 2013, 10:55 am

The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng. I really enjoyed reading this story of Yun Ling Teoh, survivor of a Japanese wartime camp, retired judge in Malaysia and gardening apprentice to Arimoto, a renowned gardener living in exile in post war Malaya. This story has so many layers- a perfect blend of historical fiction and good storyline. Teoh initially goes to visit friends who have a tea plantation after working as a war crimes prosecutor in the early 1950's. She approaches Arimoto at his garden Yuguri, in order to ask him to design a garden in memory of her sister who died in the camp at the end of the war. Arimoto refuses and instead asks Teoh to work as his apprentice and later design the garden herself. The story of Teoh, her discoveries about gardening design, horimono tatoos, the history of the secret Japanese camps and their purpose, the story of suicide bombers, and the history of Malayan war against the communists provides the reader with a wealth of information. I learned much about a time and a place that I had previous little knowledge. The story of the relationship betwenn Arimoto and Teoh and how Teoh deals with her bitterness about the events that changed her life is written skillfully. An excellent novel

24SassyLassy
Bewerkt: jan 24, 2013, 11:07 am

There have been quite a few reviews of The Garden of Evening Mists, but you have finally tipped me over into the "I must read this" camp. I suspect the final push came from your reference to the idea of internal development through garden design, a subject dear to my heart.

Edited for punctuation.

25torontoc
jan 27, 2013, 4:36 pm

The amount of information about a wide variety of topics really enriched the novel for me.

Crossing Borders Hebrew Manuscripts as a Meeting Place of Cultures edited by Piet van Boxel and Sabine Arndt I saw the exhibit of manuscripts from the Bodleian Library at the Jewish Museum two weeks ago and just read the accompanying book. Rather than just a catalogue, this book is a series of 10 essays that highlight different aspects of this collection of manuscripts in Hebrew, Latin and Arabic. The connections between scholars, and books were well documented in the essays and the examples from the manuscripts were quite striking. In the actual exhibit, the use of ipads to show all the pages in a selected book was a good use of new technology.

26LisaMorr
jan 27, 2013, 9:24 pm

The Age of Miracles sounds like a winner.

27rachbxl
jan 28, 2013, 6:13 am

>23 torontoc:, 24 Sassy took the words out of my mouth! Other reviews have made me think about reading The Garden of Evening Mists but yours has really made me want to.

I like the sound of The Age of Miracles too.

28torontoc
jan 28, 2013, 11:06 pm

Thanks!

Winterton Blue by Trezza Azzopardi. The author has skillfully worked two narratives together in her novel. The personalities of Anna-trying to deal with her elderly but exuberant mother, Rita- and Lewis -a somewhat haunted man looking for a childhood friend who might have had something to do with his twin brother's death-are well described. Anna, messy and awkward, travels to Yarmouth to deal with her mother who has had an accident and is getting very frail. Anna does not like her mother's boyfriend- Vernon an old actor living at her guest house. After twenty years, Lewis starts looking for his mother and then Carl, a friend who he believes was responsible for an accident thatr claimed his brother's life. Both key figures in this novel suffered traumatic events in their childhood. Their meeting and the working together of the two plots are very interesting and make for a successful novel.

29torontoc
jan 30, 2013, 11:23 pm

Sepulchre by Kate Mosse I don't do book reading challenges but decided that I would try to finish one book a month that I had previous started and put down. Sometimes I just got bored or my latest pet peeve- the main character did something. stupid in order to advance the plot. This novel is about the supernatural and relates two stories. In 1891, Leonie and her brother Anatole leave Paris in order to visit a relative near Carcassonne. Anatole has not told his sister all reasons to leave or flee Paris- sinister enemies and a loved one draw him to a haunted estate. In 2007 a young woman, Meredith travels to France to conduct research on a book and try to solve a mystery about her relatives. Supernatural forces, tarot cards and their power lead both women into danger and adventure. Some of the writing is interesting and some is not. But I did finish it.

30rachbxl
jan 31, 2013, 2:55 am

>29 torontoc: I decided to start the new year by trying to finish books I'd previously put aside (although I'm reading other things too), and I've already got through several (in most cases I abandoned them because RL got in the way and the books just didn't quite grip me enough to keep me reading at a busy time). It's having the same effect (unexpected) as de-cluttering my house! I think I was feeling weighed down by all these unfinished books, and now I can get on with my reading as normal having almost cleared the backlog.

31torontoc
feb 3, 2013, 7:53 pm

I agree- I am happy to get the unfinished books read so that I can give them away! I figure one a month ought to clear up the book pile clutter of half finished books.

32mkboylan
feb 3, 2013, 9:27 pm

Hi Torontoc - Yours is the first review of Wild Swans that made me want to read it - on the list! Thanks for the great review.

Merrikay

33torontoc
feb 4, 2013, 8:36 am

You are welcome!
Leonardo and The Last Supper by Ross King. I really enjoy this author's account of art history. This time King writes about the circumstances around the making of the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. The reader learns about the man and the politics of the commission and the situation in Milan and Leonardo's method of painting. The connection of the visual to religious symbolism is documented as well with the author's customary precision .

34torontoc
feb 12, 2013, 12:37 pm

The Observations by Jane Harris. The author takes the reader into the world of a young woman on the run in 19th century Scotland. Finding a job as a maid in a deserted castle or shabby and run down estate the young girl encounters the mistress of the house who is mysterious and given to demanding puzzling requests. The reader learns of the horrific history of the maid slowly as the story progresses into the subjects of madness and maybe murder. In spite of the serious topics the narrative is entertaining. I enjoyed the story although I did like the author's more recent book-Gillespie and I more.

The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng. It is interesting to read first novels after reading more recent work of authors. Eng's story takes place in Malaysia during World War II and in the present. Phillip is a teenager when we meet him first- the half English and Chinese son of a wealthy man in Malaysia. Phillip meets a Japanese expert of a martial art technique and learns not only this way of fighting but also forms a strong emotional bond with him. Like his later book, Eng describes a number of themes- the history of the Japanese occupation, the role of the underground and British, Chinese, and communist groups and the lives of the people who live in Malaysia. I certainly learned a lot of the history of the area.

and I watched season 2 of Boardwalk Empire- evil characters and great editing of evey episode! and great costumes and sets1

35torontoc
feb 13, 2013, 9:42 am

Bloodlands Europe Between Hitler and Stalin by Timothy Snyder. It is hard to recount the theme of this very precise and relentless history of the killing of many peoples in the area of Belarus, Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic states. Snyder relates the story of the intent of both Hitler and Stalin in these territories that passed back and forth in the 1930's and 1940's. Some of the information is familiar to me from my readings about the Holocaust. But the telling of the deliberate starving and killing of peasants in the Ukraine during the 1930's was relatively new to me as was the policy of killing the upper middle class of Polish society. Snyder states that "14 million people were deliberately murdered by two regimes over twelve years. This is a moment that we have scarcely begun to understand, let alone master."
This history is a valuable addition to study of World War II. Highly recommended.

Thank you to rebeccanyc - I believe that I found out about this book from your review.

36rebeccanyc
feb 13, 2013, 10:00 am

I can't say I'm glad you "enjoyed" Bloodlands, Cyrel, but I'm glad you found it as valuable as I did.

37RidgewayGirl
feb 14, 2013, 10:35 am

The Observations is an interesting book. I wasn't sure how much I'd liked it after I'd finished it (and I read it back in my pre-LT days, so I can't look back to my thoughts about it then) but I do still remember the odd scene quite vividly. I have a copy of Gillespie and I, so I'm glad you liked it more than The Observations.

38torontoc
feb 17, 2013, 12:17 pm

I was intrigued by The Observations and wondering about the " unreliable narrator" theme.

The Conductor by Sarah Quigley I enjoyed this story about the creation of Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony, written during the siege of Leningrad during the second world war. The author successfully describes the drive that musicians have for their work and how it changes the relationships with friends and relatives. This novel focuses on the real composer-Shostakovich-, a fictional violinist and his young daughter and the conductor of the Radio Orchestra- Karl Eliasberg. Eliasberg is portrayed as the head of a not very good orchestra. ( the philharmonic of Leningrad had been evacuated to the interior of Russia) His task to conduct the Seventh Symphony in a performance that will be broadcast to the soldiers defending the city. The stories of starvation and death contrast with the descriptions of the influences on music creation. Very good read.

I also saw the Metropolitan Opera's live broadcast of the opera Rigoletto. The director set the drama in 1960's Las Vegas. The transfer a few centuries did work- and great costumes for the men ( sort of Rat Pack meets Liberace)

39VivienneR
feb 17, 2013, 2:07 pm

I love history and music so The Conductor sounds like my cup of tea. My local library just got it in so I've placed a hold on it. Thanks for the tip.

40torontoc
feb 22, 2013, 4:16 pm

You are welcome!

The Brontes Went to Woolworths by Rachel Ferguson. I have been reading this book and the works of Katherine Mansfield- both writing during the time in between the two world wars. Both authors describe situations that do not exist anymore and people with concerns that readers do not sympathize with in today's society. This book in particular, with the phrases that we no longer use and the lifestyles that are now obsolete, seems to read like a museum piece of the times. Narrated mainly by the elder daughter, Dierdre, the story of three young women and their mother living in London, the story is about fantasy and make believe. This family creates imaginary relationships with real people. They talk about their lives and how they interact with them. From Charlotte and Emliy Bronte to a real life judge, this family entertains themselves with the stories of how their made up friends behave.When Deirdre decides to meet the real Judge and Lady Toddington, real life meets fantasy in a satisfactory way. This story is a fairy tale that ends happily. Today we might use the term stalking to describe what happens. However today we can look at this book as a relic of the lost world of the 1920's and early thirties.After reading both authors, I think about the issues of the roles that women play in that society and the massive change that took place later in the century.

41torontoc
feb 25, 2013, 12:19 am

Complete Work of Katherine Mansfield I read the compiled short stories, poetry, diairies and early history of this writer. I found that her work in In a German Pension was the most successful in plot and characterization. This book included her unpublished fragments of work as well as the completed stories. Mansfield writes about a lifestyle of the 1920's that is really obsolete today. Travelling for cures in the south of France. couples leaving their partners to meet in foreign cities, and dealing with sickness mirrors some of Mansfield's experiences as she battled TB and heart problems. The stories were the best part of the collection. The poetry seemed very out of date and the diaries were an opportunity to try out parts of her stories. I preferred the first books of short stories- edited and presented as her best work. The revealing aspect of all of Mansfield's work was not inspiring to me.

42The_Hibernator
feb 25, 2013, 10:43 am

Glad you liked Garden of the Evening Mists, that was one of my favorites last year. :)

43torontoc
feb 26, 2013, 7:32 pm

It is so good!

Web of Angels by Lilian Nattel. Sometimes I start reading a novel and know that the prose and storyline is so riveting that I will read until I finish. This is that kind of book. Nattel has written about a woman, Sharon who was abused by her parents as a child and developed multiple personalities. Her husband and children are somewhat aware of this fact.When one of Sharon's other selves comes out and " takes over" the reader learns about the strengths and role that these other people have played in her life. Sharon was lucky to escape. She finds some disturbing similarities to her own experience when Heather, the sister of her son's girl friend , Cathy, kills herself. How Sharon learns of Cathy's problems that seem to mirror her own childhood and how the parents have hidden the abuse is the main plot line. This story of multiple personalities is a very good read!

44torontoc
feb 28, 2013, 8:22 pm

A Dead Hand A Crime in Calcutta by Paul Theroux. I have a love/hate relationship with this writer. His early travel books were exciting,. Later I stopped reading hsi work because I found him grumpy and somewhat malicious. I started reading Theroux again a few years ago and saw him interviewed at the Authors' Festival in Toronto. This novel was a lot of fun to read. Jerry, a travel writer with writer's block- a dead hand -is in Calcutta. He is summoned to meet a mysterious wealthy American woman living in India. Mrs. Ungar. She is portrayed as a benefactor to the poor with a school for children. Mrs. Ungar asks Jerry to help her son's friend who found a dead body in his hotel room. In his quest to find out more about the body. the writer finds himself introduced to tantric massage by Mrs. Ungar. He duels with the writer Paul Theroux in a war of words ( a clever send up on a fictional Theroux by the author). However, throughout the novel , Jerry has only wonderful things to say about the angelic Mrs. Ungar. However, a body part delivered to him ( withered hand) sets Jerry on a quest that will prove Mrs. Ungar to be anything but the noble person he thought that she was. a good read.

45torontoc
mrt 3, 2013, 8:33 pm

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey The Lost Legacy of Highclere by The Countess of Carnarvon. The title of this book draws on the popularity of the series " Downton Abbey" but really is a biography of the fifth Countess of Carnarvon, Almina. She was married to the heir of Highclere who was attracted to her and her fortune. Almina was the ( natural or illegitimate)daughter of Alfred Rothschild. and was able to finance the lifestyle of this aristocratic family. The most interesting account is what the countess did during the first World War. She turned the country house- Highclere - into a hospital for injured soldiers and later transferred it to a residence in London. Her husband was the man who financed the work of Howard Carter and the discovery of the tomb of the Pharoah Tutankhamun. The account ends with the death of the Earl and there is a brief but incomplete of Almina's later life. An interesting read but I wanted more history of the house and family.

46amandameale
mrt 4, 2013, 7:49 am

Cyrel, I'm interested that you liked The Garden of Evening Mists - if you like it I am definitely prepared to try it.
One of my favourite little books years gone by was by Trezza Azzopardi, called Remember Me.

47torontoc
mrt 4, 2013, 3:50 pm

I have read a couple of books by Trezza Azzopardi- Winterton Blue and The Hiding Place- I will have to look for Remember Me

48torontoc
mrt 6, 2013, 9:44 am

Whirl Away Stories by Russell Wangersky. I really like to read good short stories. In a relatively brief accounting , both character and plot have to be set and have an impact. This book meets all my expectations. Shortlisted for the Giller Prize last year, Wangersky's stories deal with people on the edge- disappointments in life, relationships gone astray, cruelty and bad decisions. I enjoyed these brief glimpses into the lives of fragile and quite ordinary people.

White Shanghai by Elvira Baryakina and translated by Anna Muzychka and Benjamin Kuttner I have to stop reading this novel now. An Early Reviewers book from, Glagoslav Publications, this novel has numerous spelling mistakes, bad grammar, inappropriate slang and a plot line that gets lost in details. I finished half the book-295 pages and that is enough. I was disappointed as I previously read another offering from this press-Christened with Crosses -and liked it very much. I can't believe that the publisher didn't realize that this book needed editing and much rewriting. I realize that it was translated -all the more reason to check on the right words used in the 1920's in China.

I just read two of the reviews of White Shanghai and both readers liked it!?!!did they not notice the bad grammar and really bad phrase choices?

49dchaikin
mrt 7, 2013, 1:20 pm

The dangers of ERs...

50torontoc
Bewerkt: mrt 9, 2013, 10:13 am

Yes - I agree!

Dirt Candy a cookbook Flavor-Forward food from the Upstart New York City Vegetarian Restaurant by Amanda Cohen and Ryan Dunlavey with Grady Hendrix This is a combination of cookbook and memoir in a graphic novel format. The author not only gives the reader really interesting recipes for unique vegetable dishes including dessert but tells the true story of how a restaurant runs. The graphic novel style enhances the story. Cohen was on " Iron Chef America" and lost to Chef Morimoto. The story of how the episode was filmed is very funny. Cohen relates the horror story of the renovations before her restaurant opened, the misconceptions of food writers about the life of real chefs and what really happens in the kitchen,. The recipes look great and I have to try them.

51charbutton
mrt 8, 2013, 8:44 am

>40 torontoc:, I think the Toddingtons are my favourite characters in The Brontes Went To Woolworths - I loved the way they accepted the family's oddness and their unknowing part in the children's fantasies without batting an eyelid.

52mkboylan
mrt 8, 2013, 5:37 pm

I think I'm going to check out Dirt Candy. Sounds kind of fun AND my library has it!

53torontoc
Bewerkt: mrt 10, 2013, 9:12 pm

Let me know what you think!

Swimming Home by Deborah Levy. I really liked this novel. The author sets up one very seemingly fragile and mentally unstable character- Kitty Finch- to change the lives of a family renting out a villa in the south of France. Kitty is caught swimming in the the family's pool when they arrive for their holiday. Joe Jacobs is a poet and his wife Isabel is a foreign correspondent. Isabel invites Kitty to stay at the home. Each chapter is narrated by a different character in the story so the reader learns about the secrets of everyone's lives-.Nina, the fourteen year old daughter of Joe and Isabel probably learns the most as she befriends Kitty. Joe has a troubling background that combined with Kitty's instability brings tragic results.This is a finely crafted story and is beautifully written.

54dchaikin
mrt 9, 2013, 11:02 pm

Very nice review of Swimming Home.

55torontoc
mrt 13, 2013, 10:39 am

Thanks, I thought that it would show up on the " new Orange" longlist- it wasn't there.

I saw two excellent films- the documentary "Searching for Sugarman" and "Zero Dark Thirty"

Walter Benjamin The Story of a Friendship by Gershon Scholem. This was a fascinating book. The memoir by Scholem- the 20th century expert on Jewish mysticism- about his friendship with the tragic critic Walter Benjamin ( he committed suicide on the French-Spanish border in 1940) is very different than most contemporary biographies. Benjamin and Scholem discussed books, and authors. This book is about discussions and disagreements on theories and politics. They kept up a correspondence when Scholem moved to Jerusalem, and Benjamin travelled from Germany to Paris and Ibiza. Walter Benjamin didn't have a very stable income. Scholem tried to arrange a living for him in Palestine but was not successful in convincing him to move there. This is a very informative history on an unusual friendship.

56avidmom
mrt 13, 2013, 8:58 pm

I have been wanting to see Searching for Sugarman for a long time!

There are a lot of tempting reviews here ..... Dirt Candy sounds like fun. Swimming Home sounds like my kind of book.

57RidgewayGirl
mrt 14, 2013, 1:30 pm

Swimming Home is a book I thought I'd downloaded, when I'd really downloaded an entirely terrible book. I'm going to be more careful in the future, and get my copy of Swimming Home in a paper version. Glad you liked it.

58torontoc
Bewerkt: mrt 21, 2013, 8:37 am

I did like the book very much

Silver Return to Treasure Island by Andrew Motion I liked the beginning of this novel that takes up the story of Treasure Island. Jim is the son of Jim Hawkins and works for his father in his inn near the Thames River. Young Jim meets the mysterious Natty, daughter of Long John Silver, is persuaded to steal the original treasure map from his father and sail with Natty on a voyage to recover the rest of the silver. This section does not ring as true even if Jim is a young man dissatisfied with his present circumstances. When the ship reaches Treasure Island, the crew discovers the original three men left there years before as well as slaves and more men marooned there. The story of the slaves, and the actions that take place as a result of bad decisions are action packed but lack a certain truthfulness to me.At this point the story reads as if it were written for a very young audience- whitewashing what real capture and fighting would result in for the characters. I like the idea and thought that the beginning description of life near the Thames was excellent. The story of the journey and the relationship between Jim and Natty was not developed enough to result in Jim's actions.

59torontoc
Bewerkt: mrt 23, 2013, 9:23 am

How It All Began by Penelope Lively. I would have to characterize some books as " comfort reads". This one of them. The author sets her story as progressing from the mugging of Charlotte on a London street. All the actions in this story are set off by this event. Charlotte stays with her daughter, Rose while she recuperates. Rose in turn can't keep an appointment with her employer, Henry, a retired academic. Henry then takes his niece, Marion with him to his lecture in Manchester. Marion leaves a message for his lover, Jeremy.This message is interecepted by Jeremy's wife, Stella. Anton is a struggling immigrant who takes reading lessons from Charlotte but enriches the life of Rose. The plot is about the how one random act changes the lives of all the characters. Lively is very perceptive as she creates the different personalities and shows how they react to changing circumstances. A very nice read or me.

60torontoc
Bewerkt: mrt 23, 2013, 9:42 am

The Theory of Clouds by Stephane Audeguy I should have liked this book more- but I didn't. The idea is really interesting. A survivor of Hiroshima, Akira Kumo is a renowned couturier living in Paris. He has a significant collection of books on clouds and has engaged a young woman, Virginie Latour to catalogue his library. Kumo tells Virginie stories about early scientists who studied clouds and attempted to classify them and use them in weather predictions. These stories about real and fictional explorers are quite engrossing-from the first man to name and classify clouds, the Quaker Luke Howard to the painter Carmicheal ( a stand for Constable perhaps) and lastly to Richard Abercrombie. The histories or stories within the story are really good reading. However the links- the lives of Virginie, Kumo and later Abercrombie, are too abrupt and not very believable to me. The last story about the voyage of Richard Abercrombie and his original quest that changed into a bizarre obsession seems out of character with the rest of the novel but it does link to the description of various sexual practices that really don't shock but take away from the seemingly original theme.

61mkboylan
mrt 28, 2013, 8:31 pm

They all sound intriguing!

62torontoc
mrt 30, 2013, 3:59 pm

thanks!

How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less by Sarah Glidden. This graphic novel is really interesting for its point of view and the honesty that the author shows to the reader in this memoir. Glidden went on a free Birthright trip to Israel. She was skeptical at the beginning of the information and the bias that she perceived would be part of the presentations. Her fellow travellers were young people who either had no Jewish background or very little knowledge of their heritage. The story of the travels and the exchanges with the Israelis that Sarah met provided her with more questions than answers. Sarah realized that she knew less than she thought and the trip made her re-examine her own life . The story does not give any pat answers. The author had more to think about at end of the trip. A very interesting treatment of contentious issues in the Middle East.

and

Sacrilege by S. J. Parris. This is the third mystery novel featuring Giordano Bruno a real life renegade monk and author. The writer has written stories that place Bruno in the service of Sir Francis Walsingham, spy master of Elizabeth 1. Bruno is asked to help a young woman,Sophia, who has been accused of murdering her husband in Canterbury. With the agreement of Walsingham, Bruno travels to Canterbury to investigate the murder and also keep tabs on the possible plans of clergyman to revolt against the Queen. The rumours that the body of Saint Thomas a Becket had been hidden and would be used to produce a miracle in the event of a Spanish invasion lead to murder and plots involving missing children. Bruno tries to solve the mysteries of a number of murders and find the identities of those involved in the plots against the Queen. A very good historical fiction novel!

63janeajones
mrt 30, 2013, 4:21 pm

Catching up on your thread, Cyrel -- what an eclectic array of books. Thoroughly enjoy your reviews.

64torontoc
mrt 30, 2013, 5:56 pm

Thank you-
April is a film festival month- both the Toronto Jewish Film Festivaland Hot Docs- I will go to both

65dchaikin
apr 1, 2013, 10:24 am

How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less was one of my favorite books I read last year.

66torontoc
apr 1, 2013, 12:10 pm

I liked that book for its honesty and the graphic novel format

Lehrter Station by David DowningWhe I am sick ( bad cold for the past three days) I like to read a mystery and better yet if it is one of my favourite mystery and historical fiction authors-David Downing. He continues his story about the exploits of John Russell, back in Berlin after the war with his girlfriend Effi Koenen. Russell has been asked to spy for both the Russians and the Americans. Effi has been offered a role in a movie being filmed in Berlin. The stories of the deceptions, the confusing alliances made between the Americans and former Nazis , the search for survivors and the role of the underground that takes Jews out of Europe to Palestine make up the various plot lines. I really think that the reader should read this series from the beginning as various characters from past novels come back and their stories are revealed in this book. A good read!

67mkboylan
apr 1, 2013, 12:47 pm

66 oh so glad you said it's a graphic novel. and my library has it! I just read my first one a couple of years ago accidentally - meaning requested it unseen not realizing it was a graphic novel, and was blown away. What shocked me was the depth of the emotion the drawings elicited in me. I had no idea. Now I'm hooked.

68mkboylan
apr 1, 2013, 7:44 pm

50 So did you try any of the recipes in Dirt Candy yet? Got the book from the library and am liking it.

69bolder
apr 2, 2013, 6:58 pm

I just came back from teaching in Malaysia and have been looking for books from there. Can't wait to read this one. Generally speaking it was a little difficult to get my students to read as there are not many if any Malaysian writers.

70torontoc
apr 3, 2013, 10:24 am

I have had a cold for the last week- so I haven't tried any of the Dirt Candy recipes- hopefully when I recover- I will!

Stories by Anton Chekhov translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky This collection certainly reminds the reader of the impressive skill of this author.Skillfully translated, the stories range from the idleness of a bored middle class to the very hard lives of the peasant class in 19th century Russia. Chekhov's description of the landscape of the small villages and towns as well as the villas set the scene for the stories of lives that are for the most part unfulfilled. The tragedies of bad marriages and the wrong choices are heartbreaking in some of the stories. I am glad that I read this book but sometimes it was very grim going.

71rebeccanyc
apr 3, 2013, 10:35 am

I have to get back to Chekov! Yes, a lot of his stories are grim (I guess that's what I like about them!)

72torontoc
apr 5, 2013, 4:58 pm

The stories are so accomplised! -and I recognized one that Katherine Mansfield adapted and " rewrote".

Odessa Genius and Death in a City of Dreams by Charles King.I picked up this history of the city at the Metropolitan Museum in New York last week. I quite enjoyed the writing style and the story of this key city on the Black Sea. King takes the reader to the founding of the city under Catherine !, the transformations that took place over the years, the polyglot nature of the inhabitants and the famous people who passed through here from Alexander Pushkin, Isaac Babel, Vladimir Jabotinsky to Sergei Eisenstein. ( and a good section on his famous film The Battleship Potemkin). The fate of the key Jewish population ( decimated in World War 2 by the Romanian conquerers) and the role of the city through the 19th and 20th centuries was in some way new information to me. -but then I just read Bloodlands by Timothy Snyder this year.
A very good read in history.

73rebeccanyc
apr 5, 2013, 5:12 pm

I am fascinated by Odessa, so I'll have to look for that.

74torontoc
apr 7, 2013, 10:35 am

I gave the book to my brohter to read _ he is going to Odessa this May.

The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones So- why did I not like this book? The writing and creation of specific personalities is very good. The idea of a semi-ghost story is interesting ( although not very logical as to why ). I think that the actual characters and their actions bothered me., The author takes the readers back in time to the turn of the century and a house in the English countryside. The lady of the house, Charlotte has married for a second time after the death of her first husband. Charlotte's elder children, Emerald and Clovis, don't like their stepfather very much but hope that he will be able to save their house from foreclosure. Guest arrive for the weekend and Emerald's birthday. At the same time, the younger daughter, Smudge, does something very stupid. ( in my opinion) A railway accident also bring about 20 strangers to the house to be put up for the night. A mysterious stranger also arrives to create more problems. Some of the attitudes, forgivable in novels written in the period, are not necessarily acceptable to me - the shock of the children actually going to the kitchen to help feed the strangers, the relationship between a landowner and a maid not proceeding because of class differences, and bullying actions at a party game. How are can I, the reader, be annoyed at the actions of a household that were in keeping with the time? Hmm. I guess I wonder why a modern writer wants to bring back into focus ideas that are now unthinkable and very passe.

75torontoc
apr 8, 2013, 6:32 pm

After Midnight by Irmgard Keun This novelist's life was as dramatic as her story about life in 1930's Germany. Sanna is a nineteen year old living in Frankfurt with her half-brother and his wife. Sanna tries not to consider the role of politics but events lead her to consider how her life is changing. The narriative follows a number of people who have books banned, suspicious friends and relatives who betray them. Keun describes a society where the Nazis and their ideas have taken hold of the German people. Everyday activities are governed by what can and cannot be said or actions that must be hidden. Sanna acts as the guardian of her friends' actions- worrying whether they will get into trouble with the Nazis. The novel is brief but extremely well written.
Keun's books were banned by the Nazis in the 1930's.
and

.The Language of Threads by Gail Tsukiyama This novel follows the characters fron earlier book Women of the Silk Pei has brought an orphan , Ji Shen, with her as she travels to Hong Kong in the late 1930's. from China- escaping the Japanese. Pei is lucky that she is linked to other former silkworkers who have come to Hong Kong to work as maids. The novel tells the story of Pei as she works in two households. Her last job before the invasion of Hong Kong by the Japanese is for an Englishwoman who befriends her and Ji Shen. Tsukiyama is a good storyteller-the reader learns about the life of Chinese workers, the fate of those interned at Stanley beach and the aftermath of the war. We also learn the fate of Pei's sister in China and the other "Sisters of the Silk" a good historical fiction read.

76torontoc
apr 9, 2013, 11:51 am

Yiddishkeit Jewish Vernacular and the New Land edited by Harvey Pekar & Paul Buhle. The editors have put together graphic and comic interpretations of the history of Yiddish- the culture, the plays and writers. The late Harvey Pekar contributed some of his personal likes and dislikes ( he hated the work of Isaac Bashevis Singer!) The use of the graphic novel form introduces Yiddish as a language and a means for transmitting culture and a way of Jewish life. I certainly learned much about writers and actors who were important to the development of Yiddish culture.There seems to be a new interest in Yiddish influences on music recently and on the language.

77mkboylan
apr 9, 2013, 6:03 pm

Just wanted to let you know I finished and enjoyed How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less. Thanks so much for the above review.

Merrikay

78torontoc
apr 11, 2013, 4:38 pm

You are welcome! I read the book at my brother's house- my niece bought it for him and she has great book taste!

Amsterdam by Ian McEwan. I had mixed feelings about this book. It is expertly written. Two friends, a newspaper editor, Vernon and Clive, a composer, both meet at the funeral of Molly, a lover to both of them at different times. They both go their separate ways but get entangled in choices that change their lives. Vernon is given a chance to publish a career damaging photo of the foreign minister- another former lover of Molly. Clive is finishing an important symphony and might have observed an assault taking place. How both men react to their situations and the relationships that are poisoned because of their decisions lead to a dramatic ending. I am not sure if I buy this final plot step. The animosity that leads to the end seems out of proportion. The final denouement seems not that plausible for both Vernon and Clive. But this is an interesting book and some good writing on inspiration.

79torontoc
apr 15, 2013, 10:40 am

The Mistress's Daughter by A.M. Homes. The author writes about her own personal history. She was adopted and found out at age 31 that her birth mother was looking for her. The story of how a young woman had an affair with her older married boss and how she gave up her child in a private adoption is only a part of this very interesting book. The author does meet both her birth mother and father. Their stories and personalities and how A. M. Homes copes with them forms a good part of this memoir. The newly found parents are not very admirable and Homes researches their background. She comes to some very mature conclusions on the people who truely influenced her. A very good read.

80Nickelini
apr 15, 2013, 10:48 am

You find some very interesting sounding books that I've never heard of, Cyrel!

81torontoc
apr 17, 2013, 7:22 pm

Thanks,- this next book is from a LT recommendation

The Orientalist by Tom Reiss Thank you to rebeccanyc for reading and reviewing Tom Reiss. This was such a good read. The author not only tells the story of Lev Nussimbaum, aka Essad Bey or Kurban Said, he describes and explains the history of the German Revolution after the first world war, the state of Orientalists and their ideology, and how the Russian Revolution affected the Russian eastern provinces. Lev's fantastic and sad story was just the starting point for writing about the societies and countries that he lived in. The story seems unreal. A Jewish man, born in Baku, and who is witness to the wars and upheavals in Azerbaijan and the Crimea, is educated in Germany, and takes on the persona of a Muslim prince. Lev is a prolific writer and author, living in Germany, Vienna, and lastly Italy. His wife's family takes him to the US but he returns to a Europe in the 1930's. Lev is sympathetic to fascism, and passes himself off as an expert on the East. Reiss discovers the true story of Lev's life, his father's fate and the mystery of the authorship of his books. A very interesting history and biography.

82rebeccanyc
apr 18, 2013, 8:05 am

Glad you enjoyed it, Cyrel.

83torontoc
apr 19, 2013, 8:59 am

JetLag: Five Graphic Novellas by Etgar Keret. I heard Etgar speak and saw four of his short films yesterday. I also picked up this graphic novel of his work illustrated by five artists-Batia Kolton, Yirmi Pinkus, Itzik Rennert, Mira Friedmann, and Rutu Modan. The stories chosen for illustration are very much in keeping with Keret's other books of his short stories- surreal, bizarre and very sad. There is a magician who finds that his "pull the rabbit out of the hat" trick has become murderous. A little boy befriends his piggy bank. A young woman lives next door to the entrance to hell and longs for one of the people there who visit her store. A man becomes involved with a vicious monkey and an acrobat from a Romanian circus. And a man is on a doomed flight with a disguised dwarf and an obsessed stewardess. Keret's work translates well into the graphic novel format.

84AnnieMod
apr 21, 2013, 12:48 am

JetLag sounds like a wonderful work.

85torontoc
apr 21, 2013, 11:05 am

45.Letting It Go by Miriam Katin. I seem to be picking up sme graphic novels lately. Holocasut survivor and artist Miriam Katin uses this format to write about her conflicted attitudes about Berlin, Her son announced that he would be living in Berlin and asks his mother to help him get a Hungarian passport. Miriam is not happy about his decision but does visit him there with her husband, tackle the passport paperwork, and eventually visit a second time to see an exhibit that features her art work. A well written and illustrated memoir!

86torontoc
apr 24, 2013, 9:18 am

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple. I really liked this satire on Seattle living, a woman who gave up her career, Microsoft culture and a family divided. Semple used the idea of letters, emails and reports as the format to tell the story of a family coming apart and she created a very satsifying conclusion. Bernadette Fox, her husband Elgie Branch, and their daughter, Bee are great personalities. A really good read.

87RidgewayGirl
apr 24, 2013, 10:12 am

I've been looking at Where'd You Go, Bernadette ever since it was discussed in the Morning News Tournament of Books. I'm glad you liked it since I'll be reading it soon.

88torontoc
apr 25, 2013, 9:57 am

Look at the very entertaining short story at the back of the paperback book as well!

Solar Dance, Genius, Forgery, and The Crisis of Truth in the Modern Age by Modris Eksteins. I was looking forward to reading this book as I have enjoyed this historian's previous books. I was a little disappointed in the connections made between, the work of Vincent Van Gogh, the maybe forger of Van Gogh's paintings, Otto Wacker, and German politics after World War 1. The facts themselves were very interesting as Eksteins writes about the art historians who authenticated the work that Otto Wacker sold as genuine Van Gogh paintings. The story of Wacker himself and how he reinvented himself as an official in the East German bureaucracy is fascinating. An interesting historical read.

89torontoc
apr 28, 2013, 9:34 am

Empress Orchid by Anchee Min As far as rating this historical fiction novel about the early life of the last Empress of China, I would say that it is interesting but not the best that I have read. The author concentrates on Orchid's family background, her selection as a royal concubine to the Emperor, her relationships and role as mother to the heir and the intrigues that she manages. I was glad that I read it but..I have read better books.

90RidgewayGirl
apr 28, 2013, 10:33 am

Min is kind of hit and miss for me. Red Azalea is the one I think is best, and it's a memoir. I haven't read Empress Orchid, but I did like Becoming Madame Mao quite a bit.

91torontoc
mei 4, 2013, 10:40 am

I have to read that one- I ahve read two of Anchee Min's books so far.

Last Friends by Jane Gardam. This is the third in the series of novel about Old Filth -Edward Feathers, The Man in the Wooden Hat- his wife Betty, and now Last Friends- about Terence Veneering, Old Filth's rival and the one time lover of Betty. Gardam creates the most wonderful characters and her language swiftly informs the reader about their personalities and frailties. This book was a delight to read. I learned about the history of Veneering, his background and those great characters surrounding him- his circus performer or spy Russian father, his coalhauling mother, and his aquaintances. I must mention two of the best eccentric characters- Dulcie and Fiscal-Smith. A great and fitting ending to the trilogy of novels.

92torontoc
mei 5, 2013, 8:41 am


And The Show Went On Cultural Life in Nazi-Occupied Paris by Alan Riding. I found this book about the cultural life in German-occupied Paris to be very complete. I thought that the details sometimes got in the way of the telling of the story, but I did get a very full picture of how French writers and artist dealt with their life and work. Of course there were those who worked with the Germans for reasons of ideology-they agreed with the anti-Semitism. Some argued that they helped save some French artists from work in labour camps or in Germany. I found that the conclusion was the most interesting. Riding points out that the development of avant garde arts or "cultural power" moved to New York after the war. Riding also makes the point that the DeGaulle "rewrote history" to give the French forces more prominence as one of the war's victors. An interesting book.

93mkboylan
mei 5, 2013, 9:46 am

That does sound interesting.

94torontoc
mei 6, 2013, 10:16 am

I was glad that I read it but- I found books like Villa Air-Bel -about one aspect of the story-better.

Born Weird by Andrew Kaufman. I was a little disappointed in this story about the curses given to the five brothers and sisters by their grandmother. I really enjoyed the author's earlier book The Waterproof Bible. This novel seemed a little forced although the story had the elements of both fantasy and comedy. Each child had lived separate lives after the death of their father. With the Weird mother in an institution, only Angie-given the blessing or curse of always forgiving- is at her grandmother's side at a hospital in Vancouver. Grandmother Weird announces that Angie has to find her brothers and sisters and bring them to the hospital so that the blessing given to all of them can be reversed. This task is difficult as Angie is about eight months pregnant. The stories of how Angie finds her siblings and the state of their present as well as flashbacks to the time of their father's death make up the body of this novel. I have mixed feelings in recommending this book. I would say-read The Waterproof Bible first.

95torontoc
mei 7, 2013, 8:58 am


Chocolat by Joanne Harris I did see the film based on this book a number of years ago. However, this author is a master of storytelling. Alternate chapters are narrated by the priest in the small French town and Vianne- the new owner of a chocolate shop just opposite the church. Vianne and her daughter, Anouk, proceed to enchant and enrich the lives of the townspeople in this very small provincial town. Vianne's background of travelling all over the world with her own mother and perhaps her powers of maybe witchcraft and the evil deeds of the priest are revealed slowly in this novel of redemption and change. A very good read. Lovely book.

96torontoc
mei 8, 2013, 9:00 am


The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak I am glad that I read Robert Massie's excellent biography of Catherine The Great of Russia before I tackled this novel. The author really covers the same ground from the point of view of a fictional " spy". Barbara or Varvara is a Polish orphan working in the Winter Palace as a seamstress. Hired and trained by the Chancellor ( and spymaster) Varvara works for the Empress Elizabeth and later Catherine. The plot follows the history of Catherine's arrival and marriage to Peter and later the death of Elizabeth and the revolt against Peter. As a historical novel, the material seems to be accurate and the story of Varvara and her own history is interesting. I just think that sometimes reading better books ( bring on Hilary Mantel and C.J.Sansom) colours how I feel about some other authors. A recommended read but it was an " above average" story

97torontoc
mei 12, 2013, 9:50 am


419 by Will FergusonFerguson's 2012 Giller Award novel about the scams originating in Nigeria and the effects on four people was terrific. The reader follows stories in Western Canada ( Laura) and Nigeria ( Amina, Winston and Nnamdi). Laura is an editor trying to make sense of her father's suicide after he lost all his money in an email scam or "419". Nnamdi is a resourceful young man living in Nigeria who rescues a young pregnant woman -Amina- as she is travelling south. Winston begins this story of loss and hope as he is the one who snares Laura's father in a web of false stories. The politics of oil and gas in Nigeria and the background and corruption of life in Lagos make this novel a worthy recipient of the Giller prize. Some actions of Laura's are perhaps a little out of character but otherwise I was held by the plot until the very end.
One good point about reading the paperback- the interview with the author and book review question added to the book were very informative.

98Nickelini
mei 12, 2013, 4:03 pm

#97 - I'm looking forward to that one. Thanks for your comments.

99torontoc
mei 14, 2013, 6:21 pm

You are welcome! I was discussing the book with my book club members and one woman told us of a " new" scam. A young man was vacationing in Mexico- met some
" new" friends at a bar- these friends asked the man about his relations and himself and learned enough for their call to the young man's grandmother in Toronto- they had enough information to seem believable as they asked for money to get the man out of Jail etc. The grandmother was frightened but did speak to her children-the young man knew nothing about the scam until he got back to Canada and was yelled at by his parents.
Interesting?

Railsea by China Mieville I really liked this adventure -alternative world or post apocalyptic novel. Mieville imagines a time when trains roam over a mass of rail lines hunting giant moles and worms. The hero, Sham is a young man on his first voyage on the moletrain, Medes. His captain lost her arm to a giant ivory coloured mole and is on the lookout for it. ( shades of Moby Dick !) There are scavengers looking for the remains of wrecks from a lost age. The reader follows the adventures of Sham as he befriends a brother and sister looking to finish the discovery work of their parents. and is kidnapped by pirates. The various stories of hunting and new disclosures link at the end. A great read!

100avaland
mei 14, 2013, 8:05 pm

Glad you liked Railsea, Cyrel. It's been my experience that Mieville is a guaranteed good read.

101torontoc
mei 16, 2013, 9:28 pm

yes- he does have a great imagination!

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. What a great book! Atkinson tells and retells the story of the life of Ursula Todd, introducing different variations on her history along with her family and friends. Ursula dies in some scenarios, has a tortured life in others and does very well in yet more life stories. The time period covers both World Wars. In some of Ursula's lives, bad choices are made with dire consequences. She seems to learn what to avoid in later lives.- for herself and others. The continuing round of stories go back to the day of her birth. A brilliant novel that I will have to read again to see if I caught all of the clues.

102kidzdoc
mei 17, 2013, 11:23 am

Nice review of 419, Cyrel; I'll add it to my wish list.

I'm glad to hear that you also enjoyed Life After Life!

103torontoc
mei 18, 2013, 9:01 am

Kensington by Jean Cochrane I have had this book in my library for a while. I never read it through. I did this time for some research. The author writes a decent history of Kensington Market in Toronto. She covers the early days under the Denisons, the Jewish Market, the later Portuguese community and the activist group that prevented the demise of the area by hospital, university and expressway. The photographs by Vincenzo Pietropaolo are very evocative of the area. Cochrane also uses some great archival photos to document the area. Her interviews with people who lived in the market at various times add to the historic account.

104torontoc
mei 21, 2013, 7:03 pm

The Black Count Glory, Revolution, Betrayal and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss. Thank you to rebeccanyc for this recommendation. Reiss won a Pulitzer Prize for this biography and history. What was interesting to me was that the author did not only tell the story of the life of the father of novelist Alexandre Dumas but incorporated the history of French laws regarding the black population. Reiss researches involved some investigation of a locked safe with some essential information about Alex Dumas- son of a French nobleman and slave mother, and eventually a general in the revolutionary army of Napoleon. Dumas the elder's adventures find their way into his son's novels- imprisonment and poisoning and heroism. The general was not rewarded for his devotion to the revolution and his exploits in battle were not acknowledged. This book certainly adds to the knowledge of General Alexandre Dumas's contribution to the French Revolution. A very good read!

105RidgewayGirl
mei 22, 2013, 7:27 am

Railsea and Life After Life are on my radar. You make me want to just go buy copies now.

106torontoc
mei 22, 2013, 8:43 am

I really enjoyed both books!

107torontoc
mei 24, 2013, 7:26 am

Stranglehold by Robert Rotenberg This mystery is the latest in the excellent series by lawyer Robert Rotenberg. I like his work for the stories set in Toronto and the cast of characters who are featured. In this story, detective Ari Greene is the suspect in the killing of Crown Attorney Jennifer Raglan. Ari and Jennifer were secret lovers but Jennifer herself had many secrets that probably led to her death. Ari tries to find out who killed her but has to protect himself as well. The novel follows the work of detective Daniel Kennicott and reporter Amankwah Awotwe. Two plot lines converge as the novel progresses. I did like Rotenberg's use of some of the characteristics of Toronto's present mayor( shudder- the real stories are unbelievable) in his creation of a character who has a significant impact in this well written mystery.

108torontoc
mei 26, 2013, 10:10 am

The School of Night by Louis Bayard This novel was great fun to read being- part historical fiction, part mystery with Sir Walter Raleigh. Thomas Harriot. Syon House( I visited it many years ago) and an assortment of colourful book dealer characters. The story alternates between the present and past King James in England. Thomas Harriot is living on the grounds of Syon House under the protection of the Earl of Northumberland, conducting his scientific and mathematical experiments. Harriot had previously been in the New World and did explore. He becomes acquainted with the assistant housekeeper, Margaret- who was taught to read by her father. Harriot has Margaret become his assistant in his work. In the present, disgraced academic Henry Cavendish becomes involved in a search for the letter apparently stolen by his late friend-book dealer Alonzo Wax. Henry's deal with a sinister collector and his involvement with a clairvoyent, Clarissa set off a search that leads the reader to North Carolina, and later Syon House in London. There are many twists and turns in this fast paced story that touches on treasure, Shakespeare, and the work of Harriot. A good read!

109torontoc
mei 29, 2013, 5:15 pm

Ryszard Kapuscinski A Life by Artur Domoslawski Many years ago I read Kapuscinski's accounts of his travels in Granta magazine. I eventually read all of his books. I loved his style of writing and the somewhat dangerous situations that he wrote about. This biography has been received with some notoriety. The author discusses not only the accomplishments but also the failings of this very famous Polish writer and foreign correspondent. The author follows Kapuscinski's travels and adventures. He investigates the real stories and discovers that Kapuscinski would embellish and change facts to suit his story. Domoslawski writes that sometimes these shadings really do no harm as the meaning and themes would still have resonance. However probably the most contentious aspects of this biography are the accusations that Kapuscinski did some spy work for the Polish government and that he always had a protector in the various Polish communist hierarchies. The author does have some theories on Kapuscinski's actions. He believed that the writer wanted to make sure that he always was able to travel and work in the countries of his choice in Africa and Latin America. The relating of his affairs was actually done in good taste but Kapuscinski's wife was not too happy about this aspect. The detail and exploration of this complex personality and the contradictions make this biography really interesting. I enjoyed the book and would still reread Kapuscinski's work.

110rebeccanyc
mei 29, 2013, 6:05 pm

I read one book by Kapuscinksi, Travels with Herodotus, and wasn't wild about it, but I always think I should try him again. Is there a particular title you would recommend?

111torontoc
mei 30, 2013, 7:32 am

You know, I read them a while back- going by my ratings in my library- I would start with Shah of Shahs and also read The Soccer War. I have an urge to reread them myself since I now know that the author might have " embellished" his adventures.

112SassyLassy
Bewerkt: mei 30, 2013, 10:32 am

Wonderful to hear that there is a biography of Kapuscinski. As a big fan, I will have to read it.

Rebecca, with your interest in Russia, I would also add Imperium to the suggestions above.

ETA The School of Night does sound like fun.

113rebeccanyc
mei 31, 2013, 9:55 am

Thanks, Cyrel and Sassy for the recommendations.

114torontoc
jun 2, 2013, 10:42 am

The Property by Rutu Modan This is the second graphic novel that I have read by this author. Her characters are-like in real life- imperfect and capable of bad decisions and awkward personal relationships. A young woman, Mica, is traveling with her grandmother from Israel to Warsaw. Her grandmother is trying to claim a property that belonged to her family before World War 11. Mica finds out that the letter from a Polish lawyer that would provide evidence of ownership is years out of date. Throughout the stay in Poland, the grandmother hides her real reason from making the trip from her grand daughter. The reader learns about the grandmother's relationship with a man just before the war and the actions of her parents that will eventually save her life. Mica stumbles through her own attempts to find out the truth, meeting a young Polish man who she is attracted to and fending off the clumsy interference of an Israeli friend of the family with his own agenda. I can't say anymore without giving away the story. The graphic design is very good. This is a writer and artist that I would like to follow.

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett For some reason I was never interested in reading this author. I only picked up this novel because my book club had it on their list for June. I am glad that I did. Patchett creates- like Rutu Modan- some wonderful imperfect characters whose actions are not always the best. The writing is superb and the story carried me anxiously from the beginning to the end. Marina Singh is a doctor working in research in Minnesota. The news of the death of her colleague, Anders Eckman in Brazil, leads her employer to ask Marina to investigate the situation. Anders had been sent to find the elusive Dr. Annick Swenson, employed by the company to conduct research on a new drug in Brazil. Dr. Swenson is unavailable for years on end for any reports. The company does not know where her research station on the Amazon is located except for an apartment address in Manaus. Marina travels to the isolated town, makes friends with the protectors of Dr. Swenson and awaits her arrival. The reader learns of Marina's background and previous encounter with Dr. Swenson. Marina's subsequent actions- following Dr. Swenson to her station and learning of her research- lead her to discover her own strengths and convictions. A remarkable novel.

115torontoc
Bewerkt: jun 5, 2013, 9:30 pm

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker. I started to read this novel and at the beginning found it very interesting. Unfortunately, while the various plot lines did come together in the last 20 or so pages of this 450 + page story, I was not totally taken with it.The author writes about a masterless golem on the loose in 1899 New York City and a jinni formerly imprisoned in a copper bottle also released in the same city. The reader learns of both the golem and the jinni's origins, their protectors and the people that they befriend. Some of the characters from the Jewish and Syrian communities are nicely created but I wanted more of their story. I found some of the actions taken to be a little rough. ( kill off some interesting people- shades of Game of Thrones!). That is all I have to say- I am curious to see what other readers thought of this book.
oops- I just checked- some rave reviews and two that had some of my concerns regarding plot development.

116rebeccanyc
jun 5, 2013, 2:18 pm

That book sounded interesting to me; sorry to hear it was disappointing.

117NanaCC
jun 5, 2013, 2:45 pm

I have State of Wonder on my KIndle. I loved Bel Canto, so I am not sure why I haven't read this one. I will have to rectify that.

118torontoc
jun 5, 2013, 9:29 pm

I am glad that I read it and others really loved it but- I guess that I have read better.
I just got a copy of Bel Canto on Bookmooch- it should arrive in about 3 months ( Australia)

Night of Many Dreams by Gail Tsukiyama I usually enjoy this author's work but I could have sworn that I had read this book before. It seemed so familiar. After I checked my LT library , I found out that, no, this was not a reread. The story of two sisters living in Hong Kong just before and after the second world war is certainly well crafted. Joan dreams of becoming an actress and had to deal with her mother's ambitions for a suitable marriage for her. The younger sister, Emma, is tied to her family but has dreams of an education that take her to San Francisco. The lives of these young women as well as their independent aunt form the basis of this novel. I found that the themes have been covered in the author's other books in a more successful way for me.

119torontoc
jun 7, 2013, 9:38 am

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. What a lovely book! I thought that the story of lonely, retired Harold Fry walking from the south of England to Berwick-upon-Tweed to see a woman who was dying was wonderful. The author slowly reveals the tension between Harold and his wife Maureen, and unravels the mystery of their son David. Harold's decision to walk to see a former fellow employee, Queenie Hennesy seemed to happen on a whim. I admired the development and growth of understanding in Harold and Maureen as they worked out their feelings toward each other and their situation during Harold's long trek. A great book to read on a too cold summer's day.

120torontoc
jun 9, 2013, 10:26 am

All My Friends by Marie NDiaye I found this book of short stories ablely translated by Jordan Stump to be an excellent read. Ndiaye creates a host of remarkable characters, each with their own obvious faults and disturbing relationships. The stories are brief , written and translated in a pared down prose. I noticed that all the family relationships- mother to daughter, mother to son, and wife to husband are fractured. The stories reminded me of the subjects in the last Nathan Englander book that I read- the subjects were not what I wanted to know but the writing and characters propelled me through the work. In this book, a young boy wants to be sold into sex slavery, a mother abandons her disabled son, and a doctor tries to relive part of her past while treating her ex-husband and daughter very badly. The stories are not easy to read but the distinctive style make this author one to watch.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards Sometimes I am curious about books that get a lot of press. I try to put them in my reading list to see what the fuss is about and make my own judgements. In this story, a doctor delivers his own children in a snow storm. The time is the early 1960's and women are still put under with gas during childbirth. David Henry, with the assistance of his office nurse at his office. delivers a healthy boy and a girl with Down's Syndrome. Norah , the mother is not awake during the birth. David tells the nurse, Caroline to take the girl to an institution and he then tells his wife that the second baby died. Norah never sees this child. Caroline makes the decision to raise this child as her own and she leaves quckily for another town and state. The drama in this novel revolves around the increasing conflict faced by David- his guilt and reasons for his actions, and the tension surrounding the marriage of Norah and David. The son, Paul is also affected by the actions of his parents. I thought that the last quarter of the book resolved issues too easily. So- was I satisfied that this book got much attention? Not really- I thought that the plot slid too near soap opera style.

121torontoc
jun 10, 2013, 6:42 pm

Gotz and Meyer by David Albahari and expertly translated by Ellen Elias-Bursac This novel could be compared to a piece of music where the main theme is repeated many times. The style of prose is similar to that of W.G. Sebald. An obsessed teacher in Belgrade muses on the story of Gotz and Meyer- two soldiers in the German army who gassed the Serbian Jews who had been living in the camp established by the Nazis at the site of the former fairground. Over and over again, the nameless teacher talks about the truck that was used to transport and kill Jews who thought that they were being taken to a better location. The teacher is Jewish but was saved when he was hidden with his mother in a small village. He tries to create a family tree with the names of those who had been killed. In this novel, the instructor tries to teach his students about the events that destroyed the Jews of Belgrade. Some of the teaching choices were wrong and chilling. ( I am a former teacher and think that his obsession made him insensitive to right and wrong). However, I knew a little about the camp in the fairground from a film that I saw last year. This novel is certainly is an important addition to any list of Holocaust based literature. It is not easy to read but I could appreciate the structure and theme.

122torontoc
jun 14, 2013, 11:16 am

Our Lady of Alice Bhatti by Mohammed Hanif Hanif wrote both a satire and a tragedy about life in Pakistan. His main character, Alice Bhatti is a nurse at the Sacred Heart Hospital for All Ailments. Her father is a part time healer and Alice herself has an interesting background. She won't put up with any wrong doing and ends up in prison for while. The hospital has doctors longing to be elsewhere, and a number of people who have some non- official dealings with the institution. Teddy Butt assists the police in their " Gentlemen's Squad"- a sort of torture and disposal unit commanded by Inspector Malangi. The stories connecting Alice and Teddy are both funny and terrible. Hanif uses attacks on women in Pakistan in many situations and relates them in a matter fo fact way. The reader cheers for Alice when she averts one such sexual assault with a devastating solution. The end is unexpected since Alice seems to be able to master almost every problem.Hanif has created a novel that has significant contemporary themes for the reader's understanding of life in Pakistan and perhaps more places as well.

and

In a Strange Room by Damon Galgut. I find Galgut's writing very expressionistic. The book is divided into three parts- each about a journey taken by the narrator. The urge to travel and constantly be on the move is more pronounced in the first two sections. In the first part of the book a man travels in Greece and meets a person who he seems to like in an unspecified way. When he returns to his home in South Africa , the new companion, Reiner makes arrangements to join him for a hike through Lesotho. The story of their conflicts and the narrator reactions make up the body of the chapter. The second section has the narrator travelling and meeting a trio in Malawi. He follows them in their travels and has a strong attraction to one of the men. The story is about an obsession and the emotions of the narrator. I liked the third part of his novel the best. The narrator takes a damaged and disturbed friend, Anna, to India for a holiday. The story is about Anna's self destruction and how the narrator copes as well as his emotions and thoughts about his role. An interesting book to think.about.

123mkboylan
jun 14, 2013, 12:56 pm

Our Lady goes on the wish list. Sounds very interesting.

124janeajones
jun 14, 2013, 5:48 pm

Fascinating reviews.

125torontoc
jun 16, 2013, 9:58 am

Thanks, this has been a good reading month.

The Irregulars Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington by Jennet Conant. The story of this history sounded interesting. However, the author seems to run out of material on Dahl and concentrates on the political manoevres that took place in Washington during World War Two. The British were anxious to discredit or neutralize powerful newspaper editors and influential people who were Pro- Isolationist and anti-British. Conant writes about William Stephenson and the secret British Security Coordination spy operation that he was running from New York. Roosevelt and his vice-president, Wallace, and Dahl's mentor , Charles Marsh. The various plots involving dumping Wallace as vice -president and the skirmish to divide up air rights after the war take over the book What the reader learns about Dahl is interesting although his character is not necessarily central to some of the material in this history. I have mixed feelings about this book- I liked some of the material although the narration seems to be loaded with too many names and incidents.

Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel This is an unusual book. In fact it is a story within a story. At first gentle in nature, the plot takes the reader to some unimaginable horrors by the end. The narrator, Henry is a successful author, who had a new book rejected by his publishers. He wanted to tell a fiction and non-fiction story about the Holocaust. Henry and his wife relocate to a new country for a break and obtain jobs. Henry is contacted by a man who is having trouble with his play about a donkey and monkey- Beatrice and Virgil. Henry finds the man- a taxidermist by trade- and slowly tries to begin a mentorship with him. In fact, Martel does creates a play within a story that more and more draws a parallel with the Holocaust. The premise does seem a little far-fetched to both Henry, inside the story, and to us, the readers. But it does work powerfully.

The Tale of the 1002nd Night by Joseph Roth. This book was one of Roth's last novels to be translated into English ( expertly by Michael Hofmann and was written before the Nazi annexation of Austria-according to the backpage of the publication. Perhaps the story does not have the impact on then current events, but is does chronicle the end of an era. The story revolves around an incicent when the Shah of Persia comes to visit Vienna in the mid 1870's. This ruler is taken with a Viennese Countess and demands to meet and make love to her. The officials in charge of the visit try to find a solution by finding a stand-in look alike for the Countess- a prostitute named Mizzi, a former lover of the Baron Taittinger. The later fates of both Taittinger and Mizzi form the basis of the novel. In a way, the manipulations, and the characters of the spies, the newspaper editors, and the madam show how the world was changing. The Mizzi and the Baron are no match for those who have ulterior motives. Lives are destroyed because old ways are no longer followed. An interesting and sad book.

126torontoc
jun 17, 2013, 10:13 am


Mission to Paris by Alan Furst. I also eagerly await the publication of Furst's books ( ok- I wait for the paperback) His series on spies and World War Two are always good reads. And there is always a scene set in one particular bistro in Paris. Fredic Stahl is a Hollywood actor sent to make a movie in Paris in 1938. He was originally from Vienna but found success in the United States. The story involves the efforts of German groups trying to use Fredric in their propaganda and the actor's involvement with the American spy service. The story of how Germany used French groups to further their aims is very interesting.The menace of not co-operating becomes stronger as the novel show Fredric using the German contacts to gather information for the US.
A very good way to celebrate reading 75 books so far!

127NanaCC
jun 17, 2013, 10:57 am

I am fascinated by the number of books you have read this year. And several will find their way to my wish list.

128RidgewayGirl
jun 17, 2013, 11:42 am

I love Alan Furst's books, but I thought that Mission to Paris was, by far, his weakest to date.

129torontoc
jun 17, 2013, 4:20 pm

mmm- I think that his best books were the early ones, myself.

130mkboylan
jun 18, 2013, 8:04 pm

Hi Toronto - Just wanted to let you know I just finished The Property and enjoyed it. So glad you recommended it. I'll be following that author also.

Merrikay

131rebeccanyc
jun 19, 2013, 7:34 am

#125 I generally am a fan of Joseph Roth, but I had mixed feelings about The Tale of the 1002nd Night. Although I liked Roth's writing and wit, the book never really grabbed me and some aspects of the translation annoyed me. Glad you liked it better.

132torontoc
jun 25, 2013, 9:52 am

The Street Sweeper by Elliot Perlman. I must admit that when I started reading this novel, I thought that it was too wordy. However, I soon got caught up in the mesh of stories about a Holocaust survivor , a janitor in a cancer hospital in New York City, a historian researching the interviews of survivors and more links that I was anxious to discover. Perlman deftly moves from one story to another. We go back in time to Poland, the Warsaw Ghetto, Auschwitz, and Chicago after the war. The reader links the historical events to the stories of relationships. Lamont Williams and his bad and good choices in life and Adam Zignelik's redemption through his new research lead the reader through the multiple histories. There is a strong theme of " tell the story" that resonates throughout the book. A wonderful read.

133torontoc
jun 26, 2013, 9:50 am

The Exile Book of Yiddish Women Writers edited by Frieda Johles Forman This is the second volume of translated stories by Yiddish women writers. The translators are from "The Toronto Yiddish Translation Group". I have to say at the beginning that I know some of the translators and was on a committee that did provide a little support for this publication. There was a first volume published years earlier-Found Treasures.
This book of short stories and memoirs covers not only Europe in between the world wars but the Sephardic community of Jerusalem, New Yorka and Montreal.Some of the stories depict the situation of conflicted women and men caught in lives that they don't want. There are gutsy women in the Crimea and heroic women hiding in ghettos during the Holocaust. There are actresses going against the wishes of family. One lovely memoir by the late Miriam Waddington recalls the " salon" of Montreal writer Ida Maza.I liked this book not only because of the stories. The stories and their authors were rescued from obscurity by making their work accessible to a larger audience.

134rebeccanyc
jun 26, 2013, 10:51 am

What a great project, and these sound like interesting books. I'll look for them.

135torontoc
jun 27, 2013, 8:37 am

I heard a presentation of readings from the book and a talk by the editor a few weeks ago- it was very interesting.

A Hundred Flowers by Gail Tsukiyama I really enjoy reading Tsukiyama's work. Her style of writing is very gentle with quietly worked out characters and situations. In this novel, the focus is on one family in 1958 Guangzhou. Kai Ying works as a herbalist, supporting her family as her husband was imprisoned for writing a letter criticizing the goverment. Sheng was a victim of the " Hundred Flowers" trap. People were encouraged to speak out and then punished. Kai Ying's young son, Tao, falls out of a tree and has to deal with his injuries. Wei, Sheng's father is a former professor of art history but now has guilt for his part in Sheng's situation. The story really takes a slice of time in the lives of this family. Beautifully written, the book samples the life of one family and how they cope with difficulties of politics and injury during one season.

136torontoc
jun 30, 2013, 9:53 am

Bobcat and Other Stories by Rebecca Lee. This volume of stories was sent to me by Early Reviewers. The author has an interesting style of plot development. The narrators are very forthright in their own personality assessments -from the college student who plagiarized her first essay and continues to lie convincingly to the woman asked to find a suitable wife for her good friend in Hong Kong.In some of the stories, a jarring note is struck but not worked out for the reader. This leads to an incomplete feeling at the end of the narration. I liked the style of Lee's sentences- they were both precise and descriptive of the situation that was unfolded. The stories are set in American mid-west, Saskatchewan, and Hong Kong. Relationships are broken and the narrators move on in live accepting the seemingly abrupt turns of fate. A good read for me.

137rebeccanyc
jun 30, 2013, 9:59 am

I've recently been hearing a lot about Bobcat and Other Stories -- good to read your review.

138mkboylan
jul 1, 2013, 10:10 am

Sounds interesting.

139NanaCC
jul 1, 2013, 4:40 pm

>135 torontoc: I finished Women of the Silk by Gail Tsukiyama just a short time ago, and enjoyed it. I have another of her books lined up to read, The Samurai's Garden. I think I will be buying this one too.

140torontoc
jul 2, 2013, 6:01 pm

I like her writing style
Films- I saw Hannah Arent and Lore- both really good.
Frances Ha was fun but not perfect- great actors
Specimen Days by Michael Cunningham This was an unusual read for me as I remember the author from his book, The Hours- This story is very different. The narrative is divided into three parts. The first section takes place in late 19th century New York. A very young teenager with a habit of reciting sections of Walk Whitman's poetry at odd times takes the place of his deceased older brother in a factory and becomes the breadwinner for his family. Lucas is concerned with visions and the fate of his brother's fiancee., Catherine. How Lucas saves her from death but at the cost of his own health leaves the reader with a sense of unease. The second story take place in modern day New York where an employee of the police , Cat listened to the threats of those who want to create havoc in the city. She has to evaluate what is real and what is delusion. Cat discovers three young children who are blowing up random citizens with pipe bombs . What she discovers and how she tries to change the situation. An artifiact from the first story turns up in this second as well as references to Whitman again. The third section is set in an apocalyptic future with ruined cities, aliens working on earth and intelligent robots- in this case one that is programmed to recite Walt Whitman. An interesting story about fate, and maybe hope for the future.

141torontoc
jul 14, 2013, 9:03 am

The Magic of Saida by M.G. Vassanji. This is such a good book from a master storyteller. I am surprised that this novel was not nominated for last year's Giller Prize. Kamal is a wealthy doctor from Edmonton returning to his birthplace in Kilwa, a small town on the coast of Tanzania. He is searching for a childhood friend, Saida, who he has not seen for many years. The novel relates not only Kamal's story about growing up the son of an African mother and an Indian father who abandoned his family but also the history of the area. The reader learns of the German conquest, the revolts and the poets who helped define the culture. The story of the poet Mzee Omari takes an important role in the narrative. Saida, the lost friend from Kamal's childhood, was the grand daughter of the poet. Kamal tells his story as he searches for Saida. Past and present are blended in the stories and both the reader and Kamal learn of the secrets that lead to the climax. ( which is a little overly dramatic for my taste but does work) A great story.

I also saw the film Museum Hours-excellent-

142torontoc
jul 19, 2013, 9:24 am

Provenance How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art by Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo. A friend of mine recommended that I read this book and I am glad that I did. The story of a significant scam that involved tampering with the archives of major London galleries (Tate, Victoria and Albert, and ICA) and the sale of forgeries of 20th century artworks seemed a little impossible. The forger didn't even use the correct paint in his recreations of works by Giacometti, Nicholson and Braque. The story of the master planner, John Drewe and his convincing plan to change documents in major archives so that he can sell his forgeries executed by John Myatt to dealers in England and the US is complex. The authors show how the con was done and how the police cracked down on the group who sold forgeries.
A good book for those interested in the art world.

143torontoc
jul 20, 2013, 8:02 am

The Suitcase by Sergei Dovlatov This is a lovely tragic-comic novel that uses the contents of the narrator's suitcase ( the only one he took with him when he emigrated to the United States from Russia) to spark memories of his life in Soviet Russia. Each worn item of clothing is related to a past incident in the life of this writer who worked for minor Soviet publications. Most of the stories have a sense of the absurd or irony. In fact the reader might think that the events might have taken place in the author's life. A very satisfying read.

144torontoc
jul 21, 2013, 8:30 pm

Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir. Hmm- I found this historical fiction narrative about the life of Lady Jane Grey to be very melodramatic. Her story is some what fantastic.Jane was the grandaughter of Mary Tutor, younger sister of Henry VIII. Her mother, Frances Brandon was very ambitious for her and with her husband plotted to make Jane marry the King- Edward, Henry's son. However as Edward was very ill, the family next allied with the Duke of Northumberland to change Edward's will altering the successfion to the throne. Jane was married to the son of the Duke, briefly installed on the throne of England but deposed by nobles loyal to Mary. Jane , her husband, her father and father-in-law were all beheaded. The story is told from the point of view of many of the players in this drama. The dialogue is very stilted and sometimes over the top in my opinion. I have read some of this author's histories and liked them very much. This novel was not as good.

145NanaCC
jul 21, 2013, 9:03 pm

I didn't realize that Alison Weir wrote anything other than non-fiction. I have a few of her histories on the shelf. You have reminded me that I want to read one soon.

146torontoc
Bewerkt: jul 29, 2013, 8:12 am

I do like her non-fiction!

The Secret Servant by Daniel Silva. I don't know what element of hot weather makes me want to read mysteries. But in the very hot spell that just passed, I read another of Daniel Silva's adventures starring the art restorer and spy Gabriel Allon. I must admit that the number of bodies is much higher in this story than in other spy series that I follow and like better. Ah well, I am on to other types of reading now that the temperature has moderated.

147torontoc
aug 1, 2013, 11:51 am

Joe Salsberg :A Life of Commitment by Gerald Tulchinsky I have mixed feelings about this biography about a man who was a very important person in the history of Jewish Toronto and the labour movement. I knew Joe Salsberg as my father's relative and as a member of the Jewish community. He had been a labour organizer, member of the Communist party from 1920's to the late 1950's, a member of the Ontario Legislature for 12 years from 1943-55 and later a columnist with the Canadian Jewish News. His story was filled with the drama of fighting for the rights of workers, and of working towards equality for all people of all races and nationalities in Ontario. This biography does cover all the material of his associations. The author does cover briefly the story of his parents and family. However, having interviewed Joe Salsberg many years ago, i don't think that the author has done justice to the wealth of stories and events that Joe Salsberg was involved with in the Jewish community. The book is very brief-138 pages- and the photos are good. The notes are impeccable. I hope that someone else writes more with the material available in various archives in Ontario.

148rebeccanyc
aug 1, 2013, 5:50 pm

How interesting to have such a personal perspective on the subject of a biography!

149torontoc
aug 1, 2013, 8:42 pm

It was an interesting read but-I think that there is more to his life that I didn't get from the book.

The English Girl by Daniel Silva- I really felt the need to read a thriller and this fit the bill. Russian plots, kidnappings, underhanded politicians, scams and gas politics are the focus in this latest Gabriel Allon adventure. Well written and a fast read.

150torontoc
aug 5, 2013, 9:14 am

The Air We Breathe by Andrea Barrett. I have been reading the work of Barrett for a number of years. There are relationships established between a number of the characters in her novels and short stories. I like her writing style- in this case the tone is somewhat elegaic. The narration is done by an unnamed group of people or person living at a public sanitorium-Tamarack Lake- for tuberculosis patients in the Adirondack Mountain area. Barrett introduces a number of people. Leo is a new patient coming from New York- a recent immigrant trying to work in his field of chemistry but not successful. Miles is a wealthy man living at one of the private homes for patients- he tries to improve the lives of the people living at Tamarack through intelletual seminars. Eudora is a nurse working the the sanitorium and Naomi is the daughter of the woman who runs Miles's residence. Naomi drives Miles to the sanitorium for his Wednesday sessions.Irene is runs the x-ray machines and was a former patient. The story involves the study of science and the new inventions of the beginning of the 20th century, the coming and fighting of the First World War, and most importantly, the misreading of affections. The wrong assumptions of Miles and Naomi drive the plot with terrible consequences. The treatment of tuberculosis during this time is described and leads to the life proscribed to the patients. A really interesting book to read and think about.

151rebeccanyc
aug 5, 2013, 10:42 am

I enjoyed the one Andrea Barrett book I read, Ship Fever, and recently saw in a bookstore that she has a new short story collection out and I was thinking of getting it. Not sure a TB sanatorium is quite up my alley, though.

152SassyLassy
aug 5, 2013, 11:16 am

The Barrett book does sound very interesting. It's amazing the way the sanatoria changed people's lives completely and how much they were part of the social history of certain areas of the country. You could be getting along with your life just fine and then suddenly you are sent to "the san" for a minimum two year stay, sort of like a prison sentence. There goes family, job, school, whatever you were engaged in at the time. Then there were the communities where people made a living working at the sanatorium. They obviously had a completely different take on the whole thing.

Thanks for the review and to Rebecca for the mention of the other title.

153mkboylan
aug 5, 2013, 1:15 pm

Yes that book sounds so intriguing The Air We Breathe. I'd love to hear of a study of the effects on the children of the patients.

154rebeccanyc
aug 5, 2013, 5:31 pm

Well, I succumbed, and bought the new Barret, Archangel, when I saw it in the bookstore today because it was promoted as a signed copy!

155torontoc
aug 6, 2013, 9:55 am

I put the book on my wish list!

And now ,unfortunately my latest ER book

Red Dragon White Dragon by Gary Dolman I really don't know where to begin. This ER book started well. In 1890 Atticus and Lucie Fox are hired by Sir Hugh Lowther of Northumberland to investigate a very gruesome murder. They travel from their home in Harrogate, England to Sir Hugh's estate to begin their work. Both Atticus and Lucie are very knowledgeable about new techniques of fingerprinting and Lucie is a former nurse who understands human anotomy. The chapters alternate with the findings of the Foxes and the words of the killer as he listens to voices directing him in his killings. And killings there are! Too many in fact as most of the characters start to die at an alarming rate. The method of death is awful with hearts cut out and disappearing. The tone becomes melodramatic as the reader learns of the connection to the stories of King Arthur and his wife Guinevere. In fact I wondered why the Foxes can't figure out sooner who the killer is as almost everyone on the Lowther estate is soon murdered. The key scenes at the end of the story are not managed well. We learn the true story which is- well- even for a novel -unbelievable in gore. More melodrama and with out any spoilers- how can five characters in a cavern not be able to overpower the one killer! In fact the last pages are not constructed well as two of the characters take on the killer. I kept on asking where is everyone else! And where is the editor? The story could have been saved with some revising in my opinion.

156torontoc
aug 6, 2013, 7:27 pm

90. Hope: a Tragedy by Shalom Auslander I seem to have a run of odd books this month- well except for the Andrea Barrett. Auslander has written a black comedy-very surreal- maybe like Woody Allen on drugs?. The premise is outrageous and funny. Sol Kugel is living with his wife and son in a house in a small rural town in Stockton, New York. His mother - supposedly ailing and about to die -is living with them. She has taken on the persona of a Holocaust survivor although she was born and lived in the US her whole life. Kugel then discovers that an elderly Anne Frank is living in his attic ( she has gone from attic to attic since the end of the war) and writing a novel. In addition, there is an arsonist in the town who has been burinng down old houses. How Kugel stumbles through every day life in Stockton, dealing with his mother and her eccentricities, Anne Frank's demands for matzoh, and the needs of his family is funny, sometimes in questionable taste and sad at the same time. I found that certain sections of the book seem to sound like a comedian's stories that never stop. Monty Python with Jewish overtones comes to mind. an interesting read.

157rebeccanyc
aug 7, 2013, 7:57 am

I read a story by Auslander in the New Yorker once, and it put me off him -- your review doesn't really encourage me to try again.

158torontoc
aug 11, 2013, 1:15 pm

Yes- I have other authors on my wishlist that I want to read-

TransAtlantic by Colum McCann- I really enjoyed this book. The intersecting stories and the wonderful turn of phrase and choice of words are all terrific. McCann uses the events in the lives of Frederick Douglas, a Black American slave in 1845, John Alcock and Teddy Brown, avaitors in 1919 who piloted the first trans-atlantic flight from Newfoundland to Ireland and Senator George Mitchell, architect of a peace agreement in Northern Ireland in 1998. The links between the stories are the women from Lily, a maid who crosses the ocean to live through the American Civil War to her daughter and granddaughter who witness some of the historical events in Newfoundland and Ireland. There is a certain satisfying feeling I had as I read- I think that it was related to McCann's ability to create a kind of humanity in the personalities of his characters whether they were describing their own inner life or some terrible tragedy. I undertand why this novel was nominated for the Booker Prize!

159torontoc
aug 13, 2013, 1:32 pm


Finding the Dragon Lady The Mystery of Vietnam's Madame Nhu by Monique Brinson Demery This ER book was really interesting. The author not only traced the story of the former First Lady of South Vietnam, but also tracked her own interactions with Madame Nhu over a number of years. Tran Thi Le Xuan was the middle child of a wealthy family in Vietnam. She was married to Ngo Dinh Nhu at an early age during a time of war and upheaval. Nhu's brother became president of South Vietnam and Madame Nhu become his official hostess from 1955-1963. During that time Madame Nhu expressed very vocal criticisms of the US government and any opposition to her family's domination and control of South Vietnam. Madame was infamous for comparing the suicide of Buddhist monks to " barbecues". She believed that her advice in the past had been valuable but both her husband and brother-in-law realized that Madame Nhu was more of a problem . When she went on a lecture tour to Europe and the US, there was a coup ( probably supported by the US) and her husband and brother-in-law were deposed and killed. The author has much experience in the study of Vietnam and tried for many years to get Madame Nhu's side of her story. Demery was also able to access Madame Nhu's personal diary and interview important witnesses to this pivotal in Vietnam's history. I enjoyed reading this biography.

160torontoc
aug 15, 2013, 10:39 am

The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells by Andrew Sean Greer. After reading Kate Atkinson's Life After Life, I looked at this novel and thought that the theme of many lives relived might be overworked. I was wrong. Andrew Sean Greer has written a wonderful and heartbreaking story of love and loss. Greta Wells has suffered many blows in 1985. Her twin brother ,Felix, died of AIDS ,as did many of his friends and Greta's lover of many years, Nathan, left her. Unable to shake her depression, her doctor suggested that she under a series of electric shock treatments. What happens is that after each session Greta is transported to the life of another Greta in 1941 and 1919. Each new Greta is in a different situation but also undergoing shock treatments. Her Aunt Ruth is the only person in the 1985 and 1919 times that Greta is able to tell about her transformation. In 1919 Greta is married to Nathan but he is overseas in the army. She is involved with Leo, a young actor. In 1941, Greta is married to Nathan and has a child. In both 1919 and 1941, Felix is alive but trying to deal with and conceal his feelings as a gay man. How the 1985 Greta changes the life of her self in each era and the resultant effects on those around her is the story. I liked the author's descriptive language as he explores the emotions of rediscovering those who have been an important part of one person's life. The dealing with loss of love and the understanding of change is another theme. Choices in one's destiny is the gift that Greta has been given. A great read!

161torontoc
aug 19, 2013, 9:57 am

Silent House by Orhan Pamuk,. Just recently published, this novel was written by Pamuk in the 1980's. I usually like this author's work but this story began well and ended badly for me. The author focuses on one family visiting their grandmother in an old house located in a small fishing village on the Turkish coast. Fatma is a bitter ninety year old is cared for by her late husband's illegitimate dwarf son, Recep. The grandchildren, Faruk, a historian, Nilgun,a female university student and Metin , a high school graduate, are visiting. Each person narrates a chapter about their activities during the visit. Hasan, is the nephew of Recep and he too tells the reader about his exploits as a member of a right wing group that terrorizes the neighbourhood. The author really does get into the minds of adolescent boys as he reveals the longing of Metin to fit in with a dissolute group of young people, and Hasan's obsession with Nilgun. The narrative takes on the form of stream consciousness thoughts. I found that while it was interesting in the beginning to learn of everyone's secrets, the sudden violence at the end ( somewhat a spoiler) and the resulting ending was a disappointment.

162RidgewayGirl
aug 19, 2013, 3:19 pm

The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells sounds interesting. I'll look out for it.

163kidzdoc
Bewerkt: aug 19, 2013, 5:42 pm

I own several books by Orhan Pamuk, namely Snow, My Name Is Red, The Museum of Innocence, and Other Colors, but I haven't read any of them yet. Have you read anything else by him? If so, which one is your favorite?

164torontoc
Bewerkt: aug 19, 2013, 7:35 pm

I have read My Name is Red , Snow, Other Colors, Istanbul Memories and the City -my favourite, The Black Book - difficult and very long-, The White Castle and The Naive and Sentimental Novelist. I loved Istanbul and my second favourite is Snow. I did like My Name is Red as well.
Silent House is definitely my least favourite book.

165dmsteyn
aug 20, 2013, 5:31 am

Great reviews as always, and many books that I haven't heard about before. On Pamuk, I've only read The Museum of Innocence, which was good but quite bloated. I've heard that the earlier novels are more stream-lined and focused.

166torontoc
aug 20, 2013, 8:27 am

Well- not Black Book
My Name is Red and The White Castle were more of a comfortable length as well as the wonderful memoir/history in Istanbul Memories and the City

167kidzdoc
aug 20, 2013, 9:24 am

Thanks, Cyrel. I'll try to get to Snow next year.

168torontoc
aug 22, 2013, 8:50 am

Snow was the first book that i read by Pamuk- and I liked well enough to track his other novels.

In Other Worlds SF and the Human Imagination by Margaret Atwood This book contains essays, reviews and excerpts from novels by by Margaret Atwood on the subject of science fiction. The first three chapters formed the Richard Ellmann Lectures that the author delivered at Emory University in Atlanta in 2010. Atwood describes her definitions of science fiction and fantasy, reviews important book by Ursula Le Guin, Marge Piercy, George Orwell, Kazuo Ishiguro, H.G. Wells and more. Atwood describes her lifelong attraction to science fiction and the influence on her own writing. This is a very eloquent collection of writings that reaffirm this author's importance as a writer.

169torontoc
aug 25, 2013, 2:57 pm

Merivel A Man of His Time by Rose Tremain The author continues the story of Sir Robert Merivel, doctor, subject and sometime friend to King Charles 11 of England. i really enjoyed the first book and the adventures described in Restoration. Although the narrator does describe some of the earlier events, I think that the reader should have read Restoration first. Sir Robert or Merivel as he likes to be called, finds himself bored at his estate- Bidnold Manor- and decides to ask the King for a letter of recommendation to King Louis of France. Mervel travels to Versailles and gets caught up in the life of those who wait to see the King. He meets and makes love to Madame de Flamanville but her husband threatens Merivel and he leaves France to care for his ill daughter. He takes with the discarded pet or bear belonging to King Louis with the intention of raising him at his own estate. Tremain takes her main character to Switzerland, back to England and then has him witness the end of the reign of King Charles. I so enjoyed reading this book and got caught up in the lives that Tremain described. Highly recommended- if you like historical fiction- this is one of the best.

170kidzdoc
aug 25, 2013, 3:01 pm

Nice review of Merivel, Cyrel. I have both it and Restoration, and I hope to read both books early next year.

171torontoc
aug 27, 2013, 8:25 am

Thanks!

I will be reviewing and describing the films that I will see as part of the Toronto International Film Festival starting for me on Sept 7- just got my schedule!

Harvest by Jim Crace (touchstones not working this morning)I am glad that the Booker longlist gives me information on authors that I have not considered before. Jim Crace writes with wonderful expressive language about a village in a perhaps medieval time. The narrator, Walter Thirsk, is an outsider who came to the village with Master Kent when he married his wife Lucy many years ago.. The inhabitants of this remote estate have lived and worked the land for many generations. Walter married and became one of them, exisiting on the crops and animals that everyone tended for the master.Within one week, the entire society that existed for these people was overturned. A thoughtless crime of arson and wrongful punishment for some outsiders leads to death and destruction. This event was coupled with the appearance of Mr. Quill, a man asked by Master Kent to chart the holdings of the village and fields. The intent of this report is made clear by the appearance of another disruptive force and the havoc that is added to the previous suspicions. The buildup of wrongs lead to destruction. This symbolism of change and the damage done to people's lives and the forces that led to the resulting events creeps up on the reader slowly and then forcefully. I will be thinking about this story for a long time.

172baswood
aug 27, 2013, 6:43 pm

Another good review of Harvest, which is now on my wish list. Looking forward to reading your film reviews.

173dchaikin
Bewerkt: aug 27, 2013, 10:19 pm

Great review of Harvest. And you have me interested in Tremain's Restoration and Merivel. Charles II seems to come up a lot in my reading lately...and I like Tremain.

174Nickelini
aug 27, 2013, 11:39 pm

Harvest does indeed sound good. Ouch to my TBR pile!

175NanaCC
aug 28, 2013, 8:14 am

Harvest is now on my wishlist. Thank you for the review.

176kidzdoc
aug 28, 2013, 6:43 pm

Nice review of Harvest, Cyrel; it sounds as though you enjoyed it as much as I did.

177torontoc
aug 31, 2013, 1:34 pm

Muse by Mary Novik I just finished this historical fiction novel about the unknown woman who bore two children to the poet Petrarch. The author has given this woman a very interesting life as the mistress of Pope Clement in Avignon and as a clairvoyant. I liked the history but have to think about the style- so I'll be back with more.

178mkboylan
sep 1, 2013, 2:47 pm

Too bad about Silent House because it sounds like an interesting format chapter-wise.

Think I'll tale a look at In Other Worlds by Atwood.

Think I'll skip your review of Harvest because I saw how that effected everyone else's WL. (Just kidding, but still).

Look forward to your film reviews.

179torontoc
sep 2, 2013, 8:59 am

I am picking up my tickets today- very excited-

. So let me continue my comments about Muse. I liked the setting and history. One of the reasons that I read historical fiction is to learn more about times and places in the past. Novik uses the turbulent times of the middle ages- the extremes of wealth and poverty and the poetry and the superstition- as the setting for her story. Novik's plan of giving anonymous women in history a role and a voice is admirable. And then there is the character of Solange-a child born to a " harlot" and probably a pope, a talented scribe,a clairvoyant, lover and editor to the poet Petrarch and later the mistress of a Pope. Novik tries to give a life to the real unknown and nameless woman who did give birth to a child by Petrarch. There is a conflict set up between the discussions that Solange and Petrarch have about his poetry and the poet's obsession with a noblewoman in Avignon, Laura. However, I was disturbed by one element that I have seen in many books-the use of bad decisions by the main character to further the plot. In this novel. Solange's actions make little sense and really are not worthy of someone in her position. So that is the problem- how to reconcile an interesting time in history, a desire to give a personality to someone who had been " written out of history" and at the same time give her really bad and foolhardy actions.

Locked Rooms by Laurie R. King. I really felt the need to read a mystery after my last book so I selected this mystery that used the husband and wife team of Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes. I know that I started in the middle of this series ( I should read the rest) and found it a pleasant read about the mystery of Mary's family's death in a so-called accident. Mary and Sherlock are in San Francisco wrapping up business involving her family's estate. They eventually team up with private and crime writer Dashiel Hammett to learn the source of Mary's nightmares about her past and to find the killers of her family. A good mystery read.

180torontoc
sep 3, 2013, 8:37 am

Midnight in Peking How the Murder of a Young Englishwoman Haunted the Last Days of Old China by Paul French. I am happy that my 100th book read this year was a really good one. French tracks the story of the brutal murder of Pamela Werner in 1937 Peking and the history of the investigation. The intervention of the British authorities to limit the police and the subsequent work done by Pamela's father reveals a very sordid story. French to his credit builds suspense by first going through the detective work done by the police. He then shows the reader how Pamela Werner's father really found what really happened by speaking to the people that the police missed. This is an excellent book that paints a clear picture of the politics and life in Peking just before the takeover by the Japanese.

181SassyLassy
sep 3, 2013, 9:31 am

Really envying you another year at TIFF and looking forward to your usual great reviews.

Midnight in Peking has been on my list for some time and I really must get to it. Congratulations on reaching 100!

182Nickelini
sep 3, 2013, 11:14 am

Cyrel - I'm glad you continued with your comments on Muse. The subject matter of that one doesn't interest me, but I hope she writes something else. I'm having problems with her novel Conceit, but I think it's because I don't enjoy reading about that time period. The research and writing are both excellent.

183janeajones
Bewerkt: sep 3, 2013, 8:34 pm

I'm intrigued by your review of Muse and have put it on my wish list -- I probably would have bought it immediately had not my TBR pile grown exponentially in the last few weeks.

184torontoc
sep 4, 2013, 9:12 am

I really liked Conceit and was looking forward to Muse- I was disappointed in the character development after Noviks' fine work with Conceit.
Midnight in Peking was a great read for me.

My first films are on Saturday-

185rebeccanyc
sep 6, 2013, 10:45 am

I've been looking at Midnight in Peking at the bookstore and trying to convince myself to buy it -- I was hoping for some redeeming social value to make me feel OK about buying a fun book, so I'm glad it provides some insight into Chinese politics and life!

186torontoc
sep 7, 2013, 10:12 pm

Yes- Midnight in Peking gave me good insights into the role of the"Great powers" in pre- world war China-

Today I saw three films at the Toronto International Film Festival and all had question and answer sessions with the directors and stars- I saw a bit of each and then ran to the next film.

The Railway Man
Australia/ United Kingdom
Director- Jonathan Teplitzky
Colin Firth plays Eric Lomax- a middle aged railway enthusiast who meets and marries a woman in Scotland in 1983. Patti finds that her husband has unbearable nightmares and he won't tell her why. She speaks to one of Eric's friends at a Veterans club. He tells her that Eric is one of many former soldiers who suffers as a result their experiences as prisoners of war under the Japanese in Thailand during 1942-5. The soldiers were forced to work on a railway cut into the jungle under terrible conditions. The films alternates the present with the past so that the viewer sees the torture that Eric suffers as a result of building a secret radio.
Patti and Eric find out that the Japanese officer in charge of Eric's suffering is still alive and giving tours of the camp. Eric journeys to the site of his imprisonment and confronts his old enemy. This film is based on a true story-the memoir that the real Eric Lomax wrote. What happens when the two men meet is amazing.
An excellent film.
In the question and answer following the film- the "real" Patti Lomax was introduced and she answered questions.

Enough Said
United States
Director- Nicole Holofcener

This is one of the last films that James Gandolfini starred in and it is a lovely story about relationships- both good and damaged. Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays Eva, a divorced massage therapist who has a daughter about to leave for college. She meets Albert, a man who she is not initially attracted to and begins a relationship with him. At the same time she befriends one of her clients, who constantly talks about her former husband. At the same time one of Eva's daughter's friends finds it easier to talk to Eva than her own mother. And Eva's good friend has issues with her husband and maid. Decisions are made that change already messy lives. The characters are funny and not perfect . A nice film with characters who seem to have lives that are not perfect but in the end are satisfying to the audience.

The Sea
Ireland
Director Stephen Brown

This film was adapted for the screen by John Banville from his 2005 book. ( winner of the Man Booker Prize). Ciaran Hinds plays Max Morden, a man haunted by the recent death of his wife. He returned to a seaside resort where he remembers an incident that took place in the same place when he was a young boy. The three stories. past and present , play out in his mind. In a way, the story is similar to the film The Railway Man in that the main character has to relive what took place in order to find some sort of peace. The telling of the stories, and the anguish of Max are the main focus. The visuals of the sea and endless beach reflect Max's thoughts as he relives a troubled past. Great film.

187rebeccanyc
sep 8, 2013, 7:26 am

Love your film reviews!

188janeajones
sep 8, 2013, 11:31 am

Thanks for the film reviews.

189mkboylan
sep 8, 2013, 2:44 pm

Those reviews are such a treat! Thanks.

190baswood
sep 8, 2013, 7:37 pm

What fun, running from one screening to the next, keep the reviews coming.

191torontoc
sep 8, 2013, 10:30 pm

Thank you! At least today there was no rain!

Again, more directors at the films.

Today
I saw

Watermark
Canada
Directors- Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky

This documentary on water was really quite beautiful- with stunning images of water in various forms from all over the world. The message was about how man impacts on water and water use. The most damning material was from California with the creation of artificial canals in land that was previously desert. The shots of millions of woshippers bathing in the Ganges and the building of an immense dam in China were fascinating. This film has some of the same impact of Manufactured Landscapes but in a way was not as political.

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
South Africa
Director Justin Chadwick

What can I say- the biographical film on the life of Nelson Mandela had a strong emotional impact on the audience. Idris Elba was terrific as Mandela. Besides following Mandela's story, the film did not shy from telling of the estrangement from Winnie Mandela after the South African leader's release from prison.
A good day for films

192Mr.Durick
sep 9, 2013, 1:24 am

I've seen the previews for Mandela*. It looks dramatic but believable. I am looking forward to seeing it.

Robert

193torontoc
sep 9, 2013, 10:59 pm

three films today - will post reviews tomorrow
but Philomena with Judi Dench and Steve Coogan was terrific!

194Nickelini
sep 10, 2013, 2:14 am

I love both of them, but Steve Coogan really makes me laugh. I loved him in the film version of Tristram Shandy. And I discovered the dislikable Alan Partridge this summer too. (I'm not sure if dislikable is the word I want . . . but how do you describe Alan Partridge?)

195torontoc
sep 10, 2013, 9:24 pm

OK

Philomena
United Kingdom
Director- Stephen Frears

This film was terrific. It is funny and sad at the same time as you, the viewer, realize the implications of the actions taken by Irish nuns during the 1950's. Philomena is a retired nurse who has tried for years to find out the whereabouts of her son, born out of wedlock when she was a young woman. Disowned by her parents, Philomena was sent to a convent where she gave birth. Young women in her situation were required to work at the convent's laundry for four years. They could see their children for one hour a day. Philomena's son was adopted by a family when he was two years old. The mother had no say in the adoption and was not notified if and when it happened. A recently unemployed journalist takes on the task of finding Philomena's son for a human interest story for a British paper. Martin, the journalist travels to Ireland and then to Washington with Philomena. He finds out that the convent where Philomena stayed had a history of arranging adoptions with American families. The trip to the United States ( paid for by the newspaper) follows leads that Martin had obtained. I really can't give away more of the plot because the revelations are surprising and sad. The story is told with humour and empathy. Judi Dench and Steve Coogan play their roles wonderfully. The only clue that becomes self-evident is that the Irish convent did terrible things not only in the 1950's but continued up until 2004 or 5. The film was based on true events. In fact, the journalist. Martin Sixsmith played by Coogan did write his article for the Guardian and published a book. The reason the story became quite famous is that Philomena's son and his circumstances are quite prominent in the United States.
An excellent film-for those who don't mind finding out what happened- just google Martin Sixsmith and read his article.

Half of a Yellow Sun
Nigeria/United Kingdom
Director-Biyi Bandele

I think that I wanted to like this film more than I did. It is based on Chimamanda Nguzi Adichie's award winning book. ( I haven't read it yet- it is in my big book pile) I gather that the director who also wrote the screenplay focused on the two sisters- Olanna and Kainene. Thandie Newton is excellent as Olanna. The viewer follows Olanna and her lover and later husband Odenigbo as the conflict in Nigeria leads to civil war. The fighting leads to slaughter, and constant moving as towns are overrun by Nigerian soldiers and the breakaway province/state of Biafra is besieged. The tragedy and loss of family and the conflict between tribes highlights the changes during the 1967-70 war. The film was interesting as I like to learn about histories through drama. I cannot help thinking that I need to read the book in order to make a judgement on whether the film captured the sense of the novel.

The Invisible Woman
United Kingdom
Director- Ralph Fiennes

This lush historical film is based on the love affair between Charles Dickens and the very young Nelly Ternan. Fiennes not only directs, he also plays Charles Dickens as a charismatic writer, lecturer and performer. The story of the tension between Dickens and his wife contrasts with the growing attraction between the young actress and older man. Nelly is portrayed as an individual who is troubled by the relationship and the implications of loving a public figure. The humiliation of Dicken's wife when he publicly announces their separation without talking to her and Nelly's realization of her place in the writer's life show the difference of choice for men and women. I thought that while the acting and direction were very good, I wanted the ending to take in perhaps more of the end of Dicken's life. The viewer is sort of left wondering how the relationship ended.

August-Osage County
United States
Director- John Wells

Wow! This film adaptation of Tracy Letts' play gives Meryl Streep a virtuoso role as Violet, the matriarch of a very dysfunctional family. Violet's husband, an Oklahoma
alcoholic poet has disappeared. Violet is suffering from drug dependency and cancer. Her three daughters and sister and family descend on her home. There, revelations lead to further estrangement. The entire cast is amazing. Julia Roberts, Chris Cooper, Ewan McGregor, Juliette Lewis, Julianne Nicholson, Sam Shepard, Abigail Breslin, Margo Martindale and Benedict Cumberbatch are so strong in this ensemble story of a fighting family. The film feels like a play- with the pop of revelations that shock and move the viewer on to the next encounter.
Definitely worth seeing for the acting.

The Wonders
Israel
Director- Avi Nesher

This is a somewhat surreal film about a kidnapping of a sort that takes place in Jerusalem. A bartender, cartoonist and artist , Ariel, sees a man dragged into an abandoned apartment near his home. He is soon asked by a private detective if he can help him observe the goings-on. Ariel discovers that the man in the apartment is a famous mystic rabbi who may have committed some wrongdoing.Ariel soon meets the sister-in-law of the Rabbi who has her own agenda and brings food to the rabbi- who refuses to leave his prison. The cartoons that Ariel draws sometimes come to life and the mix of religious and non- religious learn to forget the past and move on. This is a whimsical look at the so very different people who live in Jerusalem. The director stated at the question and answer after the film that the story is real. There was a mystic who was kidnapped by his followers and kept hostage.

196SassyLassy
sep 11, 2013, 3:52 pm

Wonderful reviews. I read the book The Railway Man from the library some years ago and it made such an impression that I spent years looking for a copy of it (out of print) which I managed to find. Now maybe someone will reissue it. I think Colin Firth would be excellent casting.

Hope you weren't standing outdoors too long yesterday.

197rebeccanyc
sep 11, 2013, 6:54 pm

Excited to learn there's a movie of Half of a Yellow Sun, a book I loved (as those on LT at the time know, since I touted it everywhere!). Also glad to read about the other movies -- I'd go see Meryl Streep in anything, and this sounds like a good one.

198janeajones
sep 11, 2013, 8:29 pm

Great reviews -- I'm ambivalent about going to see August Osage County as we went to a regional theater production and left at the intermission -- for a variety of reasons, one of which was the over -the-top story. Maybe the acting in the film will save it, but all the psychodrama of the script really put us off.

199torontoc
sep 11, 2013, 8:31 pm

It was!
Yes- that seems to be more of a problem this year- waiting in line- the Elgin Theatre seems to be the worst. The TIFF Bell LightBox is fine-
Today

MARY Queen of Scots
Switzerland/France
Director-Thomas Imbach

This bilingual film covers the life of Mary, Queen of Scots from her birth to her life in France, and her reign in Scotland. The director uses some interesting techniques. He imagines that Mary kept up a correspondence with Queen Elizabeth throughout her life- one that covered very intimate details of their lives. These letters provide the narration. As well, Imbach makes use of two puppets dresses as Elizabeth and Mary, handled by Mary's murdered servant/advisor David Rizzio. The film covered most of the history in Scotland although this films skips mary's abdication and life as Elizabeth's prisoner. This was a good film- but others at the fiolm festival made more of an impression on me.

Kill Your Darlings
United States
Director- John Krokidas

Now this film, to me, is directed in an innovative style that moves the story forward. The Beat Generation of Poets and writers may have been inspired by a young man named Lucien Carr. Carr murdered his lover David Kammerer and involved Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs. Allen Ginsberg ( played so well by Daniel Radcliffe) arrives for his freshman year at Columbia University in 1944. Ginsberg is entranced by Carr who introduces him to his friends, wild jazz clubs and parties. He then challenges Ginsberg to create a new way of writing in poetry. The cast is amazing. The story of the obsessive behaviour of Kammerer and the anarchistic views of Carr and the innovation of Ginsberg's writing are mirrored in the visual film technique. This is definitely a film to watch out for.

200torontoc
sep 13, 2013, 9:13 am

Yesterday's films

A Random Desi Romance or Shuddh Desi Romance
India
Director-Maneesh Sharma

This film has not only a story that is considered more modern for Indian films ( can two people find happiness and not get married) but has some typical Bollywood touches. Several times, the characters started to dance and sing accompanied by a cast of hundreds. The scenery was beautiful-the filming was done in Jaipur. The story is about two young people who make a living as fake wedding guests. There is attraction, betrayal, ( getting cold feet and running away just before one's wedding happens a few times) and a resolution. Was this a good film? Hmm- it was cute- not a great film but an entertainment.
I think that today was a day of enjoyable but not great films.

Words and Pictures
United States
Director- Fred Schepisi

Thsi story uses the debate whether words or pictures have a greater impact on the audience. An English teacher at a private school ( Clive Owen) is an alcoholic and writer who has not produced any work in years. He laments that his students are not really concerned with language, He is a character who has made a wreck of his life and is in danger of losing his job. . A new art teacher and renowned abstract artist ( Juliette Bonoche ) joins the faculty. She is battling Rheumatoid Arthritis- she has not been able to paint and has to reinvent how to work. The film follows these two as they argue about the art that is superior. There are scenes showing how these two interact with their student and finally a challenge to see which art form is superior- words or pictures. I was waiting to read the credits to see who painted the art work- it was wonderful. And I found out that the actress, Juliette Binoche was the artist! What did I like? The artwork, the debate and dialogue and some of the plot.

a film that I could not fit into my schedule- that is getting great " buzz"here
an Indian film "The Lunchbox"

201torontoc
sep 16, 2013, 10:39 am

A book! I did buy a number of books while I was at the film festival -this is one of them.

The Fetish Room-the Ediucation of a Naturalist by Redmond O"Hanlon and Rudi Rotthier. Although this memoir chronicles a motor journey made by the two authors, Rotthier does the narrative and recount;s O'Hanlon's stories. Rudi Rotthier is a Flemish journalist who accompanies Redmond O'Hanlon on a series of brief car rides to places that were part of his growing up. The reader learns that O'Hanlon is a true eccentric- a writer of travel books about his exploits in the Congo, Borneo and more. He also had a terrible childhood- a mother who beat him and a cold father who hated books. The journeys reveal how he loved science and the terror of his boarding schools. O'Hanlon is lucky to have a supportive family- his wife had just had a major operation and his children know enough about their father to have their mother convalesce away from their messy house. The Fetish room is a place in the house that O'Hanlon uses to store specimens and objects that help him in his writing- Rotthier is permitted to spend a brief moment there. I have read most of O'hanlon's travel adventures. They are funny and he does go to dangerous places. This book is more of a memoir and it tracks how O'Hanlon was able to overcome a damaging childhood. An interesting read.

202torontoc
sep 16, 2013, 11:46 am

Last films!

The Love Punch
United Kingdom/France
Director- Joel Hopkins

This is a very funny and very silly film- the premise and plot are so implausible but it was enjoyable to watch. Emma Thompson and Pierce Brosnan are a divorced couple - Brosnan is about to retire and their children are away at university. Brosnan discovers that the man who bought his company has closed it and drained all the money from it. The company employees have been left penniless.
Thompson and Brosnan decide to steal a 10 million pound diamond that this man has purchased for his fiance. The wedding will be held in the south of France. Brosnan and Thompson enlist the help of their neighbours ( Timothy Spall and Celia Emrie) to help them crash the wedding held on an island on a cliff-top castle, drug four Texans who they will impersonate and escape. The neighbour ( Spall) has more contacts than one would think an ordinary person would have. During this adventure, Brosnan and Thompson befriend the bride who hates her husband, and eventually reconsider their own relationship.
Whew! The story is fast paced , funny and not serious at all.

A Place in Heaven
Israel
Director-Yossi Madmony

This was a very difficult film to watch, It was one that had many layers of meaning especially if the viewer has some knowledge of the changing attitudes of Israeli society. The film spans forty years and three wars and two very different generations. I thought that the story was compelling but cinematically there were too many closeups. A religious Holocaust survivor working as a cook for the Israeli army in the 1950's trades a dish with an officer for his soul's place in heaven.There is a religious law that allows for this to take place.The film then follows the life of the officer. He marries after spending a harsh year working for his future father-in-law. His wife dies after giving birth to a much wanted son. This officer never repeats the success of his early career- facing much failure. He wants his son to carry on for him but instead the son turns away from the father and becomes involved with the extreme religious community. The film is about choices good and bad and conflict between generations. There is also a strong theme on the treatment of women. Actually there are many themes- the allure of the religious, the choosing and rejection of the right action. There was alot to talk about after viewing this film.

And the last film

Le Week-end
United Kingdom
Director- Roger Michell

This is a very bitter-sweet story. A British couple ( the very wonderful Jim
Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan) travel to Paris in order to celebrate their 30th anniversary. The relationship seems not to be very happy- Duncan seems angry about her circumstances and Broadbent has hidden an important event from her. The conflicts arise when Duncan rejects their grim budget hotel and settles on a very expensive one. The couple eat, argue and also talk about their life- their journeys through beautiful restaurants and sights have them alternately fighting or embracing. The chance meeting with an old friend who is very successful and a dinner at his apartment lead the couple to realize how much they mean to each other. This was a excellent film with fine acting.

203janeajones
sep 16, 2013, 10:49 pm

Intriguing reviews. Thanks.

204torontoc
sep 18, 2013, 10:53 am

You are welcome- I saw 17 films in the past 10 days- very exhausting but lots of fun- that was my retirement treat!

The Lost Child of Philomena Lee by Martin Sixsmith. I saw a remarkable movie at the Toronto Film Festival last week. Philomena follows the search of an Irish mother for her long lost son. Forced to give him up for adoption by the nuns at the convent where she was living, the film shows how a journalist found out where Philomena's son lived in the United States. The film told Philomena's story. The book that I purchased during the festival concentrates on the story of the son- who Sixsmith found out was named Michael Hess, a lawyer and top official in the administrations of Presidents Reagan and Bush. Sixsmith took years and conducted many interviews with Hess's friends and colleagues. He then reconstructed his life as if it were a novel not a biography. Unfortunately the story is very sad as mother and son were never able to meet and two nuns were key in obstructing any communication. Both book and film tell the story of how a young man was able to become a key political player while hiding the fact that he was gay. Both the book and film were compelling.

205mkboylan
sep 18, 2013, 11:31 am

The Fetish Room sounds interesting actually. Going on my WL.

206torontoc
sep 21, 2013, 8:48 pm

I loved O'Hanlon's travel books.

The Sea by John Banville. I saw the film that was adapted by the author from his book. I was so impressed by the film that I had to read the book. I was not disappointed! Banville's prose is wonderful , He skilfully relates the three stories that the narrator experiences. In the present, Max Morden has gone back to a seaside Irish town where he spent his summers as a boy. He is reliving the memory of both his wife's recent passing and of an important and traumatic friendship that he had with a family in the town when he was young. The stories are in a way seamless, as the reader learns about the fascination tht Max had with the Grace family , then jumping to his history with his wife Anna and back to the present. Max has taken a room in the same house that the Grace family had lived in for the summer many years ago. His state of mind leads him to remember his feelings as a boy playing with children from a higher class than his family and his courtship with Anna and later her illness. This novel is complex and was fascinating to read.

207torontoc
Bewerkt: sep 24, 2013, 11:26 am

The Emperor of Paris by CS Richardson. This is a beautifully written story or fable- with lovely characters who live in Paris. Octavio is a baker in the 8th district, Isabeau is an art restorer, and Henri is a bookseller. The reader is introduced to the parents, their friends and their tragedies. Octavio and his father tell stories- they both do not know how to read. Their history mirrors that of France just before and after the First World War. This novel is spare in prose but the characters are so well crafted. A very nice read for a cool autumn.

208Nickelini
sep 24, 2013, 11:54 am

Oh, I really need to get The Emperor of Paris. CS Richardson is wonderful.

209torontoc
Bewerkt: sep 27, 2013, 10:19 am

I have to read his first book- it is on my wish list.

Maddaddam by Margaret Atwood I find that after finishing any book by Atwood I have a sort of a sense of loss- I want to continue reading. This novel completes the trilogy of Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood. The story unites characters from the previous novels and the reader learns more about Zeb and his brother Adam-the founder of God's Gardeners. The narrator is Toby and the Crakers and the pigoons figure prominently in the action. I have read interviews that the author has given recently and she states that she took initiatives and acts by real corporations and governments in the creation of her apocalyptic world. An excellent read in the world of science fiction.

210janeajones
sep 27, 2013, 8:41 pm

I have yet to get to The Year of the Flood, and now there's Maddaddam -- onto the wish list, but probably won't get to them til the school year's over. Thanks for the review.

211torontoc
sep 27, 2013, 10:12 pm

You are welcome- although Maddaddam has a synopsis of both previous books at the beginning- I think that it would be better to read all three in order.

212dchaikin
sep 28, 2013, 12:09 pm

That was a lot of films and a terrific set of reviews. I love that you immediately picked up some books the movies were based on (and I'm own and hope to read Banville's The Sea).

O'Hanlan sounds fascinating and I'm now interested in The Fetish Room.

213japaul22
sep 28, 2013, 3:55 pm

I'm an Atwood fan, but not a science fiction fan so I haven't tried this series. Any thoughts on how much the sci-fi aspect would bother me?

214Nickelini
sep 28, 2013, 4:33 pm

#213 - They're not really science fiction--they're speculative, futuristic fiction (no space travel though!). I have an extremely low tolerance for sci-fi--hate almost all of it, find it boring. I do however like dystopian fiction, which I would fit these into. I've read Oryx and Crake and Year of the Flood and LOVED them. Did you read The Handmaid's Tale? I'd say these are along that Atwood tradition.

215torontoc
sep 29, 2013, 8:29 am

I have to agree with Joyce- the style is still Atwood and the stories have humour and some good points about environmental destruction.

216japaul22
sep 29, 2013, 12:21 pm

Good to know! I'll for sure give them a try at some point as I've loved everything else I've read by her so far.

217torontoc
sep 30, 2013, 10:29 am

Love and Louis XIV The Women in the Life of the SunKing by Antonia Fraser. This biography really focuses on the women in the life of the King of France. The reader learns about the mother of Louis, Anne of Austria and her influence on her son as she was regent for a number of years. The stories of the three main mistresses of Louis-Louise de La Valliere, the Marquise de Montespan , and Francoise de Maintenon - reveal some of the roles that upper class women were allowed to have in that society. Thank goodness the author had family trees showing the relationships of all the nieces, nephews and children , illegitimate and not, in the extended family. Young royal women were really political pawns, married off to consolidate power with various countries. The role of a woman in their society was to have many male and female offspring. There was some description of the various wars that entangled France during Louis's time as King as well as the plight of the ordinary people. The Catholic church had a prominent place in the life of the nobility as well. The book was informative and interesting.

218torontoc
nov 1, 2013, 10:14 am

Half a Crown by Jo Walton. I waited until this third in Walton's dystopian trilogy came out in paperback. The disturbing series imagines that Britain made peace with Hitler in 1941. The character of Peter Carmichael- a detective and eventually the head of the "Watch", works underground to protect Jews and send them to safety in Canada. This concluding story involves the unravelling of some of the competing organizations who have plans for Britain- including the Duke of Windsor in the year 1960. The reader sees both the trials of Peter and his ward, Elvira-the daughter of the later Sargent Royston, killed years ago. Elvira is to be presented as a debutante but innocently gets involved in a riot. The story of how both Elvira and Peter help determine the change in history is a gripping read.

Barcelona by Rick Steves I am putting this travel guide in my list of books as it was so good. I was recently in Barcelona and Spain. I used Steve's guides and found them really informative The information includes detailed guides to buildings and museums. I am not fond of the electronic recorded guides ( give me a headache) and this book had more than the basics. highly recommend the series - I used the Spain book for three cities as well but didn't read the whole thing.

219torontoc
nov 1, 2013, 10:19 pm

. Escape from Berlin by Irene N. Watts. This volume is actually a collection of three connected novels about two young girls who were part of the Kindertransport in 1938.In fact, Dec. 1, 2013 marks the 75th anniversary of the first Kindertransport.
The Kindertransport was a programme where young Jewish children were sent to England in 1938. They were billeted with English families and escaped the Holocaust. The novels-Goodbye Marianne, Remember Me and Finding Sophie- are young adult fiction that explore what it was like to be sent away from relatives and learn how to fit in to a very different culture. As both Marianne and Sophie find out- sometimes the new English families had no idea what the young German Jews had gone through. The first novel shows the persecution and danger of living in Germany as well as the prejudices that the young children faced in England. The kindness of many people who helped the refugees is highlighted through the three books and shows how the children learned to adapt to their new life. Some were reunited with their parents and many were not as they perished in concentration camps. In fact the author was a child who took part in the Kindertransport. I think that the series would provide a valuable education for adolescents as part of a study of this history.

220torontoc
nov 2, 2013, 10:27 am

The Daughters of Mars by Thomas Keneally. The more that I think about this book, the more that I realize how much I liked it. Keneally writes about two Australian sisters, trained as nurses who join the war effort at the beginning of the first world war.Sally and Naomi have unresolved issues as Naomi, the elder sister had left their farm and worked as a nurse in the city. On the boat to join the Australian hospital unit, they really try to avoid each other. Relations change after waiting in Egypt, both women are placed on a hospital ship that travels to the Dardanelles. The wounds that they treat as the soldiers are brought aboard, are really horrific. In fact, Keneally describes how they cope with injuries that they have never seen in their nursing careers. Eventually, their ship is sunk and the narrative deals with how they were able to survive in terrible conditions. Both women speak out when faced by bad decisions by authorities that include an attack on one of the nursing staff and the response to shell shock. Both women are transferred in different ways to the front in France. The detailed descriptions of handling wounds and the effects of the gas attacks as well as the final shock- the spanish flu give the reader a good sense of the work done by medical staff. The tracing of each woman's relationships with good men that they found and the other nursing staff shows the fragility of life in this time of war. Beautifully written, the power of the book became evident as I finished the novel. Highly recommended.

221NanaCC
nov 2, 2013, 1:22 pm

The Daughters of Mars is already on my wishlist, but thank you for another nudge towards it.

222torontoc
nov 4, 2013, 9:11 am

I really liked the writing!

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton I spent most of the first two weeks of Oct reading this novel and only finished it yesterday. ( a trip in the last two weeks of Oct and the weight of the book prevented me from taking it travelling) What a read! At first I found the opening a little hard to follow. However, this complex tale of 20 characters and the larceny, murders and plots compelled me to follow each chapter raptly. Revelations about the lives of those who lived in the towns near the gold fields of 1866 New Zealand led to speculations about who was an unreliable narrator. Many questions were cleared up at the end but many were not. I liked that fact the the lives and stories or the mysteries were not solved neatly at the end of the novel. The language and descriptions were amazing and the structure of the zodiac make this book a wonderful read. Highly recommended and I understand why it won the Man Booker Prize. ( I also benefited from listening to the author interviewed on CBC radio recently.)

the next book wasn't so good

O Jerusalem- by Laurie R. King I sometimes like to look for a series to follow- one with mystery and set in an interesting time period. This series features Sherlock Holmes and his new assistant Mary Russell. I had read another volume in this series. This story was set in Palestine just after World War 1 and the detectives were hunting down an unknown plotter for General Allenby. A lot of the book was spent trudging in desert and the plot line only got interesting in the last thrid of the book. Hmm- too many books to read- I don't know if I will follow this series.

223torontoc
nov 5, 2013, 12:21 pm

Must You Go? My Life with Harold Pinter by Antonia Fraser. This is a beautiful memoir by Fraser about her relationship with Harold Pinter- taken from her diaries. They met at a dinner party and Pinter used the phrase "Must you go" as Fraser was leaving. She stayed, they talked and formed an immediate bond. The fact that they were married to other people was a major obstacle but eventually both separated from their respective partners. Antonia Fraser and Harold Pinter lived together and were married fro over 30 years. The story of their life included Pinter's wonderful love poems that he wrote for Fraser and the history of their literary accomplishments. A really nice memoir to read!

224torontoc
nov 10, 2013, 9:51 am

I did google Pinter to see what he wrote in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech- he was indeed a radical in his politics. Fraser doesn't ignore this but certainly, her memoir is more about their relationship than his political views.

The Monuments Men Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel with Bret Witter. I think that the title says it all-there is a good story here but I personally think not in this book. The authors tend to sensationalize their material in the style of writing and structure. They take an intriguing story about the search for the art treasures stolen by the Nazis, give the readers some really interesting material and clutter it up with unnecessary stories about the private lives of the " Monuments Men". i kept on waiting to hear about the search for the art. The authors of the book try to build suspense by giving out answers in the last section. The research and bibliography is good. I didn't like the style of writing and wanted more on the actual tracing and hunt for the art

225janeajones
nov 10, 2013, 12:33 pm

Interesting commentary on Must You Go? -- a friend raved about this one, and I've been meaning to find a copy. I shall probably have to resort to the trusty Amazon.

226japaul22
nov 10, 2013, 12:53 pm

Excited to hear you liked The Luminaries. I'm on my library's wait list for it.

227akeela
nov 10, 2013, 2:26 pm

Tempted to read Must You Go? I see the book in the library all the time. Thank you!

228torontoc
nov 13, 2013, 11:22 am

You are welcome!

Born to Kvetch Yiddish Language and Culture in all Its Moods by Michael Wex. I usually don't read linguistics books but this one was interesting. Wex looks at Yiddish phrases and words thematically. The chapters cover food, life cycle events , religion and history. He is very thorough. Some of his writing is very funny and certainly the reader will learn what phrases and words to use and not to use. Recommended for those interested in Yiddish culture and language

229SassyLassy
nov 13, 2013, 5:24 pm

Such great outbursts of laughter accompanied my SO's reading of this book, that I had to move to another room.

230torontoc
nov 25, 2013, 9:51 am

I understand- Wex does have a way with words- I have seen him perform- he is very funny.

Sacred Treasure-The Cairo Genizah by Mark Glickman The story of the Cairo Genizah and the wonderful material that it contained is a fascinating account. Rabbi Glickman does relate the history of all the people who worked to understand the contents of this depository for old papers found in a Cairo synagogue.He is very thorough and the reader does learn about the history and the personalities involved past and present. The one complaint that I have is about language and some phrases. The author uses modern day slang that I think detracts from the work. I liked the history and wished that the words were " more neutral"- I am trying to think of how to describe them.

231rebeccanyc
nov 25, 2013, 6:04 pm

If you can stand to read something else about the Cairo Genizah, I loved Sacred Trash: The Lost and Found World of the Cairo Geniza by Adina Hoffman and Peter Cole.

232torontoc
Bewerkt: nov 25, 2013, 10:47 pm

I will put that book on my wish list!
David Golder by Irene Nemirovsky. This was a brief but difficult book to read. The author has been rediscovered and her posthumous work Suite Francaise was published in English in 2006 although she was murdered in Auschwitz in 1942. David Golder was published in France in 1929. The lead character is not very likeable- he was very wealthy and may have ruined his partner - who committed suicide. David Golder's wife and daughter only want money from him. They both have lovers. Golder becomes ill and the reader watches his downfall. The portrait of this man, identified as Jewish, is really grotesque and could be considered as feeding into anti-semitic stereotypes. In fact the female characters are caricatures and not real women. The introduction to the novel argues that the author was "playing a skilful double game that would have done nothing to decrease her sales, just as the manner of Golder's ultimate redemption would have done nothing to strengthen her readers' anti- semitism." I have my doubts.

233torontoc
dec 3, 2013, 9:43 am

The Quiet Twin by Dan Vyleta This author was on the short list for the Giller Prize and I decided to read his books because the story sounded so interesting. And it was. Vyleta has a number of characters relate the narrative. The reader meets the mysterious doctor who is part of all the intrigues in his apartment block in 1939 Vienna, the sick and curious niece of the elderly Professor, the violent mime, the Nazi police detective,the Japanese musician, and the hunchbacked young girl. A series of murders set off the inquiries by the niece, Zuzka, the girl, Anneliese and the doctor, Beer. The reader learns about the lies and deceptions and the uncertain future that wartime actions bring to everyone. A really interesting book.

234torontoc
dec 4, 2013, 10:34 am

The Crooked Maid by Dan Vyleta What a book! I am glad that I read The Quiet Twin first as Vyleta uses some of the characters and their relationships from that novel in his latest one. Anna Beer is coming back to Vienna in 1948 in order to find her husband, Anton. She had left him nine years ago when he was unfaithful to her. On the train to Vienna, she meets an impressionable 18 year old. Robert Seidel.Robert is also returning to post war Vienna,to see his step-father, near death after being pushed from a window. Anna starts her search for Anton and Robert confronts the situation at home where he finds an unusual maid, Eva, his mother on drugs and his step brother in jail for the attempted murder of his father. The narrative switches back and forth between Anna's story and that of Robert and the people that they meet. The mysterious stranger who follows Eva and Robert and the former Czech prisoner of war, Karel, figure prominently in the search for truth in the bombed out landscape of Vienna. The morality of the survivors and their attitudes towards life under the Nazis and the absence of the Jews are major themes in this story.I was kept guessing about what really happened until the end of the story. A very worthy contender for the Giller Prize ( maybe it should have won- I haven't read the winner yet.)

235NanaCC
dec 4, 2013, 11:34 am

I've added The Crooked Maid to my wishlist. It sounds interesting.

236mkboylan
dec 5, 2013, 10:29 am

Yes it does. On to the WL.

237torontoc
dec 5, 2013, 1:15 pm

I have to read Vyleta's first book Pavel and I

Astray by Emma Donoghue These short stories are all based on real situations or snippets of history changed and fleshed out by the author. Each story is set in a different time period and place. The drama of each situation is expertly composed. Donoghue is a master of historical fiction and the short story. Highly recommended.

238rebeccanyc
dec 5, 2013, 5:52 pm

Those Vyleta books sound very interesting, Cyrel.

239torontoc
dec 6, 2013, 10:58 am

I do think that he should have won the Giller!

The Tainted Coin The Fifth Chronicle of Hugh de Singleton, Surgeon by Mel Starr. I have been following this historical fiction and mystery series for a while. Life in medieval England was hard but Hugh de Singleton is busy tracking down the murderers of a wandering pedlar. He finds himself rescuing a kidnapped young noblewoman, and a number of other people connected to the pedlar. A nice mystery read. One interesting feature is the continuing presence of good villains- Starr keeps them around for future stories.

240torontoc
dec 6, 2013, 3:11 pm

.Veiled Threat The Hidden Power of the Women of Afghanistan by Sally Armstrong. I heard Sally Armstrong speak earlier this fall. Her talk was about more recent developments with the women of Afghanistan. ( the use of social media is now crucial and connects many people in a way that we would not think possible 10 years ago) This book really sets the stage for the developments of the past 10 years. Armstrong's book was updated in 2002 In this book she introduces one woman who made a big difference in the lives of Afghan women- Sima Samar.The reader learns about her background, her role as a doctor and leader in Afghanistan Many stories in this book are about the loss of women's rights under Taliban rule and the role of key human rights and women's groups lobbying for change not only in Afghanistan but in Africa and the Middle East Armstrong is a very inspirational speaker and writer. I have to read her latest work as well.

241torontoc
dec 7, 2013, 10:48 am

Airborn by Kenneth Oppel. Oppel writes Young Adult novels but this adventure in an altered maybe Victorian society is a good read for all ages. The story follows 15 year old Matt Cruse, a cabin boy on a airship that runs from North America to Australia. Air ships use a specific kind of gas that allows a big structure to fly over large oceans. The passengers are treated as if they are on a large cruise ship. Matt and the crew overcome pirates and are ship wrecked on an unknown island. While they make repairs, Matt and a passenger, Kate de Vries, look for a new mysterious creature. Kate has her grandfather's diary that describes the creature. He died after being injured in his hot air balloon a year earlier. How Matt and Kate discover the whereabouts of the new animal and battle the pirates for the return of the airship make for exciting reading. In fact this book is just the first in a series. Recommended for readers of dystopian worlds.

242torontoc
dec 8, 2013, 9:34 am

Defending Jacob by William Landay I read this mystery because a very good friend with similar taste really liked it. I found that while the story held my interest, I found the ending ( no spoiler here) was like a sucker punch really coming out of nowhere. Well, there were some hints perhaps but - no- I didn't expect the end. Andrew Barber is an assistant district attorney until his son, Jacob, is charged with murdering a fellow student. The novel traces the investigation and subsequent actions in the trial. Throughout the story with all the revelations about motive, the reader is torn between believing in the innocence or guilt of Jacob. That is all I have to say other than being shocked at the ending.

243NanaCC
dec 8, 2013, 4:45 pm

>242 torontoc: Agreeing that the ending of Defending Jacob was a shocker. I did enjoy the book.

244torontoc
dec 9, 2013, 10:51 am

yes!

The Golem as told by Elie Wiesel and illustrated by Mark Podwal This story is beautifully illustrated. Wiesel really retells the story of how Rabbi Yehuda Loew of medieval Prague creates a golem or protector of the Jewish residents. He turns the Golem into a silent man who can search for missing children and women and foil the plots of those who want to harm the Jewish community. Well written and the many images combine mystery and mystic qualities.

Reunion by Alan Lightman Well, this book was in my TBR pile- as i was reading it , I wondered what attracted me to the book in the first place? The author does tell a skillful story about a university professor, Charles, going back to his college reunion. The place leads to a memory of his first love, a dancer from New York City. The story of their affair and the aftermath are very intense and perhaps the reader sees how much the events have wounded Charles over the past thirty years. The writing is good but I am still puzzled why I selected this book - it has been in my TBR pile for over a year.

245mkboylan
dec 9, 2013, 12:16 pm

Oh how I love the internet! From here to library website to ecopy of Defending Jacob!

246torontoc
dec 13, 2013, 10:40 am

It was a good and fast read-

Nelson's Purse by Martyn Downer. Downer was employed by Sotheby's in 2002 when he discovered a collection of letters and material ( jewels, a purse containing gold coins and more memorabilia) relating to Horatio Nelson. This important collection was owned by the descendants of Alexander Davison, a good friend and business agent of Nelson. This account traces the life of Davison, his business dealings, and how he knew Nelson, Nelson's estranged wife, Fanny and mistress, Emma Hamilton. Davison was connected to many in England's establishment circles although he was put in jail twice for illegal business dealings with the supply of goods to the British army. The letters from Fanny do place her in a new light and lead to a different view of her relationships. Martyn was involved in the sale of the memorabilia at an auction at Sotheby's. It is ironic that he could not have written this book if the letters had been sold to a private dealer- national archives in England did buy them. The purse, last worn by Nelson when he died, and the jewels were sold and and have disappeared from public view. Still an interesting book.

247torontoc
dec 15, 2013, 8:42 pm

When Eve Was Naked Stories of a Life's Journey by Josef Skvorecky These short stories are considered a "semi-autobiographical account of the author's life. They range from a young boy's account of life under the Nazis, a young man's loves and life under Czech communist rule and finally a professor living in Canada. The author uses his fictional " alter ego"-Danny Smiricky- in some of the work. I enjoyed the tone and the humour of this work. Skvorecky is a master of this medium.

248rebeccanyc
dec 16, 2013, 5:57 pm

Sigh. I do have to get to Skvorecky; I have several books by him on the TBR.

249torontoc
dec 18, 2013, 1:48 pm

Pavel and I by Dan Vyleta. This a remarkable novel. It is the author's first book and the themes are similar to his later books. In this case , I thought that the plot was wonderfully crafted. Pavel is a decommissioned American soldier living in post-war Berlin. Upstairs, a woman plays piano when she is not sleeping with her British protector, a colonel who is involved in some questionable practices. A mysterious man is watching Pavel, whose friend Boyd who leaves a body of a midget in a suitcase in his apartment. Pavel is friendly with a street urchin, Anders who hangs out with a childrens' gang. And everyone is being watched by the Russians. One more body is discovered and Pavel looks to solve the mystery of bodies, stolen microfilm and more. In fact, everything and every fact is not as it seems. But the atmosphere of a defeated city, the freezing cold winter, and the rivalry of the forces in Berlin make this a great mystery read.

250torontoc
dec 28, 2013, 11:36 am

Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan. I liked this novel about a young woman working for M I5 in 1970's Britain. Serena Frome describes her upbringing as a minister's daughter, her university experience at Cambridge and her affair with a professor. She is recruited to work at MI5 in a very dreary job. She is asked to take part on a mission to persuade a young writer, Tom Haley, to accept funds from a dummy organization that is controlled by the MI5 agency. What happens with the many deceptions and revealing accounts and the surprise ending was really good to read.

and

Dear Life by Alice Munro. What can I say? This latest series of short stories also contains four short autobiographical pieces that show us Munro's childhood experiences and memories. The stories have some "unexpected turns" to quote the cover blurb. Each story is finely crafted whether portraying a man who leaves people abruptly to start a new life each time or a woman betrayed by her long time lover. The economy of phrases some time catch the reader unprepared ( in a good way) for the turn of the plot. A great collection to read.

251rebeccanyc
dec 28, 2013, 12:14 pm

I liked Dear Life a lot too, and Pavel and I sounds intriguing.

252avaland
dec 29, 2013, 6:40 am

Just trying to catch up on your reading, Cyrel. I'm glad you liked the Galgut (a much earlier post), because that's in my TBR pile (currently in boxes in a storage container in my driveway!). I enjoyed Maddaddam also. I've been thinking of re-reading a few of her earlier books. I re-read The Robber Bride a few years back and really enjoyed the re-reading. You have had a nice year of reading, looks like, such an nice mix.

253torontoc
dec 30, 2013, 10:20 am

Thank you- I did read some very interesting books and discovered some authors that I want to follow!

I saw the film Night Train to Lisbon last night- it was very good! It starred Jeremy Irons and the story was very impressive. A professor( Irons) in Switzerland stops a young woman from jumping off a bridge. He brings her to his school to get out of the rain but she runs off leaving her coat and a small book. The book, written by a Portuguese doctor ,has a ticket to Lisbon in the pages. The professor reads and loves the small book and on impulse leaves everything and boards the train to Lisbon. He sets out to discover the story behind the book. He meets all the people mentioned in the book- and learns the history of their actions in the 1970's and the Portuguese revolution. In time the professor changes his life for the better. Lovely film
I now have to read the book!