Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘books’

‘The Other Side of the Story’ by Marian Keyes

Posted in Book Reviews, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on April 24, 2020| Leave a Comment »

3704d07efabc17159316c745a77434f414f4141

Okay, this was another audiobook which I listened to over a few long runs. I mention this because I find that books I can quite like as audiobooks are often books that I know I wouldn’t enjoy if I read them as a physical book and this is one of those. The reason is because when running, I want something to divert me and keep me occupied while exercising. When I’m reading a physical book I want it immerse myself in it; it’s not a diversion from something else I’m doing. For this reason I can listen to chick-lit audiobooks but I rarely actually read one. This was narrated by Gerri Halligan, who did a good job, although I did find her American accent slightly questionable (but not enough to annoy me).

The story is narrated in alternate chapters by three characters…

Gemma Hogan is still smarting from her ex-boyfriend Anton falling in love with her ex-friend Lily. Life only gets more complicated for her when her father leaves her mother after 35 years of marriage, causing her mother to go to pieces. Gemma finds herself having to babysit her mother at the age of 32.

Lily is blissfully happy with Anton and their daughter Emer, but she can’t help feeling guilty about Gemma, and is convinced that karma will catch up with her and Anton at some point. She writes a book which is a runaway success, but the publishing world is a fickle business.

Jojo is the literary agent who takes on Lily as a client. Jojo is a strong independent and successful woman – who just happens to be in a relationship with her married boss. She is in a cutthroat business and has a complicated love life. Will her career ambitions and her clandestine romance clash?

I found the story somewhat diverting and it did hold my attention for the most part (it seemed to drift along aimlessly for a little while in the middle, and I think the book would have been more effective if it had been shorter). There’s no doubt that Marian Keyes can write humour very well; however for me the main problem was that I didn’t like many of the characters. Gemma was my favourite out of the main three. She was funny and hapless but obviously intelligent. She was also, in my opinion, far too good for Anton and wasted way too much time feeling sad about him.

I didn’t really like Jojo or her boss Mark. I didn’t like that he was cheating on his perfectly lovely wife, and treated his children like a liability that stopped him from having fun with his bit on the side. I didn’t like that Jojo was complicit in that deception. She was portrayed as a tough woman who takes no s**t, but she was happy to wait around for her cheating boyfriend to let her down time after time.

And Lily!! Don’t get me started. She was supposed to be sweet and sensitive but she came across as such a wet weekend. I felt like shaking her and telling her to get a bloody grip. And Anton just annoyed the heck out of me. Feckless with money and generally  irresponsible, he was full of pipe dreams, which Lily was expected to finance. I kept wanting her to find a backbone and chuck him out.

With all that said, there were things about this book that I enjoyed; I preferred the first third, which featured Gemma’s job a lot more than later, and there was a side character (Johnny) who I enjoyed hearing about.

I remember reading some of Marian Keyes’ other books many years ago – I loved them. This one was not as enjoyable, but whether that’s because of the book or because of my changing tastes, I’m not sure. I probably would give another book of hers a go, as it was pretty undemanding, but it wouldn’t be top of my list.

Read Full Post »

‘Brando’s Smile: His Life, Thought and Work’ by Susan Mizruchi

Posted in Book Reviews, tagged , , , , , , on November 10, 2015| Leave a Comment »

This biography of Marlon Brando is somewhat unusual in that it concentrates mainly on his professional life and personal philosophy, rather than delving into details of his personal life. After describing Brando’s childhood (with a loving but alcoholic mother, and an overly strict father), Mizruchi goes on to talk about his career in acting, and discusses many of his most famous film roles. She describes his attraction to a role, his preparation for it, and how he went on to become a character, as well as other details about the making of each film. In each case, Mizruchi draws comparisons between the character or storyline of the film and connects it back to events in Brando’s own life.

For that reason, this book is not the one to read if you are looking for Hollywood gossip or salacious details about Brando’s many relationships and often difficult personal life. Indeed, while his career is detailed in relatively chronological order, you would struggle to learn anything else about his life that is not already a matter of public record. For example, Mizruchi mentions his marriages, but does not give any details about the relationships or why they didn’t ultimately work out. However, I found that somewhat refreshing, as instead, I learned far more about Brando’s beliefs, his humanitarianism and his parts in civil rights campaigns, which he clearly felt passionately about.

Mizruchi had unprecedented access to Brando’s own personal book collection, which numbered around 4000, and which – as we are frequently reminded – he annotated heavily. She uses such annotations, as well as his varied choice of reading material to draw conclusions about the man himself. The sheer vastness and variety of the collection does support her view of him as an intelligent and curious man, who found enjoyment in learning.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed this book. As mentioned before, I did not learn an awful lot about Brando’s personal life, but I certainly learned more about what was important to him, his views on acting and his determination to leave the world a better place than he found it. At times, it is a little sycophantic – there’s no doubt that Mizruchi is a devoted Brando fan – but it is a respectful, interesting and clearly very well researched biography.

I would recommend to fans of Marlon Brando, or fans of the film making process.

Read Full Post »

‘Howards End Is On The Landing’ by Susan Hill

Posted in Book Reviews, tagged , , , , , on May 31, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Author Susan Hill was looking for a book in her house one day, and ended up coming across others which she had read and loved, or intended to read but never got around to, or some which she had read and wanted to read again.  As a result, she decided to not buy any new books for a year, and to only read those books which were already in her house.  What follows is a journey through Hill’s bookshelves, where she talks about which books and/or have inspired or moved her.  She uses these examples as a starting point for relating anecdotes and memories about her life, and about the authors who she has met.

I have read two novels by Susan Hill, and while I can’t say I actively disliked them, I also can’t say that I was blown away by them, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from this non-fiction work.  However, the premise really appealed to me – and has inspired me to at least consider doing the same thing – so I thought I would give this a try, and I was pleasantly surprised.  I enjoyed Hill’s reminiscences, and her musings on such subjects as items which fall out of books (presumably used as a makeshift bookmark) and the importance of an interesting title, or why new books are often published first in hardback, when they have not really earned that right.  (It makes sense when you read her view, even if you don’t agree!)

Definitely an enjoyable and uplifting read, and one I would recommend to all fellow bibliophiles.  As I mentioned, this book has made me think about doing the same thing myself, and not buying any new books for a year.  Hill was successful, but I don’t know if I would be – but what a wonderful idea, to really get to know the books on your shelf, to rediscover old loves and maybe find some new ones.

(Author’s website can be found here.)

Read Full Post »

‘Book Lover’ by Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack

Posted in Book Reviews, tagged , , , , on August 27, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Everyone has a way of dealing with problems or escaping from reality for a while – for some people it’s soap operas, for some it’s alcohol, for some it’s exercise….for Dora, it’s books.  When she feels disappointed with life, or with herself, she holes up in her apartment for days on end, and reads book after book after book.  And lately, Dora has been feeling very disappointed; she is separated from her second husband, she hasn’t worked for five years, she eats too much pizza and drinks too much wine.  When she meets sexy, funny, clever Fred, who works at – where else? – the local bookstore, they start a relationship.  But when he shows his true colours, she wonders whether he is really the man for her.

I’m not sure what I expected from this book – I looked forward to reading about someone who adored books, as I thought I would be able to relate to her.  This is actually more a chick-lit type read than I was expecting (which is not necessarily a bad thing).

The story is told from Dora’s point of view, and I did feel that she was a very believable character.  She wasn’t always easy to like – she could be prickly, and looked down on people a lot.  I got actually quite annoyed with her when she described different types of readers and how they irritated her; people read for many different reasons, but most of those reasons weren’t good enough for Dora.  However, she did redeem herself in the second half of the story, and I ended up liking her a lot.

Fred’s mother Bea, and his niece Harper, as well as Dora’s sister Virginia, were all very likeable, but unfortunately Fred was one of the most annoying and self-satisfied characters I’ve read about for a while!

The writing flowed well, and was always easy to read, even if some of the events seemed to serve no purpose in the story at all – such as when Dora and her friend Darlene rescue an injured deer.

Overall, I quite enjoyed the book, but I’m not sure that I would be interested in reading anything further by these authors.

(Note: This book was also released under the title ‘Literacy and Longing in L.A.’)

Read Full Post »

‘The Bookseller of Kabul’, by Asne Seierstad

Posted in Book Reviews, tagged , , , , , , on August 22, 2011| 2 Comments »

This non-fiction book was written after the author spent a number of months living with a family in Kabul.  The head of the family is Sultan Khan, a bookseller who has defied the authorities for years to sell books to the citizens of Kabul.  The book essentially describes normal life for the family, with each chapter concentrating on a different event or aspect of life.

The writing flows very easily and almost reads like a novel.  It’s constantly interesting, but always frustrating.  Sultan is liberal in many ways – he believes in encouraging knowledge and education, and is glad when women achieve governmental positions. He believes in banishing the uncomfortable burka, and is an intelligent and cultured man.  But for all that he believes would be good for society, he still treats his own family – particularly the females – as second class citizens.  He takes a second wife (a young teenage girl), although he already has a loyal and intelligent wife who is devastated at his choice to marry again, and his youngest sister Leila is treated as barely more than a slave, for little or no appreciation.

The oppression of women is a constant theme throughout the book.  For example, when a man decides that he wants to marry a particular woman, he has to approach her parents or the head of her family with his monetary offer for their daughter.  The potential bride has no say in whether she will marry the man or not.  Indeed, brides to be are not even supposed to look their husband in the eye prior to the wedding.

While I could not like Sultan, due to his treatment of his family, he was certainly an interesting character.  However, the character for whom I most cared was certainly Leila.  Reading about her life made me very thankful for my own life.

The book also features some interesting information regarding the history and culture of Afghanistan, and it’s easy to read style make this a book which I can heartily recommend to anyone who is interested in the country and the lives of those who dwell within it.

Shocking at times and always thought provoking – I definitely recommend this book, and will be keeping my eyes open for further work by this author.

Read Full Post »

’84 Charing Cross Road’ by Helene Hanff

Posted in Book Reviews, tagged , , , on April 26, 2010| 1 Comment »

This is the very charming story of a gentle friendship between the author Helene Hanff, a writer trying to get by on her meagre earnings in New York, and the genteel English bookseller Frank Doel, who works at Marks & Co. Booksellers, at 84 Charing Cross Road, London.

It is told entirely through the letters exchanged between Helene and Frank (and later, his family and colleagues).  What starts as a business correspondence when Ms Hanff is seeking some books, soon becomes a true friendship as she sends gifts of food during rationing, and they learn about each other’s lives and friends.

It is a gentle and charming book, and some of the letters written by Helen Hanff, who has a fabulous sense of humour and turn of phrase, made me laugh out loud.

The book is undemanding, but delightful.  A gentle true story which I am sure I will read many more times in the future.

********************************************************************************************************#

Click here for my review of the 1987 film adaptation.

********************************************************************************************************

Read Full Post »