Recently Begun Books

[Ben Jackson]

Books for this Month:
?? Repetition--- Peter Handke
?? The African--- J M G Le Clezio
?? Opened Ground: Selected Poems--- Seamus Heaney
?? Death of Vivek Oji--- Akwaeze Emezi
?? The Unnameable--- Samuel Beckett
?? Volume Two: Your Face Tommorrow Trilogy--- Javier Marias
?? Tales of the Don--- Mikhail Sholokhov
?? Bleeding of Stone--- Ibrahim Al-Koni

I have already finished Repetition and The Africa (detailed reviews later), and am half-way through Death of Vivek Oji (liking the book thus far).

 

[alik-vit]

????? The Books of Jacob.

I remember your very positive response to this novel. Mine is more moderate, but still it's very solid book.

 

[Leseratte]

I remember your very positive response to this novel. Mine is more moderate, but still it's very solid book.

For me it is an absolute masterpiece. I remember though it losing a bit of its intensity in the last part reading more like a "normal" novel, regaining its force again at the end.

 

[dc007777]

Started My Search for Warren Harding by Robert Plunket. It's a forgotten comic novel from the 80s recently republished by New Directions. So far, so good. Plunket possesses a type of humor that has aged well. I'm hoping Joe Keenan, another comic novelist from the 80s, receives a similar revival in the next few years.

 

[alik-vit]

For me it is an absolute masterpiece. I remember though it losing a bit of its intensity in the last part reading more like a "normal" novel, regaining its force again at the end.

It's very readable for such doorstopper. But sometimes it's like fictionalized account on the movement of frankists, not novel about deep nature of life and history. A little bit disappointed.

 

[tiganeasca]

It's very readable for such doorstopper. But sometimes it's like fictionalized account on the movement of frankists, not novel about deep nature of life and history. A little bit disappointed.

Although I am sympathetic to Vitaly's view, I am pleased to know, Leseratte, that you are so taken with the book. Even though my views on the book are different, it is always pleasing to discover that a book--any book--speaks so deeply to someone.

 

[alik-vit]

Although I am sympathetic to Vitaly's view, I am pleased to know, Leseratte, that you are so taken with the book. Even though my views on the book are different, it is always pleasing to discover that a book--any book--speaks so deeply to someone.

Absolutely agree and it's one of the greatest sides of this forum: I'm very glad, when I read review devoted to the book, which I liked, but I'm even more glad, when I read review devoted to the book, which I didn't like. It means, there really is something, I missed this something and now I have stimulus to find it, to look at this book through the gaze of other person. It's great.

 

[Leseratte]

It's very readable for such doorstopper. But sometimes it's like fictionalized account on the movement of frankists, not novel about deep nature of life and history. A little bit disappointed.

About the frankists I know only what the book shows. I never was interested in the saga of Jacob Frank itself neither bevor and neither after I read the book. The arresting thing for me is the language and what she makes of them. Up to a point Frank is shown to the reader from the perspective of other people. He is a "mediatic" figure and as such a very current character. Although its old settings it IMO tells much of the history of our times, the pushing and traversing of boundaries, the strong but on the same time questionable leaderships, the "mediatic" build and destroyed reputations, and lastly the account of an instable ever changing reality that can´t be grasped even when viewed from above.

 

[Daniel del Real]

Ananda Devi, Pagli

This is my first approach to her ouvre. She has a very poetic language and quite peculiar shifts in the narrative voice.
She only has two novels translated to Spanish, both of them published more than 20 years ago.

 

[Phil D]

?? Gabriel García Márquez - Vivir para contarla (Living to Tell the Tale) -- great fun so far (p70)

?? Gertrude Stein - The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas -- enjoying the rhythm and chattiness of the prose (p85)

 

[childeroland]

Arthur Conan Doyle -- The Return of Sherlock Holmes. Really fun to listen to Watson's voice.

 

[Benny Profane]

I've just started three books after I've finished the Complete Works by Cruz e Sousa (I'll do reviews soon):

?? Charles Baudelaire - [Almost] Complete Works [Brazilian Aguilar];
?? Murilo Mendes - Complete Works [Aguilar];
?? Carlos Drummond de Andrade - Complete Poems [Aguilar]

 

[Ben Jackson]

?? Gabriel García Márquez - Vivir para contarla (Living to Tell the Tale) -- great fun so far (p70)

?? Gertrude Stein - The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas -- enjoying the rhythm and chattiness of the prose (p85)

I think Gertrude Stein's one of the most under-rated modernist out there. That book is definitely one of the finest biography/memoir I have read. Immensely enjoyed her language.

 

[kpjayan]

Ananda Devi, Pagli

This is my first approach to her ouvre. She has a very poetic language and quite peculiar shifts in the narrative voice.
She only has two novels translated to Spanish, both of them published more than 20 years ago.

I haven't read this book, but looks interesting. Not sure if the original title is 'pagli'. The word in Hindi means, 'crazy / mad' person. It is available through a local publisher and is not expensive. I will buy a copy and read.

 

[SpaceCadet]

I haven't read this book, but looks interesting. Not sure if the original title is 'pagli'. The word in Hindi means, 'crazy / mad' person.

Published in 2001, the French title is 'Pagli' and according to the summary, it does mean 'crazy/mad' person.

 

[SpaceCadet]

?? Gabriel García Márquez - Vivir para contarla (Living to Tell the Tale) -- great fun so far (p70)

Read a long time ago, I have enjoyed it too. Being able to read it in Spanish was a great experience for me; it just felt as though I could hear the author's voice.

 

[Daniel del Real]

I haven't read this book, but looks interesting. Not sure if the original title is 'pagli'. The word in Hindi means, 'crazy / mad' person. It is available through a local publisher and is not expensive. I will buy a copy and read.

It is indeed the original title. This is the nickname given to the protagonist by the indian descent community where she lives.
Liking it so far, she has a very unique voice.

 

[Johnny]

Held by Anne Michaels.
Just published.

 

[Liam]

^I am very curious about that book but I recently read a less-than-satisfactory review, so I'm on the fence.

 

[Johnny]

Overall the reviews seem to be very positive but I have not read too deeply into them to avoid spoilers. I’ll report back in due course!