Archives: May 2005
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The Lady and The Unicorn
24.05.05 | 01:45 AM
This based-on-fact piece of historical fiction is written by Tracy Chevalier, the same author behind The Girl with the Pearl Earring (now a major motion picture). Although I haven't read her first book, I enjoyed her second one, and would recommend The Lady and the Unicorn to anybody looking to learn something in a (very) easy-to-read format.
In fact, the easiness-of-reading issue was probably my only issue with this book. I suppose I spend so much time reading "established" authors that I have a little bit of a hard time coming back to popular fiction, but I'll admit that this book was an entertaining read - it came in handy when I accidently showed up an hour early for my doctor's appointment, at any rate.
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The synopsis: The story is of the design and development of the famous Le Viste tapestries, now located in the Musée Cluny in Paris. As a matter of fact, I had been passing copies of these tapestries for years, without knowing what they were or where from. In a moment of coincidence, a good friend explained the tapestries to me just days before my mother appeared and passed along this book to me.
The narrative rotates between different characters - the artist who designs the tapestries, the weaver family who actually makes them, and the nobles for whom they are intended - and Chevalier actually manages to pull off this feat quite well. I'll admit that the first chapter had me skeptical, but by halfway through the book, I found I was getting into the different personalities and their thoughts/fears/dreams/etc. In the end, you find yourself with severall different mini-stories, all handily woven together through the story of the (woven!) tapestries.
What I liked about this book - and this is terrible to admit - is that the pretext of it being "historical" made me feel a little less ashamed about reading what is really just a well-decorated soap opera. There's sex and lying and seduction and betrayal... overall all the good workings of a crappy woman's romance novel.
The Lady and the Unicorn is a notable step up from that, and I would read it again. It's perfect travel reading; I can see myself enjoying it on an airplane or at the beach. Don't expect great literature, but it's a good time.
The Lady and the Unicorn - Tracy Chevalier
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12.05.05 | 06:15 PM
I'm a little embarrased I wasn't familar with Coetzee's work before reading this novel. Coetzee is the only author to have one the Booker Prize twice, and is generally well-known amongst bookworms. Still, I didn't know his work nor his name, but I was happy to make the discovery.
As often happens in life, when you hear about something for the first time, you begin noticing it everywhere. In the case of JM Coetzee's novel, Disgrace, I first heard about it in a short interview with a respectable, well-read European. She was citing her favorite authors and books, and this novel was at the top of her list. Always on the lookout for new reads, I printed out the interview and took it with me to the used bookstore. When I couldn't find the book there, I more or less forgot about it.
A few days later, however, I stumbled across a mention of it in another article. Being reminded of the name was enough so that when I went to check out a local English bookstore, I picked it up.
At the checkout counter, the girl sighed heavily and said, "This book is so good. It's just... (she clutches her chest)... so... painful."
She wasn't being overdramatic. The writing is excellent, but reading the book is a bit like watching a car-crash unfurl in slow-motion. Everything is heavy, harsh, and only comes to feel heavier and harsher as the book progresses.
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The premis: David Lurie, a semi-serious university professor and two-time divorcé, gets involved in a strange and awkward affair with a student. Eventually, she presses charges and he admits guilt, and is forced to leave his job. He spends his "leave of absence" with his daugher, Lucy, out in South Africa's Eastern Cape. And while at first he spends his time getting in touch with the earth and its animals, and discovering the harsh realities of living off the land, disaster soon strikes. David and Lucy are surprised one day by intruders who end up attacking them and their home, and the aftermath of the attack is almost as difficult to deal with as the attack itself.
The book is short, and I realize the snapshot of the story featured here would make you want to avoid it at all costs. But I found the book amazing - the writing style is what carries the narrative more so than the plot. Coetzee's writing is mature and fearless, and I regularly stopped to re-read sentences just because I liked the sound of them. I took this book with me everywhere, and finished it quickly while trying to savour it for as long as possible.
Lots of reviews mention this novel as painting a painful portrait of modern-day South Africa. And while, sure, that's definetly present, what I found much more poignant in the tale were the running themes of father/daughter relationships and animal rights/souls. Parts of this book are difficult to describe; as cheesy as it sounds, there were scenes that were more "felt" than pictured. Coetzee's writing is simple, but there is so much behind the words that it makes for a very interesting read.
Read it: JM Coetzee - Disgrace
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03.05.05 | 11:33 PM
I really tried to like this book. It came recommended to me from reliable sources, but MAN. Maybe I should read up on Pontius Pilate some more or something, because I just could NOT get into it. Basically, everyone in Moscow goes crazy. And that's sort of funny the first time, but reading each individual descent into craziness just gets boring after awhile. So boring that I put down the book a little over halfway through and haven't picked it back up again.
The only other book I think I have ever done that with was Anna Karenina.
I think the lesson we can retain from this little experiment is that Russian literature is not my thing.
Good to know.
