Reading Roundup September - December 2012

Possession by A.S. Byatt (4 stars)

This is an excellent book. It builds very slowly and patiently, introducing a cast of modern (1980s) literary critics that serves fairly well as a cautionary tale against ever going into lit crit, as well as the objects of their research, two Victorian poets who turn out to have had significant interactions in their time. The stories unfold beautifully, building tension that is ultimately resolved in a funny, absurd, but really satisfying situation at the end. There is a dual story going on; as the modern characters unravel the Victorian drama, their own lives entwine. Often this plot structure feels gimmicky, but it works well in this book. It is fascinating to consider romance, sex, and love in the two eras. The poking fun at the lit crit world is kind of funny, and a tiny bit tedious. There is quite a lot of poetry by the Victorian poets throughout the book. Alas, it is one of my moral failings that I have never managed to appreciate poetry as I should, and I dreaded slogging through them. But slog I did, because I really wanted to know what happened next, and the poems do illuminate the poets themselves. I loved the ride, the writing is beautiful, and I miss the characters now that I'm done; it's that kind of book.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple (4 stars)

I loved this book. It is smart and might be the funniest book I've read, ever. I thought about giving it five stars, but as the weeks go by I realize it's not necessarily an important book. It didn't change me. It just made me laugh very hard, and made me love and appreciate the quirky characters. The plot is wild, entertaining, and unbelievable, but it doesn't really matter. It's a great, fast read.

Love, Life, and Elephants: An African Love Story by Daphne Sheldrick (3 stars)

I didn't actually quite finish this book, so clearly I didn't love it. It was a window into a completely different kind of life, motivated by a completely different worldview. I am not an animal person. At all. My kids have never even had a goldfish for a pet, much less a dog. Much less a baby rhinoceros or elephant. And I can assure you I would never, ever have a baby duiker run around the savanna all day then sleep in my bed at night. Or have a wild bird fly around my house, even if it was smart and clever and adorable. It totally grosses me out. So clearly, Daphne Sheldrick has a window into the wonder of creation and the natural world that is completely shut off to me. She is an amazing person, clearly gifted in caring for, understanding, and rehabilitating animals. (Like, in her living and bed rooms.) She remembers scores of animals in careful, loving detail from decades ago. (And never even mentions once which of her furniture they pooped on.) I was impressed with her, but not at all inspired to go and do likewise. Also, there is a stunning scene which she recreates from her childhood, when she and her family had set up an extended camp on the savanna. Her father was hired by the British government to hunt bush meat to feed the POWs in North Africa, and at night the carcasses at their camp would attract lions. One night they had some extra (human) visitors, so Daphne and her sister slept in a canvas tent at the edge of their camp. And they had trouble falling asleep, because the canvas has some sort of salty residue on it and she was a little unnerved by the HUNGRY LIONS LICKING THE SIDES OF HER TENT. Wow.

The Red Chamber by Pauline A. Chen (2 stars)

I would be really interested in understanding more about what it was like to be a woman in one of the wealthy Chinese families one hundred years ago. This book gives you a peek, I suppose, but it mostly felt like what it would be like to be an educated, western, modern woman living in such a family. I was really unconvinced by and unattached to all the characters involved in this "family saga", and a saga with no depth doesn't work. The peek that is does give into that life, however, isn't very happy. The only thing that would have made the women even less empowered was to have their feet bound, which happily was not common practice in the area of China that they lived. So they still had the ability to actually walk, but that was about where their autonomy ended. I love being an educated, western, modern woman.

Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain by David Eagleman (4 stars)

It is truly unsettling to realize how much of our lives are controlled by parts of our brain that we have no conscious access to. The town you live in, your profession, and the person you married can all influenced by things as bizarre as the first letter of your name and our subconscious draw towards things that remind us of ourselves. The amount of outright making things up, things that we think we observe through our senses, is shocking. Read the book. It will make reconsider who you and other people are.

Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro (3 stars)

Munro has an uncanny ability to get deep inside the moments in every life that make us deeply embarrassed, that make us squirm, that we hope no one ever discovers or remembers. It is gripping storytelling, but not very pleasant or reassuring, to be sure. Sometimes it felt like the exploration of these difficult moments or experiences wasn't quite enough to justify the short story. But the telling was always just right.

The Beggar Maid: Stories of Flo and Rose  by Alice Munro (4 stars)

Ahh, this was amazing, to experience Munro's amazing talent for capturing pivotal moments in a life, and to see those moments over the lifetime of two women and how they capture everything that is important. Munro does seem to partake of the postmodern obsession with dysfunctional families and failed marriages, which is sad. It is a bit ironic and unfortunate that these writers have such masterful insight into people and their motivations and the parts of themselves that they try to conceal, yet seem unable to craft these characters into functional, honest, nourishing relationships.

Hamlet by William Shakespeare (4 stars)

Clearly you don't need my opinion about this book. This is a book to measure people against, not the other way around. So I guess I'm four stars. It is amazing, especially the language and meter. But it has never moved me like it would a five star person, I guess. And I'm always mystified by Ophelia.