Offshore - Wendy's Review

The barge-dwellers, creatures neither of firm land nor water, would have liked to be more respectable than they were. They aspired towards the Chelsea shore, where, in the early 1960’s, many thousands lived with sensible occupations and adequate amounts of money. But a certain failure, distressing to themselves, to be like other people, caused them to sink back, with so much else that drifted or was washed up, into the mud moorings of the great tideway. - from Offshore, page 10 -

Penelope Fitzgerald’s Booker Prize winning novel Offshore is set in the 1960’s along the Thames and introduces a cast of eccentric and unique characters whose lives criss-cross and intersect as they go about their days on the worn out barges of the area. There is Richard, a retired navy man whose desire for organization unites the others, and Maurice who receives stolen goods, and Willis whose boat Dreadnought is fated for tragedy. But, it is perhaps Nenna who is the most interesting - a woman who has been abandoned by her husband and is trying to raise two precocious, young girls. Tilly, the youngest daughter, loves barge life and her courageous and lively spirit is infectious.

Tilda cared nothing for the future, and had, as a result, a great capacity for happiness. - from Offshore, page 27 -

Tilda, in spite of her lucid gray eyes, showing clarity beneath clarity, which challenged the nuns not to risk scandalising the innocent, had often been in disfavour. She was known to be one of the little ones who had filled in their colouring books irreverently, making our Lord’s beard purple, or even green, largely, to be sure, because she never bothered to get hold of the best crayons first. - from Offshore, page 41 -

As Fitzgerald’s novella progresses, it is Nenna’s domestic unhappiness which unites the characters, and it is Tilly’s innocent optimism which creates the irony in the story.

Fitzgerald’s story is full of a black humor and her writing is clear and descriptive. Offshore feels much like a character study or a long short story, and its ending is both unexpected and unresolved.

This was my first Fitzgerald novel, and I appreciated her wonderful use of language and development of the characters. But when I turned the last page I felt oddly disconnected and disappointed. I wanted more, yet there was no more to be had. Offshore is strongly literary in style and it is a quick read. It whet my appetite for more of Penelope Fitzgerald’s work.

Interesting side note: people are still living on the antique barges on the Thames.

Laura's Review - Schindler's Ark

Schindler's Ark
Thomas Keneally
428 pages

Oskar Schindler was a German industrialist who saved thousands of Jewish people from death in World War II Poland. His story is well known, thanks to the film adaptation of this book. The book is a realistic, factual, stark portrayal of real human drama. Keneally portrays Oskar as a compassionate savior, but not a saint. He was a womanizer and a heavy drinker. After witnessing violence in a Polish ghetto, he was moved to establish a camp on the premises of his factory, with better conditions for his workers. Still, his workers were not immune to the random acts of violence and murder. During the last year or so of the war, through deft negotiation and subterfuge, he managed to transport thousands of Jews to safety, ensuring their liberation when the war came to an end.

Even though I've read several books about the holocaust, I've been able to distance myself from the reality -- not denying these events occurred, but not facing the brutality, either. This book was different. I'm sure my mind was not as graphic as the film, and I unconsciously protected myself from the worst of it, but I still had to take frequent breaks. There were so many individual, heartbreaking stories; I found myself wondering how it could be classified as fiction. The author's note reads,

"To use the texture and devices of a novel to tell a true story is a course which has frequently been followed in modern writing. It is the one I have chosen to follow here; both because the craft of the novelist is the only craft to which I can lay claim, and because the novel's techniques seem suited for a character of such ambiguity and magnitude as Oskar. I have attempted to avoid all fiction, though, since fiction would debase the record, and to distinguish between the reality and myths which are likely to attach themselves to a man of Oskar's stature. Sometimes it has been necessary to attempt to reconstruct conversations of which Oskar and others have left only the briefest record. But most exchanges and conversations, and all events, are based on the detailed recollections of the Schindlerjuden (Schindler Jews), of Schindler himself, and of other witnesses to Oskar's acts of outrageous rescue. "

Seems like nonfiction to me ...

I suspect this book won the Booker Prize more on the basis of Schindler's story; the writing itself was not as fine as I'd hoped. And Keneally was rather repetitive regarding Schindler's appetite for women and alcohol. Was he portraying him as "merely human," or admiring him? I found it tiresome, so a book I would normally have rated 4 stars ended up with only 3. ( )

My original review can be found here.

Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively, reviewed by raidergirl3

Penelope Lively was born in Egypt on March 17, 1933 and spent her childhood there before moving to England. She uses some of her experiences for this book, a Man Booker winner from 1987, which covers the life of Claudia Hampton as she remembers her life from her hospital bed.

Claudia was a war reporter stationed in Egypt during the second world war. It's hard to recap her life because Claudia herself tells her story in a nonlinear fashion, as important parts come to her. I liked how Lively did this, and the jumping around in time, and perspective, should be more confusing than it was, but I found it enjoyable. The major theme of the book is that history is all about perspective and point of view. This gets extended to the story and some scenes are told from different characters perspective a very effective technique.

I really liked seeing the scene from different perspectives.
Seeing the scenes from different perspectives gives the reader insights into the characters.

Claudia has a daughter but leaves her with the grandmothers to raise as she hasn't a maternal bone in her body. There are two great loves in Claudia's life and they really shape her future life. I believed this love story like I didn't in Love in the Time of Cholera, even though both are unfulfilled love in some sense. I liked the relationship with her brother, the closeness some siblings must feel. And I shouldn't have liked Claudia, because she is independent, rude, and abrupt, but I loved her rude abrupt behavior at a time when women weren't rewarded for that sort of behavior or expected to be that way.

Writing a book as a character's memoir seems to be a common type of book, allowing an author to have their character look back over a lifetime of history and to comment on how they perceived events, leading to the idea of an unreliable narrator and leaving the reader to judge whether what is being told is true or if it has been misremembered. It doesn't always work for me (Gilead) but I liked seeing Claudia's life, or the parts she let us see.

Peter Carey: True History of the Kelly Gang

This book is a first person fictionalised account of the life of Ned Kelly, a child of poor convict settlers in Australia who in the book, and in reality was notorious for his criminal record, for which he was executed.

I struggled with this book as I have difficulty with all books that blur the line between fiction and fact. The title was my first stumbling block, and one I have become increasingly annoyed by. The book is meant to be fiction! I do not understand the thinking behind the title.

Interestingly, in my researches about the book I came across a course in contemporary Australian literature at the Masaryk University (in the Czech Republic). This book is one of those listed as recommended reading, and is listed as follows:

True history of the Kelly gang. Edited by Peter Carey

This seems proof that there is confusion in some quarters as to whether the book is fiction or fact.

I tend to research every book I read. Normally I do this after reading the book so my thoughts on it are not coloured by other people's perceptions, but half way through reading this book I could bear the uncertainty no longer. I had to know just how factual this book was, and so I went online. I discovered some very interesting things, the most interesting of which is the Jerilderie Letter, held in the State Library of Victoria and available online here.

The Jerilderie Letter is an 8,000 word letter dictated, in reality, by Ned Kelly to Joe Byrne during the siege of Jerilderie in February 1879.

Page 9/10 reads "he roared like a big calf attacked by dogs and shifted several yards of the fence I got his hands at the back of his neck and trid to make him let the revolver go but he stuck to it like grim death to a dead volunteer he called for assistance to a man named Cohen and Barnett, Lewis, Thompson, Jewitt two blacksmiths who was looking on I dare not strike any of there as I was bound to keep the peace or I could have spread those curs like dung in a paddock they got ropes tied my hands and feet and Hall beat me over the head with his six chambered colts revolver nine stitches were put in some of the cuts by Dr Hastings And when Wild Wright and my mother came they could trace us across the street by the blood in the dust and which spoiled the lustre of the paint on the gate-post of the Barracks "

Read page 194, the last part of "parcel 6" and you will find that Peter Carey has merely edited the text a little.

I have a huge issue with the fact that Peter Carey has used Ned Kelly's words without any acknowledgement of that. Perhaps there is no legal duty to make such an acknowledgement when the writer of the words is over a century dead, but it shows a lack of respect that irks me.

The publishers blurb "Peter Carey gives Ned Kelly a voice so wild, passionate and original that it is impossible not to believe that the famous bushranger himself is speaking from beyond the grave" seems preposterous when that wild, passionate and original voice is the true voice of Ned Kelly as evidenced by the Jerilderie Letter. They are more correct to call some of the writing "a dazzling act of ventriloquism".

The book doesn't just use the information given in the letter, Carey embellishes his book with fictional differences. And I can't say that the writing is bad, or the fictional parts unbelievable, I just like to know whether I am reading fact or fiction, and so could not like this book.

2008 - The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

My first Booker Prize winner for 2009, and what a good one it was! Here's my review.
http://anzlitlovers.wordpress.com/2009/03/08/the-white-tiger-by-aravind-adiga/

Laura's 2009 Goals & Progress

I’ve followed the Booker Prize for a long time, and always enjoy reading winners and shortlisted works. In 2007, I began hosting The Complete Booker to encourage others to join me in reading works by these great authors. In 2008, my goal was to read at least 6 Booker winners, and I read 11 ! By the beginning of 2009 I'd read 22 of the 41 winners. My 2009 goal is to read 12, including the 2009 winner. At that rate, I expect to complete the winners list in 2010!

Booker Winners Read in 2009

1987 - Moon Tiger (Lively)
1989 - The Remains of the Day (Ishiguro)
1982 - Schindler's Ark (Keneally)
2008 - The White Tiger (Adiga)
1973 - The Siege of Krishnapur (Farrell)
2003 - Vernon God Little (Pierre)
1993 - Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha (Doyle)
1999 - Disgrace (Coetzee)
1980 - Rites of Passage (Golding)
2009 - Wolf Hall (Mantel)
1979 - Offshore (Fitzgerald)
1976 - Saville (Storey)

My complete list of Booker Winners read can be found here.

Laura's Review - The Remains of the Day

The Remains of the Day
Kazuo Ishiguro
245 pages

It is sometimes said that butlers only truly exist in England. Other countries, whatever title is actually used, have only manservants. I tend to believe this is true. Continentals are unable to be butlers because they are as a breed incapable of emotional restraint which only the English race are capable of. (p. 43)

Thus does Stevens, a butler on a fine English estate, describe the dignity and restraint he sees as essential elements of the truly great butlers -- a title he will not allow himself to claim, although it is probably deserved. Stevens spent 30 years in service at Darlington Hall, beginning in the 1920s. He did all his master asked of him, with complete decorum and the much-admired restraint. He was assisted by a housekeeper, Miss Kenton, who left after many years to marry and have a family of her own. The novel begins with Stevens taking a rare holiday, a trip across the country to visit Miss Kenton. A recent letter from her led him to believe she would be interested in returning to service at Darlington Hall. The letter resurrected memories and emotions; long suppressed in the interest of dignity and restraint. During Stevens' journey, he relives his years serving Lord Darlington, and his relationship with Miss Kenton.

The story is told entirely in Stevens' voice. Ishiguro has a way of making the situation perfectly plain to the reader, even though much is left unsaid. The reader sees a side of Lord Darlington that Stevens himself was unable to acknowledge. And his feelings for Miss Kenton are crystal clear, even though they never break through his reserved exterior. I nearly cried when he and Miss Kenton parted company the first time, and their reunion was heavily laden with missed opportunity and dashed hopes that once again were quite moving.

I was worried that this book would be spoiled by having seen the film many years ago. And while I couldn't help envisioning Stevens just as he was portrayed by Anthony Hopkins, I still found myself immersed in this book as if experiencing the story for the first time. Wonderful, emotional, reading. ( )

My original review can be found here.

Anita Brookner: Hotel du Lac

I have a friend that loves wine. He holidays in vineyard regions of France and attends tastings before returning with crates of wine. When he serves wine, he is careful to tell you the story of each bottle; he explains about the holiday, the tasting and describes the wine producer.

I don't love wine, but I do love books. Often a particular book will hold a resonance for me outside of the story in it, and this book particularly so.

I first read Hotel du Lac when visiting my Granny in her little cottage near Chichester. I remember returning it expressing my enjoyment of it politely but dishonestly. Granny was sharp though, I doubt she was fooled, and I still feel stirrings of guilt that I did not honestly state my feelings about the book with her.

Hotel du Lac is the story of a woman who has jilted her fiance at the altar, and who is essentially sent away to do penance for the shame.

My Granny had an affair with a married man when she was herself married. In the 1930's both her lover and herself left their spouses and after protracted divorces, married each other, the culmination of which was the birth of my father. I was rather shocked by what I saw as the wanton behaviour of Edith, but knew enough about my Granny's past to know it might not be a good idea to express that.

I have since read the book again, and being more worldly I enjoyed it more. I don't really sympathise with Edith. I still felt that she was rather wanton, and do not understand someone who jump from one man to another without knowning any of them well (it speaks to me of either desperation, or an extremely romantic view of relationships). But Brookner is brilliant at describing the atmosphere of the out of season hotel, the broken, unfulfilling exchanges that hotel guests have with each other. And she describes being alone, and loneliness perfectly.

I found this a moving and thought provoking book.