This is the only series of this type I've read since I was a teenager. The language just delights me — and this, #12 in the series — may be the most eThis is the only series of this type I've read since I was a teenager. The language just delights me — and this, #12 in the series — may be the most enjoyable yet. Maybe it's just the holiday thing. The book opens on Christmas Eve, 1814, and I started reading it on Christmas Eve, 2014. Enchanting. ...more
It was great fun to read a book I couldn't put down. I liked the characters and pace better than those of Last Night in Montreal.It was great fun to read a book I couldn't put down. I liked the characters and pace better than those of Last Night in Montreal....more
Ten stars!! This is a beautiful and brilliant book. What a good and wise and humble man! I wish everyone would read it. Right away! Don't put it off, Ten stars!! This is a beautiful and brilliant book. What a good and wise and humble man! I wish everyone would read it. Right away! Don't put it off, especially if you have aging or ill or disabled family members. ...more
I liked it quite a lot, especially early on and later on. By the last 50 pages or so, I didn't want to put it down. And didn't. I was left with some qI liked it quite a lot, especially early on and later on. By the last 50 pages or so, I didn't want to put it down. And didn't. I was left with some questions and wonder whether I read it too fast. If only there were time to reread books, this might be one I'd return to. ...more
I can't think of any other series I've read since my teens, but I got addicted to Barron's Jane Austen mysteries years ago, when I found the first JanI can't think of any other series I've read since my teens, but I got addicted to Barron's Jane Austen mysteries years ago, when I found the first Jane Austen mystery (Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor) in a bargain bin. (I subsequently bought ever one, to have the whole set.) This one is #11 and #12 is on my Christmas WishList for Santa. It's been a while since I read #10, but I thought this was one of the better ones. A novel of manners that well captures Austen's language and times. I found myself smiling often and occasionally laughing out loud. ...more
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I read Just Saying quickly, but marked many pages to return to. First off, I love the title. I only wish I’d thought of it first. Just sayi
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I read Just Saying quickly, but marked many pages to return to. First off, I love the title. I only wish I’d thought of it first. Just saying: What we say when we want to make a point and yet maintain a light, inoffensive tone. I feel as if Armantrout is saying “Here’s something I happened to notice. Have you noticed that? Have you been thinking the same thing? Is this perhaps something we should keep in mind?” At the same time, the title calls to mind WCW’s “This is just to say.” In both cases, the point is in saying it. We all write poems just to say, don’t we?
What I love about Armantrout is that the reader is necessarily involved in the poem making. You have to read between lines, fill in the blanks, and connect the dots. Certain lines leap off the page and grab me. Others send me back to the beginning of the poem. I always feel immersed, part of the poem, as if looking around it from inside it. As if. A phrase that Armantrout uses a lot.
As if the light at the end of tunnel vision were the glare of the delivery room pulled from memory’s grab bag;
as if we’d come full circle, so to speak, though this time no one was talking — from “Things”
I also admire the way two or more voices may be braided together in a single poem. Sometimes they are the voices of government, media, a sign in the airport, the clichés of modern life — the way they capture and play off our collective experience. And sometimes they’re internal voices arguing with, or colluding with, one another — perhaps both at once.
The poems, taken together, offer a portrait of life in the 21st century, one in which we still have choices (but may not always) and yet are bewildered and stymied by them. No matter what we choose, will the result be tolerable? According to which of our many selves? The one in real time? The one who listens in on our interior monologue? Perhaps the one who knows that the sense of choice is only that: the sense of it.
Serious themes, yes. But delivered with the most delightful wordplay, with all the subtleties of sound and sense we find in our best poetry. Some WCW, a little e.e., and a dash of Kay Ryan. Armantrout herself has said: “[P]oetry, at least the poetry I value, can reproduce our conflicts and fractures and yet be held together in the ghost embrace of assonance and consonance, in the echoed and echoing body of language.” (Collected Prose, Singing Horse Press, 2007)
The power of language is ever present. Before I started reading Armantrout, I’d heard she was a “language poet,” and I already believed I didn’t “like” language poetry. Fortunately, I heard her read at an AWP meeting some years ago and had my little closed mind blown. Reading Armantrout makes me feel as if I’ve been going about my life in a daze. Every poem seems like a wake-up call. “What is the meaning of clarity? Armantrout asks. “Is something clear when you understand it or when it looms up, startling you?” (Collected Prose, Singing Horse Press, 2007)
If we think dying is like falling
asleep, then we believe
wrongly, rightly that it’s a way
of sinking into what happens,
joining the program in process
— from “Progress”
Ange Mlinko has called Armantrout’s poetry incisive and chilling. I have to agree. And would add ironic, skeptical, provocative, wry, and witty.
But in the end, as in the last lines of the last poem in this collection,
There’s an intimate feel to these essays, almost as if one wore settling in for a long chat ranging across many topics — from experience and advice onThere’s an intimate feel to these essays, almost as if one wore settling in for a long chat ranging across many topics — from experience and advice on writing and writing programs, training for the LAPD, and the joys of opera, to how her bad relationships led to a good one in the end. These were definitely my favorites in the collection. In fact, the essay on opera — and the Met’s live HD broadcasts, in particular — inspired me to go to my first live broadcast at a local theater. (It was as good as Patchett promised!) I’ve read two or three of Patchett’s novels, but have not read Truth and Beauty, the story of her relationship with Lucy Grealy. In fact, I was not aware of Lucy Grealy or the controversy that Patchett’s relationship with her engendered.
I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed it. I almost always prefer to hear authors read their own nonfiction, rather than other narrators. And I certainly enjoyed Patchett’s reading, though occasionally thought it a wee bit too dramatic. Just occasionally, though. She certainly sounded authentic throughout. I’ve found that, when it comes to audiobooks, I prefer nonfiction, especially essay collections, to fiction. I loved Nora Ephron’s. And am now on the lookout for similar books. ...more
Absolutely stunning. So complex and multilayered. The fascinating plot is one thing that kept me reading (and sometimes going back to reread to be surAbsolutely stunning. So complex and multilayered. The fascinating plot is one thing that kept me reading (and sometimes going back to reread to be sure I had things straight). The characters of Leo and Alma Singer won me over completely. I don't know when I've loved a character as much as Leo. But it's Krauss's intricate weaving of all the threads and themes that make this book a real standout — and that, for me, contain the real story. ...more
Loved Lila! But I must say, I'm so glad that I read the other two books first — Gilead and Home. I know that some people say Lila can stand alone, butLoved Lila! But I must say, I'm so glad that I read the other two books first — Gilead and Home. I know that some people say Lila can stand alone, but whoa, there is so much more story to Lila if you’ve read the other two. I knew so much more. And the end of Lila would have left so many open questions that a reader of Gilead and Home wouldn’t have. Oddly enough, Lila is really a prequel. It takes place before the events of both Gilead and Home. So by reading the other two, you know the rest of the story. . . . I liked Lila best of the three, Home second, Gilead least. ...more
I was determined to read this quickly. I had started Lila, not realizing that it was the third book in a trilogy. After much deliberation, I decided tI was determined to read this quickly. I had started Lila, not realizing that it was the third book in a trilogy. After much deliberation, I decided to read both Gilead and Home before returning to Lila. But I thought I'd be able to zip through them. I did read Gilead pretty quickly, though felt I was being unfair. The book deserves a much slower and more thoughtful read than I gave it. But despite my intentions, I had to slow down and savor the richness of Home. I liked it quite a lot better than Gilead, maybe because I was a little in love with Jack and completely in love with Glory. Oh, these characters, these relationships! As one reviewer here has said, "There was not one false note in this entire book. People acted in this book how they actually do in real life. . . ." I felt that way, too. I regret reading these books quickly and think they are books I might well return to. I told a friend that, if I were to do time on a desert island, I'd bring Gilead and Home with me (and perhaps Lila, too — I can't wait to find out). ...more
It was very hard for me to get into this book. Fifty pages, 100 pages, and I was still debating whether to give up. I was nearly halfway through when It was very hard for me to get into this book. Fifty pages, 100 pages, and I was still debating whether to give up. I was nearly halfway through when something really launched me into the story — mainly the story of Jack Boughton, his presence in Gilead, his background, his relationship with Ames, and Ames’s and my own worrying about what would happen after Ames died. Once caught up in the story, I became more and more enamored of the writing and with Ames’s personal psychology and sensibility, his deep appreciation for all of life, for the simplest gifts — to the extent that I finished the book near tears and wanting to reread it. (I may do that, but will read Lila first!) I am not much interested in the theological themes — other than the ways in which they inform Ames’s thinking — or in Robinson’s personal theology. Having wondered for the first half why this book was awarded a Pulitzer Prize, I concluded that it was was indeed deserving. ...more
Overall, somewhat disappointed. I admit, I bought the book without checking the contents very closely. Most of these essays are from the 1990s — whichOverall, somewhat disappointed. I admit, I bought the book without checking the contents very closely. Most of these essays are from the 1990s — which doesn't mean they can't be good, relevant, etc. But the collection is very uneven. Different people will, no doubt, have their own favorites. Mine were Adiche, Atwood, and Doctorow. Russell Banks was okay. I couldn't warm to the rest. ...more
These are truly poems of place — in both the natural and emotional sense. Add to that the poet's facility with the rhythms and music of the language, These are truly poems of place — in both the natural and emotional sense. Add to that the poet's facility with the rhythms and music of the language, and the result is a stunning collection of poems. (Full review to follow.)...more
I read this twice, once before visiting Portugal and once after returning. I liked it better once I was familiar with the area and its history. The boI read this twice, once before visiting Portugal and once after returning. I liked it better once I was familiar with the area and its history. The book is packed with information, too much perhaps unless you are planning to visit on your own and want a detailed guide. I would definitely consult it if I were traveling again in that area. ...more
Doerr’s writing just knocks me out. These stories are filled with memorable characters and the most gorgeous and sensitive writing. I’m sure I’ll retuDoerr’s writing just knocks me out. These stories are filled with memorable characters and the most gorgeous and sensitive writing. I’m sure I’ll return to them again and again. My favorites were “Memory Wall,” “The River Nemunas,” and “Afterworld.” Each story braids together numerous themes and ideas, different threads of imagery interweaving and creating a beautiful pattern. I was completely immersed in these stories, and spellbound. Doerr has said that the title story grew out of an assignment from McSweeney’s: “to travel somewhere in the world and imagine life there in 2024.” What an amazing story emerges. ...more
I love this book and can't stopl thinking about it — mainly about the character, Pereira, I suppose, but also about narrative style. The prose is sparI love this book and can't stopl thinking about it — mainly about the character, Pereira, I suppose, but also about narrative style. The prose is spare, graceful, sometimes humorous. Plenty of others have summarized the story line, so I’ll skip most of that. I’d love to comment on the ending, but can’t do that, in case you read it. Oh, please do read it!
Poor Pereira — An overweight widower with a bad heart and a penchant for omelettes aux fines herbes and sweet lemonade (half lemon juice, half sugar). Pereira is in charge of the weekly cultural page in a second-class Lisbon newspaper for which he translates classic French stories. His wife has died, but he keeps her photo on a shelf and confers with her daily. She smiles sweetly in reply. But it is the summer of 1938. Fascism is on the rise. Pereira would like to remain neutral. He has no interest in politics. Or so he maintains. Nevertheless, he is drawn — almost against his will or at least without intention — into a potentially dangerous situation. But is this true? Well, it is what Pereira maintains. As another reviewer here (Karen) has so well put it, “In translucent, quiet rhythms, Tabucchi sets out each careful, tiny step that Pereira takes towards following his heart. It is not an easy or sudden transformation, Pereira needs help along the way from those good people who challenge his complacency, who remind him of his better self, who give him permission to change.”
This is a stunning work of literature and I’m so glad to have found it. I only read it because I’m about to leave for a trip to Portugal. A word of caution. The book goes by several names. The Italian version is Sostiene Pereira (1994). There are two English versions: Pereira Declares (1996?) and Pereira Maintains (2010). Both are translations. The author, Antonio Tabucchi, was an Italian writer who taught Portuguese and literature at the University of Siena, Italy, and was also a translator of Pessoa. I have heard from a friend who ordered both books (thinking that one was a sequel to the other) that the latter translation is much better — though it seems that both were translated by Patrick Creagh. At any rate, that is the one I read. And, for me, “maintains” carries a slightly different meaning from “declares” — one that I think enhances the plot. And it has a cool cover, with metallic blue lettering.
One more thing: The audiobook is narrated by the famed and fabulous Derek Jacobi. I listened to the sample and, though I’ve just finished reading the book, immediately purchased it. Stellar....more
It was okay. Some parts are quite entertaining. Some parts I agreed with, others I didn't. For me, it will never be okay to say "not that big of a deaIt was okay. Some parts are quite entertaining. Some parts I agreed with, others I didn't. For me, it will never be okay to say "not that big of a deal." Yagoda is more tolerant of such expressions than I am. ...more
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