The Naked And The Dead
The Naked And The Dead, August 2009, 6.5/10.
Written by Norman Mailer. Published by Picador.
Less obviously Mailer than many of his other books (although it was his first novel written when he was only 25), this novel is a highly readable insight into the machinations of a group of GI’s. Raw and gritty, the author develops many characters into true individuals, both by their deeds and by vignettes looking back into each man’s past. Despite this most characters are not memorable individually and this may have been intentional, as this group of infantrymen are entirely anonymous and disposable in the bigger picture, which is perhaps the point the author was making. One of the main themes was randomness – the author did an excellent job showing that when one’s time is up there is nothing that anyone can do about it. The book also dealt with cruelty / mercy, personal responsibility, competence / ability and the challenges in stepping out of the past and changing one’s character.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: 6.5/10, American, Fiction, First Book, Norman Mailer
In Cold Blood
In Cold Blood, July 2009, 8.5/10.
Written by Truman Capote. Published by Modern Library.
I enjoyed this ‘semi-fiction’ book (based on a true event with fictional details added). The first book that I have read by this author, it was a great example of clear, concise storytelling, all the more impressive given the time and research that went into the novel. Despite this, at no point does the writing become bogged down in any particular detail or at any critical junction – the flow of the story is continuous and fluid. However the amount of research cuts both ways, and while anything worth knowing about the crime and the people involved was included for the reader to digest, my primary criticism of the book is that the author’s bias was not edited out and this can be jarring, especially when the author’s sympathetic views are juxtaposed against the official perspective of those that he quotes.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: 8.5/10, American, Fiction, Modern Classic, Nonfiction, Truman Capote
A Confederacy Of Dunces
A Confederacy of Dunces, July 2009, 6.5/10.
Written by John Kennedy Toole. Published by Louisiana State University Press.
Occasionally hilarious and often amusing, this novel is very character based and Ignatius J Reilly (and his equally crazy cast of supporting actors) are some of the more memorable creations that I have come across. Unfortunately the humour in Ignatius’s hypochondria and cursing was not enough to carry what I felt was an average storyline, and one that I couldn’t help feeling was a little hollow – a bit too far out, and missing a few too many links, for me to find very satisfying. Nevertheless, it is my personal preference for a plot attached to reality prevented me from fully enjoying this book, and I am sure others can appreciate the offbeat humour more than I did. As an aside, the story of how this novel came to be published is almost as interesting as the book itself.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: 6.5/10, American, Fiction, First Book, John Kennedy Toole, Posthumous, Pulitzer Prize
The Passion
The Passion, June 2009, 8/10.
Written by Jeanette Winterson. Published by Vintage.
I found this very distinct novel an interesting, moreish read. Written by an obviously well informed author it is divided into four sections and tells two unrelated stories that become entwined, and the novel is punctuated by a refrain that leads a thoughtful reader to question what characters are doing and why. The story’s obvious theme (also the theme of the side stories and historical acts depicted) is passion, particularly as a motivation to act in otherwise irrational ways, and it is considered at many levels, including by empires, nations, armies, leaders, followers, small groups, and individuals of various backgrounds (rich, poor, urban, rural, etc.). Although written in a melodic and relaxed prose the words are precise and have been chosen carefully, and the plot develops at a good pace throughout.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: 8/10, British, Fiction, Jeanette Winterson
An Exact Replica Of A Figment Of My Imagination
An Exact Replica Of A Figment Of My Imagination, June 2009, 6.5/10.
Written by Elizabeth McCracken. Published by Little, Brown and Company.
This novella was a tenderly told and touching story, one that was terrifying, heartbreaking and somehow a little bit uplifting. Written about one of the most awful experiences imaginable the story was told very openly, but such frankness was a prerequisite if this book was going to hold the reader’s attention and draw him in, which it did. My primary criticism is that the writing was too scatty and too lightly edited; chapters were often very short, many paragraphs were interrupted by new thoughts (or old ones returning), ideas were introduced and dropped and reintroduced later, etc.. If this was a literary device to emphasise confusion and disorientation I thought that it was a heavy-handed one, and I suspect that it was just the way the author wanted to tell this story.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: 6.5/10, American, Elizabeth McCracken, Memoir, Nonfiction
Cat's Cradle
Cat’s Cradle, June 2009, 8/10.
Written by Kurt Vonnegut, Published by Dial Press.
Another Vonnegut novella that has become a modern classic and another that was too much of a science fiction book for me to have really loved, which is not to say this I didn’t think that this was a fine book. The everyman narrator does a good job of getting (and holding) the reader’s attention, making the implausible seem ordinary, but what really draws the reader here is not the story on the surface but the messages that it conveys. Drawing on an invented religion (treated as a type of official book of lies) and man’s ability to destruct, the writing is rarely punctuated by the obvious truths that the author rarely allows out. Other major ideas focus on personal responsibility and the benefits of truth.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: 8/10, American, Kurt Vonnegut, Modern Classic, Novella, Science Fiction
Slaughterhouse-Five
Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children’s Crusade: A Duty Dance With Death, June 2009, 7/10.
Written by Kurt Vonnegut. Published by Dial Press.
This modern classic was a quick read that was deceptively clever; a simple novella that works on multiple levels depending how deeply the reader wants to think. Contained both the message and the creativity that one expects of Vonnegut, but for my taste it was a little bit too science-fictiony. Despite the disordered timeframe the narrative is not difficult to follow, with the author obviously preferring to have his readership focus on what he writes about man’s motives, place, treatment of others and ability to control, which I would guess are the primary themes among many others. Many of the book’s more interesting ideas are drawn out through contrast with the alternative perspective of the aliens encountered by the protagonist.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: 7/10, American, Fiction, Kurt Vonnegut, Modern Classic, Novella, Science Fiction
Then We Came To The End
Then We Came To The End, June 2009, 6.5/10.
Written by Joshua Ferris. Published by Little, Brown and Company.
This novel, one of the NY Times best books of the year in 2007, was disappointing. Although substantially better than the typical output of a creative writing workshop, it still felt and read as though it was rooted in that environment, and although the book did tick all the boxes of what one would expect from a first novel by a new and exciting young author (black humour, fast dialogue, varying narrative perspectives, etc.) I felt that the novel never really developed as it could have. Filled with forgettable characters, the passably interesting plotline was nicely handled, with the obligatory twists and turns, but in this case the story was not mature enough to make them particularly exciting.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: 6.5/10, American, Fiction, First Book, Joshua Ferris
