JG Farrell: the Siege of Krishnapur

On the whole this was a popular read.  People enjoyed the droll commentary on the British in India, their discomfort with the heat and culture, their arrogance about ‘progress’ and ‘civilisation’ and their capacity to continue fierce disputes amongst themselves when under fire.  Despite the blood and guts of many scenes, it was full of comic turns:  the Maharajah’s son whose English education has given him a love of pointless invention; the busts of Socrates and Plato striking more fear into the enemy than the cannon they were propping up; Lucy, ‘the fallen woman’ having black insects wiped from her naked body by the stiff covers of a Bible.  And then there was the fate of Chloe, the cute spaniel brought to India as an aid to flirtation not faring so well amongst the local pariah dogs.  However, despite their arrogance and ridiculousness of the British, there was also the enormous resourcefulness, inventiveness and optimism of the garrison, culminating in the firing of all their cutlery at the enemy.  The take-home message seemed to be ….beware invading Empires as ultimately, however powerful you think you are, you are also foolish.  Average score was 7.3 with a range from 5 to 9.

The End of the Affair ~ Graham Greene

This is not a book with a feel-good factor but it did provide a lot to discuss for the Reading Group.  On the positive side it was felt to offer a ferociously written account of the first stages of an affair, with it psychotic love and the tensions of adultery, the power of making a vow (though people thought a vow to oneself would have made more sense than a vow to a God you don’t believe in), and some of the wit (e.g. when Henry declares he cannot live without her and Sarah states he can as he has changed his newspaper once).  On the negative side, the characters were unattractive (and some thought Bendrix a cynical misogynist), the condescending description of Parkis as someone clearly limited by being lower class and  the diary of Sarah clearly not a diary (though a vehicle for her voice).   The most disliked aspects of the novel was the debates about God, as they were felt to be more about Greene himself than the plot, and Sarah gaining saint-like healing powers.  However there was some irony in the radical atheist blaming God for his disfiguration.  There were also questions about whether Henry was gay (described as not the marrying kind) and how far the novel might have been autobiographical.

A Quiet Belief in Angels by RJ Ellory:

People liked the descriptive passages and the Deep South voice (and some disbelief that he was British).  Also small-town America, the context of Second World War and impact of far away events, and his characters especially of Joseph Vaughan and the pitiable situation of his mother, all went down well.  We felt that the serial killings and the search for the killer were somehow not entirely central to the book ….and this was enjoyed.  The group talked about the role of angels (but were unsure about the appearance of feathers), feelings of guilt, the feel of autobiography as the Joseph is the writer, the change from pupil to lover, ‘The Guardians’ as grown men.  However views were, as ever, not unanimous and ranged from it being a rivetting read to being trite and clicheed.  Some wanted to know a bit quicker who the killer was, disbelief that he would be unknown in such a small town atmosphere and concern about the lack rationale of why the girls were being cut up (possibly now obligatory for serial killers).  Scores ranged from 0 to 8.5 with an average of 6.1

The Alchemist by Paul Coelho

Some readers liked the simplicity of this parable-like tale.  However it did not seem to have stood the test of time for those who were reading it for the second time.  As one commentator said….I thought it was amazing, simple and succinct tale when I first read it in my teens.  This time round it felt deeply twee and I was heartedly fed up with the omens.  This seems to say something about how our tastes change with age and the time will live (and read) in.  What about those iconic figures ?  Beautiful accepting woman in the desert….wise and powerful man with big sword ?  Few scores from the group but those I had ranged from 5 to 7.

A Long Long Way by Sebastian Barry

There was lots to admire about the book: 

~  the wonderful, lyrical poetic language which captures a version of English in that Irish phrasing which often added a strange humour and lightness to the most dire descriptions.  Despite the horror and the terror, there if often something optimistic in the language.  The rurality of the soldiers which seems to make them more atuned to nature/countryside.

The reminder about the international/colonial armies that fought in the First War World and the commitment of those soldiers to a vision of the Empire which is long gone.   Also …who knew about about the Chinese involved in digging parties before.   The first  gassing incident really chilling as of course we know what is going to happen but they have no idea.   But throughout there is a great sense of ‘the fog of war’ where the eye-view of the soldier conveys great feeling of uncertainly and little idea of any overall picture.  Many fictional accounts of the First War World often relate to the bigger picture but this sense of overview is missing in this book and the better for it.     It really captures the confusion and the ambiguity of the Irish in the British army at the time of the Easter Rising & the political changes in Ireland ….the shooting of the young man in the Dublin street was particularly poignant especially when it provoked such anger in his father.  Also poignant was the letter sent by his ‘friend’ to his girlfriend back home.   There is the great shame of those ‘heroes’ not honoured by anyone in any country.

The references to Dostoevsky’s The Idiot interesting …..a character rather saintly, self-sacrificing and foolish. 

However it seemed sadness piled on sadness and at the end it is hard to read about another bombardment.  It is realistic as I am sure those survivors at the war of the war had had enough  blood and guts and readers felt this way about the book as well.  The language of the soldiers has an authenicity ….but again not all readers can take so much cussing and swearing.

Just to note his recent book On Canaan’s Side has been long-listed for the Man Booker.

Miss Garnet’s Angel

Readers enjoyed the descriptions of Venice, producing wistfulness amongst those who had been there and new travel plans amongst those who had not.  Aspects of the book that were liked were the unstarching of Miss Garnet, the characterisation of the priest, the references to Zorastrianism buried in and largely obscured by later religions and the revealing of the unseen linked to the imagery of miracles and angels. However, on a less postive note, some found the two-tract story disruptive, a lack of engagement with Miss Garnet, the characters of the twins and Carlo unstisfactory with too much happening in the story-line and too many loose ends.

Answers from the Author: Andrew Nicoll

Our last read was Andrew Nicoll’s The Good Mayor.

In our discussion people loved the descriptions of people and places, the witty observations, the author’s capturing of the ‘psychotic’ phase of a love affair and the awareness of small town gossip where there was no super-injunction to stop publication of stories about the private life of the Mayor.  There was also mixed feelings about the magical elements of the story (although Walpurnia was a universal hit) and the ending which some felt a little perfunctory.

We were lucky enough to have an offer from Andrew Nicoll to answer a few questions about the book. It was great to have an input from the author.  Andrew thanked us for our interest and here is how he responded: 

1. What was the inspiration for the book ?

The inspiration for the book was a dream. I never intended to write a novel but I woke up one day from a dream where I saw myself in Dundee City Chambers. I saw a man whom I knew to be the Lord Provost and he told me the bones of the story which I simply moved a little bit east. I sat down on the train to work expecting to write a short story of six or ten pages but, eighteen months later, there was a novel.

 2. Some read it as a fairy story for adults ? How would you feel about this ?  

Perfectly happy.

3. Others wondered about the ‘love options’ for women ….dull adoration or fab sex with a bastard ?

Have you noticed that these women of whom you speak, the ones with the two possible love options, also have men who must, therefore, have only two love options? I don’t think there are only two options or only two kinds of love. There are as many kinds of love as there are couples.

4. Why was the book resolved by turning Agathe into a dog ? Everyone in the group seems to have their own theory about this ……but would be great to know your intention ?

Do you really think Agatheturned into a dog? Only Agathesaid that. Tibodidn’t believe that she was a dog. If you believe there is such a thing as a talking dog, that’s allowed. I suppose. In a town that’s watched over by a 1200 year old bearded nun, a town with an old Italian witch running a cafe which shares a building with a haunted theatre and a ghostly troupe of circus performers, a town where they even have an honest politician, I don’t suppose a woman who transforms into a talking dog is so very strange.

Haruki Murakami

I know some people remain a touch scarred by our Murakami read……but scope for reconsideration as his early work Norwegian Wood is now a film on at the Arts Centre.    If anyone goes to see it would be interesting what you made of it.

We’re famous!

Well, not quite… but Andrew Nicoll has noticed we are reading his book.

He has very kindly offered to answer any questions we have about The Good Mayor. Please do email myself or Joan if you have anything you’d like to ask Andrew. This should make for an interesting meeting on the 16th! (“Death of the Author”, anyone?)

See you then,

Rachel

Next Meeting Reminder

Our next read (on 16th May) is The Good Mayor by Andrew Nicoll. 

Meeting at 7pm as usual in Roland Levinsky 011. I’ll look forward to meeting you all then!

Rachel