Murder, mayhem and monotony
Nov. 15th, 2017 05:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alobearThe November category for the Wordy Birds Reading Challenge is a book recommended by somone else. Based on a recent review on the show by Beccah, I listened to the audiobook version of The One by John Marrs, which I really enjoyed. It imagines a world where everyone can register to find their one true DNA match, which opens up a lot of interesting places for the story to go. It launches straight in with shock and intrigue - the premise foretells quite a lot of doom, but there's variety in the forms it takes and the levels of happiness at the end are mixed. The audiobook has six different narrators for the six point-of-view characters, all of whom were very good, and the device worked well. I liked the range of protagonists, and was impressed by the very different situations they found themselves in, though it did seem as if everyone in the book was ridiculously attractive, which was a shame because there could have been some interesting avenues to explore there. The narrative felt quite manipulative in some ways, but it kept me gripped so was obviously successful at it. Some aspects were very surprising, but I did feel as if other choices could have been more unexpected, as I guessed several of the major plot points. The melodrama ramped up towards the end and got a bit much, and it was quite brutal in places, but it remained compelling throughout and the ending was satisfying.
November was also the month when I took part in a marvellous reading retreat, which involved a list of seven books recommended just for me by one of the organisers. The one she lent me to read at the retreat was How To Stop Time by Matt Haig, which tells the story of a man born in the 1500s, who ages much more slowly than most people, and thus has a potential lifespan of about 1500 years. The opening managed to lay out the whole scenario very clearly, while still leaving plenty of questions unanswered. I thought the narrative did a great job of showing the many difficulties and levels of suffering endured by the protagonist, very effectively creating sympathy for a character whose experiences are quite alien. There were some logistical questions that gave me pause, and the ending was ideological rather than practical. But, overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought it had a lot of interesting things to say about life and interacting with other people. Plus, it was glorious having the opportunity to read a whole book in less than a day, something I haven't done in a very long time. I would highly recommend the retreats to anyone who loves reading - more information can be found at www.readingretreat.co.uk
My other audiobook for the month was White Night by Jim Butcher, the next in the The Dresden Files series. James Masters inhabits the role of Harry tremendously well and I really enjoy spending time with him. The series also boasts a wide range of really interesting and well-rounded female characters, several of whom take a prominent role in this instalment, as does Dresden's amazing and adorable dog, Mouse. There was a section in the middle that was really quite traumatic, but the story as a whole was intriguing and exciting. It progressed or resolved several long-standing arc plots, as well, which added a satisfying dimension to the book.
Another of the books on my retreat reading list was Empire of the Sun by JG Ballard. I remember thinking the film was very good when I watched it many years ago, so it was interesting to read the source material. This turned out to be well-written, compelling and emotive, as you would expect from a first-hand account of being a child captured by the Japanese during the Second World War. It's written in a quite a remote and detached way, and it's obvious that Jim doesn't fully appreciate the horror of the situation he's in, but that makes it all the more affecting for the reader, who understands so much more of what's going on. Bits of it manage to be quite funny - I particularly liked the fact that the only English words learned by the Japanese sergeant at the camp were "difficult boy". I related most to Dr Ransome, and found it quite heart-wrenching just how much he and the other adults did and suffered in their attempts to keep Jim safe and healthy. I was really surprised to learn in the information in the back of the book that Ballard wasn't actually separated from his parents before his capture, and that they spent the years of the war in a camp together with his younger sister. I had thought the book was a faithful account of his true experiences, and hadn't realised how much was fictionalised, but I can see why he made the choices he did, as it lends the story a great deal more suspense and drama. It's not an easy read, but it is a good one.
Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld wasn't on my recommended list, but was one of a box of books made available at the retreat, which I decided to try as an antidote to Empire of the Sun. It's a modern day version of Pride & Prejudice, transplanted to America and populated by (mostly) rich, young things with too much time on their hands to indulge in melodrama. It's definitely fun, and some of the choices made to update the story are well-thought-out and interesting. I liked the older age range of the Bennett sisters (23 to 39) to better reflect the societal pressures of the age. I didn't much like the initial presentation of Liz, or some of the attitudes she displayed throughout - she didn't come across as independent enough or rational enough to fit my view of the source character. I also wasn't keen on the portrayal of Charlotte, or how her storyline was dealt with. I loved Mr Bennett, though, and his brand of sarcastic humour translated to the modern setting very well. Overall, I didn't think it worked as a story in its own right - too many characters and subplots were underdeveloped - so I'm not sure readers unfamiliar with the original would get on very well with it. I also thought some of the changes to the story didn't quite work, particularly around the conclusion of Lydia's storyline. It did a good job of portraying a wide range of different lifestyles, though some of the attitudes expressed were a bit heavy-handed, and the last chapter about Mary felt very tacked on. All that said, though, I breezed through it in a few hours and generally found it entertaining.
Last night, I went to see the new adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express. It was a good story, lavishly produced, but the writing was terrible - the dialogue was stilted, several characters weren't really introduced at all while others were introduced in a very contrived way, the revealing of all the various bits of information was pedestrian, and it lacked drama. Still, it was quite entertaining, both inadvertently and deliberately funny in places, and I benefitted from not remembering the details of the plot at all. The amazing cast weren't really given a lot to do, since there were too many of them in too short a running time to allow for much development (a shame, especially given the very emotive themes) and Kenneth Branagh gave himself (as Poirot) the lion's share of the screen time. If you already know the story, there's not much reason to go. If you don't, I'm not sure this version does the story justice. But it's very pretty.
November was also the month when I took part in a marvellous reading retreat, which involved a list of seven books recommended just for me by one of the organisers. The one she lent me to read at the retreat was How To Stop Time by Matt Haig, which tells the story of a man born in the 1500s, who ages much more slowly than most people, and thus has a potential lifespan of about 1500 years. The opening managed to lay out the whole scenario very clearly, while still leaving plenty of questions unanswered. I thought the narrative did a great job of showing the many difficulties and levels of suffering endured by the protagonist, very effectively creating sympathy for a character whose experiences are quite alien. There were some logistical questions that gave me pause, and the ending was ideological rather than practical. But, overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought it had a lot of interesting things to say about life and interacting with other people. Plus, it was glorious having the opportunity to read a whole book in less than a day, something I haven't done in a very long time. I would highly recommend the retreats to anyone who loves reading - more information can be found at www.readingretreat.co.uk
My other audiobook for the month was White Night by Jim Butcher, the next in the The Dresden Files series. James Masters inhabits the role of Harry tremendously well and I really enjoy spending time with him. The series also boasts a wide range of really interesting and well-rounded female characters, several of whom take a prominent role in this instalment, as does Dresden's amazing and adorable dog, Mouse. There was a section in the middle that was really quite traumatic, but the story as a whole was intriguing and exciting. It progressed or resolved several long-standing arc plots, as well, which added a satisfying dimension to the book.
Another of the books on my retreat reading list was Empire of the Sun by JG Ballard. I remember thinking the film was very good when I watched it many years ago, so it was interesting to read the source material. This turned out to be well-written, compelling and emotive, as you would expect from a first-hand account of being a child captured by the Japanese during the Second World War. It's written in a quite a remote and detached way, and it's obvious that Jim doesn't fully appreciate the horror of the situation he's in, but that makes it all the more affecting for the reader, who understands so much more of what's going on. Bits of it manage to be quite funny - I particularly liked the fact that the only English words learned by the Japanese sergeant at the camp were "difficult boy". I related most to Dr Ransome, and found it quite heart-wrenching just how much he and the other adults did and suffered in their attempts to keep Jim safe and healthy. I was really surprised to learn in the information in the back of the book that Ballard wasn't actually separated from his parents before his capture, and that they spent the years of the war in a camp together with his younger sister. I had thought the book was a faithful account of his true experiences, and hadn't realised how much was fictionalised, but I can see why he made the choices he did, as it lends the story a great deal more suspense and drama. It's not an easy read, but it is a good one.
Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld wasn't on my recommended list, but was one of a box of books made available at the retreat, which I decided to try as an antidote to Empire of the Sun. It's a modern day version of Pride & Prejudice, transplanted to America and populated by (mostly) rich, young things with too much time on their hands to indulge in melodrama. It's definitely fun, and some of the choices made to update the story are well-thought-out and interesting. I liked the older age range of the Bennett sisters (23 to 39) to better reflect the societal pressures of the age. I didn't much like the initial presentation of Liz, or some of the attitudes she displayed throughout - she didn't come across as independent enough or rational enough to fit my view of the source character. I also wasn't keen on the portrayal of Charlotte, or how her storyline was dealt with. I loved Mr Bennett, though, and his brand of sarcastic humour translated to the modern setting very well. Overall, I didn't think it worked as a story in its own right - too many characters and subplots were underdeveloped - so I'm not sure readers unfamiliar with the original would get on very well with it. I also thought some of the changes to the story didn't quite work, particularly around the conclusion of Lydia's storyline. It did a good job of portraying a wide range of different lifestyles, though some of the attitudes expressed were a bit heavy-handed, and the last chapter about Mary felt very tacked on. All that said, though, I breezed through it in a few hours and generally found it entertaining.
Last night, I went to see the new adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express. It was a good story, lavishly produced, but the writing was terrible - the dialogue was stilted, several characters weren't really introduced at all while others were introduced in a very contrived way, the revealing of all the various bits of information was pedestrian, and it lacked drama. Still, it was quite entertaining, both inadvertently and deliberately funny in places, and I benefitted from not remembering the details of the plot at all. The amazing cast weren't really given a lot to do, since there were too many of them in too short a running time to allow for much development (a shame, especially given the very emotive themes) and Kenneth Branagh gave himself (as Poirot) the lion's share of the screen time. If you already know the story, there's not much reason to go. If you don't, I'm not sure this version does the story justice. But it's very pretty.
no subject
Date: 2017-11-15 06:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-11-16 02:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-11-16 10:35 am (UTC)I have heard very good things about it, though, from reviews and friends I know who have seen it.