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Written by Admin Goddess
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Barbara Kingsolver
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Another fantastic novel from Kingsolver. Harrison, introverted writer, is persecuted during the McCarthy witch-hunts. His past association with Communists in Mexico, including time in Trotsky's employ, seal his fate. His story is unteased by Violet Brown, his matronly secretary.
Kingsolver has the ability to create credible characters. As in "The Poisonwood Bible", she then puts these characters in far-flung places where they are clearly the outsider and paints a fabulous description of these places; strange, dangerous and yet alluring. Her writing is heavy with atmosphere but succeeds in keeping the pace so the reader is totally wrapped up in the story.
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Kate Atkinson
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Ruby Lennox is a child of immense optimism in the face of farcical tragedy. As she relates the history of her family, she reveals the pathetic sadness of their lives. Those characters who do not die miserable and painful deaths find their lives are blighted in some way so that even outwardly happy events are clouded by misfortune and misery. This makes it sound like it is going to be a depressing book but far from it. Ruby faithfully tells her stroy warts and all, with a fabulously mischievious sense of humour, even when her own turn at sadness comes.
And that is the secret of this novel. Atkinson shows how we have to expect some sadness in our lives because that is what Life is; a series of tragic events that we must battle our way through and if we want to win, come out the other side smiling because centuries from now when we are all forgotten, new generations will be passing through places we've been, experiencing the same triumphs and tragedies as ours and make the same, hormone-driven mistakes. It's laughably comforting. |
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Kazuo Ishiguro |
| If you like action and adventure and a fast-paced plot, forget it. This is a gentle, sweetly-sad story of a butler's trip to the seaside to see Miss Kenton, the ex-housekeeper of the great hall where he works. In terms of action, nothing much happens, but as the butler - Stevens - travels, he reminisces on his life in service. What makes the story so tragic is Steven's inability to see how his life has been wasted by his devotion to the pursuit of Dignity, that nirvana of butlering. He is an anachronism, a relic of England that no one now needs except as an entertainment for rich the Americans who are his new employers. They do not respect his skills or his Dignity but have bought him as a historical fixture of the great hall.
This is not to feel sorry for Stevens, however; as his narrative continues you relaise that he has never considered his own feelings or those nearest to him. Everything has been sacrificed for the greater good of the employer who, in Steven's case, was a weak, easily-led and rather pathetic individual who has made some serious errors of judgement. Only when he is forced by his memories and the meeting with Miss Kenton does Stevens really begin to comprehend what he has lost from his own life. The remains of the day are all he has left out of his life and he must descide how to best spend them in the time he has left. |
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