A Few Random Book Notes

I've just started reading Emma Smith's The Great Western Beach: A Memoir of a Cornish Childhood Between the Wars.  It always amazes me when someone writes a memoir about their childhood and can remember so much and in such detail.  I recall bits and pieces of my own and then wonder just how much is accurate and how much has been embellished over the years inadvertantly.  Smith's authorial voice is very charming despite writing about an unhappy father (who wouldn't allow either pets or dolls in the house).  It seems to have gotten rave reviews and I'm looking forward to working my way through the book.  She presents her story in a series of vignettes, each more interesting than the last.  I hope to write more about this as I progress.

I don't usually write about the books I read for my postal reading group.  There are about a dozen or so of us and each has chosen a book for the rest of the group to read.  The books steadily make their way around the circle until we each get a chance to read them all.  The books are meant to be a surprise (hence my desire to keep mum about them here)--I love watching the mail every other month for the next unknown book.  Anyway, I do at least want to mention the book I'm reading now, so if you happen to be in the group and don't want to spoil the surprise, please skip the next paragraph.   

My current postal book read is really good and extremely thought provoking and it might be of interest to readers here so please check it out.  Set in colonial Rhodesia in the late 1960s, Tambu is a young girl living in a rural village who dreams of an education.  When her brother dies suddenly she's chosen (by default really) by her uncle to take his place in the mission school outside her village.  Tambu's uncle is headmaster and believes it the duty of at least one child from each unit of his extended family to study and help his respective family better themselves.  Her uncle had lived and studied in England along with his wife and children.  When they returned Tambu finds her cousin Nyasha utterly changed--anglicized really, not even able to speak her native tongue, Shona, anymore.  Although the novel purports to be about "the colonization of one culture by another", it's really about so much more than that.  It's about family dynamics and a woman's place in a patriarchical society, about what an education does and how it makes one question one's surroundings.  This would be a perfect book group book--I'm sure it would elicit an excellent discussion.  Tambu is a great narrator--her education opens her eyes to the ways of the world--the ways of her world and those in it yet she's caught between two different cultures.  Not entirely buying into everything that Nyasha embraces (or struggles against), she also can't go back to her rural village either once she's been exposed to the broader world.  She's a wonderful observer and thinker.  I suspect I'll be pondering this one long after I've turned the last page.

I hope to finish my postal book sometime today and then will move on to Georgina Harding's The Solitude of Thomas Cave, which I had meant to read for Cornflower's book group, but am now very tardy for the discussion.  I began reading it a while back but then got distracted so I may start from the beginning again (it's a fairly slender novel).  I will, however, skip one rather harrowing passage (this is in part a whaling novel) that turned my stomach.  Although entirely fitting with the period of the story, it was ugly nonetheless.  Have I intrigued you?  More later on that one, too.  

Once I finish the Harding book I've given myself leave to read at whim.  I'm waiting for A.S. Byatt's The Children's Book to arrive in the mail.  As it's not due to be published in the US for a while yet, I was trying to ignore the virtual chatter about it that I've been coming across.  When I discovered it's set in the Edwardian period I changed my mind and am now waiting for my copy with eager anticipation.  I've read four or five books by (or about) Georgette Heyer so far this year, so I was ready to end my binge and save my unread books for later, but now I find I'm now eyeing them again after enjoying The Corinthian so much.  And I'm also finding that I'm in the mood for some good historical fiction (maybe a little further back in time than my usual early twentieth-century choices).  I was thinking of Shakespeare (to get back in the mood for reading a play later on) and had Faye Kellerman's The Quality of Mercy in mind.  

It's nice to have so many good choices.  I'm not sure which ones I'll end up actually picking up to read (my night table pile also beckons), but I'm sure I'll let you know! 

Comments

[Samantha]

Like you Danielle, my memory of my childhood is patchy and in no way linear. I always think one of two things when I read a memoir like the one you describe here: 1) maybe they kept a journal or a parent or older sister/brother did which helped their memory or 2) they simply have good memories! My husband has such a memory and it constantly amazes me. I like the sound of a Cornish childhood memoir as my descendants are from there.

I am also waiting for The Children's Book - I ordered from Amazon.uk as the hardback price was hard to beat. It has already been released here in Australia in trade paperback but I can get the hardback for cheaper, even coming fom overseas. Crazy!

[Paperback_Reader]

Danielle, I've had Nervous Conditions on the shelf for some time and you have prompted me to add it to the immediate TBR pile.
It's very well-known amongst enthusiasts of African Literature; there is also a sequel, Book of Not, which you may be pleased to know.

[Cath]

Inspired by you, I'm now well into The Corinthian. I'd completely forgotten how funny it is.

[litlove]

The Emma Smith book sounds very interesting - I know what you mean about patchy recollection. I think I recall my childhood quite well on the whole, but I couldn't manage a whole book out of it! I will definitely be looking out for that one. But possibly not the novel with the stomach-turning whaleing incident....

[Jackie (Farm Lane Books)]

I didn't realise that The Children's Book wasn't released in the US yet. I've just reviewed it on my blog today. I wasn't its biggest fan though. Have you enjoyed Byatt's books in the past?

[Darlene]

The Children's Book came up for me at the library a couple of days before my trip so I only read the first chapter. It was really sucking me in right from the beginning so I'm looking forward to getting it again. I have a spookily clear memory of my childhood but my husband says he remembers nothing before the age of eight! Being that he is Ukrainian I think we can safely say there would have been loads of perogies and cabbage rolls.

[Stefanie]

You always have such an interesting variety of books on the go! The memoir sounds great. My memories of childhood are rather patchy too and I am sure that my younger sister would be able to contradict in some way a good many of them. The Quality of Mercy is a fun book. Kind of Shakespeare-y but not overly so.

[iliana]

Have you read Emma Smith's The Far Cry? That's a Persephone book and it's really good. Oddly enough it was a book I didn't like at first but ended up enjoying a lot in the end.

And, yep, I've been hearing about the new Byatt book. I am getting curious so will look forward to your review :)

[Danielle]

Samantha--Are books expensive in Australia? That's what I've heard. I'd opt for the cloth, too, if I could get it cheaper than the paper. My copy just arrived today! I have better recall on events from when I was little if I can see photos--sometimes certain smells will also remind me of things that happened when I was little--I wish I had a better memory.
Paperback Reader--I had not heard of this book or author before I got it to read for my reading group. I wasn't sure at first if I would like it, but I thought it was really well done--with lots to think about. I'm glad I was able to read it (a reason I love book groups--getting exposed to literature I might not otherwise be exposed to). Now I will have to look for the sequel--I was wondering what happened to Tambu and the other women of the story!
Cath--Isn't it wonderfully entertaining? I liked the two characters so much--and their relationship wasn't the usual--they hate each other but still end up together. They get along brilliantly--there are some wonderful lines in the story, too. I hope you enjoy it--I'll be looking to read it again sometime soon I think.
Litlove--I'm envious of your good memory. Mine is truly awful. I wonder sometimes if my life is just so repetitious that it all just meshes together into one big whole! I have odd recollections--some good and some bad. The memoir is totally entertaining though (even though it wasn't all happy memories, she still writes about things so gracefully)--I think you'd like it! As for the whaling book--let's just say I don't do at all well with violence towards animals.
Jackie--The Byatt book is not due out until October here! I've only read her Possession, which I really liked. I hope it's one that clicks with me or I'll be disappointed to have got it in hardcover! I hope to start it this weekend as it just came in the mail today. I'll save your post to read when I finish! :)
Darlene--I'm glad to hear you liked what you read of the Byatt. It sounds like something I'd like, though I've not read any of her work for quite a while. I didn't really realize what it's about, but the premise sounds appealing anyway. How cool that you're husband is Ukrainian--has he taught you to speak the language? :) I wish I remembered more--I have vague recollections here and there. I'm envious you remember so much. Did you keep a diary--or have things just stuck with you?
Stefanie--I do have some good ones on the go right now--I like variety very much! I bet my memories don't match those of my older sisters very well either. The Quality of Mercy sounds like great fun--I have it pulled out and am trying to resist until I at least finish one book! We'll see if I can--you know how that goes!
Iliana--I have her The Far Cry, but I have not read it. I think I may pull it out when I finish the memoir. She has another book out, too, called Maiden's Trip about her work during WWII. Some books grow on you and you almost need to finish reading them and then let them stew for a while in your mind before you can really decide. I couldn't resist the Byatt book any longer and I hated the idea of waiting until Fall. So now I had better read it soon so I won't feel guilty about having splurged on it!

[Melanie]

I have very little memory of my childhood, just patches here and there. It's very odd that some people have almost a photographic recall. But I'm of Ukrainian descent and as Darlene mentioned, I do remember perogies & cabbage rolls! ;)

I just read & reviewed The Children's Book as well, and hope you will enjoy it. It seems to be something that would fit in to your interests so I hope ordering it early pays off!

[Cath]

Danielle, I can't remember which Heyer's you've read I'm afraid, but if you loved The Corinthian and haven't read Sylvester or Frederica then you really really should. :-)

[Dorothy W.]

I have an awful memory, and there's no way I could write a book about my childhood! Although I have heard writers talk about the ways their memories start to come back once they sit down and get going on the project. I think that would be an interesting process. But I seriously doubt I'll ever write a memoir, so I won't experience it myself!

[Danielle]

Melanie--I have your post saved in my Google Reader and it was thanks to that that I bought the book in the first place! :) I've read about the first 15 pages and so far I love it. I love the lush descriptions of the museum--I hope it maintains this 'interestingness' the rest of the way through! How cool that you are also of Ukrainian descent. I've never had perogies--they sound good. I'm sure if I looked at photos or talked with mys sisters I would recall more--but it's just weird stuff that I can think of.
Cath--Along with the two I read this week I've read An Infamous Army, Lady of Quality, Faro's Daughter and Cotillion. I will definitely read the two you mention--I already have Frederica on my pile. Are these your favorites?
Dorothy--I wish now I had kept a diary, but I've never been one to want to write that sort of stuff down. I imagine that if I was really digging in my mind for things more would come back, but I guess I don't often think of when I was little. Sometimes a smell will bring back a memory, which is sort of weird. It's interesting to think about--I'm always afraid I'll start really forgetting things--so I sometimes think I should try and do things to sharpen my memory!

[Cath]

I think Frederica and Sylvester probably are my favourite Heyers, Danielle. They're the ones I reread most often. I've just finshed rereading The Corinthian and what a joy it is - I'd completely forgotten. Other than those I also have a very soft spot for Venetia and The Black Sheep which are 'older couple' stories rather than 'older man, younger woman'. But there are a lot of others I know I liked but it's been a while since I read them and my memory of them is sketchy. Lady of Quality for instance, The Toll Gate, Bath Tangle, Regency Buck, Arabella...

[Danielle]

Cath--Isn't The Corinthian fun? I look forward to rereading it eventually. I've got a few of the titles you mention and plan on getting some of the others as well. I'd like to have all of them eventually, but I have a nice little stack at the moment (including Arabella, The Black Sheep and Frederica), so I'm trying not to get ahead of myself. she's so fun to read, I'm glad I have more to look forward to.

[Cath]

The Corinthian was such fun... I giggled all the way through at the dry humour, especially much of Wyndham's dialogue. He's nowhere near as old as me, but reading it at my advanced age ;-) I now fully appreciate the 'age' jokes. Wonderful. Like you, I'm resisting the urge to start all over again with it. Sylvester always has the same effect on me.

I have, in the past, read about 30 Heyers one after the other. You suddenly realise you've overdosed though, so I prefer to spread out my rereads now. I think you're doing a good thing by pacing yourself. You have so much fun ahead of you.

[Danielle]

Cath--I think Wyndham is just about my favorite Heyer hero--such a great sense of humor. To think 29 is old! Ha. I will have to get Sylvester if it is anything like the Corinthian (character-wise that is). I think I could easily read one after the other, but I try not to do that with any author. It's nice to break things up a bit, but I am sure I'll pick up another of her books later in the summer. They are so entertaining!