Nemirovsky, Irene: Suite Francaise

This is the 1st of the 2 World War II stories I'll begin my new year with (after a long leave of absence - it's not that I haven't been reading, but more of other things to do.. :Þ)

Irene Nemirovsky is a renowned Russian Jew authoress who married a Frenchman, thus she writes of WWII from the French point of view (in French). She is well-known for her book David Golder (which I will track down and read, hopefully soon). Suite Francaise was meant to be a set-of-5; unfortunately she had only finished 2 when she was forcefully taken away, and sent to Auschwitz, where she died in the gas chambers (even more poignant when I remember that I was just there, where she would have stood years ago!). How the book got published is a miracle as well, because her whole family was split up in the war, and her manuscripts were saved only because one of her daughters took it along with her, as a keepsake of her mother.

I would say it's not a typical WWII book, nor a typical book at all, as she weaves intricate stories of French people from different strata of society with the bombing of Paris and the eventual addition of German soldiers into French life. Her characters' lives cross in unexpected ways, and are totally believable and French. She does deal more with the middle- and upper-class people, which is to be expected since she was part of that society and would have known it well enough, but does give place for the lower classes in her book, in the sense of their dealings with the higher classes.

It gives us a keen insight into life during those days - how people coped with the onset of war and the influx of strange Germans whom the loved to hate and came to tolerate. You know she's writing about a war, but the war becomes a secondary thing, only something that has caused change, as you are drawn into the characters' lives. She realised that, in the years to come, people wouldn't be interested in the facts of history, but would be interested to know the commonplace details of life, and she made it a point to write about those, and put those into words in such an artful manner, resulting in this intricately crafted work.

The inclusion of her notes for the novel in the end of the edition I read made it clear she hadn't finished with this work yet, but if she had, it would have been one wonderful piece of work. The next appendix tells of her own war story, through correspondence between her husband and other people. The appendices are apt, melding Nemirovsky's history into her own story, her end becoming the story's end as well. It is as if Suite Francaise has become a mirror for who Nemirovsky was and felt, and it can only be so, that her work would tie in to her life.

Rating: **** out of 5

Barker, Pat: Border Crossing

Pat Barker is an English writer, who won the Booker Prize for her book "The Ghost Road" in 1995. I was actually looking for that book, but they only had some of her other books, including this one- Border Crossing (written after the Booker Prize success, in 2001).

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It's simply told, focusing on the two protagonists - a teenager who was committed for murder as a child, and the psychologist who enabled him to be trialled in an adult's court. And as the tale is told, she delicately weaves in insights into a juvenile offender's psyche, constructing a picture of a child with a sad background leading a sad life. In the end, I felt that I should feel disgust at this child and what he'd done, yet I felt pity for him too, for the life he's had so far. I guess once you get to know a person's history, it's hard to hate that person, and that's what Pat Barker has done.

I'm a bit disappointed that the suggestion that the child murderer had sought out the psychologist to take revenge for the part the psychologist played in his sentencing didn't get resolved properly, but that's a small thing. This is a subtle book, good for reading at face-value, or for delving deeper into the psychological part and the imagery.

If this book was good, I'm looking forward to her Booker Prize-winning one!

Rating: ****out of 5

Rowling, J.K. : Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

The last book (finally!). How does it fare?

A grinning me went to sign for the book at the security post at 10 pm, and 5 hours later, I could safely say that it fared pretty well.

I had hoped that after the space-filler of a 6th book she'd come back with a vengeance and she definitely delivered. All the books have revolved around something big and important - the Philosopher's Stone, the Chamber of Secrets, etc, while the 6th book revolved around something (the half-blood prince, Snape) that had little bearing on the other events happening. And from the first page there was action, action and more action. There was a dip in the tempo around the middle, when Harry and Co. were meandering aimlessly around trying to find the Horcruxes/Deathly Hallows, but the book seems to echo the change in the tone of the movies - more real magic, more duels, more face-to-face combat, more action. It certainly makes for more enjoyable reading.

I also loved the fact that Snape comes clean in the end, and all because of his love for Lily Potter, Harry's mother. Call me silly, but I think Snape's pretty cool, and it's great that he's absolved, even in the end of this book. She must have given Snape's character development quite a lot of thought, because the whole story falls quite nicely, and is pretty believable.

I could say the same about Albus Dumbledore - that a lot of thought went into him and even when he's died, his name, and really, his whole life story, comes out of the woodworks and is laid bare. So far he's just been the wise mentor, but now he becomes 3-dimensional, and more human.

Harry, as usual, gets this 3-D-ing effect as well, and grows up. Everyone seems more adult in this book, even more adult than in the last. I think her style of writing has grown with her fans, and with this book she's come to accept that she's probably writing more for the grown-up fans than the children. It's still accessible to the younger ones of course, but not as much as the first books. Her style of writing also reflects that she's aware of its transition onto the silver screen. There's more precise descriptions, reminding me somewhat of a filmscript. All in all it has a definite commercial feel to it, which is only to be expected with all the hype about the books.

I didn't like the way she approached deaths. I could hardly register Hedwig's death when it happened, and there was little mention of grief after that. It was as if she killed poor Hedwig off so that Harry had one less thing to carry around during his quest. Bah. Even in the ending battle I had to read it through again to find out that Remus and Tonks died (even now I can't believe that).

Reading through this book, it felt like she could have kept going - all those flashbacks and character developments, plus all the parts she could have stretched out a bit more, or added. Part of me wants more of Harry Potter, but then again, 7 is a nice number (unlike Terry Goodkind's series which has gone on forever, past 10 books when I was last interested) and the ending, however cliche and commonplace, was good. So I smile with pleasure and relief with the thought of a great 7-book series now complete to read from cover to cover, and who knows, Rowling might like to start another series featuring Severus Albus Potter?

Rating: ****out of 5

Pelzer, Dave J: A Child Called It, The Lost Boy, A Man named Dave

Dave Pelzer writes, in three parts, of his life so far, from his days existing only as a thing under his mother’s abusive hand, to his escape, life as an adoptee, and his journey to the publishing of his books. The story of his abuse is quite heart-rending, and I think it’s been described as one of the most serious child abuses in America, or something like that. I guess it’s not just the abusing that strikes you, but it’s the fact that his mother actually denied his existence as her son, but treated him as “it” – this thing, only there to be abused and taken advantage of. It’s really quite a depraved world we live in, and the point is driven home by the horrible way he was treated in his childhood.

I would say that the first book is the most riveting, because of this, the sheer magnitude of his experiences. At the end of the first book, he’s rescued, and his life truly begins. Of course, there are episodes where the past (and the mother) comes to haunt him, even in the 3rd book, but things aren’t as shocking as in the 1st, and his straightforward style of writing, while suited and so endearing to telling a child’s point of view, loses its charm as the child grows up. I would say, read the whole trilogy for continuity, and to find out how this remarkable man made his way through the many pitfalls of life he could have stayed in. But always remember the little boy called “it” from the 1st book.

Rating: **** out of 5

McEwan, Ian: Saturday

A book about a Saturday in the life of a neurosurgeon, practising in London. He uses quite a lot of jargon in describing the neurosurgeon's medical life, but doesn't dwell on it, which is good for the nonmedical reader. He also gives quite an insight into the emotions involved, having shadowed a neurosurgeon for a couple of years.

Of course, this can't be any old Saturday that makes it into a book. This is a special Saturday - he sees something 9-11 like as he stands at his bedroom window in the small hours of the morning, which sort of sets the tone for the oddness of the day; there's an anti-war protest in the central London, near where he stays; he gets into an accident with a thug with a neurological problem, which he diagnoses and uses to his advantage, but will haunt him again later in the day; there's a mini family reunion that night that he has hopes and anxieties about. Within all that, the neurosurgeon indulges (or rather McEwan indulges on his character) in musings about war, and terrorism, and his work, and his middle-aged life, and really, life in general. These musings can be quite draggy at times, but on the whole they're quite thought-provoking, and quite cerebral (but appropriately so!).

The writing is of high-standard, and McEwan draws us intimately into the neurosurgeon's life - we feel what he feels, and think what he thinks, etc. The supporting characters are believable as well, and provide good colour for the neurosurgeon's life. I also like the fact that it's set in modern-day London, and I could take out my London A to Z and point out where his house is, which hospital he probably is working at, the routes he takes, etc. - exciting. :)

A good read for me, a maybe biased POV because of the medicine-related character.

Rating: ****out of 5

Gerritsen, Tess: Body Double

I wouldn't have borrowed this book myself, there being so many other books to choose from in the library, but JF loves this genre - horror/thriller/suspense - and I'm pleased with the choice as well. The book centres around Dr. Maura Isles, a pathologist, and her reactions when she finds a splitting image of herself dead in a car parked outside her home. That woman turns out to be her twin, and this discovery sends her on a trip to search out her family ties. Yet there's more to the book than that. The other plot that runs in the book is less evident, being broken up within Maura's search for family, and more ominous, but when they both merge together towards the end of the book the the two forces add up to more than their sum and propel the book to an explosive finish.
There are quite a few coincidental happenings in the book, but on the whole it's a gripping read. I was really disgusted by the killer and the web of deceit that surrounded him, and there were moments of fear for the various characters in danger. The question that Dr. Isles brings up at the end, as she reflects on the happenings of the past few days (in the book) is quite an intriguing one, and Gerritsen doesn't answer it outright, leaving you to your own conclusions. All you philosophers can go debate it out.See Gerritsen talk about her book here.I was quite surprised to see that she's Asian - the name definitely threw me off. Very happy for her though - she's a very successful and talented writer.

Rating: ****out of 5

Fry, Stephen: Liar, The

A hilarious book about a Briton who is a habitual liar. We follow this boy from elementary boarding school all the way through university to his working life, seeing him lie his way through all the way. There's a bit of everything it seems - spywork, relationship, growth, remorse, happiness, sadness, adventure, etc.!

Stephen Fry was actually the other half of the Fry and Laurie Show, Laurie being Hugh Laurie now of "House MD" fame. I recommend watching the show (available at TVLinks) for a great dose of British humour. If you can't, get the book, you'll get that dose too. There may be several British references and jibes that don't come through, and there are some choppy bits in the book that settle down when you've gotten a bit more into the story, but the way it's written is witty and funny and entertaining. I was a bit confused by the spy story weaved into the plot, but I got it in the end, with the ending twist in the story. It's his first book as well, and a good effort at that. Apparently his second book is better - it's entitled "The Hippopotamus", which promises big laughs. We'll see.

Rating: ****out of 5

Christie, Agatha: By the Pricking of my Thumbs

Starring the endearing duo Tommy and Tuppence Beresford. They first appeared in "The Secret Adversary" as little blackmailers, then got converted into the more respectable detective trade, got married, and in this novel they're a middle-aged couple, going about their business.

It doesn't really start out as a mystery novel, I realise, and if you aren't expecting a mystery, you might be surprised, because of the sedateness of the setting - middle-aged Tuppence, visiting old ladies in a retirement home. The normalcy is only temporary, thank goodness, and Christie sets a tantalising web of mystery for us to unravel. Yes, even old ladies in retirement homes have mysteries about them too!

This is Christie at her usual fine level, and even though they're older, the Beresford pair are still as endearing (though in a long-married couple kind of way now...).

Rating: ****out of 5

Caldwell, Ian: The Rule of Four

This was one of the books that came out after Dan Brown’s runaway bestseller “The Da Vinci Code” (DVC), and it’s easy to see why this was eclipsed by it – less controversial topic, first time author, etc. My mind took some jostling to remember the plot (who needs prodding to remember DVC's plot?) but when I did, I was pleasantly reminded that it was quite a good book! And apparently, the mystical book with the abnormally long name that's in the centre of the plot is a real book.

For a first-time writer, I think he does a pretty good job of spinning out a story. It got a bit dreary in the middle, where there wasn't any progress to solving the book's mysteries, and the main character is in the usual self-doubt moment. But then it picks up to finish with several twists to the plot and a slightly mysterious ending befitting the story.

If you liked DVC, you'd do well to read this. The writing style is not as polished, but the plot is.

Rating: ****out of 5

Atkinson, Kate: Behind the Scenes at the Museum

This book was the winner of the 1995 Whitbread book of the year award. It started of quite slowly, and it was hard to see where it was going, but in the end I got sucked into the narrative and enjoyed it all. Ruby narrating her life story from before birth (even before conception!) was engaging and personable - I could understand and emphatise with her well. The book had an English-y feel to it too, being set somewhere in North England (I think). The plot was helped by the fact that her family was a bit off-centre. There's even a very unexpected twist in the end, that catches the reader quite by surprise.

Just one thing I didn't like - the discontinuity of the chapters, when she intersperses Ruby's narrative with flashbacks from her past relatives' lives. They were interesting in their own right, but it was hard to fit them into the storyline. Of course, in the end everything fits together nicely, so if you do get stuck, keep soldiering on!

Rating: **** out of 5