Review A Book

Bloodtide - Melvin Burgess (9/10)

Based on the first part of the ancient Icelandic Volsunga Saga, It is set for the most part in a futuristic London that is ruled by armed ganglords fighting for control over the city and the surrounding areas. Hundreds of years of war has crippled the human civilization and given birth to unnatural horrors that walk the earth and prey on unsuspecting human souls.

Val Volson owns half the London and has his eyes set on the other half. Father of four children, three sons and a daughter, he also wants to expand outwards, pushing back the hordes of halfmen that shut out any sort of communication with other similarly besieged human bastions. But to do that he has to make peace with the Lord of the rest of the London - Conor. Deciding to offer the hand of his fourteen year old daughter Signy to validate a peace treaty, Val is startled when on the eve of the marriage banquet, a strange being thought by many to be Odin, delivers an imperious prophecy and bestows a special gift of a wooden knife on Val's youngest son, Signy's Twin, Siggy.

Conor is not happy with this interruption in the normal order.

Signy might force herself to come to love Conor, once their most hated enemy, who seems reasonable and caring and Val might forget all his fears in face of the imminent peace, but not all hearts are satisfied - and it is a troubled Siggy that watches Signy's wedding procession disappear into Conor's land.

Things might not turn out as most want them to be for the Gods are restless and Odin is lurking in the corners...

What follows is an exciting tale of jam-packed action, full of clever twists, witty dialogue and scenes that surpass real life in the spontaneity of their occurance whilst bombarding the reader's mind with a plethora of conflicting emotions.

It may seem as If I am positively gushing - and yes, for a moment spit did appear on my lips - but the fact is, this book stands out among a multitude of others for its exemplary pacing and brilliant characterization.

The story by its very nature is extremely spoilerish. To continue with a fuller summation is likely to be more damaging than otherwise, so I'll stop here with only one suggestion, those of you who are interested in modern reinterpretations of classical saga's should definitely give this one a shot - chances are you will come out of it as awed as I was.

Note: Whilst It is marketed as young-adult, I personally wouldn't recommend it to anyone below the age of 12. The book surpasses any Anne Rice novel with its scenes of spine-tingling brutality and in typical Burgess fashion depicts acts of a sexual nature without any reservation.

That doesn't mean that those elements are gratuitous though, or present only for the sake of titillation. In the larger scheme of things, they are perfectly fitting.

The People's Act of Love (Meek, James)

It was the intention of James Meek that his third novel, The People’s Act of Love, should be written in the manner of the great Russian novels. While I have little to no experience in this branch of literature there were enough idiosyncrasies within the book to believe that he has, at least, achieved this. And, having spent eight years living in Russia whilst following his career in journalism, Meek may be better qualified than most to write a modern take on the Russian novel .

Set in Yazyk, a remote village in the Siberian wilderness, the novel investigates the actions of a small group of people. There is Balashov, the leader of a bizarre Christian sect; Mutz, a Jewish soldier from Prague, who is one of a number of Czech soldiers on the losing side of the Russian Revolution; Anna Petrovna, a young war widow, who lives in the town with her son, Alyosha; and Samarin, an enigmatic escapee from a Siberian prison camp, who is just passing through, being followed, so he says, by another prisoner named the Mohican.

The People’s Act of Love is high on drama, and, as the action unfolds the death of a local shaman brings suspicion to Yazyk. Samarin, being the stranger with an unverifiable story, becomes the prime suspect and is imprisoned. When he tells his story to a makeshift court, a long painful narrative about life in a hellhole called the White Garden, he garners sympathy and, at the request of the undersexed Anna Petrovna, goes to stay under her watchful eye.

As the events happen in Yazyk, further tension is added to the fears of the closeknit community by the knowledge that the Reds, winners of the Russian Revolution, are coming. A priority for them is to eliminate the Czech soldiers, men desperate to return home, and claim the town for the People. The leader of the Czech’s, a man named Matula, led his men in the massacre at Staraya Krepost for which the Reds want to exercise their own brand of justice.

Meek’s prose is wonderful, as fresh and crisp as the snow falling upon the land. In fact, the harsh temperatures of Siberia inform the prose: the description makes use of evocative words suggesting a locale lost in the emptiness of northern Asia. Characters trudge over ‘papery snow’, they wear two jackets, and even the trees are known to shudder.

Throughout the novel there are a number of scenes which are brutal but handled in such a way as to seem unimportant. A man is castrated; another is butchered and the separate parts of his body hung from a tree so that they may dry; while others are sentenced to death for no reason other than the Bolshevik ideal. Matula, also, shows his anti-Semite opinions in the way he talks to Mutz, always referring to him as ‘Yid’ and making light of his religion. It’s testament to Meek’s ability that he shows us such inhumanities without preaching and leaves it open to the reader to form their opinion on his characters.

Despite how bleak The People’s Act of Love gets, it is shot through with an underlying humour that serves some warmth to the frozen landscape. And while the jokes are old, or you know them in some incarnation, they are always spoken by the soldiers who, with their circumstances, can be forgiven as they try to maintain morale.

Another interesting slant, is the book’s passing regard to religious fundamentalism. The sect living in Yazyk are Christian but their methods and doctrines are far from standard Christianity. They are castrated to be more like angels and live without sin; a practice bewildering to some of the others living in the town. Not least of all, to Anna Petrovna, whose husband is Balashov, a soldier so devout that he gave up his wife, son, and member to be closer to God.

The main themes, however, are love and sacrifice. Anna Petrovna gives up her normal life to be with Balashov, a man she loves but can never love her again; Balashov’s love of God that he would forfeit his sexuality to be with Him; and Samarin, embodiment of the People, who would sacrifice parts of his nature so as to better prepare for the world ahead. In fact, the act of love referred to in the book’s title, comes from a conversation with him and Petrovna where he talks about eating a comrade for the greater good, beating off starvation to be able to change the world. Essentially, since the book is shot through with cannibalism references, Meek is asking if there is a right time to eat another human being.

The People’s Act of Love was longlisted for the Booker 2005 and, while I’ve not read all the books that made the eventual shortlist, I wonder if Meek may have missed out on a chance to become more of a public interest. His style is certainly enjoyable, his plotting tight, and his characters tinged with much humanity. I believe Meek’s earlier two novels were somewhat different to this book and, based on the change in direction he appears to have taken, we can look forward to an interesting voice for the future.

Always enjoys reading your review, Stewart
Thanks

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"Tšapajev and Pustota by Viktor Pelevin

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) or 10/10 Kitkats

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Book.

We are not certain whether it is postmodernism or zen-buddhism, but it is certainly great, full of food for thought.

The protagonist, Pjotr Pustota, is... well, we already have problems here. It depends on from where you look. Sometimes he is in Soviet Russia, a year after the October Revolution, sometimes in a 1990s in a sanitarium.
The novel is too deep, complex, and negating to be taken together with a few words.

So we'll do a not-very-accurate-and-translated-besides quote from discussion of two stoned drug-addicts (we are not doing drug-propaganda, and neither is Pelevin, but it is just an example), starting with the problem where the kef comes from(did a dictionary search in english, and it was the only word that came up, means the pleasure coming from drugs, We think):

Quote:

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-Inside us is the kef of the whole world. When you eat something or consume something, then you release a part of it. There is no kef in drugs, it is just powder or mushrooms. It is like the key to a safe. Understand?
-a small pause
-"listen", started Shurik now, but is there a lot of kef in there
-"infinitely much", said Volodin authoritatively, "Infinetely and unimagenably much, and there is that kind that you couldn't taste in your life"
-"Oh... so you have a safe inside and in that safe there is kef?"
-"Basically yes"
-"But if i could get that safe and open it?"
-"Why not?"
-"But how?"
-"You need to dedicate your whole life to it. Why do you think people go to monastery and live all their life there? Think that they just beat their heads against the floor? They really get some awesome kef there and like that, like what you cannot get in a thousand pounds. And always, do you understand? Morning, noon, evening. Some even in sleep"
-But from what do they get that kef? How is it called?
-In many ways. Basically, you could call it compassion. Or love.
-"Whose love?"
-"Just love. When you feel it, then you won't think of where it comes from or why. You won't think at all.

/We are cutting some text out of here, because we don't want to type that much/


"Listen, Volodin, are you speaking seriously about it?"
"About what?"
"Well, about that that you can have kef for your whole life. So that you would always be stoned?
"I didn't say that for life. There are other terms"
"You yourself said that there is kef all the time.
"I haven't said that neither"
"What did you say then"
"I didn't say "all the time", said Volodin " I said, "forever". Keep your ears open."
"But what is the difference?"
"The difference is that, that where the kef begins, there is no time."
"What is there, then?"
"Compassion"
"And what else"
"Nothing"
"I don't get it," said Shurik, "Does it, like, hang in emptyness, that compassion?"
"There is no emptyness either"
"What is there, then?"
"I said it before, compassion."
"Again i don't get it"
"Don't worry," said Volodin, "When you could understand that so easily, half the Moscow would kef for free"

---

On the same subject again:

Quote:

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"You need to understand the main thing," said Volodin "And i don't know how to explain... Do you remember, we spoke about the inner prosecutor?"
"I remember. He's the guy who stops you when you go too far. Like Raskolnikov, who killed the old lady. The guy thought that his inner lawyer will talk him out of it but it went the other way.
"Exactly. But who do you think the inner prosecutor is?"
Shurik started thinking
"Don't know.. Well, it is me. A part if me. Who else?"
"But the inner lawyer who will talk you out of it?"
"Again me, i guess. Though it seems quite strange - that i will open a case for myself and talk myself out of it"
"There is nothing strange about it. That's how it always is. Now imagine that your inner prosecutor has confined you, all your inner lawyers have failed and you are sitting in your own inner prison. Now imagine that there is someone fourth, who won't confine anyone, who cannot be called neither prosecutor, lawyer, nor for the guy for whom the lawyer works for. Who had never ever any case on him - i mean he is not a criminal nor an ordinary guy nor copper."
"OK. I imagined."
"Well, the fourth person is the one, for whom is the forever kef. And he needs nothing to be explained to him about it, do you understand?"
"And who is the fourth?"
"Noone"
"Can one see him anyhow?"
"No"
"Well, perhaps he can't be seen, but can he be felt?"
"No"
"Well, then he doesn't exist at all"
"Actually, if you want to know," said Volodin, "those prosecutors and lawyers do not exist. And even you don't. If there is anyone at all, then it is him"

---

I read The Colour Purple over the summer and had the same knowledge going in to it as well. I really enjoyed it too. They are making a broadway play of it, I wish I lived in Chicago. :( I can't even find the movie to see if it is any good.

Memoirs of a Geisha
I really liked this book! I said it elsewhere that I did. I never posted in this thread before, but I felt I had to. I was surprised at how well-written this book was. I suggest that many people read it, you will be glad that you did. :)

9/10 - Something about the ending bothered me and made me annoyed, I think it slowed down too much or something. I don't know, but other than that it was great!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kiwi Shelf

I read The Colour Purple over the summer and had the same knowledge going in to it as well. I really enjoyed it too. They are making a broadway play of it, I wish I lived in Chicago. :( I can't even find the movie to see if it is any good.

Memoirs of a Geisha
I really liked this book! I said it elsewhere that I did. I never posted in this thread before, but I felt I had to. I was surprised at how well-written this book was. I suggest that many people read it, you will be glad that you did. :)

9/10 - Something about the ending bothered me and made me annoyed, I think it slowed down too much or something. I don't know, but other than that it was great!

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Just discovered that my local has a copy of The Colour Purple, the movie! I will borrow it as soon as it is available! :D

I had written my thoughts on Memoirs of a Geisha somewhere in this thread as well :)

Gravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon

A long and very challenging novel with the main plot being about a young U.S. Army Lieutenant named Tyrone Slothrop who travels through war-torn Europe trying to get away from authorities which want to experiment on him. They want to experiment on him because of his precognition of V-2 buzz bombings which come to him as erections. This response was conditioned in the infant Tyrone by a chemist named Laszlo Jamf which paid Tyrone's father a tidy sum and also invented a rocket insulation used in V-2 bombs and the silently infamous Rocket 0000 which a whole cast of characters are after including Slothrop.
This novel has to many characters to mention any by name. If you want to read this without the companion, you might want to go back to elementary school and keep notes on each character so that way you don't have to flip back and forth for the character's info.
I will not go into all the reasons this book was difficult to read ,but I think this will suffice. If you have masochistic tendencies than read this book without the companion book.

6 out of 10

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Scheherazade

Just discovered that my local has a copy of The Colour Purple, the movie! I will borrow it as soon as it is available! :D

I had written my thoughts on Memoirs of a Geisha somewhere in this thread as well :)

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The DVD? Because I am hoping with the opening of the broadway play they will release it on DVD next year. Unless it has all ready, but if it has, it is a scarce movie!

And, I saw your mention of Memoirs of a Geisha. I wish I knew why the end bothered me so much. It just seemed so slow!

It is a video of the movie made in 1985. I am hoping to get it tomorrow! :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Scheherazade

It is a video of the movie made in 1985. I am hoping to get it tomorrow! :)

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It's an excellent movie :) though I haven't read the book so don't know how faithful the adaptation is.

So, no DVD of it yet. :( It is supposed to be good, let me know how well it follows the book for the time in eternity when I can actually get it. I don't want to buy it on VHS and then have it come on DVD.

The last book I've read was the Wind in the Willows. I've been reading it to my 2 year old son and we just finished it. I love having a little kid, it gives me an excuse to pick up and read all the things I haven't read in a while. My advice, if you want to read an entertaining little book pick it up. Don't wait on kids so you have the excuse.
Meg

The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

Holden H. Caulfield, a young rebellious man, with the hunting hat as the sign of his uniqueness. In a way, I see Holden as a teenage with high self-esteem, and he kept calling other people as phonies, which is a strong mark of his self confidence and a sign that he considered himself better than most people in general. Perhaps these self-esteem and pride were the main reasons why he got kicked out of schools several times. Yet, in another way, I think that his rebelliousness has something to do with his effort of protecting himself, not wanting to be like everyone else (the phonies), afraid that his surroundings might change his principles. So, he somewhat isolated himself. He called people without intention only to prove his independency and that no one controlled him other than himself. Deep down, he's actually an insecure young fellow.

Overall, I really like the book. In fact, due to the big fuss I heard/read about this book, made me put aside other books which already queuing in my "to read list". And I kept saying "and he's only 16", every time he did something. The narrative is good, as well as the dialogues. A friend said that maybe someone would appreciate the book more if she/he were younger. Personally, I'm kind of agreeing with him, in regards to the theme, of course. And I'm re-reading Franny and Zooey again, to see whether there are some similarities between these two Salinger's works.

Valis by Phillip K. Dick

A somewhat autobiographical novel about a man named Horselover Fat and his experience with a omnipotent pink laser. Horselover is basically a burnout who wants to help anybody he can. He ends up in a downward spiral after a friend commits suicide until a pink laser hits him, and he decides to save humanity with his friends David, Kevin, Sherri, and a science fiction writer named Phillip K. Dick.

The book is 3/5's a philosophical tractate on what Fat thinks the pink laser is and what the laser or beings behind the laser wants with him. The other 2/5's of the book is basically a short story on their actual attempt to find out what the entities want from Fat and his friends with a little less of the philosphical discussions.The language in the book is straight forward and flows nicely which will let you read it in about three days. The first three-fifths of the book sounds like it would be boring but it isn't. Dick puts just enough of a plot in it to keep the story going but not enough to take your attention away from Fat's 70 or so explantions of what he thinks about God, our origins, and time. The other part of the book starts after the friends see a movie named Valis(Vast Active Living Intelligence System) which sends them on a wild ride to the home of three self-proclaimed religious figures who protect a child who the friends think is the entity behind the pink laser.

I partically enjoyed the the psychological questions behind Fat's behavior and the theological questions raised in the book were worth thinking about, but my favorite part in the whole book was when Kevin goes back to ask the child why his cat died and the child says because the cat was stupid. This was totally different than what I and most people expect a messiah to say on those occasions which usually sounds a lot like what your mom says to you when your pet dies when your young.

I like the story, but I did not think it one of the best stories ever.
Overall 7/10

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver.
I just finished this book yesterday, and I have to admit I didn't think it would be that good, but it was. An easy read I may add, but worth it. I have given a lot of thought to the title. It could mean several things in reference to the novel. I am curious if anyone else has read it? Just wondering what the title meant to you. Anyways, there are a lot of elements to this novel: family, friendship, adoption, and rights for foreigners. It was pretty complicated for such a little book. The author appeared to be trying to cover many problems that not only people think are gone today, but are predominate in many cultures. Anyways, anyone that has never read Kingsolver before, this is a good intro. I have two other books by her, have to dig them out.

I would say 8/10. Not that it was terrible, I just can't put it on the same scale as some of the other really good books that I have read.