I was thrilled when I was given the opportunity to review this novel. In these turbulent political and social times, when the country seems more divided than ever, it was a true delight to be able to read this novel, based on years of Pam Rhodes' experience travelling round churches and village halls.
This novel has a cast of truly wonderful characters: Kath, the administrator; Trevor, the caretaker; and Maggie, the cook. These three are the centre of the novel but there are many other great supporting characters as well - Shirley, the new no-nonsense cleaner; Della, a young dancer who is determined to provided classes for all ages; and the Can't Sing Singers - a new choir formed after the music director at their church unceremoniously kicked them out.
What of the plot? Mostly it's about the daily ins and outs of the village hall and its users, but they are all working towards something special - a Centenary Easter Monday Fayre which proves a harder task than any of them imagined, not to mention dealing with this as well as their personal lives as well. Trevor has a wife terminally ill with cancer and Maggie has been left by her husband for a much younger woman.
What's so heartening about this novel is that it reminds us of Britain at its best, when community spirit and solidarity is high. Pam Rhodes reminds us, the readers, of what really matters in life and how life works best in community, looking after each other, and what happens when we are divided. It's touching, funny, but heart-warming most of all, which is definitely the kind of story we need in times like this.
Springtime at Hope Hall will be available in paperback from 22nd February 2020.
Tuesday, 24 December 2019
Tuesday, 26 November 2019
New review: The Death of Mungo Blackwell, Lauren H. Brandenburg
Note: I received a free proof copy of this book in exchange for a review.
The Death Of Mungo Blackwell is the perfect read for dreary winter nights. It's a book full of warmth, wit, growth, and eccentricity from the central characters. Reading this book felt like snuggling into a warm blanket; perfect, sweet escapism into the countryside.
Charlie Price, his wife Velveteen, and their son Gideon, leave their lives in the city (never specified) and move to a small town called Coraloo. Charlie used to be extremely senior in the world of finance but a bad judgement left him fired and without income. In Coraloo, he becomes a 'picker' - he looks for items of potential value in markets and resells them online.
The market is owned by a family called the Blackwells who provide the heart and soul of this book. Most welcome him, but one of them - Shug - stands out in his hostility. The Blackwells often act out their family stories - or 'histories', as they insist - and also hold funerals of family members before those members actually die.
The point of the story is to show how Charlie, Velveteen and Gideon, a family who had everything and who quickly get reduced to nothing, start again and find themselves in the process. Their individual stories are handled with care and compassion, gently guided by various members of the Blackwell family.
This story is fun, vibrant, sweet, and quietly remarkable. It's hard to put it in a genre but I would put it on a bookshelf next to the brilliant "The End of Mr Y" by Scarlett Thomas.
The Death Of Mungo Blackwell is the perfect read for dreary winter nights. It's a book full of warmth, wit, growth, and eccentricity from the central characters. Reading this book felt like snuggling into a warm blanket; perfect, sweet escapism into the countryside.
Charlie Price, his wife Velveteen, and their son Gideon, leave their lives in the city (never specified) and move to a small town called Coraloo. Charlie used to be extremely senior in the world of finance but a bad judgement left him fired and without income. In Coraloo, he becomes a 'picker' - he looks for items of potential value in markets and resells them online.
The market is owned by a family called the Blackwells who provide the heart and soul of this book. Most welcome him, but one of them - Shug - stands out in his hostility. The Blackwells often act out their family stories - or 'histories', as they insist - and also hold funerals of family members before those members actually die.
The point of the story is to show how Charlie, Velveteen and Gideon, a family who had everything and who quickly get reduced to nothing, start again and find themselves in the process. Their individual stories are handled with care and compassion, gently guided by various members of the Blackwell family.
This story is fun, vibrant, sweet, and quietly remarkable. It's hard to put it in a genre but I would put it on a bookshelf next to the brilliant "The End of Mr Y" by Scarlett Thomas.
Thursday, 21 November 2019
New review: The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
As soon as I finished Circe I thought about how great it would be to have Penelope's side of the story during The Odyssey. Luckily, one of my greatest friends had an answer for me - one did indeed exist, written by none other than Margaret Atwood.
It's no secret that rich, noble women were used as tools in marriage contracts throughout history, but the use of Penelope in this story puts paid to the idea that Odysseus and Penelope necessarily married for love. Theirs is touted as one of the greatest loves of all time - the weary hero who spends ten years after a ten year war in Troy trying to get back to his wife, the woman who is separated from her husband for twenty years, not knowing if he is alive or dead, surviving only on rumour.
Some of this is true. But as for their love - well, Penelope (at least, in this retelling) is only fifteen when she is married off to Odysseus. In Atwood's version, Odysseus and Penelope do have great affection for each other, but not necessarily reaching the great heights as shown in The Odyssey.
But that's not the point of Atwood's story. The point is how Penelope had to defend her home for nearly two decades - including her maids, the ones who were so callously murdered by Odysseus at the end of the Odyssey. This was justified then because they were disloyal to Penelope and Odysseus and ingratiated themselves with the suitors, but Penelope spins a different yarn. She shows more of their humanity - the fact that these maids were teenagers, therefore used and abused by the suitors. She asked them to ingratiate themselves with the suitors, who were eating Penelope out of house and home, in order to find out their true minds. After all, they were spewing out declarations of love all day and every day to Penelope, when all they wanted was her property.
Penelope tells her story from Hades - she is already dead when the story begins. The maids have their moments, too, and show their side through the medium of a traditionally Ancient Greek dramatic chorus line. It's a very clever book, considerably deep in spite of its brevity. What's particularly clever is at the finale of the book when Odysseus is represented by an attorney, a whole moment that resonates in the #MeToo era, despite being written over a decade before the Weinstein story broke.
Saying Margaret Atwood has written a brilliant story is like saying the Pope is Catholic but just because something is obvious does not make it any less worth stating. I definitely recommend this if you are looking for a different angle on a well-known epic story, most particularly one that humanises otherwise fairly 2d characters from the original.
It's no secret that rich, noble women were used as tools in marriage contracts throughout history, but the use of Penelope in this story puts paid to the idea that Odysseus and Penelope necessarily married for love. Theirs is touted as one of the greatest loves of all time - the weary hero who spends ten years after a ten year war in Troy trying to get back to his wife, the woman who is separated from her husband for twenty years, not knowing if he is alive or dead, surviving only on rumour.
Some of this is true. But as for their love - well, Penelope (at least, in this retelling) is only fifteen when she is married off to Odysseus. In Atwood's version, Odysseus and Penelope do have great affection for each other, but not necessarily reaching the great heights as shown in The Odyssey.
But that's not the point of Atwood's story. The point is how Penelope had to defend her home for nearly two decades - including her maids, the ones who were so callously murdered by Odysseus at the end of the Odyssey. This was justified then because they were disloyal to Penelope and Odysseus and ingratiated themselves with the suitors, but Penelope spins a different yarn. She shows more of their humanity - the fact that these maids were teenagers, therefore used and abused by the suitors. She asked them to ingratiate themselves with the suitors, who were eating Penelope out of house and home, in order to find out their true minds. After all, they were spewing out declarations of love all day and every day to Penelope, when all they wanted was her property.
Penelope tells her story from Hades - she is already dead when the story begins. The maids have their moments, too, and show their side through the medium of a traditionally Ancient Greek dramatic chorus line. It's a very clever book, considerably deep in spite of its brevity. What's particularly clever is at the finale of the book when Odysseus is represented by an attorney, a whole moment that resonates in the #MeToo era, despite being written over a decade before the Weinstein story broke.
Saying Margaret Atwood has written a brilliant story is like saying the Pope is Catholic but just because something is obvious does not make it any less worth stating. I definitely recommend this if you are looking for a different angle on a well-known epic story, most particularly one that humanises otherwise fairly 2d characters from the original.
New review: Circe by Madeline Miller
The first thing I need to say about this book is that it is a must-read. It is an epic in every sense of the world.
Most of what we know about Circe comes from the story of a man - Odysseus. She is the beautiful, powerful witch who lives alone on an island and has a habit of turning men into swine (Homer clearly was having fun there). However, when Odysseus leaves Circe's island, so does all knowledge of her and what happens next.
Circe is nothing if not an origins story, but it's so much more than that. It's a Greek myth in its own right, and opens up a whole world of possibilities in retelling and recreating Greek myths about the women who feature in them - why not a story on Medea? Medusa? (Margaret Atwood wrote one about Penelope, Odysseus' wife, and the maids who were hanged - I'll review that in the future).
Circe is the daughter of a nymph and Helios, the sun-god. However, she is frequently derided by her own parents and her kin - she's not beautiful, she sounds like a mortal (shock, horror), and seems to be wholly ordinary for a divine being. However, she soon (and kind of accidentally) discovers the power of pharmaka - witchcraft. After committing acts of witchcraft on a rival for her love, who transforms into the monster Scylla, Circe is banished in perpetuity.
She doesn't stay alone for long - for a divine being, anyway. However, she gets raped by a visiting crew of men once they realise she's alone, and this episode starts to turn her into the witch she's known as, transforming men into swine when more show up and reveal their true intentions.
We know what happens when Odysseus shows up, so I'll gloss over that, but what's interesting is what comes after. Odysseus is shown to be more cruel and careless than he appears in The Odyssey. The same goes for Athene (who used to be my favourite goddess, but not so sure if she is anymore, after this novel!) All this is to say that Circe's life does not stop after Odysseus leaves - far from it. There are also many interesting crossovers with other heroes and stories - Circe's sister creates the Minotaur; Jason and Medea take refuge on her island; Hermes and Circe are lovers for a while... the list goes on.
What Madeline Miller has created here is an intensely rich tapestry of stories based around one of the most enigmatic and interesting women of antiquity. This novel is truly a triumph, both in depth and in breadth. I don't say it lightly when I say this is my favourite novel that I have read this year.
Most of what we know about Circe comes from the story of a man - Odysseus. She is the beautiful, powerful witch who lives alone on an island and has a habit of turning men into swine (Homer clearly was having fun there). However, when Odysseus leaves Circe's island, so does all knowledge of her and what happens next.
Circe is nothing if not an origins story, but it's so much more than that. It's a Greek myth in its own right, and opens up a whole world of possibilities in retelling and recreating Greek myths about the women who feature in them - why not a story on Medea? Medusa? (Margaret Atwood wrote one about Penelope, Odysseus' wife, and the maids who were hanged - I'll review that in the future).
Circe is the daughter of a nymph and Helios, the sun-god. However, she is frequently derided by her own parents and her kin - she's not beautiful, she sounds like a mortal (shock, horror), and seems to be wholly ordinary for a divine being. However, she soon (and kind of accidentally) discovers the power of pharmaka - witchcraft. After committing acts of witchcraft on a rival for her love, who transforms into the monster Scylla, Circe is banished in perpetuity.
She doesn't stay alone for long - for a divine being, anyway. However, she gets raped by a visiting crew of men once they realise she's alone, and this episode starts to turn her into the witch she's known as, transforming men into swine when more show up and reveal their true intentions.
We know what happens when Odysseus shows up, so I'll gloss over that, but what's interesting is what comes after. Odysseus is shown to be more cruel and careless than he appears in The Odyssey. The same goes for Athene (who used to be my favourite goddess, but not so sure if she is anymore, after this novel!) All this is to say that Circe's life does not stop after Odysseus leaves - far from it. There are also many interesting crossovers with other heroes and stories - Circe's sister creates the Minotaur; Jason and Medea take refuge on her island; Hermes and Circe are lovers for a while... the list goes on.
What Madeline Miller has created here is an intensely rich tapestry of stories based around one of the most enigmatic and interesting women of antiquity. This novel is truly a triumph, both in depth and in breadth. I don't say it lightly when I say this is my favourite novel that I have read this year.
Thursday, 31 October 2019
A break from usual news...
Hello, everyone.
Firstly, thank you so much to readers of this blog, I really appreciate the support!
Secondly, reviews might come a bit more slowly in the next few months due to some exciting news. I am running for office in the U.K! For my U.S. readers, this is the equivalent of running as a Congresswoman.
It's an exciting time but I need your support - running as an MP requires an initial deposit of £500, and my county (district) is fielding three candidates for our Green Party - we are running on Bernie Sanders/Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez style policies! Our priorities include addressing the Climate Crisis, reinvesting in our healthcare service, education, and reversing cuts to public services.
If you feel at all able to chuck in a few quid to help us get on the ballot, the link is here.
Thank you, and normal service will resume soon!
Monday, 28 October 2019
Review: The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller
This is probably my favourite book I have read so far this year. Obviously it came with a bit of an advantage - a retelling of Troy for a graduate of Classical Civilisation is a no-brainer. But this book still managed to blow my expectations out of the water.
Madeline Miller reportedly spent ten years researching and writing this book, and it shows. It is a retelling of the story of Achilles but from Patroclus' perspective. In the film adaption (it still haunts me), Patroclus is portrayed as a close friend/cousin without even a hint of homosexuality.
This book goes back to the source material and it is just a little different from the film...
Patroclus is a disgraced and outcast prince, after having accidentally killed a nobleman's son. He gets sent as a foster child to King Peleus, the father of Achilles. Already, Achilles' divinity is well-known and the prophecies about him are greater still. Patroclus thinks he will get lost amongst this palace of foster boys, and isolates himself when the other boys find out about Patroclus' past. However, Patroclus manouvres himself to become protected by Achilles, and a friendship - and, when they're older, more than that - blooms.
This is the classic of all classic tales beautifully updated for the modern reader without losing any of the essence that has meant it has lasted for thousands of years. Miller is a true mistress of her prose, with luscious imagery of the islands and city-states that make up Greece, to the dry, sandy, and soon hellish (for the Greeks, at least), land of Troy. Familiar characters like Chiron, Odysseus, Menelaus, and Agammemnon are faithfully rendered in all of their heritage, and then some.
But the relationshp between Patroclus and Achilles, the heart of this story, shines throughout. Patroclus is the steadier of the two men, knowing he has to compete with Achilles' fame and changing character, particularly when they get to Troy - and the famous feud with Agammemnon.
This story is everything you would hope from a modern version of one of the most famous legends of antiquity. Miller has done an exceptional job.
Madeline Miller reportedly spent ten years researching and writing this book, and it shows. It is a retelling of the story of Achilles but from Patroclus' perspective. In the film adaption (it still haunts me), Patroclus is portrayed as a close friend/cousin without even a hint of homosexuality.
This book goes back to the source material and it is just a little different from the film...
Patroclus is a disgraced and outcast prince, after having accidentally killed a nobleman's son. He gets sent as a foster child to King Peleus, the father of Achilles. Already, Achilles' divinity is well-known and the prophecies about him are greater still. Patroclus thinks he will get lost amongst this palace of foster boys, and isolates himself when the other boys find out about Patroclus' past. However, Patroclus manouvres himself to become protected by Achilles, and a friendship - and, when they're older, more than that - blooms.
This is the classic of all classic tales beautifully updated for the modern reader without losing any of the essence that has meant it has lasted for thousands of years. Miller is a true mistress of her prose, with luscious imagery of the islands and city-states that make up Greece, to the dry, sandy, and soon hellish (for the Greeks, at least), land of Troy. Familiar characters like Chiron, Odysseus, Menelaus, and Agammemnon are faithfully rendered in all of their heritage, and then some.
But the relationshp between Patroclus and Achilles, the heart of this story, shines throughout. Patroclus is the steadier of the two men, knowing he has to compete with Achilles' fame and changing character, particularly when they get to Troy - and the famous feud with Agammemnon.
This story is everything you would hope from a modern version of one of the most famous legends of antiquity. Miller has done an exceptional job.
Thursday, 24 October 2019
Review: The Truth Will Set You Free, But First It Will Piss You Off! Gloria Steinem
Gloria Steinem is a woman that should need no introduction, but I'll do one just in case. She's a leading feminist icon; writer; lecturer; political activist; and feminist organiser. She has written international bestsellers, won a whole slew of awards, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2013.
This book is a collection of inspirational quotes from Gloria Steinem's career, as well as a few additions from other recognisable names, like Alice Walker and Maya Angelou. Each chapter is themed, and begun with advice and experience from Gloria herself.
What is amazing about the host of quotes in this book is that they are as straightforward as they are radical and transformative. For example:
"Women have alwyas been an equal part of the past; just not an equal part of history."
And...
"The voting booth is the one place on earth wehre the least powerful and the most powerful are equal."
So much truth in such a short phrases.
This book will inspire and move you. It will uplift and encourage you. Most of all, it encourages you to completely transform the way you think - particularly women. Many of the quotes in this book have been chosen specifically to empower - a term thrown around a lot, but if there's one thing Gloria seems to want to get across in this book, it's how much power you as an individual - and particularly as a woman, or someone from a marginalised community, or minority - can have. But there's a call to action, too - we need to take that power. It won't be given us.
So, I urge you to buy this book. Let it lift you up. Let it help you remember your own self-worth, value, and inherent power.
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-truth-will-set-you-free-but-first-it-will-piss-you-off/gloria-steinem/9781911632597
This book is a collection of inspirational quotes from Gloria Steinem's career, as well as a few additions from other recognisable names, like Alice Walker and Maya Angelou. Each chapter is themed, and begun with advice and experience from Gloria herself.
What is amazing about the host of quotes in this book is that they are as straightforward as they are radical and transformative. For example:
"Women have alwyas been an equal part of the past; just not an equal part of history."
And...
"The voting booth is the one place on earth wehre the least powerful and the most powerful are equal."
So much truth in such a short phrases.
This book will inspire and move you. It will uplift and encourage you. Most of all, it encourages you to completely transform the way you think - particularly women. Many of the quotes in this book have been chosen specifically to empower - a term thrown around a lot, but if there's one thing Gloria seems to want to get across in this book, it's how much power you as an individual - and particularly as a woman, or someone from a marginalised community, or minority - can have. But there's a call to action, too - we need to take that power. It won't be given us.
So, I urge you to buy this book. Let it lift you up. Let it help you remember your own self-worth, value, and inherent power.
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-truth-will-set-you-free-but-first-it-will-piss-you-off/gloria-steinem/9781911632597
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)