I loved reading Little Women as a kid and plan to one day re-read it along with the rest of the series: Good Wives, Little Men and Jo’s Boys.  So when I came across this little known Louisa May Alcott novel, I snapped it up thinking to fall into a similar warm and fuzzy world, akin to that of Little Women.  But where Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy present several faucets of one’s personality, the good along with the bad, in An Old-Fashioned Girl, Polly is like reading a book about Beth, all the time, with no break for reality.  As I like to say, she’s Polly without the Anna and just as annoying.

A simple country-girl, Polly travels to the big city to stay with her friend Fanny Shaw and family (rascal brother Tom, spoiled younger sister Maud, “nervous” mother, absentee father, and grandmother, a woman whose temperament closely resembles Polly’s and therefore becomes a port in the storm for the simple girl overwhelmed by city brashness).

Polly is so sweet and lovely however that soon she is mending family differences and bringing father and son, grandmother and grandchildren closer together, until the family resembles a Norman Rockwell painting.  Unfortunately Polly’s visit must come to an end, and though she has yearly visits to the Shaw’s, the author skips forward to Polly as a young woman, moving to the city permanently to teach music and keep a little room for herself.  Her family being poor, Polly has given up her share of the inheritance so her brother Will can go to school and become a clergyman.  It’s the stuff of sainthood, folks. 

Back in the city, Polly once more enmeshes herself into the life of the Shaw’s, only now she and Fanny seem to be competing for the same young gentleman, putting a rift in their friendship, and beloved Tom has engaged himself to a society girl who treats him horribly, is selfish beyond measure and has little of virtue to recommend her.  This gives Polly great heartache, to see Tom suffer so.

But Polly, being the angel she is, soon gives up the new gentleman friend for Fanny’s sake and stands steadfastly by Tom, through thick and thin, propping him up despite his poor behaviour and decisions.  She knows, though, there is good in him yet, if he but had a chance to grow up and mature a little.

Gag.

The book of course ends very happily for all, but I think, had I read this as a child, I would likely have enjoyed it more, and gotten more out of it.  As it is, I just wanted to shake Polly out of her delightful complacency and tell her to get a personality.  She was just far too saintly and goody-two-shoes-y for my cynical adult self.  The award for most irritating protagonist would I think, go to Miss Polly Milton, very deservedly.

Till next time, happy reading!

L

“Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read.  One does not love breathing”

~ Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

Edward Albee is probably most famous for his play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (you’ve likely heard of, if not seen, the movie with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor), though he has quite a repertoire of plays to his name, many of which are award winners, including this one, the recipient of the 2002 Tony Award for Best Play.

I don’t read many plays as a rule, but there are some playwrights that beg to be read, like Norm Foster, or Neil Simon, and being familiar with Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to read another play by Albee.  I’m glad I did.

I would love to see this play performed.  Some plays simply jump off the page while you’re reading them, and you can picture the actors in your head, moving around stage, delivering your lines.  This is one of them.  Or it may simply have helped that I read the lines out loud, quasi-acting them out in my little armchair.

The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? Is a very thought-provoking play.  Martin, a middle-age architect reveals to his best friend, who in turn writes a letter to Martin’s wife, that Martin has fallen in love and is having an affair with Sylvia.  Not too shocking until it is discovered that Sylvia is a goat.  Filled with tragic humour, the play questions society’s mores and morals as well as social taboos surrounding questions of sexuality.  Martin, who struggles with his son’s homosexuality, has committed an even greater social taboo by pursuing a sexual relationship with an animal, yet he attends a support group for people suffering the same affliction, and who seek acceptance for their choice of love-partner.  His wife Stevie struggles to understand her husband and deal with the breakdown of their seemingly perfect marriage.

Interspersed throughout is some rather inspired dialogue dealing with grammatical arguments (Martin should have been an English professor) that lend much needed comic relief at times.

A uniquely interesting play, I’m intrigued to learn what other topics Albee tackles in his other works.

Till next time, happy reading!

L

This is a very well written fictionalized account of a coal mine disaster in India,that is loosely based on the disastrous flood at the Bagdihi colliery in 2001 which trapped and killed dozens of miners.  In Bahadur’s book, six miners, working on a nearly closed coal mine, extracting the last bits of coal by hand, are trapped when the mine suddenly floods. 

Detailing the corruption of the Indian government, the mining industry and the adverse working conditions for the coal miners, this book was an incredibly interesting read.  When middle management are more concerned about how they’ll present the disaster to upper management than in the safety or lives of their workers, you know you have a problem.  Disturbing at times, mystical at others, as one of the trapped miners is somewhat of a guru, this book will have you turning the pages to read more.

I enjoyed the Indian culture that unraveled in the story of mine workers, their families, and learning about the bureaucratic corruption they had to traverse in order to eke out a living was an eye-opener.  I also enjoyed learning several swear-words in Urdu and Bengali thanks to the accompanying glossary.    Joking aside, this book will leave you shaking your head and thinking about workers’ rights long after the last page is turned.

Till next time, happy reading!

L

Somebody in my book club really likes their dystopian fiction.  This time, we are introduced to a world of sameness, where family units are manufactured, feelings are discussed rather than felt and big brother is always watching.

Some would consider Lois Lowry’s The Giver to be 1984 for children.  There are definite similarities, but I think this is too dismissive a reading of Lowry’s book.  The protagonist of the novel is 11-year old Jonas, soon to turn twelve.  At twelve, everything changes, because Jonas leaves childhood behind and enters the world of adulthood.  His career is chosen for him and training begins.

There are strict rules in this society, called The Community.  And it is very much a community.  Everyone helps and respects everyone else.  Rules are taught and memorized by a very young age.  Violators, non-conformers and the very old are “released”, a euphemism for death.  And most importantly, everything is the same – same colour, same season, same clothing is worn, with minor age-appropriate differences, and everyone, with few exception looks the same. 

Over several generations this sameness has been achieved in order to allow everyone to lead a happy existence.  There are no murders, thefts, there’s no hunger or want, no pain or wars.  Everyone works in an industry for which they’ve shown an aptitude during their childhood volunteer hours.  This is a seemingly utopian world, what more could one ask for?

On the day his age group turns twelve, and adult work assignments are handed out, Jonas learns he has been chosen as the community’s next Receiver.  This is the most honoured position in the community, for The Receiver is the keeper of the community’s memory.  Jonas meets The Giver, the elder man who will pass on generations of memory to Jonas, memory of the seasons, of sailing on the ocean, all the pleasures that were given up in order to never hunger or go to war again.  But Jonas must also learn about hunger and war, and most importantly feelings, like love.  During his training he soon learns that what the community has given up far exceeds what it has gained and he must be brave enough to leave the community, strike out on his own into the Elsewhere in order to give memories back to the members of his society so that they can once more lead fulfilled lives, full of colour and emotion.

The book ends with a thought provoking scene, and we never really know what happens to Jonas, if he succeeds, if his community benefits from his sacrifice.  It’s a very unfulfilling ending in one way, much like living in his community was, and yet, read optimistically, you can’t help but celebrate this ending for Jonas, while still yearning to know: did his sacrifice benefit the community at all?

I was left wanting much more from this novel than was delivered, though I enjoyed the reading of it. 

What my fellow book clubbers had to say:

We had some pretty lively discussion this month, surrounding the ending of the book in particular.  Lois Lowry has said in interviews that she deliberately wrote the ending in order to leave it open to individual interpretation.  I like to think the choice you make: did Jonas die or survive? directly relates to your outlook in life.  Are you optimistic, glass half full, therefore Jonas lives, or pessimistic, glass half empty and Jonas dies?  I hadn’t thought to poll the group, unfortunately.  I know for myself, I prefer a happy ending, tend to have a generally optimistic outlook in life and would rather see the glass as half full than empty, so I wrapped this book’s ending up in a nice neat and tidy bow where Jonas lives happily ever after.  That’s just the charm of me.

Some conspiracy theories were bandied about as well, regarding The Giver’s need for Jonas to leave town.  It is explained that when The Receiver leaves, the memories are returned to the Community.  This would be a good thing, because then they would be forced to re-evaluate their society.  But it is also a fact that once Jonas has received all of The Giver’s memories, The Giver will no longer be needed or useful and will be “released”.  My conspiracy theory is that The Giver, who seemed to be the only member of the Community who understood “release” meant death, didn’t want to die yet, and how else to cement his place further in the Community by getting rid of the new Receiver?  Not everyone bought this theory, which sparked some wonderful debate, and being fortunate enough to live in a diverse society, we all went away firmly holding on to our opinions but happy for the opportunity to express them. 

The group did agree on one thing, however, and that was we wished this book had been written for adults.  It seemed far too oversimplified and very ambiguous.  Many things were left unanswered and I for one desperately wanted to pull back the curtain and see who was pulling the levers and pushing buttons.  As one member described reading this book: it’s like taking one lick of an ice cream cone, only to have the scoop fall off the cone and land on the ground, leaving you completely and utterly unsatisfied.  Quite a delightful visual and I thank F for sharing it.  I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Till next time, happy reading!

L

Every time I’m in Chapters, I love to browse their remainders tables and shelves.  All that fiction, up to 80% off, you can easily get 4 books for $20, that’s like 4 for the price of 1!!!  A total book lovers bargain!

Of course, not every book is a gem, but once in awhile I come across a keeper, like Gina Buonaguro and Janice Kirk’s The Sidewalk Artist.  This was quite a lovely read, with beautiful language and characters you couldn’t help but like, sympathize with and root for.  A gentle little book that’s perfect for whiling away a lazy afternoon with. 

When twenty-seven year old Tulia Rose’s boyfriend Ethan presents her with an all-expenses paid six week trip to Europe, she can’t help but delay breaking up with him.  No stranger to their relationship woes, Ethan offers up the trip as an opportunity for them to spend some time apart in order to come back together and reignite the spark that’s been missing from their love life.  So off Tulia goes on her six-week jaunt, but noticeably lonely and missing the companionship of her boyfriend.

When in Paris, a chance meeting with a sidewalk artist who goes simply by the name Raphael forces Tulia to re-evaluate her relationship with Ethan as she finds herself attracted to this mysterious stranger.  The two bond over art, particularly that of the painter Raphael.  When the stranger shares a love story of a woman he once met in a marketplace buying oranges, Tulia begins to write a book about the 16^th Century painter and a secret love, using the sidewalk artist and herself as inspiration.

Tulia is a writer whose first book, based on her relationship with Ethan, was a flop.  She’s suffered writer’s block ever since, until the moment she meets the sidewalk artist, and finds her muse.  From Paris, she travels to Venice, Italy, to learn more about the painter Raphael, and continues to run into her sidewalk artist.  Love blooms, as does her book, but there is still quite a mystery surrounding this sidewalk artist, one which may prevent a happily ever after.

A uniquely written love story, we have not only Tulia’s story, but that of the book she is writing interwoven with facts about the life of the painter Raphael, all set amongst the backdrop of Paris, and various locales in Italy.  As readers we are reminded that there are many stories in life and that when one story ends, as with a relationship, there will be more stories yet to experience.  I found this book simply poetical.  The very chapter names, if read together, form a poem, adding to the unique experience of reading this book.  It was a delightful read and is a book I highly recommend.

Till next time, happy reading.

L

I know my goal this year is to read A through C on the TBR bookcase, but when Julie Wilson’s Seen Reading came out in publication, I couldn’t wait to jump on a copy and read it.  Self-styled the BookMadam, Julie can be found in several different online and social media manifestations.  She began the Seen Reading project several years ago by observing readers on Toronto transit and taking note of what they’re reading.  A true literary voyeur, Julie provides a brief description of the person and the book title, author and if possible the page number they’re on.  She then takes it one step further and imagines who this reader is, what their life is like.  This is what makes Seen Reading so unique.  Filled with micro short stories, we catch a glimpse of little episodes of these readers’ lives, many of which are inspired by the type of fiction they are reading.  Beautifully written, Seen Reading is a delightful glimpse into the world of books and readers from a true bibliophile.

Check out her website at www.seenreading.com and if you come across a fellow reader amongst your travels, take note and add your own voyeuristic moment on Twitter with #seenreading.

Till next time, happy reading!

L :)

When this little fable was first published in 1970 I’m told via Wikipedia, that it created quite the sensation.  I picked up my copy in last summer’s Raise a Reader book sale and it promptly went on the TBR bookcase.  Thanks to this year’s goal to read the A – C shelf, I pulled this gem down and gave it a go.

I liked it.  Found it strange at times, but the story of a seagull trying to be true to his own self and find meaning and purpose in life while bucking the trend of the pack, or in this case The Flock, is quite an inspiring one.

Jonathan Seagull loves to challenge himself.  He watches other bird species flying and thinks, “I can do that.”  Even though flying acrobatics aren’t part of a seagull’s life.  Instead of hanging out with The Flock, flying around incoming fishing boats and fighting over morsels of sea-catch, Jonathan spends his days practicing his new flying skills…high soaring climbs, deep speed-defying dives…until he transcends space and time and fulfills his destiny as a very unique, individual bird who will risk being ostracized from The Flock rather than mindlessly conform to monotony and the pack mentality. 

My only criticism of my little volume is that I wish the numerous photos of seagulls that illustrate this tale had been in color rather than black and white.  Otherwise, I quite enjoyed the fable.

Till next time, happy reading.

L

“Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend.  Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.”

            ~ Groucho Marx

I went to see the Hunger Games movie with one of my book clubs recently.  After being ambivalent about the movie since I really only enjoyed the second half of the book, right about when Katniss lands herself in the games and things get really exciting, I wasn’t too sure about seeing the movie.  Boy am I glad I did!  Loved the movie, and thought it was very close to the book.  The casting was pretty dead on for a number of characters too (love, love, love Stanley Tucci (Ceasar Flickerman) in everything he does!  Then there was the ever yummy Lenny Kravitz as Cinna.  Mm-mmm good!  With Donald Sutherland doing a delightful job as the imposing President Snow and well played as the drunk mentor Haymitch was Woody Harrelson.  Excellent casting choices all!).  I enjoyed the movie so much that I came out of the theatre dying to read the next book in the trilogy, Catching Fire.  And that is exactly what I did over Easter weekend and, well, I’m back to being ambivalent again….

Warning, SPOILERS abound.  If you haven’t read the book but want to, you might want to skip the next couple paragraphs.

The book opens with Katniss and her family living in the Victor’s Village along with Peeta and Haymitch.  They have so much food and money, there’s little left for Katniss to do, though she continues hunting in the woods to help her friend Gale and his family put food on the table.  Katniss is aware she will be expected to mentor this year’s Hunger Games contestants, and though she won the Games, not much in District 12 or the rest of the districts for that matter, has changed.  But before the games are announced, Katniss and Peeta must make a victory tour of all the districts and continue their star-crossed lovers routine as decreed by the evil President Snow because the districts are starting to rebel, and the Capital cannot have dissension in the Districts.  With Gale and her family threatened, Katniss and Peeta do their best to convince everyone they’re madly in love, even going so far as getting engaged, but it is not enough.

With this year being the seventy-fifth Hunger Games, a new twist is added.  Apparently, it is the year of the Quarter Quell.  Every twenty-five years the Hunger Games get a little more vicious.  Twenty-five years earlier, when Haymitch won the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes were sent from each district, meaning twice as many children died.  This year, the twist is that districts must pick tributes from their pack of victors.  As District 12 only has three victors in total, Katniss and Peeta are heading back into the ring.

Now who didn’t see that one coming?

Once again, I found the first half and particularly the middle of the book to be a slow read.  Once the games began however, the action picked up and the book became a page turner for me.  Obviously the storyline had to go in the direction of taking down the Capital, and I knew Katniss would play a pivotal role (she isn’t the heroine of the books for nothing), I was disappointed in the lack of imagination in revisiting the Games.  It all felt a bit “been there, done that” and I would have liked to have seen the author explore other ways to create a district uprising.  I guess I’ll have to see what Mockingjay, the third and final book of the trilogy has to offer in improvements to the story and/or satisfying conclusions.

Till next time, happy reading!

L