Tag Archives: New York Review of Books

July 8, 2015 · 12:00 am

Review: Talk by Linda Rosenkrantz

I received an advanced review copy of this title from The New York Review of Books through Edelweiss.

My Review:
TalkThis is one of those books that is difficult to classify in a specific genre.  It is biographical, but it is does not take the form of a traditional narrative like most biographies.  The author taped the conversations of three people, Marsha, Vincent and Emily, during the summer of 1965 while they vacationed on the beaches of East Hampton and transcribed their dialogue into this book form.  The result is a straightforward, raw and, at times, shocking series of conversations on which we are “eavesdropping.”

There are several topics and themes that keep cropping up in the conversations of these three friends.  First and foremost is their many failed relationships.  None of them can sustain a long-term love interest and they all seem to have different reasons for being unlucky in love.  Emily is still hung up on an old boyfriend with whom she lived in France, Vincent is gay and can’t quite seem to find someone to confide in like he does with Marsha, and Marsha seems to be in love with her gay best friend Vincent.  All three of them are in psychotherapy trying to iron out their problems and they like to sit around an analyze their therapy sessions.

Another topic that keeps bubbling to the surface is their childhoods.  Marsha and Emily, in particular, like to share stories about their younger years and their parents.  Emily tells a particularly horrifying yet funny story about a neighbor’s doll which she covets and then ends up destroying so she doesn’t have to give it back.  There seems to be a contest among them as to whom has had the most twisted and ridiculous stories from their younger years.

The most common, and shocking topic among the three is sex.  They talk about anything and everything.  They talk about who they are attracted to, who they will and won’t sleep with; no aspect of sex is off the table–ménage, S&M, orgies, abortion, masturbation are all covered.  Marsha goes into great detail describing a boyfriend who like to tie her up, hang her on a wall, and whip her.  TALK can be considered the original 50 Shades of Grey, only Marsha is smart enough to realize that this is not a healthy relationship and she quickly moves on.  I had to keep reminding myself that this book was written fifty years ago because their conversations could have just as easily have taken place today.  All three friends are 30 years old and have come to a crossroads in their lives; will they ever find the right one and get married and settle down?  Is marriage really something that they could or should even consider?  Rosenkrantz was progressive and brave not to filter any of the talk among these friends.

The New York Review of Books Classics imprints are my favorites to read.  They have provided us with another fascinating, relevant and interesting book.  You will definitely want to grab this one for the beach.

About The Author:
Linda Rosenkrantz is the author of several books of fiction and nonfiction, including Telegram, a history of the telegraphic communication, and her memoir, My Life as a List: 207 Things About My (Bronx) Childhood, and the co-author of Gone Hollywood: The Movie Colony in the Golden Age. She was also the founding editor of Auction magazine, a long-time syndicated columnist, and a founder of the popular baby-naming site Nameberry.com. She currently resides in Los Angeles.

4 Comments

Filed under Classics, Literary Fiction, New York Review of Books

Tagged as , ,

June 2, 2015 · 12:00 am

Review: A View of the Harbour by Elizabeth Taylor

I received an advanced review copy of this title from The New York Review of Books.  Please visit their website for a full list of their classics collection of which I am a big fan: http://www.nybooks.com/books/browse/all/?imprint=classics

My Review:
A View of the HarbourThis novel is about a group of year-round inhabitants of a small harbor town in England.  The main focus of the book is on Beth and Robert and their mundane, tired marriage.  They have fallen into a routine that Robert feels is boring and lifeless and Beth is so absorbed writing novels that she hardly seems to notice.  Beth is also not observant enough to detect the growing attraction between Robert and Beth’s best friend, Tory, who lives next door to them.

Tory and Robert are prone to stolen moments of kisses, embraces and meaningful looks and we are kept in suspense throughout the book as to whether or not they will consummate their relationship.  The matter becomes even  more complicated when Robert’s teenage daughter, Prudence, discovers that Robert and Beth have feelings for one another.  The mounting tension of this love triangle and Prudence’s knowledge of it prove for a page-turning read in which, no matter the outcome, someone is going to be left miserable and heartbroken.

The cast of characters that Taylor provides in this novel are multifaceted.  Bertram is an older man who has retired from the navy and lives above the town pub.  He has a way of charming himself into everyone’s life and he is especially drawn towards Tory; he has visions of himself finally settling down by marrying her.  Taylor hints that Bertram’s life has been itinerant and wandering and when the local gossip is dying he vows, for once, to sit by her deathbed and give her comfort until the bitter end.

Lily Wilson is a young widow who lives alone in a creepy wax museum that she inherited from her husband.  She is terribly lonely and afraid at night and spends a lot of time in the pub looking for company.  Taylor mentions her more at the beginning of the novel and Lily gradually drops out of site.  We are never completely sure what happens to her but there are hints that she finds sordid ways to deal with her grief.

We are also treated to the story of the town gossip, Mrs. Bracey, who has been an invalid for years and relies on her daughters Iris and Maisie to wait on her hand and foot.  Maisie has feelings for Eddie, a town fisherman, but her mother keeps interfering in her daughter’s attempt at any time of marriage or happiness.  It seems that no one in this small town has any hope of finding peace or love or a “happily-ever-after.”

I highly recommend A VIEW OF THE HARBOUR for your summer reading list.  The seaside setting, an interesting cast of characters and Taylor’s lovely prose make this another great read from The New York Review of Books.

About The Author:
Elizabeth TaylorElizabeth Taylor (née Coles) was a popular English novelist and short story writer. Elizabeth Coles was born in Reading, Berkshire in 1912. She was educated at The Abbey School, Reading, and worked as a governess, as a tutor and as a librarian.

In 1936, she married John Micael, a businessman. She lived in Penn, Buckinghamshire, for almost all her married life. Her first novel, At Mrs. Lippincote’s, was published in 1945 and was followed by eleven more. Her short stories were published in various magazines and collected in four volumes. She also wrote a children’s book.

Taylor’s work is mainly concerned with the nuances of “everyday” life and situations, which she writes about with dexterity. Her shrewd but affectionate portrayals of middle class and upper middle class English life won her an audience of discriminating readers, as well as loyal friends in the world of letters. She was a friend of the novelist Ivy Compton-Burnett and of the novelist and critic Robert Liddell. Elizabeth Taylor died at age 63 of cancer.

8 Comments

Filed under Classics, Literature/Fiction, New York Review of Books, Summer Reading

Tagged as , ,

April 23, 2015 · 9:45 am

Review: Ending Up by Kingsley Amis

I received an advanced review copy from The New York Review of books. Please visit their website for the full collection of their classics series: http://www.nybooks.com/books/imprints/classics/.

My Review:
Ending UpIn this comedy about old age, Amis provides us with a geriatric cast of characters living under the same roof who are basically trying to stay as comfortable and happy as possible before they die.  There are five septuagenarians in total, three men and two women.  Although they want nothing put peace in their final years, they manage to annoy each other and bicker to the point where peace is the last thing that any one of them is going find.

Adela is the one who holds the whole operation together by paying the bills, doing all of the cooking and shopping and generally trying to make peace among her roommates.  She is not the most attractive woman and she has never been married but she is the caretaker to everyone in the house to the point that she ignores her own health issues.

Adela’s brother Bernand, the most cantankerous one of the bunch, is also the most amusing.  He has a bad leg which seems to be better or worse, depending on whether or not he is asked to do physical labor.  He provokes the others into arguments during conversation for his own amusement and he is very fond of attempting practical jokes.  His favorite weapons are stink bombs, feces, a squirt gun and urine.

A happy drunk named Shorty is also one of the residents of the cottage.  Shorty loves alcohol and he thinks he is fooling everyone about his habit by hiding bottles all over the house.  He is also the servant of the group and is always cleaning up and serving tea.  Shorty and Bernard are actually ex-lovers, which fact produces a few bawdy jokes throughout the book.

The other woman in the group is a flighty woman named Marigold.  Marigold loves to write letters, spend time with her grandchildren and do everything she can to avoid Bernard.  When Marigold starts losing her memory, she is desperate to keep this secret from Bernard whom she is sure will use this information against her.

The last member of the household is George, a former brother-in-law of Bernard.  George is a kindly old professor who has had a stroke and cannot get around on his own.  The group has taken him in because he has no where else to go and Bernard is not happy about this situation.

ENDING UP is a funny novel about the inevitability of growing old and dealing with the vast array of issues that come along with this mortal condition.  It is ironic and funny that each of these septuagenarians are responsible for his or her own demise at the end of the book.  Thanks again to the New York Review of Books for reviving another great classics.

About The Author:
AmisSir Kingsley William Amis, CBE was an English novelist, poet, critic, and teacher. He wrote more than twenty novels, three collections of poetry, short stories, radio and television scripts, and books of social and literary criticism. He fathered the English novelist Martin Amis.

Kingsley Amis was born in Clapham, Wandsworth, Couty of London (now South London), England, the son of William Robert Amis, a mustard manufacturer’s clerk. He began his education at the City of London School, and went up to St. John’s College, Oxford April 1941 to read English; it was there that he met Philip Larkin, with whom he formed the most important friendship of his life. After only a year, he was called up for Army service in July 1942. After serving in the Royal Corps of Signals in the Second World War, Amis returned to Oxford in October 1945 to complete his degree. Although he worked hard and got a first in English in 1947, he had by then decided to give much of his time to writing.

7 Comments

Filed under Classics, Humor, Literary Fiction, New York Review of Books

Tagged as , , ,

March 31, 2015 · 8:50 am

Review: Alien Hearts by Guy de Maupassant

The New York Review of books had a fantastic winter sale and I bought several books, including this one, at a fantastic discount.  This book was originally written and published in French in 1890.  This English version has been translated by Richard Howard.

My Review:
Alien HeartsAndré Mariolle is wealthy enough to pursue various arts without having to make a living from them.  He dabbles in a little bit of everything from playing music to writing.  He is content with mediocrity in his life and he is happy to surround himself with other artists and move in the creative and intellectual circles in Paris.  One day he is invited to the salon of Madame du Burne and his quiet, unassuming life is changed forever.

Madame du Burne survived an abusive, although brief, marriage and when her husband dies and leaves her a widow at the age of 30, she puts all of her wealth and energy into entertaining the most creative minds in 19th Century Paris.  Novelists, sculptors, musicians and singers all attend her salon and an invitation from her is the most coveted one in town.  But we learn that Madame du Burne has some deep-seated psychological issues as far as relationships with men are concerned.  She is an unrelenting coquette who makes men fall in love with her and she collects men like she collects art.  She toys with their emotions, but once they fall in love with her she never returns their feelings.

When Madame du Burne meets Mariolle he seems to have a different affect on her; she favors him more than the other men in her “collection,” but is she really capable of truly loving someone in return?  Mariolle falls hopelessly in love with her and writes her beautiful love letters and tries to be around her as much as possible.  Despite her sad experience with marriage, it is hard to feel sorry for Madame du Burne.  She appears to appreciate artists and intellectuals but it becomes obvious throughout the novel that she is just using them for her own selfish and vain ends.

Maupassant’s language, especially when he is describing the process of falling in love, is poetic and melodic.  His metaphors aptly capture the burning ardor of Mariolle’s feelings as well as the torment he feels when his love is not returned.  I was reminded several times throughout the novel of similar sentiments expressed by the Latin poets Catullus and Ovid who are also pulled in various emotional directions by romantic love.

The ending of this book is abrupt, unexpected and puzzling.  ALIEN HEARTS is a short read full of passion, love and frustration and I highly recommend this emotionally charged novel.

 

About The Author:
Guy de m.Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant was a popular 19th-century French writer. He is one of the fathers of the modern short story. A protege of Flaubert, Maupassant’s short stories are characterized by their economy of style and their efficient effortless dénouement. He also wrote six short novels. A number of his stories often denote the futility of war and the innocent civilians who get crushed in it – many are set during the Franco-Prussian War of the 1870s.

Leave a comment

Filed under Classics, France, Literature in Translation, New York Review of Books

Tagged as , , , ,

March 9, 2015 · 12:00 am

Review: A Legacy by Sybille Bedford

I received an advanced review copy of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss.

My Review:
A LegacyThis is the satirical yet poignant story of two wealthy European families living in Pre-World War I Germany.  The first cast of characters that are described are from the Merz family, who are of Jewish descent and live together in an opulent home in Berlin.  In addition to the matriarch and patriarch of the family, sons, daughters, uncles and in-laws all live under the same roof.  Their youngest daughter, Melanie, marries an older man named Julius who is originally from the countryside and whose family is Catholic.  As one can image, many comical discussions about religion and family matters involving religion, take place as a result of this Jewish-Catholic marriage.

Julius’ family, the Feldens, are the other family described at length in A LEGACY.  The Feldens are landed gentry living in the South and their Catholic roots go back for generations; there are a total of four sons in the family including Julius.  A lot of the story about the Feldens involves a description of Johannes, the youngest brother, who, at the age of 15, is sent off to a brutally abusive German military camp for young boys.  Johannes escapes and a political battle ensues between the Felden family and the German government.  When Johannes is threated with being returned to the military camp he loses his mind and is never right for the rest of this life.

There are many themes and plots in the book that Bedford describes which readers from any time or place can appreciate.  Even though these families believe that they are vastly different because of their religions, they are actually very similar in how they view family, wealth and society.  Although both families claim they are staunch believers in their respective religions, none of them actually ever sets foot in a church or a synagogue.  The sons, especially the eldest in each family, expect to have vast amounts of income with which to gamble and engage in their eccentric hobbies; but each man has no intention, whatsoever, of working for a living.

The language of the book is very different and might not be what many readers are used to as far as dialogue is concerned.  Oftentimes characters launch into a dialogue and neither speaker is specifically identified until well into the conversation.  It is as if we are sitting at the dinner table with the Merzes, or any large family, and conversations are happening all at the same time around us.  It might take us a while to catch up with the various dialogues going on simultaneously in the room, but we try to catch bits and pieces of discussions as best we can.

When there is a death, a marriage or a birth, all of which inevitably entail a consideration of religious practices, some type of an argument arises among the Felden and Merz families.  A sister-in-law, who is on the fringe of this family dynamic describes the situations she witnesses among these families best when she says that there is a “Theological dead-lock between non-practicing members of two religions.”

A LEGACY is an entertaining novel, especially for those readers who understand the intricate workings and dynamics of an extended family.  It also made me a little sad to think that this time period that is described is the last of its kind for such families as these in Germany before that country is ravaged by two world wars.  In the end, Bedford makes us ask ourselves if any of the petty differences that exists among families really matter?  What kind of a legacy will we leave for posterity?  What does fighting over religion or money or property really leave us in the end?

Thanks so much to the New York Review of Books Classics series for bringing another great novel to our attention.

About The Author:
Sybille Bedford, (16 March 1911 – 17 February 2006) was a German-born English writer. Many of her works are partly autobiographical. Julia Neuberger proclaimed her “the finest woman writer of the 20th century” while Bruce Chatwin saw her as “one of the most dazzling practitioners of modern English prose.

 

 

1 Comment

Filed under Classics, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, New York Review of Books

Tagged as , ,