Christmas reading

[altariel]

My Christmas reading seemed to consist chiefly of books about people going or being mad. I finally got to the end of The Golden Notebook, which seems to have taken YEARS to finish – not that I wasn’t enjoying it, just that the end never seemed to get any closer, in the manner of radioactive half-life or something. With eighty pages to go and departure from the house for Christmas imminent, I resorted to slicing the book down the spine to take the unread portion, rather than drag 500+ pages of read novel with me.

Lessing dispatched, I read Poppy Shakespeare, by Clare Allan, on loan from someone in my writing group. It explores the relationship between N., a long term patient at a mental institution and new arrival Poppy, who insists she is sane. A fast read, but very well done, particularly the form Poppy has to fill in to claim her MAD money. Extract and review.

Next up was one of my Christmas presents, Wish Her Safe at Home by Stephen Benatar, a curious and frankly disturbing first person account of a woman who inherits her aunt’s house in Bristol, moves into it from London, and promptly goes crackers. It was first published in 1982, and has just come back into print: apparently the author has been doing a great job promoting it in bookshops throughout the south-east (and in fact this is how it was sold to the friend who bought it me for Christmas). Fascinating introduction from John Carey about how he regrets not making the case for it as a Booker judge that year. Short review (which does Persephone Books a slight disservice, since they do reprint books written by men, if the subject matter matches their criteria).

When I got back home I reread Ballet Shoes, to see how much of the plot I had forgotten while watching the new TV adaptation, which turned out to be not much. I thoroughly enjoyed the adaptation – particularly Victoria Wood, Richard Griffiths, and Harriet Walter. (The Somerville romance between Doctor Jakes and Doctor Smith was discussed: "Is that true?" my viewing companion asked doubtfully. "It is now," I said.) Yasmin Paige was smashing as Petrova, and Emma Watson was not disastrous cast against type as talented young actress Pauline. (Miaow!) Poor Mrs Simpson, though, sacrificed to give Marc Warren Grief and therefore Character.

Now I am reading the pile of Phryne Fisher novels that I bought with my Amazon vouchers. This current one has anarchists in it. Anarchists! I hope they turn out to be good; they’re getting a bad press in the narrative at the moment from Bert and Cec.

I have David Thomson’s The People of the Sea part-read. A collection of Gaelic folk tales about seals (or, rather, his journeys collecting them), it is far too poetic not to take my time over it rather than crashing through. I have Germs, Guns, and Steel and Collapse by Jared Diamond out of the library, but frankly I’m wondering whether life is not too short.

Comments

[the-wild-iris.livejournal.com]

I resorted to slicing the book down the spine

I think I need a lie-down now.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

*wafts Wild Iris with pages of an intact, pristine book*

If it helps, it was a second-hand copy that I'd got for a couple of dollars in the US. And my copy of Ballet Shoes is over 20 years old and in immaculate condition.

[the-wild-iris.livejournal.com]

Sorry, it was just so... sudden :)

I've never heard of anyone amputating half of a book before. Was it like Bramwell - without anaesthetic and in full evening dress?

[sensiblecat.livejournal.com]

I've read People of the Sea. Canongate publish some relatively unknown little gems. Have you ever tried any Margaret Elphinstone?

I think Collapse is a very good read. Much of it is quite narrative in feel. GG&S I confess I've never tackled.

And Ballet Shoes? Delightful, and so very in period. I'm glad they didn't try to update it. It wouldn't have worked.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

One of the local bookshops has a big stock of remaindered Canongate books (where I found the Thomson): I'll look out for Margaret Elphinstone when I'm next in.

Thanks for the rec on Collapse: I'm going to try that one before GG&S, I think, and see how I get on.

Oh it would have been awful to update Ballet Shoes! I wonder if they could get away with doing the Gemma books in a period setting now?

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I adore that icon.

[white_hart]

Yes, I was rather distressed at the cold-blooded killing off of Mrs Simpson. I thought they'd done it to give Sylvia a shot at Romance, because how can there be a happy ending if there are still single women around (apart from Nana, obviously)?

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I sort of forgave because the romance between Sylvia-Emilia and John-Marc was so touchingly acted, but it did irritate.

[gair.livejournal.com]

Hoorah for the lesbian doctors! (I was chiefly chuffed when I got my PhD because now gerald and I ARE the lesbian doctors out of Ballet Shoes). They are as true in the book as they are in the film, tell Mr: I too have just finished my re-read and they are pretty couply (they go on holiday together as a matter of course, when one of them is sick they both go away for her convalescence); also, the splendid butch monocle of joy appears to be canonical (at least in my illustrations).

We both hated the adaptation with the kind of fiery indignation we would usually reserve for JKR, though.

Ooh, and guess what I am reading? BUJOLD. She is UNBELIEVABLY BRILLIANT, I am profoundly in love with Miles (who is exactly like Blake, I am surprised it is not commented on more often), and I blame both you and gerald heartily for not making me read them sooner.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

BUJOLD! BUJOLD!!! We have no excuse for not making you read them sooner, we are simply Bad People.

We both hated the adaptation with the kind of fiery indignation we would usually reserve for JKR, though.

Oh no! For why? Was it the brutal murder of Mrs Simpson so that Garnie could have a happy-ending marriage? Or were there other things happening?

[altariel.livejournal.com]

PS If Posy is going to be in Prague at the outbreak of WW2, do you think she becomes an underground ballerina against Nazism like Audrey Hepburn?

[narie.livejournal.com]

It's rather fitting that you should slice a Lessing book up, as in her Nobel acceptance speech she talks about doing just that.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Ah! I wrote upthread that I'd read about someone doing that, so maybe that was where it was! (I read Lessing's speech but my memory is terrible.)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

*goes to check* Yes, that's where I read it!

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

I was wondering when someone would mention "Ballet Shoes". I have never read the book, but I greatly enjoyed the TV adaption.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Read the book now! It's wonderful.

[toft-froggy.livejournal.com]

I resorted to slicing the book down the spine to take the unread portion

*winces*. I see the necessity, but I get a truly physical reaction at the idea of the mutilation of books, which doesn't make sense really, because it's not like there aren't plenty more, but I will certainly never forgive my stepmother for cutting up Lord of the Rings on a hiking holiday and discarding bits as she went. I mean, what if you wanted to READ A BIT AGAIN!? *shudders*

I just started The Blue Hawk, and it is as great as I remember! And I'm totally going to look out some Phryne books, because they sound completely great. Anarchists!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I don't think I could cut up a book and discard it. This one came straight home to join up with its first 500 pages (must remember to sellotape them together again).

I'm so glad The Blue Hawk is turning out as good as memory made it! And you must definitely read Phryne, she's a hoot. Borrow these if you can't find any.

Anarchists! Yay!

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

Yay for your Christmas reading. It sounds good. I wonder if Benatar also gets his friends to stealth promote? He could get them to cover up copies of Dan Brown books with his book.

I have to start reading The Golden Notebook and get it done by Monday week, which is a bit of a problem as after my Jane Austen re-reads over Christmas, I am now on Streatfeild re-reads.

Despite reservations due to reading RT article in which producer/director of Ballet Shoes said they'd chucked in the romance so that adults would also be entertained watching it so it really was a programme for all the family (*sighs deeply*), I did enjoy it, and could even see why they'd made some of the changes, particularly in Petrova (I thought she was a lot more extroverted on screen). Poor Mrs Simpson, though, who made lots of nice food for Petrova to eat when she was recovering from influenza, to be subject to Women in Refrigerator syndrome. However, Sylvia and Mr were very sweet. I adored Victoria Wood as Nana and the two doctors were superb. I wished we'd had more of them on screen.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Good luck with The Golden Notebook: if anyone can get it read by Monday week, you can do it! I kept stopping to mull over bits I'd read, also I was reading it during Frantic November, when I often don't have the brain juice to read more than a few words here and there.

Women in Refrigerator syndrome

Once you notice it, it really is everywhere.

I really liked the little girl playing Posy: I thought she was charming and did the utter ruthlessness extremely well.

[avon7.livejournal.com]

Sylvia and Mr Simpson? Okay that goes on the long list of adaptions I'm never going to read. It is actually possible to be single and survive. Thre are very few books I can bear to see adapted, probably none if they, like Ballet Shoes, are books I've reread to the point of memorisation.

Phryne - I've just discovered her. I find her rather Mary-Sueish but they are quick easy fun reads.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Well, in all other respects I found it a charming adaptation, and the romance was rather sweetly done.

Phryne is exactly what I have needed the past couple of days, when I've had some weird kind of lurgy which has kept me in and out of bed and falling asleep at odd times.

[kerravonsen]

(is horrified at the cutting up of books)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Well, it got the book finished. I doubt I would have done it if it hadn't been a very cheap paperback.