Diane’s Unstructured Reading Life 2024 (dianelouise100)

After diligently making plans for 2023, from which I deviated almost immediately, I decided in favor of impulse and spontaneity this year, going with whatever attracts me. I find more and more that my reading suggestions come from this group, or other groups on LT. I also like to follow book reviews in The Guardian newspaper and find their reviewers pretty reliable. And then later will come the Booker Longlist of nominees for the prize for 2024–I only hope it will rival last year’s list in quality selections.

Happy reading to all, and I’ll be jumping right in with my current reading.

My first novel finished in 2024 was The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng, which I loved. I can only hope that all of this year’s books will be equally impressive. I’m currently working on a review.

I’m now reading The Postcard by Anne Berest. And I have to admit that I’d rather read than write, which somewhat hinders the number of reviews that I actually finish. But I’d like to be more disciplined about that this year, since the writing helps me to remember.

>2 dianelouise100: "And I have to admit that I’d rather read than write..." I whole-heartedly agree!

>2 dianelouise100: I have to write a review soon after I’ve read the book, while it’s fresh in my head. Sometimes I’ll bookmark or write a note if there’s a particular phrase or sentence that I think illustrates something of the book as a whole. But I agree, it’s hard to review everything one reads.

>2 dianelouise100: I'm glad that you also loved The Garden of Evening Mists, Diane. Tan Twan Eng has developed quite a fan club here this month!

>4 kjuliff: The need to review soon became clear with last year’s reading. Before I start the next book if possible. That’s hard for me, because I’m usually eager to begin whatever next selection is calling out to me. With the Garden of Evening Mists, though, I was sorry to see the end come.

>5 kidzdoc: Hi, Darryl! It was thanks to you that I started to explore the Booker Longlist last year. These were some of the best fiction I read all year—and The House of Doors was a favorite. I thought there were at least two and maybe three books on the Shortlist it should have replaced. So I was eager to read Tan Twan Eng’s backlist. I liked The Garden of Evening Mists even better than House. And I now own a copy of The Gift of Rain.

>6 dianelouise100: Yes, I too need to start before getting in to the next novel and it’s hard. I just force myself. I think I never got past my school motto, Potens Sui ;-)

>7 dianelouise100: it was a good Booker longlist last year. I’m also glad you liked The Garden of Evening Mists.

Wish you a great year of spontaneous reading. No worries on reviews. I like hearing about what you’re reading and if you’re enjoying. But share what’s fun to share.

>9 dchaikin: Thanks, Dan. The best thing for me about 2023 longlist was that I found some new (to me, at least) authors to follow. With the exception of Sebastian Barry, I had read none of them.

Welcome back to Club Read, Diane. I too am a big TTE fan. Gift of Rain is my favorite. I too have to write a review right away, and I also like to have them as prompts to my sketchy memory. I do give myself leave to skip writing one when I want to though, especially if there are a ton out there that I can reference.

Hmmm…Thanks to you, Lisa,for this suggestion. There are indeed at least a hundred reviews on the Work page for The Garden of Evening Mists. Instead of struggling to give a non-spoiler, not over long, review, I’ll just repeat my reaction. This is a very fine novel, and if you haven’t already read it, just take a look at a copy or read many of the excellent reviews already available. I think you’d find the writing breathtaking and the story very compelling. For me it was a 5* read, and a wonderful beginning to 2024.

>12 dianelouise100: I'm so glad you enjoyed GoEM, Diane. I thought it raised interesting questions about memory, in particular, and the writing is beautiful.

I’m now reading The Postcard by Anne Berest, an interesting juxtaposition to Garden of Evening Mists. Both novels deal with the effects of World War II, one in the Pacific theater, the other in the European. I’m about 100 pages from the end and have enjoyed the book very much, though I’m also finding myself confused occasionally. Rather than memory, The Postcard relies on historical research. Both approaches provide challenge for the reader and much suspense.

So glad you enjoyed TGoEM. I don’t know anything about The Postcard.

Comments on The Postcard by Anne Berest

I’ve now finished The Postcard, a book compelling enough to keep me reading, but which I thought flawed in a couple of significant ways. The novel is based on a true story: the experiences of the author/narrator Anne Berest’s great-grandparents and their children in German-occupied Paris during WWII.

The story opens in 2003 with the arrival of an anonymous postcard at the home of Anne’s mother Lelia, once the home of Anne’s grandmother Myriam, to whom the postcard is addressed. On the card are listed four names, Epraim and Emma, Anne’s great-grandparents; and two of their children, Noémie and Jacques, Anne’s great aunt and uncle. All four had perished at Auschwitz in 1942, victims of Hitler’s determination to wipe out the Jews of Europe. Lelia has done a great deal of careful and painstaking research on the lives of these four and Anne decides she would like to hear what details of her ancestors’ lives her mother knows. The first half of the book is Lelia telling her daughter about these relatives. About 10 years later, Anne decides to track down the anonymous sender of the postcard and the second half of the book is about her search.

Anne is, I think, supposed to be the 1st person narrator throughout. In the first half she reports Lelia’s story as it’s told to her, and I liked this part. Lelia has done much research and the reader is told how she discovered details. Old documents and records, family letters, conversations, and other methods of the historical researcher are shared with Anne, and thus with us. I thought the book’s structure broke down after Lelia’s story. It comes to focus on the question of what happened to Myriam in the later years of the war. Anne is clearly narrating in some parts, but in others the narration seems to turn to a 3rd person omniscient point of view. At one point, a startling new character is introduced in an e-mail exchange with Anne, but is not followed up at all. And I found the ending a bit contrived and anti-climactic—though it was a surprising twist. Overall, I must say that I did not like this book. Its material was very interesting, but the flaws (to me) in structure and point of view would prevent me from recommending it.

>17 dianelouise100: I remember not really liking The Postcard either, and thought it may have been because I was ill at the time that I read it. However your comment re the structure resonates with me and it certainly isn’t a book I could easily recommend.

I should also add that I too was confused with the switch from third to first person narrative. I really thought I’d misread something and it was a sign of fogginess due to illness. Glad to know I wasn’t as foggy as I’d thought.

I don’t really know anything about this author—the book was a gift and I do try to read those as soon as I can. I’m going to google her to see if I find out more about her. I wonder if she was undecided about whether to write a novel or a non fictional account. This sometimes seemed to me like a confusing combination of both,

>20 dianelouise100: Let us know what you find out. I understood it to be genuine research results before I read it, but it didn’t have that feel in the heart of the book. Also the switching to first person. It’s like the author was writing the book as a result of her research, but by then using the third person it became fiction.

>2 dianelouise100: I'm glad you enjoyed TGOEM. It's on my list, too. Interesting comments on The Postcard. This a common problem with historical fiction; authors often struggle with fictionalizing real events and people which leads to perspective jumping.

>22 rv1988: Thanks, Kay, and I hope you’ll be very pleased with TGOEM. I think it takes a very good writer to write good fiction based on real events—probably harder if the events concern their family members.

>17 dianelouise100: very interesting, and also the comments here afterwards. I find myself becoming very hesitant with Holocaust novels as I worry about how authors use it. But I’m sure if this is exactly a novel.

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes was another outstanding novel for January. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Richard Morant, and I really enjoyed the listening experience. The novel centers on 60-something Tony Webster, reflecting on certain traumatic events of his long ago student days. It is Tony’s voice that is heard throughout as he mulls over what happened, has to deal with the inaccuracy of his memory, and consider the ramifications of his behavior over the span of his entire life. His old girlfriend Veronica, his brilliant best friend Adrian, the wife he later marries and divorces, Margaret, really everything must be revaluated when he is confronted with evidence of the falseness of his memory. What I liked best about the book was its reflective and at times nostalgic tone. The AB narrator was perfect to capture Tony at this stage of life as he tries to face his younger self. I recommend it.

>25 dianelouise100: Loved your review. I read Sense of an Ending some years ago. I remember it as a great read but had forgotten much of it. Thank you for reminding me of this wonderful book. I might read it again.

Thanks, Kate! Enjoy if you decide on a reread.

>25 dianelouise100: i seem ti remember this gets mixed reviews. I’m curious. I’m getting more interested in Booker Prize books.

>28 dchaikin: All the available Booker lists make wonderful browsing for someone with no reading plans. Much to look at before this year’s nominees are announced…

This morning I finished The Southernization of America by two native Alabamians, both respected journalists: Cynthia Tucker, an African American woman and Frye Gaillard, a white man. This book is essentially a review and analysis of the ups and downs of race relations in the U.S. under Democratic and Republican administrations from the presidency of Jimmy Carter to the current administration of Joe Biden. It consists of eight essays, three of which are authored jointly, three are by Gaillard and two by Tucker. Both are clear and concise writers, and I thought their commentary fair, evenhanded, and informative. I loved reading Gaillard’s essay about Jimmy Carter and his path to the presidency. I found Tucker’s essay “Biden’s Road to Georgia” particularly interesting—it gave me a much clearer understanding of the role of Stacy Abrams and other black leaders in Georgia in laying the groundwork for the wins of Biden, Warnock, and Ossoff (Georgia’s first black and first Jewish senators respectively). I was also impressed with her essay about Confederate iconography and the Black Lives Matter movement. This book was published in 2022, but is even more timely now.

>30 dianelouise100: Always looking for books on recent American politics, and this looks like it may be one to find. I'm going to read V O Key first though.

>31 SassyLassy: If you get to it, you’ll find it reads very quickly. But it has plunged me down a rabbit hole, I’m now looking to read Robert P. Jones’s White Too Long and The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy. These two have been on my TBR for awhile, and now they’re calling out to me. Started White Too Long just last night.

Love those rabbit holes - looking forward to finding out how they work out

The Southernization of America is right up my alley, as a Northern born Black man who spent most of his adult years in the Deep South, including 24 years in Atlanta, where I voted for Stacey Abrams, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. The excitement I and many of us felt watching the vote count after Ossoff ("vote your Ossoff") and Warnock won their Senate races, and flipped the Senate from Republican to Democratic control was exhilarating and unforgettable. I'll definitely look to read this book soon.

>34 kidzdoc: I hope you like it, Darryl, and I’m guessing that you will.

January was an excellent reading month. Here are the 5 books I read:

FICTION

The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng—my favorite for the month—Shortlisted for the Booker, Malaysian

The Postcard by Anne Berest—WWII and aftermath, German

The Sense of an Ending by Juian Barnes—audiobook, narrated by Richard Morant—Booker winner, British

Seven Graves, One Winter by Christoffer Petersen—a mystery set in Greenland; quick and entertaining read, main character/retired policeman is disabled by a former injury, but still effective (book 1 in series)

NONFICTION

The Southernization of America by Frye Gaillard and Cynthia Tucker—concise and penetrating analysis

White Too Long by Robert P. Jones—all but last 10 pages, included in February’s comments

I’m very happy with this reading list and will probably pursue some of the authors and themes. And though I’m not ready for it, politics is looming now, so I’ll probably be reading more nonfiction.

I look forward to your comments about White Too Long, Diane.

Unfortunately my reading tends to trail off in election years as my stress levels rise.

Review of White Too Long

Robert P. Jones is the Director and Founder of Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and author of several books about Christianity and racial in/justice. I’ve just finished White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity. Jones is clearly qualified to write this book. His documentation and use of statistical research validates his theses, which I am sadly inclined to accept.

His review of the support received from the Christian church by slaveholders and other white supremacists in the past—Jim Crow laws, Ku Klux Clan activities, etc.—was difficult to take in. Passive ignoring of racial injustices on the part of the church would have been bad enough to be reminded of, but learning about ways in which Christian ministers actively supported first slavery and later, cruel racism was very upsetting. Then, in the latter part of the book, with careful reference to and explanation of statistical measurements, Jones demonstrates that the situation has not changed all that much. Nowadays one of the best indicators we have of whether or not a white person identifies as Christian—Evangelical, mainline Protestant, or Catholic—is that person’s high score on a measure of white supremacist attitudes, and vice versa. And the racism score is not lessened by the regularity of church attendance. White people who scored lowest on attitudes of racism were those who identified as non-religious. I must admit, I skimmed the part that explained how the statistics were arrived at, but I got his point.

Jones uses his personal experience growing up in Georgia, many narrated examples that include interviews, and impressive research methods to develop a devastating theme. I was quickly drawn in and had to keep reading, though the experience was painful. I recommend this book without reservation.

>38 labfs39: I know what you mean. I am dreading November.

>39 dianelouise100: The title alone is good enough for me; I'll add it to my wish list.

> kidzdoc 40 The title is from James Baldwin in The New York Times, Feb. 2, 1969

“I will flatly say that the bulk of this country’s white population impresses me, and has so impressed me for a very long time, as being beyond any conceivable hope of moral rehabilitation. They have been white, if I may so put it, too long….”

>42 dianelouise100: Thanks, Diane. James Baldwin is unquestionably my favorite writer, and although I don't remember that passage his voice is instantly recognizable.

>43 kidzdoc: Jones quotes Baldwin a lot. I read him in the 60’s and 70’s and am ordering the LOA volume of his essays and other nonfiction. The passage serves as the epigraph for WTL

>39 dianelouise100: excellent review. ( >44 dianelouise100: this helps sell it ) How deranged that religious identity correlates to racism.

>45 dchaikin: Thanks, Dan. His statistics were shocking, especially the part about how inclusive they are of all the Christian denominations…

>45 dchaikin: Actually, I don't find it surprising at all. I have never conflated beliefs in gods with virtues. Even before the Christian kids wanted to beat me up in junior high. I'm not a POC. They wanted to beat me up for being an atheist.

>47 ReneeMarie: the weirdest aspect to me of religious belief/nonbelief and conservative/liberal political leanings is the evidence that it’s predefined at birth. That our reasoning has no impact on our leanings. By that logic, religion and conservative politics should go together in general in the numbers (but not, you know, individually).

But sorry about the bullies and their peaceful religion that they used as justification.

>48 dchaikin: I think it's pretty widespread, even from people who don't seem like bullies. I've had people tell me they'll "pray for me", which is just insulting. And when I told a bookstore customer that as an atheist I couldn't personally recommend a bible to them but I had coworkers who could, the customer said they hoped I didn't have one of those Darwin stickers on my car or it would be sure to be vandalized.

This may interest y'all, based on the current conversation:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-we-born-to-be-religious/

>49 ReneeMarie: That's an interesting article on a subject I had never read about before: the genetics of religious/spiritual belief. Thanks for sharing.

>49 ReneeMarie: i loved reading the Bible. I would be happy to talk to anyone religious or anti-religious about it, as long as they were reasonable. There’s nothing there to make an atheist more uncomfortable than anyone else. (There is a lot there to make readers uncomfortable. It’s good stuff. 🙂)

I would like a Darwin sticker, were i the bumper sticker sort. My geology side has internal spasms talking to my (semi?)well-educated creationist and fanatically Christian neighbors. Texas is a weird place. The US is a weird place. Just the other night I spoke with a French coworker who told me French liberal politicians cannot say they believe in god. It’s like anti-liberal there. Which I thought charming. I tried to explain that in the US if you don’t make a huff about your religious devotion you can’t get elected, even as most politicians on all sides view religion primarily as a political tool.

(Oh. Sorry Diane. I hope i’m not being taking too much of your thread or being disrespectful in any way here.)

>51 dchaikin: Thanks, no. In my experience, people who want to talk about it generally want to proselytize. And, not trying to be disrespectful, but if I was looking for a model for how to behave, it wouldn't be in a Bible. If I was looking for history, again, it wouldn't be the Bible. For literature, maybe bits of it.

But you're right, I'm done talking about this here.

>52 ReneeMarie: no worries. Apologies if i made you uncomfortable.

>53 dchaikin: No worries. Uncomfortable is not the right word.

Reply to Comments 47-54: As someone who strongly identifies as a practicing Christian, I can only say that I’m sorry your experience with Christians has been so negative. And that I’m relieved that this particular conversation has ended.

My current read, Any Human Heart, a novel of William Boyd, was longlisted for the Booker prize. It’s going quite well—I’m listening and reading along—and after some reading of excellent nonfiction, I’m happy to be in fictionland again. There’s more nonfiction on the horizon as well, and it promises to be an interesting quarter of reading.

>56 dianelouise100: I remember reading and liking this book, but I cannot remember it in detail. I’ve read a few William Boyd novels and tend to get them mixed up.

>57 kjuliff: I’m gearing up to write a review—finished the book a few days ago and loved it! My first by Boyd and am looking to read more.

Review of Any Human Heart

I found Any Human Heart: the Intimate Journals of Logan Mountstuart by William Boyd an enjoyable and satisfying novel. Spanning virtually all of the 20th century, Logan Mountstuart’s journals reveal the diverse and fascinating (for me, anyway) life of the title character.

In the frame story as the novel begins, an elderly man sits editing his journals, presumably for publication. These journals, kept throughout his life, begin in 1923 when 17-year old Logan is in his last year at Abbey, an upper class British boarding/prep school. The journals continue through his years at Oxford, his career in journalism and somewhat successful attempts at becoming a novelist, his love affairs and marriages, and his different careers. He publishes some books and has a successful career managing a New York art gallery; one of his later jobs is teaching English literature in Nigeria. Living in London and traveling often to Europe, especially Paris, he socializes with some of the most famous figures of the 30’s and ‘40’s arts world, among them Hemingway (who befriends him), Fitzgerald, Picasso, Ian Fleming, and Virginia Woolf (whom he doesn’t care for). Ian Fleming recruits him for British Naval lntelligence at the beginning of World War II, and one of his numerous assignments is a mission to the Bahamas to keep an eye on the activities of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, whose characters are convincingly drawn. As a journalist he covers parts of the Spanish Civil War and three decades later joins a revolutionary group of terrorists.

Logan’s life is a long and eventful one set on many continents. He succeeds and fails, wins and loses love, is happy and in despair, as his life progresses into the ‘90’s. I very much enjoyed following Logan through this very interesting life and felt at the end of the novel as if I’d lost a friend.

>59 dianelouise100: Great review. I read this book a long time ago. Time for a re-read.

>60 kjuliff: Thanks! I’ll enjoy seeing how it holds up for you. I think I saw that the Audible narrator was one of my favorites, Simon Vance.

>61 dianelouise100: Yes I think you and I have mentioned Mr Vance before. He’s so reliable.

Great review. There is a booker award book club on facebook (created by the Booker award) and this was their January book. But I didn’t read it. Didn’t know anything about it.

>59 dianelouise100: I've read quite a few books by Boyd, and laughed my way through Any Human Heart. He is almost always a pleasure to read. I drifted off for awhile, and then we parted ways when he came out for Better Together in the referendum. That doesn't take anything away from his writing though!

>63 dchaikin: Thanks, Dan! I get the monthly spotlights by e-mail from the Booker offerings on their website, and that’s where the notion to read this came from. All those longlists are a good source of book suggestions.

>64 SassyLassy: Thanks for this comment and piece of info, Sassy. This was my first book by Boyd and since our library has many of his works, I do want to try more. If you’d feel comfortable recommending one or two others for me to try, I’d appreciate it. And will understand if you don’t.

>66 dianelouise100: No problem - as I said, my view of his politics doesn't take anything away from his writing!

My favourite by Boyd is definitely Brazzaville Beach. If it's not his first novel, it's definitely one of the earlier ones. Another favourite is The New Confessions. Whatever book you wind up with, enjoy!

>67 SassyLassy: I liked Brazzaville Beach a lot too. But now I’m stuck reading International Booker prize winners and they are all dark and haunting.

Brazzaville Beach, which my library has, will be my next Boyd novel. Thanks, Sassy and Kate

The past few weeks have been very busy, and though I’ve been reading, I’ve pretty much neglected this thread, and all the ones I’ve been following as well. Things seem to be settling down a bit and I wanted to list my “unplanned” reading for 1st quarter to look at where I’ve been led. I’m pleased to have read 14 books, all of which were enjoyable.

JANUARY

1. The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng

2. The Postcard by Anne Berest

3. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

4. The Southernization of America: A Story of Democracy in
the Balance by Frye Gaillard and Cynthia Tucker

FEBRUARY

5. White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American
Christianity by Robert P. Jones

6. Any Human Heart by William Boyd

7. Seven Graves One Winter by Christoffer Petersen

8. Beyond a Binary God: A Theology for Trans* Allies by Tara K.
Soughers

9. In this House of Brede by Rumer Godden

MARCH

10. The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

11. The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James H. Cone

12. My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk

13. His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie

14. Pale Horse, Pale Rider: Three Short Novels by Katherine Anne
Porter

This list contains more nonfiction than is usual for me, all of it dealing in one way or another with issues of inclusion and white supremacy. Two of these were part of reading groups for the church related EFM course I’ve joined, sponsored by the University of the South (Sewannee). Both of these books, The Cross and the Lynching Tree and Beyond a Binary God were informative for me and made for great book discussions; I can recommend them to anyone who might be interested. White Too Long, The Southernization of America and The Fire Next Time also deal with race relations and white supremacy. James Baldwin was quoted frequently in White Too Long. Reading the excerpts from his writing reminded me of his succinct and beautiful style and the clarity and durability of his social criticism. I bought two of the LOA volumes collecting his works and plan to get to at least one of his novels and as much of his nonfiction as possible over the rest of the year. (Plans do develop, after all.) The Fire Next Time was easily my favorite in the nonfiction category.

Some of the fiction was suggested by past Booker Longlists, which I’ve found a useful guide; some of it was persuasively recommended by trusted reading friends (which includes “virtual” friends). Many were brought to my attention by conversation on CR threads that piqued my curiosity. With these sources of inspiration, my Wish List has mushroomed. Looking back over my fiction reads, I cannot choose a favorite. My least favorite was The Postcard (review at #17).

I’m hoping that the International Booker Longlist will provide some good suggestions for 2nd quarter’s reading. I’ll plan on reading some of them and listening out for the comments of other Booker followers. I’m currently reading Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 by Ibram X. Kendi and Simpatia, by Venezuelan Rodrigo Blance Calderon, my first of the International Booker nominees.

I'm excited you're pursuing some from the International Booker list. I'm hoping to read some of the list (one finished today). So, regarding Baldwin - I love The Fire Next Time. I'm wondering if you have chosen which novel you will read or if you are still deciding. If there's room for me to nudge Giovanni's Room, I'll nudge it. It's beautiful.

>71 dchaikin: I’d intended to ask the Baldwin fans for suggestions, just ran out of steam last night. Thanks, and Giovanni’s Room is in the volume of fiction I have—I’ll go for it first.

Such an interesting reading year you've had so far, Diane. You're tackling some tough topics. I'll be following along with interest.

Thanks, Lisa. It has been a good quarter.

Late to the game here, but I loved Any Human Heart. I remember reading it when I first moved to my house, 20 years ago and change, and just enjoying the ride so much.

>75 lisapeet: Boyd is new to me and I love that he’s written so much.

>72 dianelouise100: In addition to The Fire Next Time I can also recommend Notes of a Native Son and No Name in the Street. Even better would be the Library of America edition James Baldwin: Collected Essays, which contains these books, several others, and ?unpublished essays. If I had to choose 10 books to take with me on a mythical desert island this would absolutely be one of them.

>77 kidzdoc: Hi,, Darryl, thanks for stopping by. Soon after I read White Too Long where James Baldwin is quoted and referred to several times, I ordered the LOA volume of essays and am reading Notes of a Native Son now. Also decided to check out his fiction too, so ordered Vol. 1, early fiction. Dan has suggested I start with Giovanni’s Room—I was wondering about your favorite Baldwin novels? This volume will have to wait till I read much more of his nonfiction. I thoroughly enjoyed the essay on Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and am now on the next essay on Richard Wright. What a choice of books to juxtapose! And Baldwin’s writing is just so fine…

>78 dianelouise100: I can't argue with Dan; Giovanni's Room is my favorite Baldwin novel. However, I would suggest starting with Go Tell It on the Mountain, as it's autobiographical in nature, which sets the stage for his future fiction and nonfiction work.

I like all Darryl’s suggestions. 🙂 So happy you’re taking to these essays, Diane. I haven’t finished the essays. I paused after the ones originally in books

I finished The Silver Bone by Andrey Kurkov last night, my first of this years nominees for the International Booker. While not surprised that it didn’t make the cut for the Short List, I still enjoyed it a great deal and recommend that anyone looking for a new mystery series take a look at this first book of The Kyiv Mysteries.

The series will feature Samson Kolechko, introduced in the first novel as a young man whose engineering studies have been interrupted by the multi-factional civil war still raging in 1919 through the westernmost part of Russia. The novel is set in Kyiv, where political control has been taken, but certainly not secured, by the Bolsheviks. Chaos reigns everywhere, and as the novel opens we find Samson and his father under attack by a group of White guard Cossacks on horseback. Here are the opening lines of the novel:

“Samson was deafened by the sound of the saber striking his father’s head. He caught the glint of the flashing blade out of the corner of his eye and stepped into a puddle. His already dead father’s left hand pushed him aside so that the next saber neither quite struck nor quite missed, slicing off his right ear.”

The atmosphere of terror and indiscriminate violence that reigns in the city is perfectly captured for me by this scene of sabre-armed horsemen galloping through the street hacking at unarmed pedestrians. Samson soon finds himself “requisitioned” to the police force established by the Red Army and handed a crime to solve originating in his own apartment, where two Red soldiers have been billeted and are storing sacks of “requisitioned” goods.

The novel has a humorous tone at times, which is as unexpected as anything else in the disorder of 1919 Kyiv. And Samson’s detecting successes are helped along by his severed ear, about which I’ll say no
more, except that this bit of magical realism fits right in.

I enjoyed this story for all its quirky qualities and will definitely read the second installment, which has apparently already been written. Kurkov’s writing of the third novel of the series, we are told in the Translator’s Note, was interrupted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

>81 dianelouise100: Thanks for reviewing this book. I’ve wondered about it. I have it on my tbr but didn’t know a lot about it. Sounds like a good read.

>82 kjuliff: I see it’s available on audio—hope you’ll enjoy it if you decide to give it a try.

>83 dianelouise100: Thanks. I’ve put it in my Audible wish list as it’s not in my library. I’m currently trying to read TheSeven Moons of Maali Almeida but having trouble getting into it.

>81 dianelouise100: I finished The Silver Bone Saturday. Enjoyed your review. Like you, I really liked the beginning and the setting. It ended concluding a mystery, but i found I was particularly interested in the mystery and all the stuff i was interested in had kind of gotten left behind. Still, fun enough.

>85 dchaikin: Glad you had fun with it. Will you be reviewing it?

>86 dianelouise100: eventually 🙂

Review of Crooked Plow by Itamar Vieira Junior

Bibiana and Belonísia, aged 7 and 6 respectively, take advantage of their grandmother’s temporary absence from the house to pry into the old suitcase she so carefully hides beneath her bed. At its very bottom, under layers of old clothing, they find a beautiful ivory-handled knife, its blade shining and deadly sharp and “covered in dark stains.” The children are fascinated by this strange object and squabble over its possession. Each little girl puts the knife in her mouth and each is seriously injured: Bibiana receives a deep cut to her tongue, which will eventually heal, and Belonísia actually severs her tongue, leaving her mute.

Thus begins Crooked Plow, Itamar Vieira Junior’s prize-winning novel, an absorbing work focussed on the lives of Bibiana and Belonísia and their family, and the community in which they live, a community of African Brazilians about three generations removed from the abolition of slavery in Brazil. This community is made up of tenant farmers living on the plantation Água Negra located in Bahia, Brazil’s poorest state. The novel is beautifully written and rich in symbolism and imagery, its pace is carefully controlled as it moves along to a shocking climax, and its characters are fully developed and convincingly real (even the spirit/saints—encantados/encantadas—who are part of its magical realisim). Its themes are many, but all are harmonious and support each other. The ongoing impact of a relentless colonialism on these descendants of slaves is a major theme. The characters toil “from Sunday to Sunday” at cultivating the land that has been their home for years, but can never feel secure about being allowed to remain there. The major conflict in the novel occurs when the owners of Água Negra sell the plantation. The new owner wants to evict the tenant farmers, so that he can create an eco-plantation. In the wider society of Brazil, the voices of people like our characters are not heard—much like the voice of the mute Belonísia, silenced, but nonetheless powerful and with so much to say.

I can’t do justice to so complex a novel in a short space and after only one reading. It was certainly a 5-star treat for me, and I know that with each reread I will find new elements to appreciate.