The light reading continues. . .
I very much enjoyed both of Susie Steiner’s Manon Bradshaw’s mysteries, recommended by Sue at High Heels in the Wilderness. Don’t you love her bookposts?! (and if you don’t know about them, oooh, you have a lot of titles just waiting to be added to your To Be Read list). Intriguing, well-plotted mysteries with interesting and likeable characters (a few very unlikeable ones as well — I mean, they’re murder mysteries). I love visiting England via the deftly drawn settings and I have a soft spot for Manon in all her impulsive and crusty vulnerability.
I also enjoyed, almost against my will, Ann Mah’s The Lost Vintage which I picked up at the library because I so much enjoyed her Mastering the Art of French Eating. Her novel is a very elegant version of a classic romance, with the added intrigue of travel (France!), some exposure to the world of wine-making, wine-tasting, and wine-collecting. The book is structure daround a secret, a family history mired in the complex politics and moral dilemmas (and, bien sûr, the crimes against humanity) of Occupied France during WWII and of the decades-long, post-war repercussions, the rift ripped between those who collaborated and those who resisted. Why was it “almost against my will” to read this book? Well, this combination of historical setting and genre always makes me uncomfortable, resistant to any resolutions the narrative finds, uneasy at any catharsis or entertainment value I draw from the sufferings of this period. I felt the same way about Tatiana de Rosnay’sSarah’s Key. . .
So I’d recommend The Lost Vintage if you don’t share my discomfort (which I attribute primarily to twinned year-long courses in German History and German Literature!). It’s well-written, credibly researched, effectively structured, and it reflects Mah’s own considerable immersion in French culture.
One more title from my light reading, but this one I read in French, Georges Simenon’s L’Affaire Saint-Fiacre. Apparently, it’s been made into a movie several times. Has any of you seen one of these film renditions? or read the book, in whatever language? In it, Maigret returns to his boyhood home, so there’s considerable parsing of his emotions. . . and the crime is unusual, the plot full of twists and intrigue with a thoroughly dramatic final section, high tension, an explosive and supposedly revelatory action, and then an odd sense of something a bit different than anti-climax, an acceptance, rather of not being sure, a disequilibrium. . . .
As usual, I’d love to hear from you, whether you want to tell us your thoughts about either of the books I mention here, or about whatever you’re currently reading. I’ve just finished Michael Ondaatje’s Warlight and hope to post about it next week — highly recommended! — and I’m currently engrossed in Guillaume Musso’s Un Appartement à Paris (also recommended if you read French; it doesn’t seem to be translated into English yet, but I’m sure it won’t be long — so good!).
I finished The Lost Vintage last week and left it at my last apartment and I read Louis de Bernières' The Dust That Falls from Dreams. It was Downton Abbeyish but a good read for solo nights in Paris. I'll try to get Musso's book at home. Did you know that UBC is doing a University in a Day Historique Paris on September 29? It sounds interesting. I just read Elizabeth George's latest book The Punishment She Deserves and have started a new book for travel day. Can there ever be enough time to read?
The only De Bernières novel I've read is Captain Corelli's Mandolin — and I really enjoyed that so not sure why I haven't read others. But it's not as though I can't find enough to read! 😉
I recently finished Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi which I discovered via your post and daughter's suggestion. I was blown away. Have you read it? Susan Anderson aka susanalka on IG
Yes! I've been meaning to say a few words about Homegoing here, and hope I get to it before long — it's a powerful and really engaging and thought-provoking novel, very impressive debut for Gyasi.
Oh,I loved Susie Steiner's mysteries very much
I've read Georges Simenon's Maigret some thirty-forty years ago, sorry,can't remember
Before my trip to Vienna,I've finished Rodica Doehnert's Das Sacher in german,about fin de siécle in Vienna and Hotel Sacher,the realm of social elite (+ original Sacher cake recipe,as a bonus),Anna Sacher,first woman to achieve the Habsburg royal warrant of appointment (after death of her husband) and a lot of people connected to the hotel in one way or another. I've refreshed my german a bit,got the recipe and that was all to say about the book(just to add,german books are considerably more expensive for me than english ones)
During my stay there,I've finished Leila Slimani's Lullaby-you reviewed it here-I liked it very much,despite the distressed topic.
I've considered to read The Lost Vintage,but didn't start so far
The only book from Guillaume Musso I've read was L'Appel de l'ange in a not so good translation
I'm reading Steve Burrows A Shimmer of Hummingbirds-always a pleasure,as well as new Ann Cleeves Wild Fire before that
Dottoressa
Funny that I never did read Simenon "back in the day" — I read all of Agatha Christie, but I'm not sure I ever read Maigret mysteries, although I do remember my mom doing so.
I'm glad you found Slimani's novel worthwhile — it was tough in so many ways, wasn't it, but it really made me think.
This is my first Musso — and I'll admit I probably wouldn't have bothered with it except that I wanted to practice my French, and it turned out a quite liked it.
I really want to read A Shimmer of Hummingbirds! But oh my, the list is so long of books To Be Read!
I'm not sure how I missed this post, so I'm late to the party. I agree with the praise for Homegoing. When my daughter lived in West Africa I visited Goree Island and v the House of Slaves with its' Door of No Return – a symbol of the African diaspora. In Homegoing, author miraculously merges the story of separated twin sisters and their descendents- Harlem, Louisiana and the Gold Coast of West Africa- into a cohesive and compelling story. I was particularly struck by the character Yaw- a 20th century descendent teaching adolescent African students that they must always ask themselves when reading history "Whose story am I missing?" It chilled me. History is written by the victors.
On a lighter note I enjoyed Tish Oxenredider's travel memoir "At Home In the World…." One has to be fearless to check everything and travel the globe with a husband and four children for a year to ensure that they become compassionate global citizens. I also found Laurie Frankel's novel "This is How It Always Is" a nuanced and approachable look into family, gender, gender roles, and how a family trying to do the right thing can do the exact wrong thing. It explores acceptance, competing needs within a family, marriage, parenting- all the big messy ingredients in one family's life. I found it thought provoking. I am currently ticking off a bucket list item- Middlemarch. Why did I put it off for so long? Although in the early stages- I quite enjoy it.
You always offer interesting possibilities for future reading, and I'm glad you got to this post to comment, late or not. . .
I read Middlemarch decades ago, but I've been intending to re-read it (one of my friends teaches it every few years and each time, I think I'll read along. . . .hmmmm, I do have a copy on my book shelves. . . .