Ian McEwans’ On Chesil Beach tells the story of two young newly-weds on their wedding night and the disastrous consequence of sexual repression, naiveté and longing.  Whilst very different from Atonement, I was still drawn in by the characters and at the same time frustrated and saddened by the social conventions of the time which caused their suffering.  I think this is a wonderful portrait of a specific time in British history just before the sexual liberation of the late sixties and seventies really took off.  It makes me glad to be born in the last quarter of the century and not before.  My mother actually gave me this book from Chrsitmas, knowing I liked Atonement.  She had originally bought it for my father as they had both recently visited the eponymous Chesil Beach but upon closer inspection of the subject matter, she thought it probably wasn’t for him!

I have taken a rest for the time being from Kate Mosse’s Sepulchre, which I am enjoying but from which I need a break. Instead, I am racing through Lee Child’s latest Nothing to Lose.  Jack Reacher is the sexiest man in modern fiction!

Atonement by Ian McEwan

rating: 5 of 5 stars
My initial reaction after finishing reading this book was to want to seek out every other novel written by Ian McEwan and devour them whole. I could not put this book down. The strong narrative voice, the incredible tension and a wonderful story. I finished reading this on the train and I was so moved, I cried. It has been quite some time since a book made me cry! It’s quite embarrassing when it’s in public.

View all my reviews.

Atonement is the first book of Ian McEwan that I have read (or rather, started to read, since I have not yet finished) and I have to say I am very impressed.  I am enjoying this book so much and have spent many a night reading into the early hours just to find out what happens next.  The way he has used the various points of view to tell the story – with all the inaccuracies and unreliable witness that involves – means the the story unfolds at the perfect rate: not  too fast that you are given everything on a latter but also not so slowly that you lose interest.  I have not seen the film but still I cannot stop imagining Keira Knightley as Cecelia – it seems like perfect casting from the descriptions in the book.  I will definitely by checking the film out once I have finished reading.  Part One is finished and I am a couple of pages into Part Two. It has been quite some time since I have read a book that has me excited to get to bed so I can read it!  I am hooked!

Just a quick note to day I have removed the page with the reading list since it meant I was keeping the information in two places which seemed like unnecessary duplication. From now on, I will keep my Goodreads profile updated and the widgets on my sidebar will keep you informed as to what is currently on my bedside table, waiting to be read, what I want to read someday and what I have read (split into 2008 and 2007).  The latter two widgets are a bit further down on the sidebar so scroll down if you are in the least bit interested.

Also, I have now finished Twilight, which had a rather exciting conclusion. I am looking forward to reading more in the series and will write about them when I do. I am now onto Atonement – at last – and so far I am loving it although I really need to read this when I am not too tired and for a decent amount of time each sitting – all this piecemeal reading makes it hard to get hooked on a book and find its voice.

rating: 5 of 5 stars

After a slow start (which was down to me rather than the book), I fell into this world of comic-book writers, New York and beyond with such fervour, I was quite deflated when I finished the book. It helps that the subject matter appeals to my recent interest in comics but this by no means is a necessity to enjoy Chabon’s truly masterful prose. His writing is evocative, clear and engaging. I absolutely adored this book.

The story starts in Prague with a young Josef Kavalier who is completely absorbed by learning escapology. He performs his greatest feat in evading the Nazi invaders and in doing so, travels to New York to meet his cousin with whom he starts a long career. Although he got to safety, he has to deal with leaving behind his family and his comic book art unsurprisingly reveals his hatred of the Nazi Germans and his desire to set free all those people around the world who are in chains.

The magic of the era and the power of their stories shine through. I will definitely want to read this book again. Here is the first line to whet your appetite:

IN LATER YEARS, holding forth to an interviewer or to an audience of aging fans at a comic book convention, Sam Clay liked to declare, apropos of his and Joe Kavalier’s greatest creation, that back when he was a boy, sealed and hog-tied inside the airtight vessel known as Brooklyn, New York, he had been haunted by dreams of Harry Houdini.

View all my reviews.

Picture courtesy of Steve Rhodes

I have finally finished Lionel Shriver’s superb book The Post-Birthday World which I started a long time ago, it seems. Let me first say that I loved it. Shriver’s writing is so special that it constantly makes me sit up and take notice. I could read her words forever.

That said, there were some aspects of the novel which grated:

• I mentioned this before: the supposedly sexy snooker player Ramsey, who was the alternative to the supposedly stuffy Lawrence, just did not do it for me. I could not see the appeal. Maybe it is my own hang-ups with the ‘cheeky-chappie Cockney’ persona – when you have met as many as I have, they are not that endearing. They are usually ignorant and boorish. His dialect didn’t ring true for me either. I am no Cockney (I speak the Queen’s Estuary English), but I can spot a fake a mile off. Ramsey’s accent made my toes curl. For all Shriver’s impressive knowledge of British idiom, there are some phrases which would never be used in the context they are given. For any non-Brit, this would not be evident, I am sure but as a Brit, it started to rankle. Rather than be authentic, it was affected.
• The protagonist, Irina, was difficult ro warm to. Whilst I like the unpredictability of having a less-than perfect heroine, it started to grate when her decision-making in both universes beggared belief. I wanted to shake her. Again, though, I have to admire Shriver for writing a character who evoked such strong feelings. But if I was meant to like Irina, or sympathise with her, then I guess Shriver failed here.

Having said all this, the overall theme of fateful choices and decisions was fascinating. I have often thought how life changes so dramatically because of one action or inaction. I was ultimately frustrated by the lack of neat, happy ending but this is my failing since I know I am romantic at heart. As a creative–writing student, it is important to explore less-conventional endings. I am definitely eager to seek out more of Shriver’s work, although my current ‘to-read’ list is overwhelming without being added to.

So what to read next? I am dying to see what all the Twilight fuss is about and this might be suitably light reading before I launch into the more challenging The Fountainhead or the more emotional Atonement or The Kite Runner.

I am still reading Lionel Shriver’s The Post-Birthday World and I am really enjoying it. The things that annoyed me about it at first are starting to fade away and I am left with a real respect for this American novelist who is so accurately protraying a British world that is very specific. The themes of love and relationships are universal.

I have still been thinking about setting up or joining a book club but I have so many books I want to read at the moment and my new course starting in a couple of months, I am thinking it might be as well to wait a while to make sure that I have the time.  I have no idea how much time the new course will take up (my guess? not as much as it should!).

Image courtesy of The Orwell Prize

George Orwell’s diaries are to be published in blog form exactly 70 years after each entry was originally written starting on 9th August 2008. I am really intrigued by this and fully intend on reading what this fascinating man had to say. I know I am not alone or at all original in thinking that 1984 is a masterpiece that can be read over and over. I am ashamed to say that I have not read anything else by Orwell (although I fully intend on correcting this just as soon as I start shifting the 9 books in my to-read pile). He did have some brilliant things to say:

During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.